Geochemical workflows are recognized in the oil and gas industry as an important component in the evaluation, and better understanding, of petroleum systems. In conventional systems the role of geochemistry has historically been utilized to de-risk exploration, and appraisal phases with only a minor application in development and production phases.
In unconventional resource plays (UCR), operators produce from hydrocarbon rich stacked formations and often the source rocks themselves. This style of development has led to new geochemical applications that assist with asset optimization. These new techniques have added to the industry’s scientific knowledge of source rock and fluid-rock interactions as well as expanding practical applications of geochemistry. These practical applications, that have been proven to be significant in improving resource play recoveries, are the subject of this special section. The intent of this course is to introduce participants to practical, applied workflows derived from geochemical data. The use of geochemistry to quantify total and mobile oil in-place (OIP), determine vertical drainage height (drained rock volume) and production allocation by zone, covering both quantitative and qualitative approaches, will be covered in detail. Throughout the course best practices in rock and fluid sample collection, program design and cross-discipline (e.g., petrophysics, tracers and engineering) data integration will be presented. The course will focus on case studies from across the US L48 but will include both data and case studies from unconventional plays right across North America as well as emerging plays internationally.
This course will be beneficial to geoscientists, petrophysicists & engineers of any experience who wish to gain an understanding of how to successfully deploy applied geochemical programs and how to better utilize any legacy datasets.