January, 1999 HGS Seminars, Courses and Field Trips

January, 1999Seminars, Short Courses, and Field Trips

Sequence Stratigraphy Core Workshop:Concepts and Applications to Oil and Gas Exploration and Production

Instructor: John C. Van Wagoner, Ph.D.Date: 2 Days, Thursday and Friday, January 14-15, 1999 Place: Renaissance Houston Hotel, 6 Greenway Plaza East Time: 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: $75.00 HGS members; $85.00 nonmembers. Reserve your spot by mailing a check to the Houston Geological Society OfficeNote: Enrollment is linilted to 40. Bring colored pencils and, if possible, a copy of AAPG Methods in Exploration Series No. 7, Siliciclastic Sequence Stratigraphy in Well Logs, Cores, and Outcrops.Description:

The course will provide a broad overview of siliciclastic sequence stratigraphy. The history of sequence stratigraphy and sequences stratigraphy terminology will form the introduction to the course. Emphasis will be placed on defining the stratal units identified in a hierarchy of stratification: bed, parasequence, and sequence. Systems tracts will also be covered in the introduction. The remainder of the first day will be spent looking at each element in the hierarchy in detail.
Parasequences are the building blocks of systems tracts and sequences. Shallow marine parasequences will be studied in wel logs, cores, and through outcrop slides. We will run an exercise developed to recognize parasequences in the subsurface and to address commonly asked questions about them.
Parasequence sets are roughly synonymous with systems tracts. The discussion of parasequence sets will deal with correlation problems, especially at a reservoir scale. This discussion will lead into an analysis of systems tracts, with an emphasis on the most volumetrically important systems tract, the lowstand. Well-log correlation exercises will be provided to identify and correlate lowstand systems tracts.
Sequences are unconformity-bounded stratal units. Sequence recognition will be emphasized through the application of well logs, cores, and outcrop photographs. Sequence boundary recognition criteria wfll also be discussed. Application of sequence stratigraphy to hydrocarbon production and exploration will be stressed. Nonmarine sequence stratigraphy will be presented along with alternative ideas about the formation of sequence boundaries in these complex rocks. Examples from the North Sea and the western United States will supplement subsurface data from the Gulf of Mexico.
The final part of the course will examine an analysis, conducted in Exxon in 1995, of the economic benefits of sequence stratigraphy. The analysis will contain specific areas where sequence stratigraphy has impacted reservoir management and production. Who should attend- Exploration and production geologists and geophysicists, reservoir engineers, and students interested in developing a basic knowledge of sequence stratigraphy terminology, concepts, and applications. Emphasis will be placed on using sequence stratigraphy to interpret cores and well logs. Documentation from outcrops win be included.
About the Instructor:John C. Van Wagoner, Ph.D. has been at Exxon Production Research Company since 1976 and is currently a senior research advisor. His present responsibilities include conducting research in nonmarine sequence stratigraphy and performing research application work, especially in the producing fields of the Norwegian North Sea. He has been an instructor for "Clastic Facies and Sequence Stratigraphy" and "Overview of Sequence Stratigraphy" courses. He has also published numerous papers on the subject, and was co-editor of AAPG Memoir 64, Sequence Stratigraphy of Foreland Basin Deposits.

An Introduction to Geostatistical Reservoir Characterization

Instructor: Jeffrey Yarus, PhD.Date: 2 Days, Thursday - Friday, January 21-22, 1999 Place: Room 904, Phillips Petroleum Company Building, 6330 W. Loop South, NW corner of Bissonnet and West Loop South Time: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM Cost: $70 in advance for HGS members, $90 in advance for non-members. $80 at the door for HGS members, $100 at door for non-members.Note: An attending non-member can get $10 off the cost to join HGS for the first year. Contact: ?SUBJECT=Jan21-22 class">Bill Osten Description:

Although geostatistical techniques for reservoir characterization studies were introduced more than ten years ago, it is only recently that they have begun to reach significant popularity. The reasons for this accelerated interest have to do with both the availability of sufficient computer power and overall understanding of the benefits that this technology offers. This two-day seminar taught by Dr. Jeffrey M, Yarus, is designed to familiarize participants with the practical aspects of geostatistics for use in exploration and reservoir geology. Dr. Yarus is well known for his enthusiastic teaching style and his ability to explain the complexities of geostatistics, simply.
Day 1: Geostatistical Basics

• What is geostatistics and why it can help
  
• Exploratory Data Analysis - getting ready for a geostatistical study
  
• Spatial Modeling - understanding horizontal and vertical variability through variograms
  
• Kriging - estimating surfaces using the best, linear, unbiased interpolation method

Day 2: Geostatistics in Exploration and Reservoir Characterization

• Conditional Simulation - methods for building a stochastic model in 2 and 3 dimensions
  
• Integrating Seismic Data
  
• Upscaling - preparing models for a reservoir simulator
  
• Case Studies; a variety of geostatistical studies will be presented

Who Should Attend:Frontline geoscientists and engineers wanting to know the practical aspects of geostatistics and managers considering the best ways to implement this technology are encouraged to take this course!