Geologists

For more than a century petroleum geologists have been looking for oil. During this period major discoveries have been made in many parts of the world. However, it is becoming increasingly likely that most of the giant fields have already been discovered and that future finds are likely to be smaller, more complex, fields. This is particularly true for mature areas like the North Sea. 

Fortunately, the development of new exploration techniques has improved geologists understanding and increased the efficiency of exploration. So although targets are getting... 

Of course the typical seismic trace has many hundreds of reflections in it, all the way down from the surface to the deepest times measured. These days, engineers and geologists prefer to see the seismic in terms of the acoustic impedance rather than reflection data and this can be obtained by inversion from the seismic volume. Aseismic volume is made up of hundreds of thousands of traces. 

To a large extent the reservoir geology controls the producibility of a formation, i.e. to what degree transmissibility to fluid flow and pressure communication exists. Knowledge of the reservoir geological processes has to be based on extrapolation of the very limited data available to the geologist, yet the geological model s the base on which the field development plan will be built. 

In some depositional environments, e.g. fluviatile channels, marked differences in reservoir thickness will be encountered. Hence the assumption of a constant thickness, or a linear trend in thickness across the field will no longer apply. In those cases a set of additional maps will be required. Usually a net oil sand (NOS) map will be prepared by the production geologist and then used to evaluate the hydrocarbon volume in place. 

Suppose that four wells have been drilled in a field, and the geologist has identified three possible top sands maps based on the data available. These maps, along with the ranges of data for the other input parameters (N/G, S, cj), B ) have been used to generate an expectation curve for STOMP. 

Frank Jahn has worked as a Petroleum Geologist mainly in Brunei, Thailand, the Netherlands and the UK. He has designed and taught multi-disciplinary training courses related to oil and gas field exploration and development worldwide. After 11 years with a multinational company he became co-founder of TRACS International in 1992 where he is a Director. 

Plenary 21 A. Alian Wang et al, e-mail address alianw levee.wustl.edu (RS). (Unable to attend IGORS, but abstract is available in proceedings.) With teclmological advances, Raman spectroscopy now has become a field tool for geologists. Mineral characterization for terrestrial field work is feasible and a Raman instrument is being designed for the next rover to Mars, scheduled for 2003. 

Process Design and Machinery. Following the field work of geologists and mining engineers and analyses (assays) to estabhsh the grades (concentrations) of values in ores, a mineral concentration flow sheet is estabhshed on the basis of a number of preliminary tests. These include studies of... 

C. Barker, AAPG Continuing Education Course Note Series, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, OMa., 1979, 10, 159 pp. 

C. D. McAuliffe, Contmumg Education Course Note Series Ametcian AssocEBon of Petroleum Geologists, 1978, 8. 

Canadian and European practice (2—4) and geologists and archaeologists in the United States use bitumen or asphaltic bitumen as a synonym for asphalt, and apply asphalt to the mixture of bitumen and inorganic matter that is used for paving purposes. On the other hand, pitches and tars are derived from the destmctive distillation of coal, cmde oils, and other organic materials. 

Korea. More graphite is mined on the Korean peninsula than any other region in the world, except China. Geologists estimate the reserves of both flake and amorphous, but predominantly amorphous, graphite on the order of millions of tons. The iron content of Korean graphite is low and the ash is a distinctive white. 

Because clays (rocks) usually contain more than one mineral and the various clay minerals differ in chemical and physical properties, the term clay may signify entirely different things to different clay users. Whereas the geologist views clay as a raw material for shale, the pedologist as a dynamic system to support plant life, and the ceramist as a body to be processed in preparation for vitrification, the chemist and technologist view clay as a catalyst, adsorbent, filler, coater, or source of aluminum or lithium compounds, etc. 

E. Esiinger and D. Pevear, "Clay Minerals for Petroleum Geologist and Engineers," SEPM Short Coarse Notes No. 22. (1988). 

Erd-flachs, m. amianthus, -forscher, m. geologist. -gang, m. vein tunnel, gallery, -g s,... 

Campbell, C. J. (1997). The Coming Oil Crisis. Brentwood, United.Kingdom Multi-Science Publishing Company. Edwards, J. D. (1997). Crude Oil and Alternate Energy Production Forecasts for the Twenty-first Centuiy The End of the Hydrocarbon Era. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin 81 1292-1305. 

Some petroleum geologists believe that there may be more methane trapped in hydrates than what is associated with natural gas reserves. However, as an energy source, there is considerable uncertainty whether this methane can ever be recovered safely, economically, and with minimal environmental impact. The Russians have experimented with the use of antifreeze to break down hydrates at some onshore locations in Siberia. But perhaps a more promising approach would be to pipe warm surface water to the bottom to melt the hydrates, with a collector positioned to convey the gas to the surface. Another approach might be to free methane by somehow reducing the pressure on the methane hydrates. 

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