The Use of Hydrocarbon Systems in Exploration

Richard S. Bishop, Parke D. Snavely III

The concept of the hydrocarbon system is finding increasing utility at Exxon. We have applied the concept as a geological unit for developing exploration strategy, for use in forecasting technologies and skills, and as an approach to exploration that fosters more thorough and creative exploration. This talk will summarize how we have defined a hydrocarbon system at Exxon and give examples of how we use it to develop business strategy.

From a strategic perspective, the hydrocarbon system provides a geologic unit that is both relatively consistent in its definition and appropriate in size for use in comparing exploration value on a global scale. A key step, however, is the use of coded exploration parameters to describe each hydrocarbon system. These codes describe such aspects as the location, geology, business indicators and assessment results. Once coded, it is possible to search, select, rank and otherwise group hydrocarbon systems on the basis of any number of aspects.

From the standpoint of exploration philosophy, the concept of hydrocarbon systems has aided Exxon explorationists because it provides additional (or perhaps different) perspectives on potential exploration areas. Traditional exploration quite properly focuses on finding containers within plays which are commonly defined on either a stratigraphic interval or structural style. In contrast, the process of defining a hydrocarbon system focuses on defining migration pathways with the result that one can find both plays and containers that have not yet been identified.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91020©1995 AAPG Annual Convention, Houston, Texas, May 5-8, 1995