--> The Potential for New Discoveries of Oil and Gas in the Shallow Waters of the Campos Basin, Brazil, Jones, Cleveland M.; Chaves, Hernani Aquini F.; Dourado, José Diamantino A., #90100 (2009)

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The Potential for New Discoveries of Oil and Gas in the Shallow Waters of the Campos Basin, Brazil

Jones, Cleveland M.1
 Chaves, Hernani Aquini F.1
 Dourado, José Diamantino A.2

1FGEL, UERJ, Petropolis, Brazil.
2
Nova Iguaçu, CEFET/RJ, Nova
Iguaçu, Brazil.

The objective of any exploratory campaign in a geologic province with known accumulations of oil and gas is to determine where to drill, given the expected number and size of the accumulations present. Modern tools for modeling the exploratory process are complex softwares that make use of the available information about past exploratory history of the play being studied, while also applying the acquired geologic knowledge about specific parameters of the play, in order to provide estimates of the statistical distribution of the number and size of accumulations which remain to be found (yet-to-find-oil). A further refinement to this methodology is the incorporation of the concept of area exhausted by past exploratory efforts, as an adjustment to the estimation process carried out by exploratory process modeling tools.

Since the 1970s, the discovery of significant new provinces in the
Campos Basin has displaced the focus of exploratory activities from shallower to deeper waters. This trend also resulted in exploratory activities further offshore, involving higher costs and initial investments. Following a recent broad review of the potential for new discoveries of oil and gas in the general region of shallow waters (under 400 meters water depth) of the Campos Basin, utilizing both exploratory process modeling tools and an adjustment for area exhausted by prior exploratory efforts, a study was made of a specific geologic play, identified by the USGS as Assessment Unit 60350102 - Cretaceous Carbonates, part of the Lagoa Feia-Carapebus Total Petroleum System, as described in their World Energy Assessment 2000 (WE2000).

The results of the present assessment, utilizing extensive historical data from the region of shallow waters of the
Campos Basin, suggest that the geologic play known as Cretaceous Carbonates cannot yet be considered a mature exploratory play. Furthermore, the results suggest that this area has the potential for discovery of significant additional total accumulations of oil and gas, as well as individual accumulations of significant size. This potential could be of interest, if not to major players of the oil industry, at least to other companies who could benefit from the relative lower level of investment and technological requirements necessary to carry out exploratory and production activities in this area, in expectation of more modest results than the thresholds required by major players.

AAPG Search and Discover Article #90100©2009 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition 15-18 November 2009, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil