--> Abstract: 3D Structural Frameworks: The Gold Standard in Subsurface Interpretation, by Thomas Neely; #120140 (2014)
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3D Previous HitStructuralNext Hit Frameworks: The Gold Standard in Subsurface Previous HitInterpretationNext Hit

Thomas Neely
ConocoPhillips, Houston, TX

Abstract

Accurate 3D models of the deformed subsurface are foundational to successful oil & gas exploration and development, and modeling 3D Previous HitstructuralNext Hit complexity in the subsurface requires specific skills and software. The gold standard in modern Previous HitstructuralNext Hit Previous HitinterpretationNext Hit is the Previous HitStructuralNext Hit Framework: an air-tight network of fault and horizon surfaces that completely describes the three-dimensional Previous HitstructuralNext Hit geometry of a given area, field, or prospect. The specific geometry of fault systems, basin margins, and other deformed regions are more likely to be accurately captured in a Previous HitstructuralNext Hit framework because their construction workflow promotes sculpting mental models into physical products. Within E&P settings, Previous HitstructuralNext Hit frameworks can only be built using volumetric seismic/well/data Previous HitinterpretationNext Hit software that allow for complete geometrical descriptions using incomplete data sets.

Although building a Previous HitstructuralNext Hit framework requires skills in both Previous HitstructuralNext Hit Previous HitinterpretationNext Hit and spatial thinking, there is a strong business case for allocating time and resources to construct hi-fidelity 3D models. Geologic maps or models that are not built within a 3D environment commonly contain errors that misrepresent the size and nature of a prospect or play fairway, or the degree and complexity of faulting therein. The "2.5D" workstation workflow for mapping and understanding fault systems, for instance, is outdated and introduces uncertainty to a given Previous HitinterpretationNext Hit because geometric validity of fault intersections, terminations, etc … cannot be visually QC'd. Furthermore, nearly all advanced Previous HitstructuralNext Hit analyses, including fault-seal analysis, stress prediction, and fracture modeling require robust 3D models at their foundation. The examples provided here demonstrate the power and utility of Previous HitstructuralNext Hit frameworks in oil & gas exploration and development, and are testament to their role as the standard in Previous HitstructuralNext Hit Previous HitinterpretationNext Hit as the industry explores in increasingly challenging geological settings in the 21st century.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #120140© 2014 AAPG Hedberg Conference 3D Previous HitStructuralNext Hit Geologic Previous HitInterpretationTop: Earth, Mind and Machine, June 23-27, 2013, Reno, Nevada