--> Abstract: Pore Pressure Prediction as a Prospecting Tool, Input to Exploration Trap Risk, Volumes and Field Development, by John P. Brown and Rashidah Bt HJ A Karim; #90078 (2008)

Datapages, Inc.Print this page

Pore Pressure Prediction as a Prospecting Tool, Input to Exploration Trap Risk, Volumes and Field Development

John P. Brown and Rashidah Bt HJ A Karim
Exploration Technology Division, Petronas, Carigali, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Traditionally, pore pressure predictions calculated from offset wells and interval velocity data have been used almost exclusively for well design. However, a pore pressure prediction also contains valuable information on how oil, gas and water is migrating in the subsurface and importantly how fluid pressures will effect top seals, fault seals and column heights in prospects.

The use of pore pressure predictions as a primary exploration tool does not require additional analytical work since a pore pressure prediction must be produced in order to design a well. The key change is a modification to the exploration workflow so that pore pressures are calculated and used by geologists during early prospect generation and evaluation.

The advantages of a combining pore pressure predictions with seismically derived map data during exploration will be illustrated using three examples from South and Central Asia.

The case studies illustrate the advantage of combining shale and formation pore pressure predictions with structural fault seal and top seal analysis during the early exploration phase. The approach was successfully applied to defined trap scenarios based on "pressure balance" and highlighted the dynamic as opposed to static nature of the fluids in the trap. In one case the analysis identified the potential for early water break through during production and suggested reservoir engineering models that needed to be tested prior to drilling production wells.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90078©2008 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas