Symposium Speakers
(Listed in order of appearance)
Keynote Address – Seismic reservoir characterization
Biography
Jon Downton is a Senior Research Advisor with CGGVeritas Hampson Russell. His main interest is reservoir geophysics and the seismic processing associated with this. Jon has presented numerous papers at SEG, EAGE, and CSEG conferences, for which he has received Best Paper awards. Jon obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Calgary in 2005 and his B.Sc. in Geophysics from the University of Alberta in 1985. Jon is a Past President of the CSEG.
Illuminating the controls on performance in the Cretaceous tight gas sands of West Central Alberta: resource simplification to geological parameterization
Fairborne Energy initiated a particular Cretaceous aged tight gas sand play in West Central Alberta in 2008, and the company has now drilled over 20 horizontal wells. The play was originally treated as being relatively simple, with the expectation that wells would exhibit similar behaviour within the local barrier sand trend. This treatment made practical sense because differences in performance were initially minor and did not appear to fit any physical rationale whatsoever. With the accumulation of additional performance data, we have been able to investigate the potential controls on performance to a greater level of completeness. This investigation necessitated a multidisciplinary evaluation of data, and a philosophical debate on what it means to be a resource play. The multidisciplinary work was carried out with little prejudice and included seismic methods such as AVO- LMR analysis, curvature, AVAz, VVAz, geological data such as reservoir quality measures, and engineering data such as reservoir pressure, well performance, and fracture stimulation behaviour. This talk is concerned with the method for investigating the controls on production and the reasons for that method. The debate on philosophy and framing illuminate some thinking around when and why performance can suddenly drastically change in resource plays.
Biography
Lee Hunt currently consults, primarily for Fairborne Energy. He is the 2012 CSEG Distinguished Lecturer. He graduated from the University of Alberta with a B.Sc. in geophysics in 1990, after which he started his career working for PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd. At PanCanadian he was mentored by Bill Goodway. The latter two thirds of Lee's career have largely been at small junior companies. He has been through six corporate take-overs. To date, he has drilled over 300 wells in most of the play types within the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. He has employed qualitative and quantitative analysis of these drilling results throughout his career as a method to assess and improve his technique.
Lee has been involved in the publication of 30 professional lectures, papers, and formal presentations. In these presentations, he almost always works with people in the processing and research community, as well as other geoscientists, in an attempt to present a balanced work. Lee and his co-authors won Excellence of Oral Presentation for the 1997 SEPM Convention, and he was also co-recipient of the 2000 CSEG Convention Best Paper Award, as well as the 2008 CSEG Convention Best Geophysical Abstract, the 2008 CSEG Best Technical Luncheon Talk, and the 2010 CSEG Convention Best Geophysical Oral Presentation.
Lee has contributed to the CSEG in the past by acting as the 2001 CSEG Convention Technical Chairman, has chaired numerous sessions at CSEG annual conventions, and was one of the co-creators of the CSEG MLA. He is a supporter of APEGGA, and was a participant in the creation of APEGGA's Q.I. Practise Standard as well as APEGGA's Guideline for the Ethical Use of Geophysical Data.
Getting everything out of Oilsands seismic data
Dave Gray and Seann Day employ quantitative methods to examine their ability to estimate density in the oilsands reservoir of the Long Lake area from wide angle AVO inversion. Density is a critical discriminator of reservoir quality for this play, but has proven to be difficult to estimate with AVO data. Gray and Day show how they have improved the state of the art relative to the estimation of density, the quality of reservoir, and ultimately of productivity in these oilsands.
Biography
David received a B.Sc. in Honors Geophysics from the University of Western Ontario (1984) and a M.Math. in Statistics from the University of Waterloo (1989). He worked in processing for Gulf, Seismic Data Processors, and Geo-X Systems and in reservoir and research for Veritas and CGGVeritas. He now works for Nexen, where he is a Senior Technical Advisor Geophysics, responsible for geophysical reservoir characterization in their Oilsands Resource Development group. David is a member of SEG, CSEG, EAGE, SPE and APEGGA. He is a registered Professional Geophysicist in the Province of Alberta. In his spare time, David likes to spend time with his family, write and present technical papers, participate in volleyball and grassroots motorsports.
Grand Rapids Oil Sands 3d Seismic – Incorporating and Comparing Multiple Data Types for Reservoir Characterization
Laurie Bellman employs quantitative methods to examine the use of combinations of advanced seismic methods to create comprehensive geological characterizations that predict bitumen-filled reservoir, water-filled reservoir, as well as multiple facies types. The work illustrates a novel use of compressional (PP) data, converted wave (PS) data, vertical seismic profile (VSP) data, and dipole sonic logs in its integrated approach to the reservoir problem. Ultimately, this presentation will show how the different data types contributed to the geological predictions and compare the relative value of the various seismic methods. Comparisons will also be shown between predictions of undrilled wells and actual results.
Biography
Laurie Weston Bellman, President and Founder, Oil Sands Imaging, Calgary, has over 25 years' experience working with resource companies in Canada and Europe. Laurie's main interests are developing practical applications of rock physics theory and quantitative interpretation; advancing seismic processing and acquisition to prepare seismic data for high quality quantitative interpretation; and quantitative interpretation software solutions specifically designed for interpreters.
In 2000, her focus turned to the Canadian Oil Sands where the abundance of well and seismic data offered a great testing ground for reservoir characterization techniques. In 2007, Laurie established Oil Sands Imaging to provide clients with advanced quantitative interpretation services in the oil sands and other conventional and unconventional plays. Laurie was the CSEG Technical Co-Chair of the 2011 CSEG/CSPG/CWLS Recovery Convention and is a member of the CSEG, SEG, EAGE and APEGGA.
Reservoir Characterization Case Studies of Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS)
The CHORUS team focuses on the Primate CHOPS heavy oil field near Lloydminster Saskatchewan. Reservoir case studies of CHOPS fields show a compelling correlation between the CHOPS production footprint and time varying seismic anomalies (in amplitudes and traveltimes). We use a unique method of reservoir heterogeneity estimation by modelling small-scale complex reservoir heterogeneities and up-scaling calculated directional effective permeability to the full-field scale. This approach can provide a realistic quantitative volumetric assumption of the production prediction and can be used to improve Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) processes.
Biography
Laurence "Larry" Lines received B.Sc. and M.Sc. geophysics degrees from the University of Alberta (1971, 1973) and a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of British Columbia (1976). His industrial career included 17 years with Amoco in Calgary and Tulsa (1976-1993). Following a career in industry, Dr. Lines held the NSERC/Petro-Canada Chair in Applied Seismology at Memorial University of Newfoundland (1993-1997) and the Chair in Exploration Geophysics at the University of Calgary (1997-2002). From 2002-2007, he served as the Head, Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Calgary.
In professional service, Larry has served the SEG as Geophysics Editor (1977-99), Distinguished Lecturer, Geophysics Associate Editor, Translations Editor, Publications Chairman, and as a member of The Leading Edge Editorial Board. Larry was the President of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) in 2008-2009. He served the CSEG as Editor and Associate Editor. Larry and co-authors have won the SEG's Best Paper in Geophysics Award twice (1988, 1995) and have twice won Honorable Mention for Best Paper (1986,1998). Larry is an Honorary Member of SEG, CSEG, and the Geophysical Society of Tulsa; additionally, he is a member of APEGGA, CGU, EAGE, and AAPG. Larry is married with two children, and enjoys hobbies of choir, softball, and hiking with his Alaskan malamute.
Tribute to CSEG Symposium Honourees
Keith Hirsche recently retired from the oil and gas industry to pursue interests in renewable energy, organic agriculture and sustainable community development. Keith worked at Hampson-Russell from December 1998 to 2008 as a Senior Research Geoscientist and acted as project leader for time lapse seismic analysis and multi-component software development. Prior to joining Hampson-Russell, Keith spent more than 20 years in the geophysical industry, primarily with Geophysical Services Inc. and Western Geophysical, where his work experience ranged from "hands on" seismic data acquisition and processing, to research and development.
Born and raised in Southern Alberta, his work gave him the opportunity to travel extensively through the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, which fueled his interest in religion, spirituality, history, languages and cultures. Keith currently lives near Victoria, BC, where he is the president and co-founder of Elemental-Energy Inc, a minister in the Community of Christ and a volunteer in the Transition Town Movement. He remains an avid student of Christianity and World Religions with a passion for environmental, economic and social justice.
Biot, Gassmann and Me
The work of Maurice Biot and Fritz Gassmann in developing poroelasticity theory in the middle of the 20th century went largely unnoticed by the exploration community until it became clear in the 1970's that the theory used at that time did not accurately predict the observed velocities of hyrdrocarbon reservoirs. Since that time, rock physicists have used Biot-Gassmann theory as the fundamental technique for performing fluid replacement modeling. Although many other rock physics techniques have been developed since the Biot-Gassmann equations, these equations remain the most robust approach to calculating P and S-wave velocities as a function of water saturation and hydrocarbon content.
This talk will outline my own relationship with these two pioneers in our field, in terms of how they influenced my scientific thinking and how they influenced software development at Hampson-Russell. I will start by discussing the basics of pressure and compressibility, and show how a simple model leads to the concepts of dry and saturated pore space stiffness. Combining these two expressions leads directly to Gassmann's equation. I will then describe how Biot's equation can be shown to be equivalent to Gassmann's. The use of Biot's formulation allowed me to generalize the LMR (lambda-mu-rho) equation, and I will discuss this equation and its implications. This then leads to a generalization of the two three-term AVO parameterizations for LMR and KMR (where K is the bulk modulus), for which I will show a real data example. I will then return to the concept of dry pore space stiffness and show how this equation gives us the ability to change porosity in fluid replacement modeling. This leads to a new approach to rock physics modeling, which I will discuss and illustrate with an example. Finally, I will discuss the application of Biot-Gassmann theory to fluid replacement modeling in anisotropic media.
Brian holds a B.Sc. in physics and geophysics from the University of Saskatchewan, a M.Sc. in geophysics from Durham University, U.K., and a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Calgary. He worked for Chevron, Teknica and Veritas as an exploration geophysicist before co-founding Hampson-Russell Software with Dan Hampson in 1987. Hampson-Russell develops advanced seismic inversion and rock physics software for the worldwide exploration industry. In 2002 Hampson-Russell became a wholly-owned subsidiary of VeritasDGC Inc, subsequently CGGVeritas, where Brian is now Vice President, Software of the Hampson-Russell division. Brian was also recently appointed as one of the first two CGGVeritas Fellows. His research interests include rock physics, seismic inversion and seismic attribute analysis and he is also a widely known continuing education speaker. Brian is a Past-President of both the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and the Canadian SEG (CSEG) and has received Honorary Membership from both societies, as well as the Cecil Green Enterprise Award from SEG (jointly with Dan Hampson). Brian is currently Chairman of the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) Board and is a director on the CSEG Foundation Board. Dr. Russell is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Calgary and is registered as a Professional Geophysicist (P.Geoph.) in the Province of Alberta, Canada.
How Conventional Tools are used in Unconventional Plays
James Schuelke focuses on what attributes can be obtained from 3D surface seismic data and how it can impact the development of unconventional plays. Recent techniques supply information on localized stress, fault/fracture orientation and density, reservoir sweet spots, possible hydraulic fracture barriers, pore pressure, rock and mechanical properties, and stimulation effectiveness and optimization. This talk will focus on the application to specific E&P problems facing the characterization of tight unconventional reservoirs.
Biography
Jim received a B.Sc. (1972) in geology from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and attended postgraduate studies in geophysics at the University of Houston. He started his career with Geophysical Services, Inc., and has worked for Superior Oil, Mobil Oil and ExxonMobil. He is presently a Senior Geophysical Advisor with Devon Energy in Houston, Texas and is the Coordinator of Devon's corporate reservoir services group. His recent work has been in the development and application of new geophysical technologies for shale gas and shale oil plays. His interests include stress and fracture detection from seismic and geomechanical properties estimation.
Jim has been very active at both the national and local levels of the SEG organization. He has served as the Dallas Geophysical Society President and Second Vice President. He has been the Second Vice President of the Geophysical Society of Houston and is currently the President of the GSH. He is a member of the SEG Research Committee and SEG Development and Production Committee. In addition, Jim has organized several SEG workshops and has provided technical review of many publications for Geophysics and the SEG annual meetings. Jim is a member of the SEG, AAPG, HGS and GSH.
Cold Lake Heavy Oil Reservoir Geophysics – Learnings and Impact
Dr. John Eastwood relates the use of 3D Seismic Monitoring, Passive Seismic Monitoring, and 3D Seismic for Reservoir Characterization at the Cold Lake heavy oil development.
Biography
John Eastwood received a Ph.D. in Geophysics in 1992, from the University of Alberta. He joined Imperial Oil in Calgary (an affiliate of ExxonMobil) in 1992, where he conducted research in 3D and passive seismic monitoring for heavy oil applications. In 1996, John moved to Exxon Upstream Research, working in 4D seismic and reservoir characterization for North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, W. Texas and West Africa fields. In 1999, he became team lead for Seismic Reservoir Characterization working in areas of AVO, 4D, seismic facies and inversion. Subsequently, he assumed the role of Research Supervisor for Development and Production Geophysics. In 2003 he moved to ExxonMobil Production as Canada-East Geoscience Manager in St. John's, NL, where he led the team that discovered significant additional resources at Hibernia. Research called again, and in 2007 he assumed the role of Research Manager for Seismic Imaging and Full Wavefield Inversion. During this time John was a principal architect for a new ExxonMobil Geophysics Strategy. In late 2009 John repatriated to Calgary as a regional Exploration Manager for Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil. In 2011 John became Senior Technical Consultant for Imperial Oil Geoscience and ExxonMobil Geophysics.
John served on the SEG Development and Production committee (4 years) and was Committee Chair in 1997. He received two CSEG best presentation awards (both in 1996) and in 1998 he was awarded the SEG Karcher Award for significant contributions by a young geophysicist. John received an Honorable mention for best TLE paper in 2001 and TLE Best Paper award in 2002. He served on The Leading Edge Editorial Board from 2001 to 2005, including Chairmanship in 2005. John has numerous presentations and publications and 6 patents in geophysics.
Fit for purpose 3D Seismic and Microseismic for Geomechanical Characterization of Gas Shales
Bill Goodway et al employ quantitative methods to examine the use of AVO and AVAZ techniques to predict fracture stimulation behaviour in the Horn River resource play. Their work considers the interplay of reservoir brittleness as well as natural fractures and stress induced anisotropy on the ability to effectively and efficiently stimulate their shale target. The effects of 3D seismic geometries in the estimation of these geomechanically relevant variables is also considered as a key control on accuracy.
Biography
Bill Goodway has a B.Sc. in Geology from the University of London and M.Sc. in Geophysics from the University of Calgary and worked for a number of seismic contractors in the United Kingdom and Canada from 1977 to 1985. In 1985 he moved to the Geophysics department within PanCanadian Petroleum working in various capacities from geophysicist to being the team lead of the Seismic Analysis Group. Following the PanCanadian and AEC merger to form EnCana in 2002, Bill became Advisor for Seismic Analysis within the Frontier and New Ventures Group and subsequently the Canadian Ventures and Gas Shales business unit. In 2010 he ended his career with EnCana to join Apache as Manager of Geophysics and Advisor Senior Staff in the Exploration and Production Technology group. In these managerial positions and as an industrial scientist, Bill continues to advance, develop and deploy technology used in all aspects of applied seismic exploration from acquisition design and processing to experimental special projects and new interpretation methods. He has presented and coauthored a number of papers at CSEG, EAGE, and SEG conventions and SEG research workshops on seismic acquisition, processing, borehole geophysics, anisotropy, multicomponent recording, and AVO. Bill received CSEG's annual Best Paper Award both in 1994 and 1997, the CSEG convention Best General Paper award in 1996 and the CSEG convention Best Technical Paper award in 1997. In 2008, Bill was the recipient of the CSEG Medal, the Society's highest award and in 2009 he was selected as the SEG's Honourary Lecturer for North America. He is a member of CSEG, SEG, EAGE and APEGGA as well as the SEG Research Committee. In addition, Bill was elected vice president and president of the CSEG for the 2002/2003 term.
Geophysical Applications – Using Geophysics for Reserves and Resources Classification and Assessment
Marian Hanna and Toney Fink from the CSEG Chief Geophysicsts Forum Sub-committee on Reserves report the progress of a document entitled "Geophysical Applications – Using Geophysics for Reserves and Resources Classification and Assessment". It outlines principles for the use of geophysics for reserves and resource classification and assessment and reservoir modeling. The goal of this document is to form a recommendation for an update to COGEH, a primary document referenced by APEGGA and NI 51-101 for the booking of resources and reserves. This has been done in coordination with the SEG working document for the updated PRMS AD(used in the US and globally). This presentation will walk through some of the highlighted workflows and case histories included in the document.
Biography
Marian C. Hanna, P.Geoph. is President and Director of ION/GX Technology Canada Ltd. She has over 23 years of diverse experience in the oil and gas industry. Marian started out as a seismic processing geophysicist with Amoco, moving into interpretation with an emphasis on reservoir characterization. Marian's experience includes many successful, collaborative technical and business contributions ranging from international and domestic North America basins covering onshore to deep water settings in all aspects of exploration, development and production including business development/new ventures.
Marian is a native of New Orleans, now living in Calgary. She is the current Chair of the CSEG Chief Geophysicists Forum.
