Key Questions To Ask?

• How mature are my source rocks and what fluids are they capable of expelling?

• Do all play elements occur at the appropriate times to reduce my exploration risk?

• What was the thermal development of my basin & does heat flow vary across the region?

• Is it feasible for expelled fluids to reach our structures via mapped migration pathways? 

• How critical are the fault and top seals to the success of our prospects?

• Is there evidence of biodegradation and how does this change?

• Can we rank the prospects based on different petroleum system scenarios?

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Petroleum Systems/Basin Modeling

Basin modeling is a unifying concept that encompasses all of the geologic elements (source rock, migration pathway, reservoir, seal and overburden rock) and processes (trap formation, hydrocarbon generation, migration and accumulation, preservation, alteration and leakage) and all genetically related petroleum that originated from one pod of active source rock and occurs in shows, seeps, or accumulations

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Frontier Basins

In unexplored, frontier basins we recommend 1D or 2D basin modeling, as little data is available to justify a more detailed complexities of 3D modeling.The main questions addressed by 1D models are if and when source rock maturation and hence hydrocarbon generation and expulsion may have occurred. Two-dimensional (2D) models use a cross section to build the simulation. In addition to predictions about if and when generation and expulsion may have occurred, potential vertical migration pathways may be predicted.

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We recommend use of ZetaWare products like KinEx / Genesis / Trinity for 1D/2D modeling.

 

1D MODELS

 1D modelling is widely used for calibration of thermal history for subsequent 2D/3D modelling. In poorly explored and undrilled areas, 1D modelling provides valuable insight into maturation and the timing of possible hydrocarbon generation and expulsion from prospective source rock intervals. In 1D models, only vertical migration of compaction-derived formation water is simulated to model porosity, permeability and pore pressure.

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1D models may be of individual wells, or of pseudowells based upon tops and thicknesses from either seismic or geological reconstructions. They provide burial, thermal and maturation histories and the timing of hydrocarbon generation.

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Ranking Prospects

In Frontier and Emerging basins when there is little or no data, the properties of source rock in the kitchen area and migration losses are not well known, we  especially, recommend using a probabilistic or a scenario based approach for managing uncertainty to asses if the prospect will be hydrocarbon filled under most of the scenarios. Trinity can be used for such modeling. 

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