Oil and Gas

Oil and Gas | Unconventional Resources

Evaluating Shale and Tight Oil and Gas Reservoirs

Course Code: N313
Instructors:  Creties Jenkins
Course Outline:  Download
Format and Duration:
4 days
8 sessions

Summary

This class provides an introduction to the exploration, appraisal, and development of oil and gas resource plays. It identifies the data that need to be collected, how to analyze and interpret them, and how to integrate and apply this knowledge to the decision-making process.

Business impact: This course will enable participants to critically assess opportunities, compare them to successful analogs, and invest in those projects whose characteristics are consistent with commercial success.

Please note this course is offered in partnership with Rose and Associates. They will deliver and provide all logistics for the course.

Feedback

An outstanding course if you are working, or planning to work, unconventional plays.

Duration and Training Method

This is a classroom or virtual classroom course comprising a mixture of lectures, discussion, exercises, and case study poster sessions.

Course Overview

Participants will learn to:

  1. Compare and contrast the rock and fluid characteristics of oil and gas resource play systems, including shales, sandstones, carbonates, and coals.
  2. Understand what geoscience and engineering data need to be collected, including cores, logs, well tests, and production data.
  3. Analyze and integrate the acquired data to make good decisions about what the next steps should be, including if and where to drill additional wells.
  4. Determine the inconsistencies, omissions, and errors associated with analyzing and interpreting acquired data, and take steps to mitigate these problems.
  5. Compare and contrast the different drilling and completion techniques used in these reservoirs and learn the key factors that control their selection.
  6. Understand the production characteristics and forecasting tools that can be used for determining rates and ultimate recoveries from these wells.
  7. Determine the key questions to ask and critical uncertainties to be addressed, and how to resolve these through the integration of various data and disciplines.
  8. Apply successful industry practices in formulating exploration, appraisal, piloting, and development project strategies.
  9. Understand the non-technical factors affecting this work, including environmental, leasing, marketing, political, and financial considerations.

Section 1

  • Introduction: Definitions, technologies, worldwide potential, commercial aspects
  • Shales
    • Geology: Origin, composition, deposition, pore types, natural fractures
    • Geochemistry: Rock-Eval, thermal maturity, sorption, liquids to gas transition
    • Geophysics: Geohazards, seismic attributes, microseismic, geomodeling
    • Petrophysics: Core analyses, preferred logging suites, analysis/integration

Section 2

  • Shales (continued)
    • Geomechanics: Static & dynamic properties, stress impacts, frac design
    • Drilling/Completions: Drilling practices, completion types, environmental impacts
    • Well Performance: Flow regimes, dynamic data, empirical and analytical methods
  • Shale Gas Case Study Posters: Fayetteville, Haynesville, Barnett, Horn River

Section 3

  • Liquids-Rich Shale Case Study Posters: Eagle Ford, Marcellus, Wolfcamp, Woodford
  • Tight Sandstones and Carbonates
    • Geology: Depositional systems, diagenesis, stratigraphy, correlation
    • Geophysics: Resolving geobodies and fractures, quantifying reservoir properties

 Section 4

  • Tight Sandstones and Carbonates (continued)
    • Petrophysics: Core and log analyses, rock fabrics. Cotton Valley and Bakken examples
    • Drilling/Completions: Designs, engineered completions, data analytics, Bone Spring example
    • Well Performance: DFITs, material balance, forecasting recovery from Bakken oil well
    • Discrete vs Basin-centered accumulations: Characteristics, impacts, differentiating them
  • Tight Sandstones Case Study Posters: Lance, Medina-Clinton, Cardium, Codell   

 Section 5

  • Tight Carbonates Case Study Posters: Bakken, Niobrara, Jean Marie, Austin Chalk
  • Evaluating Opportunities: Applying the fundamentals of this course in a staged approach
  • Coalseam  Gas*
    • Geoscience: Deposition, origin of coalseam gas, fracturing, hydrogeology
    • Core & Log Analyses: Desorption, isotherms, proximate analysis, saturation state
    • Drilling and Completions: Vertical/horizontal wells, cavity completions, fracture stimulation
    • Well Performance: Well tests, material balance, numerical simulation, decline curves
    • Appraisal Strategies: Appraisal and pilot data gathering, success/exit strategies
  • Coalseam Gas Case Study Posters: South Shale Ridge, Spanish Peaks, Drunkard's Wash, Castlegate Fields

 *Note that coalseam gas will be reduced to 0.5 days or less for North American classes

This course is intended for geoscientists, petrophysicists, engineers, and managers who are seeking a comprehensive introduction to oil and gas resource plays. It is appropriate for those with no previous experience in these reservoirs, those that have some experience and want to broaden their understanding, and more experienced people who want exposure to some of the most recent technologies and practices. It is not intended as an advanced course for individuals with extensive experience working these reservoirs.

Creties Jenkins

Background
Creties Jenkins is a Partner with Rose and Associates where he specializes in the characterization of unconventional reservoirs including tight sandstones and carbonates, shales, and coals. Creties has conducted integrated studies, peer reviews, training, and resources assessment work for 50+ companies around the world and has conducted 100+ industry courses and workshops focused on the exploration, appraisal, and development of tight oil and gas reservoirs. Creties’ career has included stints at Tenneco Oil (1986-88), ARCO (1988-2000), and DeGolyer and MacNaughton (2000-2012).

Creties has served as a technical editor, distinguished lecturer, and distinguished author for SPE.  He is a past president of the Energy Minerals Division of AAPG and a recipient of AAPG’s 2017 Distinguished Service Award. Creties is also a co-author of SPEE Monograph 4: Estimating Ultimate Recovery of Developed Wells in Low-Permeability Reservoirs (2016) and led a Multi-Professional Society Summit: Building and Applying the Universal Workflow for Low Permeability Oil and Gas Reservoirs (2017).

Affiliations and Accreditation
MSc South Dakota School of Mines - Geology
BSc South Dakota School of Mines - Geological Engineering
Registered Professional Geoscientist (Texas)
Registered Professional Engineer (Texas)

Courses Taught
N313: Evaluating Resource Plays: The Geology and Engineering of Low Permeability Oil and Gas Reservoirs
N406: Unconventional Resource Assessment and ValuationN313: Evaluating Resource Plays: The Geology and Engineering of Low Permeability
N464: Fractured Reservoir Assessment and Integration to Full Field
N510: Mitigating Bias, Blindness and Illusions in E&P Decision Making

CEU: 2.8 Continuing Education Units
PDH: 28 Professional Development Hours
Certificate: Certificate Issued Upon Completion
RPS is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. We comply with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognised internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices.
We issue a Certificate of Attendance which verifies the number of training hours attended. Our courses are generally accepted by most professional licensing boards/associations towards continuing education credits. Please check with your licensing board to determine if the courses and certificate of attendance meet their specific criteria.