Digital integration of subsurface models – where are we and where are we going?

Australian Institute of Geoscientists > Events > ASEG, geology, geomechanics, geophysics, numerical models, oil and gas, SEG, Society of Exploration Geophysicists > Digital integration of subsurface models – where are we and where are we going?

Digital integration of subsurface models – where are we and where are we going?

  • DATE-TIME

    Date(s) - Thursday, 01/06/2017
    5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

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Speaker: William Abriel, President, Society of Exploration Geophysicists

Presented by Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Queensland Branch.  RSVP requested by 5pm Tuesday 30th May.

This presentation illustrates the reasons for the new dominance of integrated volumetric numerical models in geology, geophysics, geomechanics and engineering for subsurface oil and gas management. This has come about because numerical models are much less constrained by the prior simple and basic assumptions that were required in the past due to limited computational power. The rapid and substantial advancement of subsurface modeling is well illustrated in a review of the SEG research company (SEAM) which has now dedicated over 10 years of cooperative industry effort to the generation of very large and complex geological models and their geophysical response. Examples of these geophysical imaging challenge projects include subsalt, subkarst, unconventional shales and overthrust foldbelts.

But for dynamic subsurface fluid and pressure simulation, the historical growth of modeling applications focused by profession (geophysics, geology, geomechanics and engineering) means that they do not share a common physics, scale, grid representation or parameters. Part of this problem has been recently addressed by SEAM who employed these modeling systems in a simultaneous and integrated simulation of the production of a turbidite field. This advance in modeling integration now opens the potential to produce highly realistic subsurface data sets that represent the dynamics of oil and gas extraction, CO2 and other EOR methods, groundwater monitoring and unconventional practices like fracking and waste water injection.

About the Speaker:

William L. (Bill) Abriel is the president of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) which has 27,000 members in 125 countries world-wide. Bill worked for 38 years at Chevron in the international application of new technology to active projects. Examples are the industry’s first deployment of an integrated team of geology, geophysics and engineering for production management, and Chevron’s commercial development and deployment of subsalt seismic processing and interpretation in the Gulf Mexico. Bill has been the Principal Geophysicist for Chevron in many geological areas with the responsibility to advance technology, integrate business results and negotiate with partners and governments. His experience extends to managing projects in the Gulf of Mexico, US Appalachians, US rift basins, West Texas, California offshore, Venezuela, Brazil, North Sea, Black Sea, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, China, Offshore Siberia and Australia. During this time Bill, authored many articles and chapters in SEG and AAPG publications, organized technical conferences and spoke in many venues about the integrated business use of applied geophysics.

As a strong advocate of professional societies, Abriel has participated in a variety of SEG activities since helping found the Penn State SEG chapter at university in 1977. He has been an assistant editor for GEOPHYSICS, TLE and INTERPRETATION, served on numerous SEG committees, including Development, Membership, Research, Global Affairs, and Distinguished Lecturer, was the SEG Spring Distinguished Lecturer in 2004, and the SEG/EAGE Distinguished Instructor in 2008. Abriel is a founder and twice board chair of a non-profit research company, the SEG Advanced Modeling Corporation (SEAM). He was awarded SEG life membership in 2007. One of his present projects is aimed toward developing a full portfolio of career management opportunities for geophysicists that goes well beyond college support. This includes programs to provide experiential learning to fill the gap in geoscientist’s careers between graduation and the status of fully qualified professional valued in the job market.