Hydrocarbon Exploration and Exploitation

Specific Foundation / Core

The course is also offered to exchange programme students.

• The course addresses Petroleum Geology as currently practiced in the Oil and Gas Industry. The course includes Characterization and Modeling of Petroleum Systems, Petrophysics, Petroleum Structural Geology, Applied Sedimentology and Basin Analysis, Glossary of terms used in petroleum Reserves or Resources definitions, Seismic Techniques applied in Oil and Gas exploration, exploration drilling engineering, mud-logging techniques, coring techniques, well logging techniques. It also includes Development Geology and Reservoir Modeling, reservoir characterization, Introduction to Petroleum Engineering. • During the courses the full spectrum of prospecting and exploration of hydrocarbons as well as development and production activities, through lectures, fieldwork, and oil company visits is covered. • As an integral part of Petroleum Geology training, demonstration of modern methods and supplementary software for seismic interpretation, basin modeling, reservoir modeling and prospecting (Petrel Suite), Well logging, Production logging, reservoir simulation (CMG software), drilling, reservoir fluids studies, monitoring of producing wells in relation with environmental parameters are used. • An effort is made to promote a culture of interdisciplinary cooperation and synergy between groups of geologists and engineers, simulating real working conditions in oil and gas companies. An effort is also made to improve communication skills and decision making of our students. • Overall, the course is designed to provide basic knowledge in the key subsurface Oil and Gas exploration and production disciplines, specialist knowledge in basin analysis, petroleum systems, reservoir geology, sedimentology, and drilling techniques. It is also designed to provide skills in state-of-the-art technologies (basin modeling, 3D seismic interpretation, formation evaluation, reservoir modeling).

• The basic introductory concepts of Petroleum Geology are presented together with the properties of the source rocks and "kerogen", the geochemical methods for determining their quality, the hydrocarbons migration, the characteristics of the reservoir rocks and especially their petrophysical properties (porosity, saturation, and permeability), the different cap rocks and the diagenetic phenomenon. • The term "hydrocarbon reserves ", the concepts of resources and reserves, and the distinction between proven reserves [1P], "probable reserves" and "possible reserves" are explained. The techniques for estimating and calculating the reserves are also presented. • Examples of the various types of hydrocarbon traps of the three major categories: Structural Traps, Stratigraphic Traps and Combined Traps are described and examined. • All techniques and activities for oil and gas exploration are presented. There are three (3) primary methodologies used to find hydrocarbons in the subsurface: Geophysical, Remote Sensing, and wildcatting (exploratory drilling). • The ‘Mud Logging’ practice, heavily related to the mud circulation system, is described in detail. ‘Mud Logging’ is the creation of a detailed record, the ‘well log’ of a borehole by examining the cuttings of rock brought to the surface by the circulating drilling mud. Information about the lithology and fluid content of the borehole while drilling is provided. Mud logging includes observation and microscopic examination of drill cuttings, and evaluation of gas hydrocarbon and its constituents, basic chemical and mechanical parameters of drilling mud, as well as compiling other information about the drilling parameters. • The different technologies for the extraction of samples, or “cores”, from the formation using special bits or wireline-conveyed coring tools are presented. • Students are introduced to the different types of Reservoir Simulation Models and to hydrocarbons extraction models. • The geology of Prinos Oil field and South Kavala Gas field, discovered near Thassos Island in North Aegean Sea, are presented. Are also presented the geology and the hydrocarbon potential of the offshore and onshore sedimentary basins in Western Greece and Southern Crete. The active petroleum systems within the EEZ of Cyprus, the Levantine basin, and the SE Mediterranean area are presented. • The course provides a technical training for the E&P industry. The course includes introductory to advanced training in key disciplines including Geology, Geophysics, Petrophysics, Drilling, Reservoir, Production, Facilities, Management, and Economics using Schlumberger’s software tools including Petrel, Techlog, GeoX, PetroMod, ECLIPSE, Merak, Petrel GPM Carbonate Simulator and Petrel GPM Clastic Simulator.

Oil and Gas Geology, source rocks and reservoir rocks, Methods of petroleum exploration and production (E&P), Exploratory Drilling and Production Drilling, technical training for the E&P industry using software tools.

10-03-2020