Looking for a silver lining in the midst of the “current economic reality”?
Imagine this: You are with a company that possesses both mature fields and shale operations.
Odds are, for at least four years during the shale revolution your mature fields have been neglected, or at least put on hold, as you did everything possible to keep up with the frenetic pace required by shale exploration and development.
But things have changed – and the dramatic collapse in oil prices have brought a dramatic shift in focus as well. Cutting costs and putting drilling plans on hold when possible have become the focus.
And now, more than ever, mature fields are suddenly providing new interest – and perhaps you’ve decided that new technologies and techniques first used in unconventionals can help optimize your reservoirs and recover what was previously considered unrecoverable.
And, in some cases, you’re able to do it for less than $40 per barrel.
It’s a thin silver lining, certainly – but it’s real, and many companies are grabbing onto it and doing everything they can to mine old data, explore new ways to utilize the new techniques and technologies in mature fields.
But, what are the technologies that can be best applied to mature fields? And, which ones work best?
That’s where AAPG education has been committed: bridging the gap and fast-tracking the transfer of knowledge, skills and expertise to apply it where it can do the most good.
The Proactive Response
To that end, the AAPG Education Department has expanded its range of offerings, including several new themed workshops and forum events.
Several focus on local and regional situations, and all are held in communities where it is easy for the local operators and technical experts to gather.
And, it’s not just about geologists.
These events are focused on bringing together engineering, geophysics, geochemical, petrophysical and geological knowledge with a concrete goal to solve problems and to discuss the techniques and technologies that worked in revitalizing reservoirs, optimizing operations and improving profitability.
While many of the offerings have a face-to-face component (one, two or three days), they also are hybrid, with materials and interactivity available online after the event.
In addition to being interdisciplinary, AAPG is partnering with local societies such as the South Texas Geological Society, West Texas Geological Society, SPE (Oklahoma City), Pittsburgh Geological Society, Pittsburgh Association of Petroleum Geologists and Oklahoma City Geological Society to provide benefits to members and to increase the opportunities.
Here are some of the specific themes:
♦ Revitalizing Reservoirs – Two-day workshops that look at specific ways to boost production in mature fields, recover previously unrecoverable oil, efficiently complete horizontals that have been drilled but not completed, find bypassed or stranded pay, re-stimulate or apply new methods of enhanced recovery to pinpointed zones that are excellent candidates for significant, cost-efficient hydrocarbon production.
We’re emphasizing engineering, geology, geophysics, geochemistry and petrophysics, and we’re launching this series in August in Golden.
- Aug. 11-12: Golden, Colo.
- Dec. 1-2: San Antonio.
- Feb. 24-25: Midland, Texas.
- TBD: Pittsburgh.
♦ Reality-Based Reservoir Development – A one-day forum event that features hard-hitting, practical presentations and case studies designed to answer the following questions:
- What are “engineering realities” that geologists need to know? (Examples include issues about reservoir drive, how models are built, and drainage patterns.)
- What are the “geological realities” that engineers need to know? (Examples include issues about fracture characterization, mapping heterogeneity, pore architecture, lithologies, geochemistry.)
We are partnering with the Oklahoma City Chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) to offer our first on Sept. 24.
These are just two examples, but they illustrate how AAPG is taking a proactive approach to solve real-world problems and take advantage of current opportunities.
We are also supporting the Division of Professional Affairs in their important Playmaker Forum series, as well as their Reserve Forum.
To assure maximum access, the events have extended early bird deadlines, offer discounts for members, and also significant discounts for students and geologists who have been laid off.
For details, go to our website at www.aapg.org/carreer/training.