Course Description
Geology:
Introduction to Petroleum Geology (3 credit hours): This course provides an introduction to the entire Petroleum Geoscience degree program. Early in the class exercises will be provided to determine the skill levels of the students as a whole so that this course and the program can be modified to provide the greatest educational opportunity to any particular class of students in this program. The following is a suggested course outline to be modified appropriately.
Course Outline
- Review of the Geoscience Program and skill-set exercises
- History of Petroleum Geology
- Physical and chemical properties of petroleum
- Methods of exploration
- The subsurface environment
- Generation and migration of oil
- The reservoir
- Traps, seals, and compartments
- Sedimentary basins and petroleum systems
- Non conventional resources
- Economics and risk
Depositional Systems (3 credit hours): This course is designed to provide an overview of the sand and carbonate bodies that form in the most commonly occurring sedimentary environments. The primary objectives are to understand under what conditions different types of deposits form, what are their geometries, and what characteristics (e.g. porosity, permeability, reservoir/seal/source facies, sedimentary structures, grain size relationships, fossils, etc.) can be employed to recognize with confidence the different types of deposits. *This course is a general overview of major depositional systems and is often substituted by the following two courses to allow more details to be presented for siliciclastic and carbonate settings.
Course Outline
- Introduction, review of sedimentation
- Alluvial fans, eolian, playa, lacustrine, and arroyo deposits
- Fluvial, coarse-grained, mixed, and fine-grained systems
- Playas, lacustrine and arroyo
- Delta systems
- Cheniers, siliciclastic tidal flats, barriers, tidal deltas, estuarine systems
- Siliciclastic shelves, submarine fans and deep marine deposits
- General overview of carbonates and carbonate formation
- Carbonate constituents: allochems, micrite, and cements
- Diagenesis of carbonates, e.g., ups and downs of porosity
- Modern and ancient carbonate depositional systems
Carbonate Depositional Systems (3 credit hours):
This course will provide an overview of the origin, diagenesis, and
common depositional environments of carbonate accumulations.
Course Outline
- General overview of carbonates
- Conditions that influence carbonate formation
- Carbonate constituents: allochems, micrite, and cements
- Diagenesis of carbonates, e.g., ups and downs of porosity
- Modern and ancient carbonate depositional systems
Terrigenous Depositional Systems (3 credit hours):
This course is designed to provide a concise overview of the most common
terrigenous sedimentary environments. The primary objectives are to
understand the conditions under which different types of deposits form,
and the characteristics (e.g., geometry, sedimentary structures, grain
size relationships, fossils,) by which they can be recognized. In order
to establish the criteria for the recognition of the different depositional
environments, modern settings will be emphasized.
Course Outline
- Origin and classification of terrigenous sediments
- Variables controlling grain composition and texture
- Origin and description of sedimentary structures
- Alluvial fan, eolian, and, lacustrine depositional systems.
- Fluvial depositional systems:
- Deltas and chenier plains
- Barrier islands, strandplains, and associated facies
- Estuaries and tidal flats
- Siliciclastic shelves
- Slope, submarine fan, & deep marine deposits
Sequence Stratigraphy (3 credit hours): This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of sequence stratigraphy. Covers the use of seismic reflection data to study lithology, geometry, and depositional history of sedimentary bodies; factors affecting resolution and velocity; and new techniques for identifying lithologies. Integrates current concepts on interaction of tectonics, sea level and sediment supply to generate predictive models for architecture of sedimentary basin fill.
Course Outline
- Basic Concepts and Terminology of Sequence Stratigraphy
- The Stratigraphic Building Blocks of Depositional Sequences
- Recognition Criteria for the Identification of Depositional sequences and their Components in Outcrops, Cores, Well Logs, and Seismic
- The Application of Sequence Stratigraphy in Non-marine, Shallow Marine, and Submarine Depositional Settings
Structural Geology (3 credit hours): The primary objective is to explain structural geology concepts and tools that aid in developing an internally consistent 3-D picture of the crustal structure, and evaluating specific reservoir characteristics such as top seal integrity and fault seal. Together, the instructors and students will develop a structural analysis "best practices" workflow. The class is structured according to tectonic setting (e.g. passive margins, transform margins, fold-thrust belts, continental rift systems). Within each tectonic setting, we cover regional geology, fault system geometry, kinematics, trap evolution, and the tools a practicing geologist would use to constrain a 3-D picture of the crustal structure.
Course Outline
- Geologic map interpretation
- Fault and fold system classification based on tectonic setting
- Geometric analysis of faults and folds
- Visualization techniques. (Geoviz, VoxelGeo)
- Fault system geometry and evolution with case studies local and regional.
- Fault system evolution based on case studies
- Cross-section reconstruction
- Fault Seal/Stratigraphic Juxtaposition Analysis
- Rift history analysis
- Fractured reservoir analysis
Quantitative Basin Analysis (3 credit hours): This course looks at various properties of the lithosphere to rationally and quantitatively model forward and back-strip the evolution of sedimentary basins. This provides predictive tools on the timing, depth and location of potential traps, seals, source kitchens and hydrocarbon occurrence
Course Outline
- Fourier Series/Fourier Transforms
- Rheological properties of the lithosphere
- Lithospheric flexure
- Potential field theory (gravity/geoid)
- Isostasy
- Temperature structure of the lithosphere
- Lithospheric extension
- Lithospheric compression
- Isolating the tectonic subsidence of basins
Applied Quantitative Biostratigraphy (3 credit hours): This course is designed to provide an introduction to applied biostratigraphic and quantitative stratigraphic methods. Fundamentals of stratigraphic correlation, and interpretation of depositional environments using paleontological data are presented. Integration of biostratigraphic data with other exploration data is covered and quantitative methods are introduced. In this course details of local and regional stratigraphic will be evaluated using various quantitative methods. Impact and high resolution biostratigraphy be put into the context of exploration and production applications.
Course Outline
- Introduction to the application of biostratigraphy
- Paleobathymetry and paleoenvironments
- Biostratigraphic methods and program planning
- Data integration and sequence stratigraphy
- Quantitative methods of biostratigraphic correlation
- Impact and high-resolution biostratigraphy.
Applied Biostratigraphy and Chronostratigraphy (3 credit hours): This course is designed to provide an introduction to applied biostratigraphic and isotopic methods. Fundamentals of age determination, stratigraphic correlation, and interpretation of depositional environments using paleontological data are presented. Integration of biostratigraphic data with other exploration data is covered and quantitative methods are introduced. Theory and practice of isotopic age determination will be discussed including requirements of sample selection and strengths and weaknesses of the various methods frequently used.
Course Outline
- Introduction to the application of biostratigraphy
- Paleobathymetry and paleoenvironments
- Biostratigraphic methods and program planning
- Data integration and sequence stratigraphy
- Quantitative methods of biostratigraphic correlation
- Basics of age determination and theory of radioactivity
- Isochron methods
- The U-Pb system
- Fission-track dating
- 40Ar/39Ar dating
- Case studies in geochronology
Basin Analysis (3 credit hours): This course looks at various properties of the lithosphere to rationally and quantitatively model forward and back-strip the evolution of sedimentary basins. This provides predictive tools on the timing, depth and location of potential traps, seals, source kitchens and hydrocarbon occurrence.
Course Outline
- Fourier Series/Fourier Transforms
- Rheological properties of the lithosphere
- Lithospheric flexure
- Potential field theory (gravity/geoid)
- Isostasy
- Temperature structure of the lithosphere
- Lithospheric extension
- Lithospheric compression
- Isolating the tectonic subsidence of basins
Tectonics of Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico (3 credit hours): Plate tectonic principles will be emphasized with the discussion of specific examples of phenomena such as intra-continental rifting, Atlantic-type continental margin evolution, ocean-opening, plate rotations, hot-spots and mantle plumes, convergent plate-boundaries of island arc and Andean type, arc and continental collisions and orogenic collapse. Tectonic principles will be taught using examples mainly from Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, Venezuela, Colombia and Central America. Our area is very fortunate in the rich diversity of its well-studied tectonic environments. Sedimentary basin evolution will be treated on the basis of selected examples and in terms of the specific tectonic frameworks involved. Tectonics of the Caribbean Region is a modified version of this course, which focuses on the Caribbean region. Additional regional courses are available on request.
Course Outline
- Plate tectonic principles
- Specific types of rifting and continental margin evolution, plate rotations, hot-spots and mantle plumes, and specific convergent plate-boundaries types.
- Regional stratigraphic and plate framework.
- Major regional structural elements and complexities.
- Regional examples of sedimentary basin origin and evolution.
Petrophysics and Formation Evaluation (3 credit hours): This course covers the basic methods of open-hole well log analysis, and covers logging suite choices. New logging developments and current research are also covered. Special focus on certain methods is provided (e.g. 3D VSP, borehole imaging, pore pressure prediction).
Course Outline
- Introduction to petrophysics.
- Basic petrophysical logging methods (nuclear, electrical, acoustic, imaging.
- Application and use of basic SP, gamma ray, porosity and resistivity logs.
- Lithology identification.
- Identification of pay intervals.
- Computer analysis.
- Standard well logging suites.
- Special logs and interpretation techniques.
- New logging developments and research.
Principles and Practices of Petroleum Geochemistry in Exploration and Exploitation (3 credit hours): This course provides an overview of basic petroleum geochemistry fundamentals with strong emphasis on applications to exploration and production. Various aspects of hydrocarbon generation and accumulation are discussed and this is followed with lectures on geochemical methods, markers, modeling, coal-bed methane and case studies.
Course Outline
- Introduction and review of fundamentals.
- Geochemical methods.
- Geological and geochemical constraints on hydrocarbon generation and accumulation.
- Geochemical correlation, "inversion," and modeling
- Geochemistry in exploitation and development (reservoir geochemistry)
- Introduction to coal-bed methane
- Case studies.
Integrated Reservoir Characterization (3 credit hours): An overview is presented on the reservoir modeling process from integration and analysis of seismic and well data, application of sequence stratigraphy in modeling, construction of 3D reservoir models, application of stochastic and simulation methods for assessing reservoir properties, and preparation of these models for fluid flow simulation. In addition, workflow and application of current software packages for reservoir characterization will be reviewed.
Course Outline
- Introduction to geological characterization for reservoir modeling
- Data QC, Data Mining, and Data analysis
- Sequence stratigraphic models and 3D computer stratigraphic framework
- Preserving stratigraphic trends; spatial continuity analysis, variograms, correlograms.
- Interpolation vs. Interpretation
- Kriging and CoKriging methods
- Conditional Simulation, measuring uncertainty and risk; multiple realizations
- Preparing for flow simulation and upscaling the static model
- Case studies
- Review of industry software for reservoir characterization
Geophysics:
Seismic Wave and Ray Theory (3 credit hours): Fundamental concepts and foundations of wave and ray theory necessary for seismic processing, imaging, AVO analysis and structural interpretation.
Course Outline
- Elasticity theory, the wave equation, body waves.
- Partitioning at an interface, reflection at non-normal incidence (AVO), reflection geometry and wave path curvature.
- Surface waves, scattering theory, attenuation and velocity, diffraction
- Head waves, events and noise, resolution, wavelet shape, near surface properties.
- S-waves and C-waves
- Anisotropy
- Wave theory concepts in processing, migration and imaging.
- Earthquake waves
Geophysical Data Processing (3 credit hours): This course is designed to provide basic background and training for the processing of digital seismic data, particularly that used by the petroleum industry. The emphasis is placed on the principles and practicality of the major processing methods, including sampling, filtering, deconvolution, seismic modeling and migration imaging.
Course Outline
- Geophysical Data
- Discrete Fourier Analysis
- Statistical Analysis of Geophysical Data
- Digital Filters
- Deconvolution
- Seismic Modeling and Inversion
- Principles of Migration
- Special Topics
Seismic Data Migration (3 credit hours): This course will provide an in-depth training on seismic migration, which is the leading method of seismic imaging. The emphasis is placed on the principles and practicality of most frequently used seismic migration methods, such as Kirchhoff, f-k, and reverse-time migrations. Prestack depth migration and related issues will also be discussed.
Course Outline
- Introduction to Migration
- Common Tangent Method
- Kirchhoff Migration
- Time vs. Depth, and Poststack vs. Prestack Migrations
- Migration Velocity Analysis
- Frequency Domain Migration
- Finite Difference Migration
- Prestack Depth Migration
- Common Problems with Depth Imaging
The Seismic Exploration Method (3 credit hours): This course is designed to familiarize students with seismic technology for exploration and exploitation of petroleum resources. Topics to be covered include both acquisition and data processing issues. Roughly one third of the course is devoted to different acquisition techniques in land and marine environments, with issues from survey design to signal extraction and interpretation. Two thirds of the course will focus on the current and new methods in data processing and imaging, including deconvolution, velocity model building, and reflection imaging.
Course Outline
- Data acquisition and survey design
- Data processing and imaging
- Deconvolution, velocity model building, and reflection imaging
- Signal extraction and interpretation
3D Seismic Interpretation I &45; Mapping Structure and Stratigraphy (3 credit hours): This course will focus on the seismic expression of folding, faulting, deposition, and erosion. At the end of the course, the student will be able to identify major geologic features on 3-D seismic data, to generate simple seismic time/structure maps, and to generate and interpret simple attribute extraction maps. Along the way, the student will become adept in exploiting modern 3-D data interpretation workstation software.
Course Outline
- Seismic signal and seismic noise.
- Impact of seismic acquisition, processing, velocity analysis, and imaging on 3-D seismic interpretation.
- Amplitude extraction, horizon slices, formation slices, and dip/azimuth maps.
- Complex attributes, thin bed tuning and spectral decomposition.
- 3-D geometric attributes &45; coherence, dip-azimuth, and amplitude gradients.
3D Seismic Interpretation II: Estimating Lithology and Hydrocarbons (3 credit hours): This course will focus on the seismic expression of hydrocarbons and lithology estimation using Amplitude Variation with Offset (AVO). At the end of the course, the student will be able to recognize the 3 major classes of AVO behavior, be able to perform simple fluid substitutions, and better tie seismic response to well logs.
Course Outline
- Review of rock properties, wave, and ray theory.
- Seismic amplitude variation as a function of offset.
- Principles of fluid substitution.
- Parameterization of the AVO response for fluid product estimation.
- The information content & complications in long offset and post critical data.
- Fizz gas, anisotropy, and other challenges facing the exploration industry.
The Use of Gravity and Magnetic Data in Exploration (3 credit hours): This course comprises 4 sections: (I) basic principles, (II) regional studies, (III) local studies, and (IV) special applications/recent developments. The emphasis of the course is on the practical utility of gravity and magnetic survey data in exploration including its use in conjunction with other geophysical approaches especially seismic reflection. The aim of the course is to provide participants with a better overall understanding of when, where and how to use potential field data to the best advantage when exploring for hydrocarbons and minerals.
Course Outline
- Fundamentals of potential theory
- Instrumentation & field procedures
- Routine data processing
- Geological mapping
- Basin wide investigations
- Basement & structure mapping
- Anomaly filtering - regional/residual separation
- Local feature identification and delineation
- Integration with seismic reflection
- Forward and inverse model construction
- Special problem areas - salt provinces, overthrust areas, etc
- Gravity gradiometry
- Wavelet processing
- Sedimentary magnetism
Borehole Geophysics (3 credit hours): When optimizing the recovery factor of hydrocarbon reservoirs, integration between borehole measurements and surface measurements is crucial to understand the scale limitation of the surface data and also the limitations of borehole data, as it is being used for calibration. Borehole geophysics builds that link between rock physics, well logging and surface seismic.
Course Outline
- Borehole geophysics as critical link - Introduction
- Fundamentals of rock physics
- Borehole seismic methods &45; introduction
- Borehole seismic methods &45; Data acquisition
- Borehole seismic methods &45; Data processing principles
- 3D VSP, Introduction to well logging
- Special focus on several subtopics can be provided (i.e. 3D VSP, borehole imaging, pore pressure prediction)
Rock and Fluid Physics (3 credit hours): This course reviews various physical properties of rocks and fluids and the seismic response to materials with those properties with direction applications to exploitation, exploration and geophysical modeling.
Course Outline
- Introduction
- Reservoir environment
- Elasticity of porous media
- Velocity of sandstone
- Velocity of poorly consolidated rock
- Velocity of carbonate
- Gassmann equation
- Optimal hydrocarbon indicator
- Hydrocarbon fluids properties
- Velocity dispersion and attenuation
- Seismic Rock Physics: Applications
Seismic Modeling (3 credit hours): Use of ray theory, finite difference, finite element, and pseudo-spectral analysis techniques, scaled physical modeling in simulating seismic wave propagation. Emphasis on understanding wave phenomena for hydrocarbon exploration.
Course Outline
- Introduction
- Model building and ray theoretical modeling using GXII
- Introduction to finite difference methods
- Acoustic modeling
- Overview of reflectivity methods
- Finite difference elastic modeling and computer implementation
- Pseudo-spectral algorithm theory
- Staggered grid solutions
Introduction to Reservoir Geophysics (3 credit hours): The geostatistical concepts and workflows to quantitatively integrate 3D seismic data into the reservoir model are discussed. Emphasis is placed on geostatistical deterministic and stochastic methods to construct 2D and 3D velocity models for seismic depth conversion and the use of seismic attributes (acoustic impedance) to predict reservoir properties. The computer workshop reinforces the discussions and provides hands on experience using geostatistical software tools to integrate seismic acoustic impedance to predict porosity, build a velocity model for seismic depth conversion, and use stochastic modeling tools to assess model uncertainty.
Course Outline
- Introduction to geophysical characterization for reservoir modeling
- Data quality control and data analysis methods
- Spatial analysis, modeling, and exploratory data analysis
- Variogram modeling
- Kriging, the geostatistical interpolation mapping method
- Collocated cokriging, the geostatistical data integration method
- Enhanced porosity prediction using seismic acoustic impedance
- 2D seismic depth conversion
- 3D velocity modeling and depth conversion
- Stochastic modeling for Risk Analysis
- Computation of Risk maps
