SPE Victoria / Tasmania Section

Meeting Notes

Officers' Corner

Presentations and Papers

Welcome!

Welcome to the SPE Victoria / Tasmania section website.

Presentation list below:

November 30, 2011
December meeting - Logistics operations and airborne potential field surveying in the Lambert Rift region, East Antarctica

Wednesday December 7 2011 at the Victoria Hotel (215 Little Collins St) at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$20 SPE members (PESA, ASEG, IChemE, EA etc members all provided SPE member rates), $60 non members, $10 students/retired members

Speaker: Dr Mark Mclean

Abstract:

The Lambert Rift region of East Antarctica consists of scattered coastal outcrops and inland nunataks exposed sporadically through the Antarctic ice sheet, from Prydz Bay to the southern-most end of the Prince Charles Mountains. The Lambert Rift is interpreted to represent a failed arm of a triple point, which formed during the Cretaceous rifting process between India and Antarctica, however this region also preserves evidence of Grenville, and Early Palaeozoic tectonic events. Although rock outcrops in the north yield some geological information, large areas are covered with ice rendering it inaccessible to geological sampling. Especially south of the Prince Charles Mountains, where the inland ice cover has hindered our understanding of the crustal architecture and extent of the rift.

During the 2002-2003 Austral summer, the PCMEGA (Prince Charles Mountains Expedition of Germany and Australia) expedition of twenty scientists from five Australian, one Russian and six German research institutions collaborated to undertake a comprehensive onshore geoscience project under the auspices of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) and the Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR). This work involved a major airborne geophysical survey where ice penetrating radar, magnetic and gravity data were collected over a region which extended over the southern Prince Charles Mountains and approximately 350 km further south (as far as 78° S). In addition, several geological field parties were deployed throughout the southern Prince Charles Mountains to map and sample these widely scattered nunataks. The objective of this program was to further our understanding of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and the crustal architecture of this region.

Although some limited results and modelling are included, this presentation primarily focuses on the airborne survey and the logistics operations required to undertake an extensive scientific investigation in such a remote location. This includes deployment of equipment, fuel and personnel; operations at an Australian Antarctic base (Davis) and a field base camp (Mt Cresswell); survey design, instrumentation and field camps.

Biography:

Mark McLean has been a contractor for GeoScience Victoria since 2005, and worked full time since 2008. Mark completed an Arts/Science degree at Monash University and graduated with a Master of Science in 2003. He then moved to The University of Melbourne where he completed a PhD in 2008. This work involved modelling, interpretation and acquisition of an airborne geophysical survey over the Lambert Rift / Prince Charles Mountains region in East Antarctica. This work provided him with a solid grounding in 3D modelling, potential field inversion and interpretation. Mark has published scientific papers on geophysical modelling and interpretation in the Gawler Craton, East Antarctica and the Melbourne Zone, Victoria.

October 20, 2011
November meeting - Drillsearch: Plans for conventional assets and unconventional potential in the Cooper Eromanga Basin

Wednesday November 9 2011 at at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets) at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities)

-$50 SPE members (PESA, ASEG, IChemE, EA etc members all provided SPE member rates), $60 non members, $15 students Note: price rise to $50 members and $60 non members in August 2010.

Speaker: David Evans (Chief Technical Officer - Drillsearch)

Abstract

The lunchtime presentation will provide an update and overview of Drillsearch activities and future plans in the Cooper-Eromanga Basin.

The Company's fundamental strategy is to create shareholder value by: harvesting oil production assets; commercialising wet gas discoveries; targeting high-return oil prospects; focusing on unconventional potential in existing acreage; and rationalising the portfolio to focus on the highest value opportunities.

Drillsearch has established a holding of oil and gas exploration permits covering a large area in the Cooper-Eromanga Basin. The Company holds 16 permits with a net permit interest of 23,000km2. Drillsearch holds at least a 50% interest in 13 of these 16 permits and operates13 permits.

We believe the Cooper-Eromanga Basin acreage provides not only a large quantity of oil and gas prospects, but also represents significant quality of targets.

The Copper-Eromanga Basin presents a highly-attractive exploration and development environment, with exploration drilling density well below other proven oil provinces and high exploration success rate achieved. From the development perspective, low well costs in the Cooper-Eromanga Basin provide excellent profit margins and ready access to established infrastructure allows consideration of multiple paths to market recovered resources

Biography:

BSc Hons Geology, University of London 1985
Post Graduate Diploma in Petroleum Exploration Geology, Oxford Brookes University 1986
Master of Applied Science, University of Canberra, 1994

David has 25 years of upstream oil & gas exploration, development and production experience including over 15 years of experience in Australia. Prior to joining Drillsearch in March 2010 David held senior oil & gas geoscience positions with several leading international independent oil and gas companies and technical service companies including Vegas Oil & Gas, Burren Energy Ltd, Petro-Canada International, Cairn Energy/Command Petroleum, Roxar Limited and Baker Hughes Inteq. David also spent several years in the petroleum exploration arm of Geoscience Australia, Canberra

October 05, 2011
October meeting - Releasing Shale-Gas Potential with Fractured Horizontal Wells

Moonday October 17 2011 at at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets) at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities)

-$50 SPE members (PESA, ASEG, IChemE, EA etc members all provided SPE member rates), $60 non members, $15 students Note: price rise to $50 members and $60 non members in August 2010.

Speaker: Erdal Ozkan (Colorado School of Mines)

Abstract

In the last decade, our understanding of shale reservoirs has progressed significantly. It is now agreed that a major factor for the productivity of shale reservoirs is the existence of a pervasive reservoir fracture network around the well. Accordingly, a common practice is to use hydraulically fractured horizontal wells to improve the connection with the reservoir fractures. Flow in these unconventional systems is considered linear in the fractured volume around the well and is usually interpreted with conventional reservoir engineering wisdom. The flaw in this interpretation is an accurate accounting of the matrix contribution due to the unconventional nature of flow in nano-darcy shale matrix.

This lecture presents a discussion of the characteristics of shale reservoirs and their impact on the performance of fractured horizontal wells. Various flow mechanisms in shale matrix and fluid transfer from matrix to fracture network are explained. Key parameters of productivity are identified and explained. Emphasis is given to the estimation of the extent of reservoir fracture network, prediction of the efficiency of matrix drainage, and their impact on the estimation of well's drainage volume. The main idea to take away from this lecture is that some conventional reservoir engineering interpretations and practices may not be adequate (or appropriate) for shale reservoirs. For example, hydraulic fracture conductivity is usually not a key parameter for wells in shale reservoirs. Examples are presented to highlight practices/problems in the interpretation of well performance from fractured horizontal wells in shale reservoirs.

Biography:

Dr. Erdal Ozkan is a professor of Petroleum Engineering and co-director of Marathon Center of Excellence for Reservoir Studies at Colorado School of Mines. Previously, he was on the faculty at Istanbul Technical University. He has BS and MS degrees from Istanbul Technical University and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Tulsa, all in Petroleum Engineering. His research interests are horizontal well technology, pressure-transient analysis, modeling fluid flow in porous media, and shale reservoirs.

Dr. Ozkan has authored or co-authored over one hundred technical papers, co-authored a book, and contributed chapters to the Well Testing Monograph and Reservoir Engineering Handbook of SPE. He has served as the Executive Editor of SPEREE, Chief Editor of The Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, and the Associate Editor of JERT. He was involved in the organization of several SPE conferences, forums, and workshops including the recent meetings on shale reservoirs. Dr. Ozkan is a member of the SPE RD&D Advisory Committee and a Technical Director of the SPE Research and Development Technical Section. He is a Distinguished Member of the SPE and the recipient of the 2007 SPE Formation Evaluation Award.
eozkan@mines.edu.

September 07, 2011
September Meeting - Oil price forecasting using probabilistic projection of United States dollar

Wednesday September 21 2011 at the Victoria Hotel (215 Little Collins St) at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$50 SPE members (PESA, ASEG, IChemE, EA etc members all provided SPE member rates), $60 non members, $15 students Note: price rise to $50 members and $60 non members in August 2010.

Speaker: Noll Moriarty

Abstract:

Accurate forecasts for medium-term commodity prices are essential for companies committing to large capital expenditures. The inaccuracy of conventional forecasting methods is well known because they tend to be extrapolations of the current price trend. The inevitable reversal catches too many by surprise.

The paper presents a controversial empirical approach to price forecasting using the new field of Econophysics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Econophysics) whereby the statistical techniques of physics are being successfully applied to economics, particularly financial markets. Significant advances are being made in taming volatile time series, allowing statistically accurate predictions to be made and later verified by observation.

The paper discusses the outlook for oil price in the medium term (3-5 years). Industry consensus is the oil price is expected to rise given strong demand from an improving world economy, particularly China. The paper challenges this expectation:

. conventional approaches by the petroleum industry in forecasting the oil price are inaccurate

. oil price in the medium term is not related to supply/demand (short-term perceptions cause spikes which we need to smooth through)

. oil price is inversely related to the valuation of the United States Dollar (if the dollar weakens, oil price rises and vice-versa)

. therefore to forecast oil price, we need to forecast valuation of United States Dollar (USD)

. USD monthly valuation changes can be modelled as normal distribution but is not random (i.e. serial correlation exists)

. This methodology predicts USD strengthening next several years, hence oil price falling!

The paper challenges conventional approaches to forecasting the oil price - industry can continue with an inaccurate approach, or use the proven statistical power of Econophysics that predicts turning points. No doubt companies will continue to use conventional probabilistic forecasting techniques for the oil price. What is suggested is that the application of objective probabilistic predictions would be a helpful adjunct to current methods.

Biography:

Noll has academic qualifications in geophysics from Adelaide University and a M.Sc. (Hons) from Macquarie University. He worked for 20 years in petroleum exploration and development with Delhi, Esso, Oil Company of Australia, rising to exploration manager in Origin Energy, where he attended to permits in the Eromanga, Cooper and Otway Basins. In 1999 when the oil price was very low, Noll was made redundant and saw the opportunity to transition his project evaluation skills to financial planning.

In 2001, he completed a Diploma of Financial Planning from Deakin University. He founded Archimedes Financial Planning in 2000: a company that specialises in applying the proven petroleum industry risk management techniques to personal financial planning for discerning clients located throughout Australia and overseas.

Noll is a 30 year member of ASEG and PESA. He has presented seven papers at ASEG and APPEA conferences with three highly commended awards and one best presentation award at ASEG 1995

August 07, 2011
August Meeting - Clay: The Summary Lecture of the FESAus 2010 Clay Master Class

Tuesday August 23 2011 at the Victoria Hotel (215 Little Collins St) at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities)

-$50 SPE members (PESA, ASEG, IChemE, EA etc members all provided SPE member rates), $60 non members, $15 students Note: price rise to $50 members and $60 non members in August 2010.

Speaker: Dr Joseph Hamilton

Abstract

The clay-bearing siliciclastics are the most common rock types encountered while drilling for oil and gas. Clay minerals occur in all of the rock components (i.e. source, reservoir and seal) of a siliciclastic petroleum system The small grain size, crystalline structure and variable chemistry of the clays within these rocks poses a range of geological and engineering questions – in relation to borehole stability, log responses,formation damage, petrophysical properties and their measurements and connectivity and productivity. This lecture summarises the FESAUS 2010 Master Class presentations on clays from a range of professionals working with clays and shales..

Biography:
:

Joseph is a geologist with a BSc from London University and a DPhil from Oxford University. From 1975 to 1988 he held research positions as a geochemist at Columbia, Glasgow and Cambridge Universities.

From 1988 to 2003 he held various research and research management positions in CSIRO and in the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre. This period was followed by two years as Duprey

Professor of Petroleum Geoscience and Head of the Petroleum Geoscience Unit, University of the West Indies. Subsequently, although the fishing is not as good, he returned to Australia and is now senior reservoir mineralogist with ALS Ammtec, where he leads the application of Automated Mineral Analysis techniques for the petroleum industry. He continues to supervise research students as well as occasional lecturing at universities. He is the 2011 Distinguished Lecturer for the Formation Evaluation Society of Australia. During his career he has received four best paper awards from international conferences and has more than 100 published papers.

July 18, 2011
July meeting - The Australian Coal Seam Gas Sector: Evolution of the CSG equity market, valuation metrics and where to for this multi-billion dollar industry?

Thursday July 28 2011 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets) at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress

Speaker: John Young (Wilson HTM Investment Group)

Abstract:

The Australian coal seam gas sector has risen from obscurity to become a major part of the Australian energy landscape, with two multi-train CSG to LNG projects sanctioned and more expected. However, the strong shareholder returns experienced in recent years, despite the global financial crisis, have moderated as the industry matures. This presentation will review the evolution of the CSG equity market, valuation metrics and where to from here for this multi-billion dollar industry.

Biography:

John Young is Senior Resources Analyst and head of the Energy Research team with Wilson HTM Investment Group, one of Australia’s longest standing investment houses, where he covers the energy sector. He has 28 years experience in the petroleum, resources and financial services industries with Mobil Oil, ExxonMobil, WMC Resources, BHP Billiton and Wilson HTM. John holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree, Master of Applied Science degree and graduate diplomas in Business Science, Management and Applied Finance

May 11, 2011
May Meeting - The Carbon Storage Task Force and a national Carbon Mapping and Infrastructure Plan

Tuesday May 17 2011 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets) at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress

Speaker: Bob Griffith (Carbon Storage Task Force APPEA representative)

Abstract:

The Carbon Storage Task Force was created by Minister Martin Ferguson in late 2008 to bring together key stakeholders to develop a national Carbon Mapping and Infrastructure Plan which would be a roadmap to driver prioritisation of and access to the national geologic storage capacity to accelerate the deployment of CCS technologies in Australia. The Task Force included Federal, State, Petroleum, Pipeline, Power, Coal, Union and Environmental representatives.

Key Findings / Recommendations

CCS is technically viable and, under appropriate management regimes, safe
High confidence of eastern Australia having 70-450 years of aquifer storage capacity
Implementation a $250 M pre-exploration program
Develop several transportation & storage demonstration projects at a scale of 1 MTA
Support pipeline infrastructure development for economy of scale, cost and safety
Identify and pursue incentives for competitive exploration over 2010-2017 and other policy and fiscal terms to support CCS deployment
Develop and implement a communication strategy

Biography:

Bob Griffith served as the APPEA representative on the Carbon Storage Task Force commissioned by Minister Martin Ferguson in September 2008 and will be presenting this talk in that capacity. Bob is a Vic/Tas SPE committee member and representative for the SPE ANZ-PNG Council. Bob has 38 years of experience with ExxonMobil primarily in reservoir management & development roles in: Nigeria, North Sea, Malaysia, Alaska, Texas & Australia. Bob is currently the Reservoir Technology Manager - Esso Australia (1995-2002 / 2008-present.

March 17, 2011
April Meeting - Challenges of the Future

Monday April 4 2011 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets) at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress

Speaker: Dr Behrooz Fattahi (2010 SPE President)

Abstract:

The balance between the global supply and demand for crude oil is becoming progressively tighter, increasingly requiring our industry to face new and unique challenges. Our industry of tomorrow will have to address the demands of operating in adverse environment, development of new technologies and expediting implementation in the field, as well as optimization of processes and enhancing collaborative efforts to reduce cost,

This presentation provides an overview of initiatives that must be directed at addressing the key issues, as well as SPE’s engagement in facilitating the industry dialogue on global exchange of knowledge.

Biography:

Behrooz Fattahi holds Ph.D. degrees in Aerospace Engineering and in Mechanical Engineering both from Iowa State University. He works as the Heavy Oil Development Coordinator for Aera Energy LLC, an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil companies. Prior to joining the oil industry, he conducted research for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation, and taught a variety of courses in fluid dynamics and solid mechanics at Iowa State University. He joined the petroleum industry in 1977 by joining Shell International.

Behrooz Fattahi is a past member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and American Association of University Professors. He served as the Executive Editor of the SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering Journal, and on the board of the Society of Petroleum Engineers International (SPE) as the Director of the Western North America Region, President of SPE Americas Inc., and Vice President-Finance. He is a member of the Board of American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME), and also serves as a member of the United States National Petroleum Council.

Behrooz Fattahi served as the Chairman of the Board, and the 2010 President of SPE International. He is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the SPE Foundation.

February 13, 2011
February Meeting - Bridging over Uncertainty: Past Performance into Forecasting

Thuresday February 24 2011 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets) at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress

Speaker: Dr Sameh Macary (Chevron Australia)

Abstract:

Engineers are tending to be more deterministic; with the ever growing challenges of decision making and risk assessment associated with huge investments, the “need” to realize many (or even all) objectives of the business endeavor becomes crucial.

However, our scientific/technical education drives us to spend more time and money to get closer to “The Answer”. This leads, naturally, to deterministic conservative estimates, possibly false precision and frequent surprises.

This presentation examines the concept of modeling the existing data (past performance) into visualized tools to help in predicting the future (forecasting). Engineers use the Monte Carlo Simulation, Decision Trees, Data Bases, Expert Systems, Linear Programming, Design of Experiments and Artificial intelligence to state their uncertainties, not as discrete values, but as continuous ranges. G&G, reserves estimates, development plans, operations, IPR, and economics are areas where these techniques can be applied.

One approach to use multidisciplinary teams to tackle uncertainty; however, team members have to first unify their views, thoughts, and sometimes even units!!! They also need to use visualization tools and experiment with sensitivity analysis to define the way to process optimization.

How high are the “highs” and how low are the “lows” and when they occur is difficult to predict? So let us put our past experience in an updated form to minimize uncertainty.

Biography:

Dr Macary is currently with Chevron-Australia as Petroleum Engineering Advisor. He graduated in 1981 from Cairo University and gained a PhD in Production & Reservoir Engineering from the Azerbaijan Institute of Oil & Chemistry in 1988. Dr. Macary has 12 SPE Papers. He was recently awarded the Regional Technical Award for Reservoir Description and Dynamics in the Middle East.

January 17, 2011
January Meeting - Water Reuse ( Petroleum Industry Application)

Tuesday January 25 2011 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets) at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress

Speaker: James E. Myers (P.E. Chevron)

Abstract:

This presentation is an introduction to water reuse in the petroleum industry. It presents a systematic approach on how to evaluate the potential of water for reuse. Virtually any water can be treated with off-the-shelf technologies and successfully reused for many different applications. However, not all water reuse makes sense based on economics, energy consumption or local need for the water. Other candidate waters for reuse include petrochemical wastewater, municipal wastewater, ground water and storm water. Water treatment technologies are classified as primary (gravity), secondary (biological) or tertiary (polishing step). Some of the reuse applications include agriculture, aquaculture, silviculture, industrial processes, recreation, wildlife and municipal non-potable. As easily accessible water resources become scarce and the human population expands, the need for sustainable water reuse becomes paramount to both public and private sectors. The petroleum industry can effectively reuse water to benefit the local communities in which oil is produced and refined. Produced water that was once considered a throw-away by-product of crude oil production can become an asset in agriculture, aquaculture and silviculture.

Key take-away: Basic knowledge of what, why, where, and how to re-use water from the oil / gas industry in an environmental and economic responsible way.

Biography:

James Myers is a senior environmental engineer with 26 years of experience in the petroleum industry. He is a biologist with a couple of degrees in engineering. His technical specialty is the biological treatment of liquids and solids from worldwide upstream and downstream petroleum operations. Some of his projects include treatment of produced water, refinery wastewater, ground water and marketing terminal storm water, constructed treatment wetlands, water reuse, landfarming and composting of sludge, spill response (domestic and international), natural resource damage assessment, permit negotiations, wildlife habitat enhancement (duck nesting, purple martin houses, wildflower planting), and environmental workshops on wastewater treatment, constructed treatment wetlands, landfarming and solid waste management. He has used prescribed burns to control plant succession for wildlife habitat enhancement and to clean up oil spills. He has served on technical committees for API, PERF, OSRADP and TGLO. He has two patents in landfarming and a volunteer award from USFWS for a waterfowl database. Jim’s wetlands have garnered awards from IOGCC and the Wildlife Habitat Council.

October 27, 2010
December meeting - Experiences in PNG

Wednesday December 8 2010 at the Victoria Hotel (215 little Collins St) at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress Joint PESA/SPE meeting

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$20 SPE members (Xmas special) (PESA, ASEG, IChemE, EA etc members all provided SPE member rates), $60 non members, students FREE (Xmas special)

Speaker: Roger Thornton

October 27, 2010
November meeting - A history of oil & gas in Victoria

Tuesday November 23 2010 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets) at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress

Speaker: Steve Henzell (Worley Parsons)

Abstract:

The oil and gas industry in Victoria exploded onto the scene in the 1960s with the discoveries of the Barracouta, Marlin, Halibut and Kingfish fields. The frenetic development of the oil and gas infrastructure created a new industry seemingly overnight. For a long time after, the developments were incremental to the main infrastructure that was installed in the late 1960s and early 1970s and almost the entire industry was focussed on the Gippsland Basin. In the late 1990s and early 2000s the industry underwent renewal as new developments bloomed in the other basins - Otway and Bass - initiated by a freeing of the industry and new gas infrastructure.

The oil and gas industry in Victoria is now incredibly diverse and the story of how these developments came about is well worth recounting. Victoria's geographic isolation has led to a climate of innovation. And Bass Strait was frontier country for the oil industry when the first platforms were being installed. Again a worthy story.

The meeting will be as much a forum as a presentation and comment from all members will be encouraged to embellish the stories.

Biography: Presenter/Host Steve Henzell

Steve Henzell will lead the discussion on the history of Victoria's oil and gas industry. Steve has been involved in the industry since 1982 when he joined Esso as a reservoir engineer and worked on the development and exploration drilling programs in Bass Strait. He was worked extensively on the developments across the state from Orbost in the east to Port Campbell in the west through his role with WorleyParsons as the manager of the concept studies team. He is the current chairman of the Victoria and Tasmania section of the SPE.

August 15, 2010
August meeting (additional meeting) - Porosity

Thursday August 26 2010 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress requested by Kelvin Club

Speaker: Keith Boyle, Manager Petrophysical Services -Santos

Abstract:

What can be considered a fairly simple concept, the stuff that is not rock, porosity has very different meanings to different disciplines and even within disciplines. This talk will explore the various views of porosity, how it is measured, what those measurements represent, how this measurement is used and potentially abused. Core, the traditional ground truth for any Petrophysical interpretation, will form the basis for this discussion. Starting with total porosity, which once had a reasonably concise definition, now with the advent of shale gas and tight reservoirs not only has the definition has changed but also how it is measured. Conversely effective porosity has always had very different definitions depending on who is speaking and what the data will be used for. There are a number of core experiments that can define this effective porosity, unfortunately depending on how the samples are treated the results vary tremendously. In clastic reservoirs, clay, desolution and microporosity tend to dominate the non-effective volume while in carbonates where clay and clay-bound water are less an issue, capillary bound water and micro-porosity dominate this volume. Moving from core experiments to logs introduces a new set of opportunities for interpretation and uncertainty. As there no logging tools that measure porosity directly, correlations and interpretations are used to provide an answer. What the various logging tools measure and how the measurement is converted to porosity creates a range of uncertainties that need to be understood when discussing log based interpretations. The final users of porosity, however, are not Petrophysicists, but Geologists, and Reservoir engineers who will use this information to construct static and dynamic models of the entire reservoir. This value of porosity, that has been meticulously derived for a given 10 cm interval at the wellbore, must now be somehow be massaged to represent an interval 10 to 100 times thicker and spread over the entire reservoir. Upscaling is not a simple process, honouring the range of pore values and staying true to the depositional structure is paramount to providing a model that can be utilised to predict reservoir performance.

Biography:

Keith Boyle received a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Carleton University in Ottawa in 1981. Since then he has worked for Schlumberger and various operators in a number of locations before taking his current position of Manager of Petrophysical Services for Santos.

August 08, 2010
August meeting - Karoon, a brief review

Wednesday August 18 2010 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress requested by Kelvin Club

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$40 SPE members (PESA, ASEG, IChemE, EA etc members all provided SPE member rates), $50 non members, $15 students Note: price rise to $40 members and $50 non members in July 2009.

Speaker: Mark A. Smith (Executive Director and Group Exploration Manager Karoon Gas Australia Ltd)

Abstract:

Karoon, a brief review
Karoon was floated in June 2004 with acreage in the onshore Gippsland Basin raising initially $4.7 million to fund a small 2D seismic program and to drill two conventional oil and gas and CBM wells. Karoon has grown by taking advantage of financial market conditions and where possible acquiring good acreage in prospective areas that at the time were not focused on by the industry generally.

The results after six years are;
In Australia a significant equity and acreage position in the Browse Basin with now a major gas condensate discovery at Poseidon with partner and operator ConocoPhillips. 3D seismic data is being interpreted with more exploration and appraisal drilling recommencing in early 2011.

In Brazil 100% equity in 5 block positioned in the shallow water Santos Basin offset to significant oil discoveries. 3D seismic data is being processed and interpreted with drilling planned for late 2011.

In Peru 75% equity in a 4750 sq km offshore block in the Tumbes Basin, again offset to significant discoveries. 3D seismic is being processed and interpreted with drilling planned for late 2011.

In the time available, this presentation will describe the Karoon assets and forward work program.

Biography:

Mark A. Smith Current position; Executive Director and Group Exploration Manager Karoon Gas Australia Ltd
Qualifications; Dip. App. Geol, Bsc (Geology)
Mark has 28 years experience as a geologist and exploration manager in petroleum exploration and development in Australia, Southeast Asia and North America. 18 years of experience was gained with BHP Petroleum working nearly all Australian basins in various capacities and finishing with BHP as Gippsland Exploration Manager. After leaving BHP he set up and ran his own consulting company for 4 years specializing in fault seal prediction. Mark is a founding director of Karoon Gas floated in June 2004.

In his career Mark has been directly involved in the discovery and appraisal of eleven economic oil and gas discoveries. He has also drilled lots of dry wells which is when you really learn something!

July 14, 2010
July meeting - Overview of the Kipper Tuna Turrum Project

Thursday July 15 2010 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress requested by Kelvin Club

Speaker: Dave Kudlak (KTT Project executive -ExxonMobil)

Abstract:

Located off the Victorian coast in Bass Strait, ExxonMobil Australia’s Kipper Tuna Turrum Project is currently one of the largest domestic gas developments on the eastern seaboard. The $3 billion project will develop cleaner-burning natural gas supplies to help secure Victoria’s energy future, and holds enough energy to power a city of a million people for 35 years. David Kudlak, Kipper Tuna Turrum Project Executive, will provide an overview of the project.

Biography:

David M. Kudlak assumed his current position as the Gippsland Projects Manager for Esso Australia in June 2008. In this capacity, he leads the Projects Division for Esso Australia, serves as the Project Executive for the $3 billion Kipper Tuna Turrum Project currently underway in Bass Strait, and is a member of the Production Unit Leadership Team for Esso Australia. He began his career with ExxonMobil in 1992 as a project engineer at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana refinery after spending six years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps. During his 18 years with Exxon and ExxonMobil, he has held significant line management positions as well as project management assignments in Australia, Argentina, Canada, and the United States. He has been involved in supporting the Women in Energy Networks in both the US and Australia. David received his BS degree in civil engineering from Auburn University in 1986 and currently holds a position on the Alumni Engineering Council

June 10, 2010
June meeting - Coal Seam Gas; market opportunities and the RSPT and SPE Vic/Tas Chapter - 25 years

Wednesday May 16 2010 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress requested by Kelvin Club

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$40 SPE members (PESA, ASEG, IChemE, EA etc members all provided SPE member rates - but not eligible for the one off SPE $50 book vouchers), $50 non members, $15 students Note: price rise to $40 members and $50 non members in July 2009.

Please Note : Attending SPE members (& student members) will receive a celebratory $50 voucher for book purchase from the SPE book store

Process: A refund up to $50 will be provided to SPE members and student members -on presentation of a SPE bookstore receipt and SPE Vic/Tas 25 year anniversary voucher- to SPE Vic/Tas treasurer Thomas (Tom) Burger) by December 2010

and …..SPE Vic/Tas Chapter - 25 years (Lincoln Paterson and/or Steve Henzell)

Speaker: John Young (Senior Resources Analyst Wilson HTM Investment Group)

Abstract:

The CSG sector has been one of the highlights of the Australian stock market in the past two years, growing significantly in market capitalization and attracting the attention of international energy companies, which have invested $A20 billion to acquire positions in this worldscale resource. This presentation will briefly discuss the opportunities for CSG resource development and the impact of the Resource Super Profits Tax on the sector.

Biography:

John Young is Senior Resources Analyst with Wilson HTM Limited, one of Australia’s longest standing investment houses, where he covers the oil & gas and coal seam gas sectors. He has 26 years experience in the petroleum, resources and financial services industries, including over 20 years in management and operating positions with Mobil Oil, ExxonMobil, WMC Resources and BHP Billiton prior to joining Wilson HTM in 2005. John holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons), Master of Applied Science and graduate diplomas in Business Science, Management and Applied Finance. He is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Scientist, a Member of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and a Senior Associate of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.

May 13, 2010
May Meeting - Carbon Capture and Storage in the Global Energy Perspective

Thursday May 27 2010 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress requested by Kelvin Club

Speaker: Kamel Bennaceur (Schlumberger & International Energy Agency)

Abstract:

Without major changes in energy-related policies, the world’s energy demand will grow by more than 50 % over the next 2 decades, and will continue to be dominated by fossil fuels. The share of coal in the global energy mix will continue to grow, leading to an increase in CO₂ and other greenhouse gas emissions. Projections for 2050 of those emissions would lead, as per the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Report, to temperature increases in the range of 4-7 degrees C.

Options for an “energy revolution” are presented, including both the energy demand and the energy supply sectors. Scenarios for the deployment of a new energy portfolio are presented, included ones that would lead to a reduction of emission by 50 % in 2050. Amongst technologies that would mitigate emissions from the supply side, CO₂ Capture and Storage (CCS) is a major emission abatement option. The cost of implementing those scenarios is given, along with the implications on the use of fossil-fuels. The oil and gas industry can play a significant role in the adoption and deployment of CCS at the scale required in those scenarios.

Biography:

Kamel Bennaceur is currently on secondment from Schlumberger to the International Energy Agency in Paris, leading programs in sustainable energy and oil & gas supply and demand.

He joined Schlumberger in 1981 and worked in Research as a Project Leader, and a Section Head, leading multi-disciplinary teams in France, USA and UK, and developing new technologies in the areas of reservoir simulation, geomechanics and production enhancement of oilfield reservoirs.

He then had several management positions with Schlumberger in Africa, Latin America, Near East and Middle East, before taking the position of worldwide marketing manager for Schlumberger Well Services in Houston, and worldwide technology manager for the Integrated Project Management group . He subsequently initiated the Schlumberger CO2 capture and storage business and technology activities.

He has been playing an active role in the SPE, since joining in 1985. He has co-authored 5 books, and over 100 technical papers including 20 SPE papers. He has also been in the organizing committee of several SPE Forums and ATWs, including: Forum Chairman for the 2006 North America Series, Forum co-chairman in 2004, ATW committee member in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 as well as keynote speaker at SPE events. In 2006, he was selected as a SPE Distinguished Member, and in 2007 was selected as the Chairman of the SPE Carbon Capture and Storage committee.

He is a graduate from Ecole Polytechnique (Paris) and Ecole Normale Superieure - Ulm - Paris. He also received the Agregation de Mathematiques from Universite de Paris.

March 08, 2010
March Meeting - Formation Damage – Any Time, Any Place, Any Where…..

Thursday March 18 2010 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress requested by Kelvin Club

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$40 SPE members, $50 non members. Note: price rise to $40 members and $50 non members in July 2009.

Speaker: Michael Byrne (Senergy)

Abstract:

It has long been recognized that Formation Damage during drilling, completion, production, well intervention and injection has a serious impact on well performance, field life and value. Increasingly, formation damage has become a key factor in the successful development or otherwise, of challenging reservoirs. Understanding and identifying damage has significant impact and the process and knowledge has improved dramatically in the last twenty years. The presenter will make the case that Formation Damage can occur at any time in a well life, any place i.e. in exploration, appraisal, production or injection wells and any where i.e. in the completion, the very near wellbore or deeper in to the formation.

This presentation attempts to demystify many of the legends of Formation Damage and their evaluation. Fines migration and wettability alteration have long been the mechanisms employed by engineers (or geologists) to explain and justify almost every well or reservoir behavior. These mechanisms share the characteristics of being difficult to prove and identify and having serious positive or negative impact on fluid flow. Their complexity should not be a barrier to understanding these mechanisms. With appropriate study, these processes can be identified, understood and at least semi-quantified for most reservoirs. With understanding, it is then possible to evaluate damage mitigation and / or remediation. Fresh examples of the process of understanding and avoiding damage will be presented.

The cost of formation damage to our industry is difficult to quantify precisely but it is undoubtedly true that less damage is better than more damage and significant productivity or injectivity can be added through damage awareness and mitigation. An attempt is made to quantify the cost of damage by country and region to put the technology presented in perspective. In 2007, the global annual cost of Formation Damage is estimated at one hundred thousand million dollars! Members should take away some insight in to Formation Damage mechanisms as well as an appreciation of the cost of damage to our industry.

Biography:

A graduate of University College Dublin, Michael has worked in the oil industry for nineteen years and has spent eighteen years evaluating formation damage and sand control problems. He has written and presented various training courses and acted as a consultant to major oil companies worldwide. Numerous technical publications include key SPE papers on drilling and completion related formation damage mechanisms. Principal author of papers on recommended laboratory practice and on description of formation damage mechanisms. He has served SPE as technical editor, short course instructor and Steering Committee member and session chair at several SPE conferences, workshops and forums. Michael joined Senergy in Aberdeen in August 2007 as Principal Formation Damage Consultant.

January 27, 2010
February Meeting - Underground coal gasification

Thursday February 18 2010 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress requested by Kelvin Club

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$40 SPE members, $50 non members. Note: price rise to $40 members and $50 non members in July 2009.

Speaker: Len Walker (Cougar Energy) - Underground coal gasification

Abstract:

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is a very old technology which is undergoing a new lease of life, in which Australia is playing a significant international role. The technology, which has had a long history in the Former Soviet Union, was brought to Australia in 1999 for a successful test demonstration at Chinchilla in Queensland, which unfortunately was not developed into a commercial project. The combination of rapidly rising energy prices, and concerns about minimizing carbon dioxide emissions, has led to an international resurgence of interest in the last few years. Dr Len Walker has been involved in development of UCG technology applications since 1981, and founded Cougar Energy Ltd in 1996 to take the technology into commercial development. The presentation will discuss historical aspects of the technology, and more specifically the development of the Company’s first commercial power project at Kingaroy in Queensland, and the significance of this on the supply of cheap industrial gas in the future.

Biography:

Dr Len Walker is a graduate of Melbourne and Cambridge Universities in Geotechnical Engineering and Business Administration. After a 15 year career in consulting engineering, he has spent 25 years in the development of emerging companies in the resources sector. His interest in Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) began in 1982. He founded Linc Energy in 1996, and was responsible for development of the successful Chinchilla UCG test burn which ran from 1999-2002. He is Managing Director of Cougar Energy Ltd, which he founded in 2006, and which is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. The company’s focus is the development of commercial projects using UCG technology, both in Australia and internationally.

January 20, 2010
January Meeting - The Paralana EGS Project

Thursday January 28 2010 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Concludes ~2pm. Business / smart dress requested by Kelvin Club

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$40 SPE members, $50 non members. Note: price rise to $40 members and $50 non members in July 2009.

Speaker: Terry Kallis - Managing Director at Petratherm

Abstract: The Paralana EGS Project

The Paralana EGS Project, located 600km north of Adelaide is proving to be an ideal testing ground for the development of an Engineered Geothermal System. Prerequisites for a successful geothermal project in Australia depend on the presence of high heat producing granitic basement at exploitable depths within proximity to market. Commercial models and a MoU have confirmed the site has the economic necessities , while an extensive exploration program has shown the project site comprises the essential geological attributes to deliver Australia’s first commercial geothermal energy supply.

The delivery of this power came a step closer last year with the successful completion of Paralana 2 deep geothermal injector well to a depth of 3725m in December. This presentation will discuss exploration and drilling results at the Paralana site as well as the future work plans for the project which include confirmation of BHT and mulit-zone stimulation of the geothermal reservoir.

Biography:

Terry Kallis is Managing Director of Petratherm Limited – an Adelaide based ASX listed geothermal energy explorer and developer. Terry has over twenty five years experience in the Australian energy sector, primarily focused in South Australia. He holds degrees in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration. He was formerly, Chief Financial Officer of ETSA Corporation managed the transmission assets of ElectraNet SA.

Terry is Chairman of the Australian Geothermal Energy Association (AGEA) and is also AGEA’s representative to the AEMC’s Stakeholder Committee Review of Australia’s Energy Market (in light of Climate Change policies and the renewable energy target). Recently, Terry was appointed to the board of the Clean Energy Innovation Centre. He was also made a member of the Council of the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy to represent geothermal and renewables.

December 06, 2009
December Meeting - South African Deep Sourced Biogenic Gas – A unique and potentially arguably inexhaustible unconventional gas supply

Wednesday December 9 2009 at the Victoria Hotel 215 little Collins St at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. 2pm finish. Business / smart dress

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities)

free to SPE members -$40 SPE members (PESA, ASEG, IChemE, EA etc members all provided SPE member rates), $50 non members. Note: price rise to $40 members and $50 non members in July 2009.

Speaker: Ian Gorman (Molopo)

Abstract:

South Africa has little onshore gas production yet for over 70 years has had a world class minerals industry frequently disrupted by underground gas issues. Molopo’s exploration projects in Virginia and Evander total some 1 million acres land position and represent some of the first onshore oil and gas exploration permits granted in South Africa. Both areas have a history of gas problems associated with underground mining and provide evidence of long term (30+ year) gas flows from mineral exploration wells. A number of play types appear to be present but in Virginia the gas is demonstrated to be deep source and biogenic in nature – a truely unique combination. Gas is not generally contained in traps but rather is being continually generated at depth and migrating to surface along natural fracture systems, faults and dykes. Molopo currently produces 1 MMscf/d of pilot gas which has been used to achieve reserves certification and is working towards an understanding of the productive nature of the gas while solving the many issues inherent in the relatively recent creation of the first onshore oil and gas legislation in South Africa to bring the pilot production into gas sales. The presentation will look at many of the technical, commercial and social issues implicit in creating a modern gas production industry in South Africa.

Biography:

Ian Gorman is a 28 year professional with 7 years at Shell International in reservoir engineering, 19 years at BHP Billiton in a number of conventional and unconventional oil and gas roles and more recently 2 years at unconventional oil and gas producer, Molopo Energy as COO. He is a former SPE Section officer, Section chairman, Asia Pacific Council chairman, SPE Conference and Workshop chairman and SPE Director. He has worked on oil and gas projects in all continents of the globe and for the last seven years has focused on unconventional hydrocarbons from CBM and shales.

August 10, 2009
October Meeting - Listening to the reservoir - Interpreting Data from Permanent Downhole Gauges

Thursday October 22 2009 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start. Business / smart dress requested by Kelvin Club

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$40 SPE members, $50 non members. Note: price rise to $40 members and $50 non members in July 2009.

Speaker: Roland Horne-SPE Distinguished Lecturer (Stanford University)

Abstract: Listening to the Reservoir - Interpreting Data from Permanent Downhole Gauges

The permanent downhole pressure gauge is a class of tool recently harnessed in the industry. These tools are installed during the well completion and provide a continuous record of pressure changes during production. Permanent downhole gauges have the potential to provide more information than the traditional well test, which is carried out for a relatively short duration. Permanent downhole gauges may provide useful information regarding changes in reservoir properties or well condition with time as reservoir is produced.

However interpretation of permanent downhole gauge data is a new problem. Firstly, unlike the traditional well test where “disturbances” in reservoir (i.e. rates) are created and pressure and rates are both known, in the record from the permanent downhole gauge the changes in rates may not be properly known. Moreover, the dynamic changes in the reservoir, along with changes in the flowing temperature or in the gauge itself, make the data more complicated to interpret. Permanent downhole gauges are being applied widely now, yet there is still much to be done to capitalize fully on all the advantages they can offer.

Biography:

Roland Horne

Roland N. Horne, Ph.D., D.Sc.
Thomas Davies Barrow Professor of Earth Sciences, Professor of Energy Resources Engineering, Stanford University, USA.
SPE Distinguished Member, SPE Lester C. Uren Award, Member - National Academy of Engineering, SPE John Franklin Carll Award, SPE Honorary Member

Invited Speaker: SPE section meetings: Japan (1984), Indonesia (1991 and 1992), Denver (1986, 1996, 2001), LA Basin (1985 and 1992), Long Beach (1992), Dallas (1993), Golden Gate (1983, 1996, 1998, 2006), Saudi Arabia (1994), Atlantic Canada (1998), Aberdeen (1998), Bergen (1998), Vienna Basin (1998), Italy (1998), Croatia (1998), Romania (1998), Venezuela (1998), Colombia (1998), Peru (1998), Rio de Janeiro (1998), Macae (1998), Neuquen (1998).

Publications: More than 150 technical papers in scientific journals and international meetings.

September 16, 2009
September Meeting (2nd additional meeting) - Strategic Significance and Practicalities of CO2 EOR and Storage by David S Hughes, Senergy

Wednesday September 30th 2009 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start.

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$40 SPE members, $50 non members. Note: price rise to $40 members and $50 non members in July 2009.

Speaker: David Hughes- Senergy

Abstract:

The key message is the worldwide opportunity to use the skills of the oil industry to exploit the synergy between reduced CO2 emissions and sequestration of CO2 in depleted reservoirs.

The UK has a, soon to be legally-binding, target to reduce CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050. As a contribution to achieving this, much of the UK’s fossil-fuelled power generation is expected to be replaced by new coal-fired power stations equipped with carbon capture. This will make available large quantities of CO2 which could be injected into depleted reservoirs. The UK is collaborating with Norway and other countries around the North Sea rim in the planning of CO2 storage regulations and infrastructure, and is assisting in the development of carbon capture and storage technology in developing countries. There is no experience of injecting anthropogenic CO2 into offshore oil fields so despite the maturity of land-based CO2 EOR, this is a new challenge.

As there is a global imperative to reduce CO2 emissions, this opportunity is also available to other countries with significant coal-fired electricity generation and an indigenous oil industry (e.g. USA and China). The talk will include policy background, plans by Utility Companies, sources and sinks for CO2, the EOR opportunity, infrastructure requirements and engineering challenges.

Biography:

David S Hughes holds a BSc Honours degree in Physics from the University of Surrey and is a Reservoir Engineer with 29 years experience. Since 2000 he has worked for Senergy Ltd (formerly Reservoir Management Limited) in Aberdeen (UK) where he is a Carbon Storage Specialist.

Throughout his career he specialised in the scientific, technical and engineering aspects of enhanced oil recovery processes including hydrocarbon and CO2 gas injection, chemical and biological processes, and in situ combustion.

David has undertaken design assessments of CO2 EOR projects in offshore and onshore reservoirs and was first involved in such assessments in the 1980s. Currently he is either principal investigator or project manager on a variety of offshore CO2-storage projects covering oil and gas fields, and saline aquifers.

September 16, 2009
September Meeting (1st additional meeting) - A one day course - Introduction to the Geological Storage of Carbon Dioxide

Leaflet available here (2MB).

BOOKINGS : - respond to training@senergyworld.com or contact our Perth office on 08 9321 5511
Do Not respond direct to SPE or Mel Osborne

Date: Tuesday 29th September 2009

Venue: Mantra on Little Bourke, Conference Centre, Level 3, 451 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

Instructors: David Hughes and Andrew Buffin

Price: $1,000 + GST

For bookings and any enquiries please email: training@senergyworld.com or contact our Perth office on 08 9321 5511.

February 22, 2009
September Meeting - Advanced Solar Thermal

Wednesday September 11 2009 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start.

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$40 SPE members, $50 non members. Note: price rise to $40 members and $50 non members in July 2009.

Speaker: Steve Henzell - Manager Select, conceptual selection team, Worley Parsons in Melbourne

Abstract:

The Australian Government has approved new mandatory targets for renewable energy of 20% by 2020 and this will lead to large scale development of renewable energy schemes. The wind industry will be the initial winner because it is proven, established and has a well defined cost basis. However there will also be a demand for base load power generation capacity and geothermal and solar thermal have the potential to provide this capacity. WorleyParsons has been involved in thermal solar power plants since the energy crisis of the late 1970s and this is proven technology with low technical risks. This talk will look at the history of solar thermal power generation and a number of the proposals for Advanced Solar Thermal in Australia. Advanced Solar Thermal has the potential to be integrated into gas fuelled combined cycle gas turbine plants and with geothermal plants - they aren't mutually exclusive

Biography:

Steve Henzell is the manager of the Select, conceptual selection team for WorleyParsons in Melbourne. In this role, he integrates the specialist knowledge within the organisation to prepare feasibility studies and business cases for new opportunities. He will present on the expertise of others within WorleyParsons and how these skills come together to present a business case. Steve has more than 25 years experience in the oil and gas industry and gas transmission within south-east Australia. He is the current Chairman of the Victoria & Tasmania section of the SPE.

June 17, 2009
August Meeting - Update on carbon dioxide storage at the CO2CRC Otway Project

Wednesday August 12 2009 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start.

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$40 SPE members, $50 non members. Note: price rise to $40 members and $50 non members in July 2009.

Speaker: Lincoln Paterson - CSIRO Petroleum /CO2CRC and Craig Dugan - Process Group

Abstract: Update on carbon dioxide storage at the CO2CRC Otway project

The CO2CRC Otway Project is the country’s first demonstration of the deep geological storage or geosequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most common greenhouse gas. Stage 1 injection is nearing completion with around 60,000 tonnes injected since March 2008, and planning is currently underway for Stage 2. This talk will concentrate on technical aspects of the project describing the surface facilities and the subsurface reservoir engineering. Experience that has been gained will be described, plus future issues to be addressed in Stage 2 will be outlined.

Biographies:

Lincoln Paterson-

Lincoln Paterson is discipline leader for reservoir engineering in the CO2CRC and program leader for petroleum engineering in CSIRO. Since 1999 he has been a member of the editorial board of the SPE Journal and from 2003 to 2005 he was Executive Editor. In 2007 he was recognised by the SPE as "A Peer Apart". Some of his recent research has featured on page 69 of the July 2009 issue of JPT.

Craig Dugan

Craig Dugan is Managing Director at Process Group. He has more than 20 years experience in the oil and gas industries, joining Process Group as graduate chemical engineer in 1987. Based in their Melbourne head office, Craig has been instrumental in the expansion of Process Group in procuring multi-million dollar contracts both here in Australia and the United Arab Emirates. Craig also leads the development of Process Group’s carbon capture technologies and continues to work alongside leaders in greenhouse gas technologies to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

May 20, 2009
July Meeting - Permeability Masterclass

Thursday July 23 2009 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start.

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) - $40 SPE members, $50 non members. Note: price rise to $40 members and $50 non members in July 2009.

Speaker: Martin Kennedy - Consultant Petrophysicist (based in Perth)

This is a joint PESA SPE meeting.

Abstract:

Permeability is often treated as just another petrophysical property but anyone who has attempted to model it soon realises that it has a number of attributes that make it much harder to deal with than say porosity. This talk is based on the ‘Permeability Master Class’ that took place in Perth last year. The Master Class was a half day event that consisted of a series of half hour talks on various aspects of permeability. Each talk was given by a locally based petroleum engineer and covered everything from definitions to specific measurement techniques using core, logs and tests.

This talk starts as a distillation of those talks but then goes on to discuss how the different techniques compliment each other and why they often disagree. In particular the question of whether lack of agreement is a nuisance or actually tells us something more about the reservoir is addressed. The talk ends with a discussion of what we really need to know and concludes that that depends on the particular reservoir in question and who is asking the question.

Biography:

Martin Kennedy is a Consultant Petrophysicist based in Perth. He started his career as a wireline logging engineer with Schlumberger and has been involved in some aspect of petrophysics ever since. After short spells working in research and government, he joined British Gas plc in 1991 and moved to Enterprise Oil plc five years later. He was Chief Petrophysicist at Enterprise from 1997 until the Shell takeover when he joined Petro-Canada International, also as Chief Petrophysicist. He joined Woodside and moved to Perth in 2003 and was appointed Chief Petrophysicist eighteen months later. Over the next five years he worked on most of Woodside’s Australian and Overseas assets and at the same time implemented a range of improvements to Woodside’s Petrophysics capability. In 2008 he left to work as an independent consultant and now supports a wide range of organisations working throughout the world.

His career has spanned everything from field developments to quick-look evaluations supporting new venture activity, operations and unitisation. He has worked in many of the classic petroleum provinces and has a lot of experience in what are generally considered the more difficult areas of petrophysics such as carbonates, fractured reservoirs and tight gas. Kennedy holds a B.Sc degree in Chemistry from Bristol University and a Ph.D in Electrical Engineering from Edinburgh University.

June 09, 2009
June meeting - Timor Sea gas monetization - the Tassie Shoal Projects

Wednesday June 17 2009 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start.

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$35 SPE members, $40 non members. Note: prices rising to $40 members and $50 non members in July

Speaker: John Robert- Development Engineering Manager MEO Australia Ltd

Abstract: Timor Sea gas monetization -the Tassie Shoal Projects

Development of the known gas resources in the Timor Sea so far has been limited, but the Tassie Shoal methanol and LNG projects proposed by MEO Australia Limited could be the key to progress. Tassie Shoal could be developed as an industrial hub to transform gas including that containing high levels of CO₂. This presentation will describe these projects and how they might play a key role in bringing resources to markets.

Biography: John Robert- Development Engineering Manager MEO Australia Ltd

John Robert is a Process Engineer and Industrial Economist with more than 35 years experience in a wide range of industries. A graduate of the University of Melbourne in Chemical Engineering and Commerce, he initially worked for Exxon in the Australian petrochemicals industry where he held engineering, operations management and new plant startup roles.

John then worked for some years in Europe and the Middle East for the Australian Government in export promotion (now Austrade). On returning to Australia, he was a Business Development Manager and Technical/Economic Consultant for Davy John Brown (which later became Aker Kvaerner and is now Aker Solutions) and worked on development studies for many resource-processing and industrial ventures.

Since 2001, John has been Development Engineering Manager with MEO Australia Limited, where he has managed the engineering, economic and marketing aspects of developing the company’s innovative offshore methanol and LNG projects.

February 22, 2009
May Meeting - The Growing Demand for Oil and Natural Gas and the Related Global Warming Issues

Wednesday May 20 2009 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start.

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$35 SPE members, $40 non members.

Speaker: George Stosur - SPE Distinguished Lecturer

Abstract: The Growing Demand for Oil and Natural Gas and the Related Global Warming Issues

This presentation includes discussion of sustainable issues affecting the oil industry, such as activities that involve sequestration of greenhouse gases in depleted reservoirs (often with oil or gas production as a byproduct). The global warming issue is briefly illuminated with historical background of Earth’s many interglacial episodes and sharp temperature oscillations

Biography: George Stosur -SPE Distinguished Lecturer

George Stosur managed the upstream oil and gas R&D program for the US Department of Energy. He has authored 86 papers and two textbook chapters on oil recovery. Stosur earned an MS degree in mining engineering from Mining and Metallurgy Academy, Krakow, Poland, an MS degree in petroleum engineering from Louisiana State University, and a DS degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering from the Mining and Metallurgy Academy, Krakow, Poland.

February 22, 2009
April Meeting - Gas Storage Project, Otway Basin, Victoria

Wednesday April 22 2009 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place, alley way off Russell St between Little Collins and Bourke Streets), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start.

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$35 SPE members, $40 non members.

Dress Code - jacket and tie for men.

Speaker: Alex Goiye - Senior Reservoir Engineer, TRUenergy Gas Storage

Abstract:

The September 1998 Gas crisis in Victoria caused by the Longford fire accelerated the development of Gas Storage project in the Otway Basin. The Otway Gas Storage project was intended to meet peak demands and to provide emergency gas supply to the South East Australia and South West gas pipelines. The fields used for Gas storage are: Iona, Wallaby Creek and North Paaratte gas fields. The Iona Gas field is located in PPL-2. Wallaby Creek and North Paaratte fields are in PPL-1.

Iona gas field commenced storage operations in December 2000. Iona gas storage operation has expanded rapidly from a peaking facility to a base load facility with multiple gas sink and source locations. Iona Gas Plant commenced processing gas from Santos’ Casino field in 2006. The Iona Gas Plant is the centre of the gas hub covering Casino field, South East Australian Gas pipeline, South West Pipeline, the Otway Gas Plant, Iona storage field, Wallaby Creek storage field, and North Paaratte storage field.

TRUenergy has recently converted depleted Wallaby Creek and North Paaratte fields to gas storage field. The excellent reservoir quality, reservoir dynamics, and unique hub setting make this project a successful storage project.

This presentation will give an overview of Iona Gas Storage operation, Reservoir management, on going improvement in reservoir optimisation, and conversion of North Paaratte and Wallaby Creek depleted fields to gas storage fields.

Biography

Alex Goiye is the Senior Reservoir Engineer for TRUenergy Gas Storage. Alex is responsible for developing, monitoring, evaluating, and implementing gas storage reservoir management plans and underground storage expansions. Alex also manages well intervention operations, well data acquisitions, manage reservoir risks, well injections/withdrawals, regulatory compliance/reporting, and provide technical work scopes and supervision for reservoir associated works. Alex had developed Gas Storage Development Plans for two depleted gas fields to be converted to gas storage fields in the Otway Basin which were approved and now in commissioning/operation phase.

Prior to joining TRUenergy, Alex spent 8 years working as petroleum/reservoir engineer in the Oil & Gas industry. His exposure covers Papua New Guinea, Japan, USA and UK.

Alex holds a BSc in Petroleum Engineering (University of Tulsa, OK, USA); Reservoir Engineering Certification (Japan Technical Research Centre, Japan); and MSc in Reservoir Evaluation & Management (Heriot-Watt University, Scotland).

February 22, 2009
March Meeting - The Stanley Gas-Condensate Project (Western Province, PNG)

Wednesday March 18 2009 at the Kelvin Club (Melbourne Place), at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start.

Payment: Cash or cheque only on arrival (no credit card facilities) -$35 SPE members, $40 non members.

Dress Code - jacket and tie for men.

Speaker: Paul Nimmo, Executive Director, Horizon Oil Ltd.

Abstract:

Ten years ago this month the Stanley-1 well discovered gas-condensate in the remote Western province of PNG. As has often happened, the gas field has been stranded ever since.

However, last year Horizon Oil Limited, having acquired a 100% working interest in the field, proceeded to remap the field and perform petroleum engineering studies, prior to conducting the first ever production test of the discovery. The test was successful, flowing up to 30 mmscfd of gas with a condensate yield of 30 bbls/mmscf.

Development planning for the field is now underway, taking advantage, where possible, of its unique location close to the Fly River. A basis of design study has been completed, outlining future production facilities based on a gas recycling and condensate stripping operation; the facilities will allow for future sales of dry gas, when they eventuate. A Field Development Plan has been finalised and an application has been lodged with the government to replace the Retention Licence with a Development Licence; first production is anticipated in late 2010.

This presentation describes the field, its history, and the proposed development plans.

Biography:

Paul Nimmo (-Executive Director-Horizon Oil Ltd, Engineering and Business Development, Member of Risk Management Committee)

27 years experience in various roles across petroleum engineering, economics and planning, E&P management, and investment banking with Shell, Ampolex, CIBC and Horizon Oil in several countries including UK, New Zealand, Turkey, Netherlands, Australia and Far East.

February 04, 2009
February Meeting - A 20-Year Perspective on Use of Pressure Transient Analysis

Wednesday February 11 2009 at the Kelvin Club, at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start.

Dress Code - jacket and tie for men.

Speaker: Robert H. Hite - Principal Technical Expert & Reservoir Engineering Adviser -Shell

Abstract:

This lecture on how a major operator has used pressure-transient analysis (PTA) over the past 20 years, particularly in expensive, deepwater developments, will enable petroleum engineers to make better choices about how they should appraise and survey their own oil and gas reservoirs.

Biography:

Robert H. Hite is Principal Technical Expert and a Reservoir Engineering Adviser for Shell. He consults on PTA for Shell’s worldwide operations and is the primary reservoir engineering instructor for Shell’s well-testing classes. Hite earned a BS degree in chemical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a PhD degree in chemical engineering from Rice University.

January 09, 2009
January Meeting - Australian Coal Gas Outlook

Wednesday January 21 2009 at the Kelvin Club, at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start.

Dress Code - jacket and tie for men.

Speaker: Paul Bliston - General Manager Lucas Energy

Abstract:

Paul will provide an overview of Lucas Energy’s involvement in Australian and international coal seam gas projects and will discuss his insights into the continuing evolution of the Australian CSG sector. This sector has seen significant consolidation in the past year, with international majors such as Shell, BG, Petronas and Conoco Phillips investing over $A15 billion acquiring companies and projects to support development of an export LNG industry, and companies such as AGL seeking increased vertical integration by acquiring companies and joint venture interests with exposure to CSG.

Biography:

Paul Bliston, is General Manager of Lucas Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of AJ Lucas Limited, an ASX-listed engineering, infrastructure and mining services company. AJ Lucas is Australia’s largest specialist Coal and Coal Seam Gas drilling provider, with 56 Rigs in operation, and is also major horizontal directional contractor.

December 07, 2008
December Meeting - Adventures in Nigeria

Wednesday December 10 2008 at the Victoria Hotel - 215 Little Collins St CBD, at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start.

This is a joint PESA xmas lunch, and is a fully subsidised lunch for SPE members.

Speaker: Bob Griffith -Reservoir Technology Manager, Esso Australia

Abstract:

Reflections on day-to-day living in Lagos, Nigeria, having spent the last 6 years there - what was good, what was 'normal', what was not so good. Housing, shopping, traffic, health, sport, entertainment, interactions with Nigerians and travel around West Africa.

Biography:

Bob is currently Reservoir Technology Manager with Esso Australia. He has spent 35 years with ExxonMobil - in the US, Australia, Malaysia, UK & Nigeria undertaking a number of senior roles. Bob is a keen cyclist & trekker -and has undertaken extensive travel, trekking and biking in Asia, the Himalayas, India, Africa and Europe.

November 04, 2008
November Meeting - Implications of climate change policy on the Australian Energy Sector

Tuesday November 11 2008 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start (jacket and tie dress code for men).

Speaker: Jon Stanford- Partner - Deloitte Economics

Abstract:

The impact of, and response to, climate change will have profound implications for Australian business and the international energy industry. Jon's presentation will discuss the outlook for the Australian energy sector in the light of the Rudd Government’s climate change policy and will focus, in particular, on electricity generation, the likely “dash for gas” in the next decade or so and other longer term options for sustainable base load power.

Biography: Jon Stanford, a former Director of Insight Economics and now a Partner in the Economics group at Deloitte, was born and educated in England. For most of the past decade, before helping to establish Insight Economics (which merged with Deloitte in December 2006), Jon was a director of the Allen Consulting Group. He has developed a strong consultancy practice in economics and policy issues related to greenhouse, the resources sector, industry development and defence. In the mid-1990s, Jon was Chair of the Council for Australian Governments’ Gas Reform Implementation Group, which developed and implemented the National Gas Code. Since then he has worked on a number of major projects relating to the energy and resources sector, analysing the economic impact of possible major investment projects for both government and major corporates. He has analysed the appropriate public policy responses and modelled the economic impact of possible policies for a number of clients, including the Commonwealth and State governments and industry groups. Jon’s qualifications include an MBA from London Business School and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Economics from Manchester University

October 07, 2008
October meeting - Surface sand management in oil and gas production

Wednesday October 15th, 2008 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Tom Hewett - Global Director FLSmidth gMAX Systems (formerly Krebs)

Abstract:

Biography: Tom Hewett is Global Director of the Oil & Gas Division for FLSmidth gMAX Systems (formerly called Krebs). He is based in Houston, Texas. FLSmidth gMAX Systems is a process equipment supplier with a primary focus on hydrocyclones and associated equipment regarding solids handling and produced water. He has over 15 years experience in process equipment technology and design with both gMAX, Krebs and Kvaerner. Before this he spent 10 years working with water treatment chemicals. He has a career that has moved from software to hardware. Tom is a chemical engineer graduated from Tulane University, in New Orleans, LA. He has been a member of SPE throughout his career.

All oil and gas wells produce sand or solids in varying types and amounts. The size and concentration of natural solids (i.e. formation sand) and artificial solids (i.e. workover debris) determine their net effect on production equipment and the resulting management of hydrocarbon production. Conventional exclusion methodology prevents solids from entering the wellbore, but typically affects inflow production adversely. Allowing the solids to be produced with well fluids for surface separation and handling is now a proven means for operations.

The goal is to show that the increased production resulting from allowing solids to be produced in some high sand rate wells allows more sustainable hydrocarbon production with a cost benefit compared to downhole exclusion for certain producing regions. This will be done by exploring the performance, operability, cost impact, and effect on production rate through surface treatment sand handling applications.

Tom Hewett is an expert on the design and application of solids separation technologies. He will present an overview of the equipment available, its operating principles and examples of its application worldwide and in Australia. His presentation is particularly topical as a number of oilfields in Western Australia have recently installed solids management equipment and more are expected as fields are developed on-trend.

September 04, 2008
September meeting - Low-Cost Methods for Improved Oil and Gas Recovery

Wednesday September 10th, 2008 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 noon -12:15pm for 12:30pm start (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Zaki Bassiouni -SPE Distingusihed Lecturer

Abstract: It is usually assumed that improvement of oil and gas recovery is a costly proposition. However, several relatively lowcost, improved oil and gas recovery processes have been studied and tested in the field. This lecture presents three such improved oil and gas processes.

Biography: Zaki Bassiouni is Dean of the College of Engineering at Louisiana State University. He earned a BS degree in petroleum engineering from Cairo University, a diploma in geophysics from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Pétrole et des Moteurs of Paris, France, and MS and PhD degrees from the University of Lille, France.

August 05, 2008
August meeting - Middle East Gas Landscape

Wednesday August 13th, 2008 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Vivek Chandra , Business Planning and Investment Manager - Nexus Energy

Abstract: The presentation, entitled "Middle East Gas Landscape - the reality behind the veil" will raise some of the issues faced by the gas supply and consuming nations of the Middle East. Though the region is blessed with enormous reserves, the disparity between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' raises issues about the future sustainability of the economic growth experienced in the region - growth largely fueled on the promise of cheap energy. Obstacles to future growth as well as challenges faced by consumers will be discussed.

The choices faced by resource holders of the region - exporting valuable LNG vs supplying cheaper pipeline gas to neighboring markets - has similarities to the current Australian gas environment. Lively discussions following presentation is expected !

Biography: Vivek Chandra is an international natural gas professional with extensive experience in US, Alaska, and Middle East. He has recently relocated to Melbourne as the Business Planning & Investments Manager at Nexus Energy. He previously served as the Chief Strategy Officer for Dubai Energy, a government owned energy investment company investing in gas projects in the Middle East. In addition, during his 18+ years oil and gas career, he has worked for large E&P companies (ARCO International Oil and Gas), international service Companies (Schlumberger) & joint venture upstream companies (Dolphin Energy - JV of Total, Oxy and Abu Dhabi Government). In 2006, Vivek Chandra authored a best-selling book entitled "Fundamentals of Natural Gas" which was published by Pennwell, the publishers of the Oil and Gas Journal. He also maintains a Natural Gas information website (www.natgas.info) and runs industry training courses.

July 21, 2008
July meeting - The Alberta Oil Sands & The Cold Lake Cyclic Steam Stimulation Operation

Wednesday July 23rd, 2008 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Drew Irwin, Gippsland Basin Reservoir Advisor, ExxonMobil

Abstract: The Alberta Oil Sands is one of the largest oil deposits in the world. Imperial Oil's Cold Lake operation which exploits a part of the Alberta Oil Sands deposit is the largest thermal insitu heavy oil project in the world . It produced 154 thousand barrels of oil per day in 2007. It has over 4000 wells directionally drilled from a common satellite pads. The Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS) process is used to recover the bitumen which is too viscous for conventional production processes. This process although simple to describe is one of the most complex reservoir processes in the industry. A review of the reservoir process, key challenges and advancements will be provided.

Biography: Drew Irwin graduated from Queen's University with a Honours BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering. Since graduation he has worked with Imperial Oil in various reservoir engineering roles in Alberta, Saskatchewan and in the North Sea with Exxon Mobil. He is currently a Cold Lake Reservoir Advisor and Reservoir Studies Team Leader.

June 04, 2008
June social event

A mid year drinks and social event will be held for PESA and SPE members on Friday 27th June 2008.

Location - Irish Times, Time 5.15-9.15pm, Free to members, RSVP 20th June.

June 04, 2008
June meeting - Coal Seam Gas to LNG – An overview

Wednesday June 18th, 2008 at the The Victoria Hotel, 215 Little Collins St, at 12:00 for 12:30 - Joint with PESA (not at the Kelvin Club)

Speaker: Richard Quin, Senior Analyst, Australasia Upstream Research, Wood Mackenzie

Abstract: Utilising coal seam gas (CSG) to supply an LNG project is a relatively new concept, but with five projects proposed in Eastern Australia, Wood Mackenzie believes it will become a reality. We review the competing projects and also identify some of the differences between developing CSG and conventional gas fields to supply a liquefaction facility.

Biography: Richard joined Wood Mackenzie in 2004 as an analyst in the Australian Upstream Research team. Since 2005, Richard has been the lead analyst for the team and is responsible for maintaining the Australasian Upstream service. In this time, Richard has completed a number of consultancy projects. This work has included asset valuation, entry strategies, competitor analysis, opportunity screening and economic modelling of future Australian gas projects. Richard was also a key author in the syndicated study titled “Eastern Australia Gas & Power Outlook to 2025; Fitting the pieces together”, which was published in February 2007. Prior to joining Wood Mackenzie, Richard worked as a drilling engineer and geologist in the UK Sector of the North Sea. Richard graduated from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, with a degree in geology in 1999.

May 13, 2008
May meeting - Underbalanced Drilling—Remedy for Formation Damage, Lost Circulation, and Other Related Conventional-Drilling Problems

Wednesday May 21, 2008 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Hani. H.Qutob, Weatherford Underbalanced Systems and Testing Services, Middle East and North Africa

Abstract: In almost every drilling operation, there is a potential for damage to well productivity, for lost circulation, for differential sticking, and for other related conventional-drilling problems. In order to overcome these drilling problems, the industry developed underbalanced-drilling technology. This lecture contains several case histories and results that highlight the advantages of this technology.

Biography: Hani H. Qutob is the Chief Reservoir Engineer for Weatherford Underbalanced Systems and Testing Services in the Middle East and North Africa. He has more than 28 years of diversified international experience. Hani H. Qutob earned BS and MS degrees in petroleum engineering.

April 07, 2008
April meeting - Exploitation of the Discovered and Undiscovered Oil Resources of the Cooper Basin

Wednesday April 23, 2008 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Colin Cruickshank, Santos Ltd

Abstract: Since the discovery of commercial hydrocarbons in 1963 the Cooper Basin has grown to be Australia’s largest onshore resources project. To date in excess of 6 TCF of gas and ethane and 475 mmbbls of liquids have been produced. In 2005 Santos embarked upon a project to further exploit the discovered and undiscovered oil resources of the Cooper Basin in response to rising oil prices and the potential to unlock efficiencies through the use of new technology tailored to the demanding conditions of the harsh and remote Cooper Basin. Since then in excess of 250 wells have been drilled adding over 30 million bbls of proved and probable reserves. The use of 3D seismic has meant that the success rate of drilling a combination of near field exploration, delineation and development wells is in excess of 70%. The use of automated, self leveling truck mounted drill rigs, new generation workover rigs and the development and application of automatic self optimising progressing cavity pumps has improved the efficiency of well construction and producing operations to enable smaller pools to be targeted. Through further drilling and the application of secondary and tertiary recovery schemes Santos is confident that further oil reserves in excess of 50 million barrels can be added and produced.

Biography: Colin Cruickshank is presently in charge of the sub surface management of the Cooper Basin’s oil and gas reservoirs for Santos Ltd. Colin graduated from Melbourne University in 1985 with an honours degree in Chemical Engineering. He joined Esso Australia in Sale where he worked in a variety of technical and leadership assignments in drilling, facilities, business planning, project engineering, reservoir engineering and producing operations. In 1996 Colin moved to Santos Ltd where he has since held a variety of managerial positions in reservoir engineering, drilling and completions, petroleum engineering and is now General Manager for Asset Development overseeing Santos’ operated conventional hydrocarbon assets in the Cooper Basin, Amadeus Basin, offshore Australia and its non operated Assets both in Australia and Bangladesh.

March 06, 2008
March meeting - Mature Fields: Keep Revisiting the Fundamentals

Wednesday March 12th 2008 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Dr. Neil Williams, Oil Search Limited

Abstract: (based on SPE 101123) Kutubu is Papua New Guinea’s largest oil field. It came on line in 1992 and achieved peak rates of over 130,000 stb/d in 1993 before decline commenced in 1994. Capacity was still 45,000 stb/d at the beginning of 1998 but Kutubu production rates declined rapidly and half the field capacity was lost during 1998 to 2000. It was beginning to look in 2001 as if the field would be completely shut in within a few more years. Kutubu was originally developed on the basis of a dynamic aquifer (or tilted contact) theory that was used to explain the lack of oil in the northwest parts of the field and the presence of water contacts in the central part. A field review conducted by the operator identified an alternate theory of compartmentalisation to explain the non-uniform oil column. As the alternate hypothesis was as good at explaining the early data and better at explaining some of the more recent performance, it was decided to abandon the original concept and test the new theory by drilling in areas the original concept would have predicted to be water swept. Drilling results were conclusive - there was oil and little or no water in the centre of the field. Consequently, the compartmentalisation theory opened up a series of opportunities in areas that were previously considered un-prospective due to the tilted contact concept. A follow up development campaign, along with other projects, has for four straight years completely halted the production decline. The field now appears to have a considerable remaining life of up to 2 decades. The main conclusion is that we regularly need to go back to basics and establish whether or not our fundamental assumptions are supported by solid evidence.

Biography: Dr. Neil Williams is presently in charge of the reservoir engineering, geoscience, planning and development of New Guinea’s largest oil field, the Kutubu Field, for Oil Search Limited. Neil graduated with a BSc from Sydney University in 1969 with 1st Class Honours and the University Medal in Applied Mathematics. He then completed 3 post-graduate courses simultaneously including a PhD in fluid mechanics at the University of New South Wales. Neil joined Shell in Melbourne then transferred to their international staff with assignments in The Hague, the North Sea and London before returning to Australia with Exxon and later moving to Santos, Helix and Oil Search in various technical, supervisory and management roles. Neil has done or supervised the reservoir engineering for Australia’s largest offshore oilfield Kingfish, Australia’s largest onshore oilfield Jackson, and New Guinea’s largest oilfield Kutubu. Neil’s main interest is in mature field development and he has published on this subject as well as on EOR, petrophysics, SCAL and, prior to joining the oil industry, in physics and mathematics.

February 05, 2008
February meeting - New and Emerging Water and Gas Shutoff Techniques in Vertical and Horizontal Open Holes: Challenges and Opportunities

Wednesday February 20th 2008 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Naz H. Gazi

Abstract: This presentation focuses on new and emerging solutions to challenging conformance problems using processes, chemical systems, techniques, tools, and real-time predictive methods and software to derive successful water and gas shutoff for both vertical and horizontal wells.

Biography: Naz H. Gazi is Senior Technical Adviser for Halliburton. He also worked for several operating companies and taught at the University of Oklahoma and Tinker US Air Force Base. Gazi earned an MS degree in petroleum engineering and an MBA degree from University of Oklahoma.

October 17, 2007
November meeting - Predicting Field Performance — Thriving With Uncertainty

Wednesday November 21st 2007 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Neil Dunlop

Abstract: Widespread access to detailed physical models and to low-cost, high-speed computing makes it possible to harness measurements of uncertainty to the task of improving field-development decisions of all types. This lecture illustrates the difficulties and pitfalls that can arise when history matching and prediction are performed deterministically with practical examples.

Biography: Neil Dunlop is a Director at Energy Scitech, a member of the Roxar Group, and a consultant who conducts reservoir studies. He earned an MS degree in petroleum engineering from Imperial College, London, and an MA degree in chemical engineering from Cambridge University.

October 14, 2007
October meeting - A "Hot" Opportunity

Tuesday October 16th 2007 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Dr Adrian Williams, Geodynamics Limited

Abstract: There are now over 20 companies pursuing geothermal energy in Australia, with the work commitments of over $700m. The opportunity offered by hot fractured rocks is increasingly recognized globally, and especially here in Australia. Geodynamics has defined a resource containing around 400,000 PJ of high grade geothermal energy, with preliminary studies suggesting that it can support a generating capacity of 10,000 MW. It is now in the process of the final proof-of-concept work and upgrading the resource to reserves. Dr Williams will outline the concept behind the extraction of heat from hot granites to produce zero-emission base-load power, and the progress to date. He will address Geodynamics’ experiences in: drilling the hot granites to over 4400m; stimulating the fractures; initial reservoir modeling and the pre-feasibility studies with associated costs; and their acquisition of the most advanced land rig in the country. He will also address the challenges ahead.

Biography: Adrian Williams has had a career across the energy spectrum. He has worked on LNG plants in North Africa to hydro projects from China to PNG and he worked with Woodside on solving their North Rankin foundation problems. He was: the founding Chief of CSIRO’s Petroleum Resources Division (and an SPE Member); founding director of the Petroleum CRC which later started Australia’s work on CO2 sequestration; and Chief of CSIRO’s Energy Technology Division for a year before leaving CSIRO. For the past year he has been CEO of the listed company Geodynamics Limited, which is recognized as Australia’s leading geothermal energy company. He has a B Engineering, a PhD in rock mechanics an an MBA from Melbourne University.

September 10, 2007
September meeting - Ringhorne Development - Technologies Applied in Extended Reach Drilling

Tuesday September 18th 2007 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Nils Musaeus, Esso Australia

Biography: Nils Musaeus - has 18 years experience with ExxonMobil with assignments in Large Projects, Reservoir and Drilling, Nils earned his BS PetEng at University of Southern California and also has an MBA from Pepperdine University. Currently Nils is the Drilling Engineering Manager for the Esso Australia Drill team that has responsibilities for the active platform based drilling program in the Bass Strait and development planning for the Kipper, MLB, Jansz and PNG developments. Nils has worked and lived with his family in several locations including Thousand Oaks California, New Orleans, Houston, Stavanger and now Melbourne for the last year. Additionally, for the company he has travelled to Scotland, Germany, Nigeria and Sakhalin. Before coming to Melbourne, Nils' last assignment was located in Stavanger responsible for the well planning and development from the Ringhorne platform. When working in the North Sea, he was also responsible for the exploration drilling activity in the same timeframe.

June 28, 2007
July meeting - Drilling into the future- ice core evidence of changes in the atmosphere and climate

Tuesday July 24th 2007 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: David Etheridge, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research

Abstract: The records of global baseline atmospheric composition and climate obtained from direct measurements are short compared to the durations over which many of the controlling processes operate. Measurements of air naturally preserved in ice sheets are fundamental to the understanding of how and why greenhouse gases and ozone depleting gases have varied over the longer past. This presentation will show how continuous atmospheric records over thousands of years are produced by drilling ice cores, measuring and dating the enclosed air, and interpreting the data so that future changes might be better understood and managed.

Biography: Dr David Etheridge is a Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research in Victoria. He studied physics and earth sciences at the University of Melbourne, with honours research in solar radiation and aerosols and a PhD in atmospheric composition change of the past millennium. He has led 5 research expeditions in Antarctica on the topics of ice sheet mass balance, atmospheric change and climate. His research concentrates on the evidence and causes of past and present changes in atmospheric composition and climate and recently includes the atmospheric impacts of mitigation measures such as carbon dioxide sequestration.

June 11, 2007
June meeting - Liquid Niugini Gas Ltd project in Papua and New Guinea

Wednesday June 20th 2007 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Geoffrey Ellison, General Manager Project Development, Liquid Niugini Gas

Abstract: The presentation will review the exciting new project being executed by Liquid Niugini Gas in PNG. The project is executing a 9-10 million tonne per annum liquefied natural gas plant located at Napa Napa on the Port Moresby harbour, adjacent to the Interoil oil refinery. Gas supply to the plant will be from the recently discovered Interoil Elk gas field located some 350 km to the north west of Port Moresby in the Ihu region of the Gulf Province. The project proponents are Interoil, Merrill Lynch and Pacific LNG. LNG Ltd is the midstream project company. The discussion will include the subjects of project strategy, ownership, schedule, scope, financing, gas supply and gas sales. The current status of the project centers around gas reserves definition and EPC contractor selection.

Biography: Geoffrey Ellison is LNG Ltd General Manager for Project Development; he has held this position for 1 year. Prior to this he had 28 years with Shell holding various senior management positions in refining, natural gas and GTL. Areas. The last position with Shell was Refinery manger at the Geelong facility. Geoffrey Ellison has a Master of Engineering Science degree from the University of Melbourne.

April 26, 2007
May meeting - Longtom Gas Field

Wednesday May 30th 2007 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speakers: Graham Bunn and Kevin Lanigan, Nexus Energy

Abstract: Kevin Lanigan will present a tailored version of his recent APPEA paper on the geology of Longtom. Graham Bunn will discuss the Longtom 3 horizontal well including; drilling, completion and testing, and describe the overall development project.

Biography 1: Kevin Lanigan completed a BSc (Hons) in Geology at Monash University, Melbourne in 1984 and a MS in Geology at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA in 1989. His petroleum geology career has included roles in exploration, operations and field development in both mature and frontier Australasian basins, largely for Esso Australia, Pacific Oil & Gas and GFE Resources. Kevin began working for Nexus Energy in 2005 and is currently employed as a senior geologist mainly working on the Gippsland Basin. Member: PESA and AAPG.

Biography 2: Graham Bunn completed a BSc (Hons) in Physics at Imperial College, London in 1979 and a Graduate Diploma in Strategic Foresight from Swinburne University of Technology in 2005. After beginning his international career as a petroleum engineer with Amoco (UK) he then worked for Schlumberger in the UK, Japan, South East Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Graham came to Australia as an engineering advisor with BHP Petroleum and spent several years representing BHP Billiton’s interests in the Esso/BHPB Bass Strait Joint Venture and on the board of the CRC for CO2 Technologies (CO2CRC). In 2005, Graham joined Nexus Energy Limited as Chief Petroleum Engineer, with overall Petroleum Engineering responsibility for all of Nexus’ activities, as well as asset responsibility for the Longtom Gas Field development. Member: SPE, Fellow RGS, Fellow RAS.

April 18, 2007
April meeting - Digital Core Technology

Thursday April 26th 2007 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Dr. Mark Knackstedt, Australian National University

Abstract: Digital core technology, 3D imaging and visualisation of core material at the pore scale and subsequent analysis of petrophysical and multiphase flow properties can give important insight to understanding properties of reservoir core material. Historically, digital core technology has focused on the direct comparison of predictions with data collected from conventional core analysis. Results show that predictions of petrophysical and multiphase properties from 3D image data (permeability tensor, formation factor, resistivity index, relative permeability and drainage capillary pressure) are in good agreement with experimental core measurements. The Digital Core project has now established a consortium with the global oil and gas industry. They are championing the development of this technology and analysis with specific applications to understanding the microstructural, mechanical, transport properties and multiphase flow properties of reservoir core material. Here we discuss some of the potential applications of this emerging technology to the industry via case study examples including: 1. Use of Digital core analysis to give supplementary data where conventional core is not available or is not suitable for conventional analysis. 2. Understanding reasons for scatter in petrophysical data in terms of rock type, pore structure and interconnectivity. 3. Probing uncertainty in relative permeability data. Imaging and modeling of fluid distributions at the pore scale including the incorporation of different wettability scenarios. 4. Direct imaging of reservoir compaction effects on porosity, permeability and pore structure.

Biography: Mark Knackstedt was awarded a BSc in 1985 from Columbia University and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Rice University in 1990. He is Professor and Head of the Department of Applied Mathematics at the Australian National University and a Visiting Professor at the School of Petroleum Engineering at the University of NSW. His primary focus is on development of 3D tomographic imaging analysis methods and modeling transport elastic and multiphase flow properties of complex materials. He leads the Digital Core Consortium Program at ANU/UNSW. The consortium includes many of the leading petroleum companies; ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, Total, Saudi Aramco, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, BHP Billiton, Japan Oil and Gas, ADCO, ONGC (India) and Maersk Oil and Gas.

February 08, 2007
March meeting - How Deep Can You Go and What Challenges Lie Ahead?

Thursday March 22nd 2007 at the The Kelvin Club, at 12:00 for 12:30 (jacket and tie dress code for men)

Speaker: Dr. K. E. Abou-Sayed - BP America, SPE Distinguished Lecturer

Abstract: The deepwater basins around the world contain vast hydrocarbon resources which await discovery and development. Our challenge today is to recover these resources profitably while investing in developing the technology needed and assuring that risk and uncertainties are managed and mitigated. The challenge is even increasing with discoveries in areas in deeper waters, no export infrastructure, long distances for tie-backs to existing ones, deeper wells and high pressure/high temperature environment. The experience of matching the field development scheme to the reservoir uncertainties and site characteristics is a key to ensuring success. Industry has developed both the dry and wet tree concepts for water depths up to 5000ft and 7000ft respectively and breakthrough technologies are thought out to enable production in ultra deep waters (up to 10000ft). Execution capability is another area critical for deepwater projects success. The author has been involved in Deepwater projects from front end engineering and economics to project execution. Successful strategy for front end scenario planning, concept ranking, project execution will be presented along with insights of the key drivers of development economics and Capital Productivity.

Biography: Dr. K. Abou-Sayed started her career with BP in 1985 in Deepwater Technology unit and is currently the Early Production Project Leader for BP Sakhalin Development Unit. She brings a wealth of experience having spent the last 20 years advancing concepts and project development in the deepwater frontier, with experience spanning from when deepwater was just greater than 1,500 feet to its current defined depth of greater than 10,000 feet. She has made major contributions to the efforts in appraisal excellence, standardization, project integration and assurance and has been instrumental in the sanctioning of several deepwater projects for BP and its respective partners, such as Pompano, Mars, Ursa, Crosby and Atlantis. She is uniquely positioned within the deepwater community as she has both deep technical and commercial strengths. Her ability to integrate her experience in floating systems with subsurface, economics and planning will uniquely position her for delivering SPE sectional audiences insightful recap of strategic and technical aspects of this challenging but promising area.

November 06, 2011
Presentation by Erdal Ozkan on Releasing Shale-Gas Potential with Fractured Horizontal Wells
This presentation was given on Monday October 17, 2011. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (3MB).

July 29, 2011
Presentation by John Young on Coal seam gas:an equity market view
This presentation was given on Thursday July 28, 2011. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (0.5MB).

December 06, 2010
Presentation by Steve Henzell on A history of oil & gas in Victoria
This presentation was given on Tuesday November 23, 2010. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (6MB).

October 27, 2010
Presentation by Andrew Berryman on LNG - An overview of the project and description of work undertaken to support the project resource estimate

This presentation was given on Wednesday octboer 13th, 2010. A copy of the presentation is NOT available, but a recent SPE paper on the same topic is available at this link http://www.onepetro.org/mslib/app/newSearch.do by searching this paper number 135816. NB Citation: Berryman, A.J. and Braisted, D.M. Development of the Gas Resource Assessment for the Papua New Guinea PNG LNG Project SPE 135816, 2010.

June 16, 2010
Presentation by John Young on Coal Seam Gas; market opportunities and the RSPT
This presentation was given on Wednesday June 16th, 2010. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (0.6MB).

June 16, 2010
Presentation by Steve Henzell on SPE Vic/Tas Chapter - 25 years

This presentation was given on Wednesday June 16th, 2010. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (0.5MB).

Some photos of the day are available here: victtas committees, audience and the celebratory cake.

May 30, 2010
Presentation by Kamel Bennaceur on Carbon Capture and Storage in the Global Energy Perspectives
This presentation was given on Thursday May 27th, 2010. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (1.7MB).

May 30, 2010
Presentation by Steve Henzell and Chris Hislop on Oil and Gas Industry in Angola
This presentation was given on Thursday April 21st, 2010. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (10MB).

February 18, 2010
Presentation by Dr Len Walker on Underground Coal Gasification and its Role in Australia’s Future Energy Mix

This presentation was given on Thursday February 18th, 2010. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (2MB).

January 31, 2010
Presentation by Terry Kallis and Louise McAllister on The Paralana – Engineered Geothermal Energy Project
This presentation was given on Thursday January 28th, 2010. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (10MB).

December 06, 2009
Presentation by Mike Gunningham on Lunskoye Big Bore Gas Wells - Maximising Gas, Minimising Sand
This presentation was given on Thursday November 26th, 2009. Although the presentation is not available, three papers related to the presentation as PDF files are available here: (1) (2) (3).

September 30, 2009
Presentation by David S Hughes on Strategic Significance and Practicalities of CO2 EOR and Storage
This presentation was given on Wednesday September 30th, 2009. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (2MB).

September 16, 2009
Presentation by Steve Henzell on Advanced Solar Thermal Power Generation
This presentation was given on Wednesday September 16th, 2009. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (3MB).

August 12, 2009
Presentation by Craig Dugan on Carbon Capture and Industrial Sources of Carbon Dioxide

This presentation was given on Wednesday August 12th, 2009. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (2.5MB).

August 27, 2009
Presentation by Lincoln Paterson on Update on carbon dioxide storage at the CO2CRC Otway Project

This presentation was given on Wednesday August 12th, 2009. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (2MB).

July 23, 2009
Presentation by Martin Kennedy on Permeability in the Eye of the Beholder

This presentation was given on Thursday July 23rd, 2009. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (2MB).

August 16, 2009
Presentation by Alex Goiye on Gas Storage Project, Otway Basin, Victoria
This presentation was given on Wednesday April 22nd, 2009. A copy of the presentation as a PDF file is avalable here (5MB).

June 23, 2009
SPE MEG Workshop 2009 Presentations

The SPE MEG Workshop 2009 presentations held on 18 June 2009, are available for download here (3MB).

The minutes of the SPE MEG Workshop are available for download here (50KB).

April 10, 2005
SPE Presentation Guidelines
Guidelines for presenters at SPE meetings, both for oral and visual formats.

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