Feeley, Mary H.
Exxon Exploration Company, Houston, Texas

Abstract: Integrated 3-D Interpretation and Geologic Modeling Technologies Optimizing Exploration/Exploitation

The 1990s are seeing an explosion in technological advances, a key element in the current growth in the petroleum industry. The evolution of technologies has resulted in an exponential jump in available information to analyze. Significant increases are seen in (1) the growing number and size of 3-D seismic surveys, (2) the enhanced data captured in the borehole, and (3) the additional complexity of conceptual depositional models. Developing an efficient work process is critical to ensuring that the maximum information is extracted from the accessible data, appropriately integrated, and readily available for rapid, technically sound, business decisions.

To more effectively handle the increasing volumes of information, Exxon is evolving a new work process that synthesizes the application of advanced 3-D interpretation and geologic modeling technologies. This process is successfully being applied in all phases of the drilling program from the early exploration phase to late development. Techniques such as volume visualization, seismic attribute analysis, and 3-D geologic modeling, when properly integrated, maximize the potential benefits from the recent technological advances. For example, effective use of visualization techniques can focus early technical efforts and reduce 3-D interpretation time. Geologic modeling, integrating seismic attribute analyses, allows for the critical integration of seismic with fine-scale borehole data. Finally, the framework provided by evolving depositional concepts assures that all technical products supporting business decisions are sound and internally consistent.

This new work process, focused on the efficient management of the increasing number, size, and complexity of data volumes, allows Exxon to maximize its workforce for the evaluation of a broader spectrum of business opportunities. This process has positively impacted acreage evaluation, wildcat drilling, development planning, and depletion strategies in a number of areas worldwide. Recent case studies from the Gippsland Basin and the Gulf of Mexico illustrate the application of the process. The documented benefits include identification of new drilling locations, more precise positioning of drilling trajectories, and improvements in the present value profit by reducing the time between discovery and commercialization.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90929©1998-1999 AAPG Distinguished Lecturers