First Break June 2020 - Data Processing

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SPECIAL TOPIC

Data Processing TECHNICAL ARTICLE Using simultaneous acquired DAS-VSP data CROSSTALK Making allowance for the Black Swan INDUSTRY NEWS Seismic companies keep working

Geoscience - Software

Density predicted using a deep neural network (left side section and horizon) shows more detail and better lateral continuity, compared to multi-linear regression (back section).

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FIRST BREAK® An EAGE Publication

CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD Peter Rowbotham (Peter.Rowbotham@apachecorp.com) EDITOR Damian Arnold (editorfb@eage.org) MEMBERS, EDITORIAL BOARD • Paul Binns, consultant (pebinns@btinternet.com) • Patrick Corbett, Heriot-Watt University (patrick_corbett@pet.hw.ac.uk) • Tom Davis, Colorado School of Mines (tdavis@mines.edu) • Anthony Day, PGS (anthony.day@pgs.com) • Peter Dromgoole, Equinor UK (pdrum@equinor.com) • Rutger Gras, Oranje-Nassau Energy (gras@onebv.com) • Hamidreza Hamdi, University of Calgary (hhamdi@ucalgary.ca) • Ed Kragh, Schlumberger Cambridge Research (edkragh@slb.com) • John Reynolds, Reynolds International (jmr@reynolds-international.co.uk) • James Rickett, Schlumberger (jrickett@slb.com) • Dave Stewart, Dave Stewart Geoconsulting Ltd (djstewart.dave@gmail.com) • Femke Vossepoel, Delft University of Technology (f.c.vossepoel@tudelft.nl) MEDIA PRODUCTION MANAGER Thomas Beentje (tbe@eage.org) ACCOUNT MANAGER ADVERTISING Keziah Starrenburg (ksg@eage.org) PRODUCTION Saskia Nota (layout@eage.org) Ivana Geurts (layout@eage.org) EAGE EUROPE OFFICE PO Box 59 3990 DB Houten The Netherlands • +31 88 995 5055 • eage@eage.org • www.eage.org EAGE RUSSIA & CIS OFFICE EAGE Russia & CIS Office EAGE Geomodel LLC 19 Leninsky Prospekt 119071, Moscow, Russia • +7 495 640 2008 • moscow@eage.org • www.eage.ru EAGE MIDDLE EAST OFFICE EAGE Middle East FZ-LLC Dubai Knowledge Village Block 13 Office F-25 PO Box 501711 Dubai, United Arab Emirates • +971 4 369 3897 • middle_east@eage.org • www.eage.org EAGE ASIA PACIFIC OFFICE UOA Centre Office Suite 19-15-3A No. 19, Jalan Pinang 50450 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia • +60 3 272 201 40 • asiapacific@eage.org • www.eage.org EAGE LATIN AMERICA OFFICE Carrera 14 No 97-63 Piso 5 Bogotá, Colombia • +57 1 4232948 • americas@eage.org • www.eage.org EAGE MEMBERS CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTIFICATION Send to: EAGE Membership Dept at EAGE Office (address above)

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Processing of unstructured geoscience and engineering information for instant access and extraction of new knowledge

Editorial Contents 3

EAGE News

14 Crosstalk 17

Industry News

Technical Article

29 Enhanced surface seismic data processing using simultaneous acquired DAS-VSP data

G. Yu, J.L. Xiong, J.J. Wu, Y.Z. Chen and Y.S. Zhao

Special Topic: Data Processing

39 Image-driven model building for ray-tomography: increasing confidence in exploring the MSGBC Basin (NW-Africa) Paolo Esestime, Zhiqiang Guo, Li Li, David Went, Felicia Winter and Ben Sayers 45 Calculating a synthetic density curve using a volume of clay and velocity

Carl Fredrik Gyllenhammar 51 Normal move out with linear variation of velocity with respect to depth

Huw James 55 Seismic processing parameter mining - the past may be the key to the present

Tony Martin, Andrew Long, Suhail Butt and Khairom Baharom 59 Processing of unstructured geoscience and engineering information for instant access and extraction of new knowledge Kim Gunn Maver, Nina Marie Hernandez, Francois Baillard and Richard Cooper 65 Hydraulic frac-hit corridor (FHC) monitoring and analysis with highresolution distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) far-field strain (FFS) measurements

Y. Wu, P. Richter, R. Hull and M. Farhadiroushan

Feature

71 From data conditioning, depth imaging and reservoir characterization to machine learning P.C.H. Veeken, A. Kashubin, D. Curia, Y. Davydenko and I.I. Priezzhev 78 Calendar

FIRST BREAK ON THE WEB www.firstbreak.org ISSN 0263-5046 (print) / ISSN 1365-2397 (online)

cover: A view of the corridor of one of the two cages of Eni’s HPC4 supercomputer.

Our Special Topic on Data Processing starts on p. 38.

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European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers

Board 2019-2020

Michael Pöppelreiter President

Dirk Orlowsky Vi c e-President Elect

Everhard Muijzert Secretary-Treasurer

Near Surface Geoscience Division George Apostolopoulos Chair Alireza Malehmir Vice-Chair Micki Allen Contact Officer EEGS/North America Riyadh Al-Saad Oil & Gas Liaison Esther Bloem Technical Programme Officer Hongzhu Cai Liaison China Albert Casas Membership Officer Eric Cauquil Liaison Shallow Marine Geophysics Ranajit Ghose Editor in Chief Near Surface Geophysics Hamdan Ali Hamdan Liaison Middle East Andreas Kathage Liaison Officer First Break Musa Manzi Liaison Africa Myrto Papadopoulou Young Professional Liaison Koya Suto Liaison Asia Pacific Catherine Truffert Industry Liaison

Oil & Gas Geoscience Division

Caroline Le Turdu Membership and Cooperation Officer

Ingrid Magnus Publications Officer

Colin MacBeth Education Officer

Michael Peter Suess Chair; TPC Lucy Slater Vice-Chair Caroline Jane Lowrey Immediate Past Chair; TPC Erica Angerer Member Wiebke Athmer Member Xavier Garcia NSGD Liaison Juliane Heiland TPC Tijmen-Jan Moser Editor-in-chief Geophysical Prospecting Ann Muggeridge IOR Committee Liasion Francesco Perrone YP Liaison Philip Ringrose Editor-in-chief Petroleum Geoscience Conor Ryan REvC Liaison Martin Widmaier TPC Aart-Jan van Wijngaarden Technical Programme Officer Michael Zhdanov NSGD Liaison

SUBSCRIPTIONS First Break is published monthly. It is free to EAGE members. The membership fee of EAGE is € 50.00 a year (including First Break, EarthDoc (EAGE’s geoscience database), Learning Geoscience (EAGE’s Education website) and online access to a scientific journal.

Companies can subscribe to First Break via an institutional subscription.

Every subscription includes a monthly hard copy and online access to the full First Break archive for the requested number of online users.

Aart-Jan van Wijngaarden Technical Programme Officer

George Apostolopoulos Chair Near Surface Geoscience Division

Michael Peter Suess Chair Oil & Gas Geoscience Division

Orders for current subscriptions and back issues should be sent to EAGE Publications BV, Journal Subscriptions, PO Box 59, 3990 DB, Houten, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 (0)88 9955055, E-mail: subscriptions@eage.org, www.firstbreak.org.

First Break is published by EAGE Publications BV, The Netherlands.

However, responsibility for the opinions given and the statements made rests with the authors.

COPYRIGHT & PHOTOCOPYING © 2020 EAGE All rights reserved. First Break or any part thereof may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying and recording, ­without the prior written permission of the Publisher.

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HIGHLIGHTS

EAGE MEMBERS

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EAGE plays role in SEG’s Award to Smart Exploration project

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One engagement a day keeps isolation away

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Workshop highlights benefits of distributed fibre optic monitoring solutions

Recalling an unforgettable year Michael Pöppelreiter, 2019-2020 EAGE president, reviews his term of office.

Michael Pöppelreiter on the podium.

I am finishing my term as president in the most unexpected and unfortunate circumstances, so my first thought, dear colleagues, is to hope that you and your loved ones are keeping safe and healthy during this COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully we have navigated the worst and can look forward to at least some partial return to normalcy this summer.

My second duty is to acknowledge on behalf of the membership the outstanding work being carried out by our staff worldwide while working in forced isolation. They have exceeded our expectations in delivering meaningful services and communication for our professional community during this difficult time.

The office leadership is to be particularly commended for rescuing the 82nd EAGE Annual Conference and Exhibition in Amsterdam by negotiating a new date in December.

We must of course keep our fingers crossed that the rescheduled event will go ahead. Assuming we continue to get the green light, I believe many people will want to attend not just for the extensive Annual programme of events. The meeting will provide an ideal opportunity for members to discuss and assess the prospects for geoscience and engineering disciplines in the post-Covid environment. The same applies to the Near Surface Geoscience 2020 event currently set for September in Belgrade, assuming it can be sanctioned by the relevant health and other relevant agencies.

In such a truncated year in office, with so much disruption in the past few months, I shall confine my remarks to saying that EAGE led by the current Board and office management is steering the organization in the right direction. My tenure saw some key initiatives of which the relaunch of EarthDoc will probably have the most significant long-term impact. The database provides us with an invaluable research tool. As an educator I am of course also pleased that we have sorted out proper access for student members.

Looking ahead, our 2030 vision in preparation since September last year has FIRST

still to be fully shared with the membership for comment and hopefully approval. In essence the combination of the Covid-19 drama and the related collapse of the oil price has served to accelerate industry change.

Fortunately we have already been planning for the period of energy transition ahead and the need to repurpose our services to meet the emerging needs of our members in this changing geoscience and related engineering landscape. The sectors we serve are seeing a gradual shift away from oil and gas into many different and interesting ‘greener’ areas, for example, environmental geoscience, sustainability studies, hydrology, alternative energy, etc. most of which require cross discipline applications and solutions. Near surface is therefore an area that we will need to strengthen.

We have also recognized that much future engagement with members will be via online applications, such as e-lectures, webinars, virtual presentations, social media, etc. We will be resourcing local chapters, special interest groups and students in the development of meetings that satisfy the need for professional networking, but at less cost. EAGE will have to be much more prudent in the future about the sustainability of proposed events.

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that my successors will be up for the challenge. For members personally I would caution that the future in geoscience and engineering may require resilience and flexibility to embrace new ways of doing things, e.g., impact of digitalization,

increasing call for programming skills, and cross-discipline thinking. I am very hopeful that members, young and experienced, can adapt to this evolving universe.

I would also encourage each one of you to volunteer your expertise when possible to

build a stronger Association, this support is always much appreciated.

May I wish all members the very best in your future endeavours and thank you for allowing me to serve as your president.

Watch out for Road to Amsterdam 2020 Coming to First Break in the July issue will be our first Road to Amsterdam 2020 update. It will be your opportunity to catch up with all the latest developments in the preparations for the 82nd EAGE Annual Conference and Exhibition now taking place on 8-11 December at the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam.

The postponement of the Annual was a big decision. It had to be made due to health and safety concerns over the Covid19 pandemic. We are now keeping a watchful eye on what looks like the gradual return to normal in countries around the world, and are working on the assumption that the meeting can take place. There may well be some special venue hygiene precautions in place, but we are confident all visitors will appreciate such measures if they are mandated.

Meantime we are particularly excited by the unexpected significance this Annual offers our community of geoscientists and engineers. This will most likely be the first major gathering able to bring together representatives from around the world to discuss the momentous events that have disrupted the oil and gas business and its services. The oil price collapse in the wake of Covid-19 and the increased production strategy of Saudi Arabia and Russia have caused as yet undetermined consequences. But we already know enough to realize the immediate future is going to be a testing time.

In a recent message, Marc Gerrits, chair, EAGE Annual 2020 Local Advisory Committee, said: ‘The global pandemic and the associated economic conditions are challenging our industry in unprecedented ways. As an essential industry,

Annual General Meeting for Members As members know, the global Covid-19 pandemic situation has obliged us to reschedule our Annual Conference for 8-11 December 2020 at the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam.

Normally the Annual General Meeting for Members (AGMM or Annual Business Meeting) is held in conjunction with the Annual Conference and before 1 July of the business year. It continues to be desirable that we hold the AGMM before 1 July in order to ensure an orderly end to the past year and to establish the new Board for the year 2020-21.

Thanks to advances in technology and the law, it is now possible for us to hold the AGMM fully online.

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The Board therefore invites all members to participate in the online AGMM which will be held on 25 June 2020. We will be asking members to register for the event through our website https:// eage.org/en/about-eage/overview/ annual-general-meeting-for-members.

The website will also be providing the Agenda for the AGMM and other relevant documents, to be uploaded closer to the event.

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societies rely on us to keep them powered up and able to respond, all while having to adjust to lower demand and high volatility in the market. At the same time we cannot lose sight of the need to set our industry up for long-term success and adapting to the challenges of climate change. The 2020 EAGE conference theme “Delivering for the ENERGY CHALLENGE: today and tomorrow” is therefore as topical as ever’.

Gerrits confirmed that the Annual programme should be largely unchanged. That is what we are working on now. We will bring you news of any changes as they arise and Road to Amsterdam 2020 will feature what we expect to be of special interest. See our Technical Programme schedule, together with the latest updates on Workshops, Short Courses, Forum Sessions, the Exhibition, and more on www.EAGEANNUAL2020.org.

SAGEEP meeting scheduled for March 2021 As already announced, this year’s SAGEEP gathering of the near surface geoscience community and the planned 1st Munitions Response Meeting had to be cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns.

The Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP), which is supported

by EAGE, and the 1st Munitions Response Meeting, have now been rescheduled for 14-18 March 2021 at the Hilton Denver City Center hotel in downtown Denver.

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Visit www.dug.com /dug-mccloud for more information.

EAGE NEWS

EAGE plays role in SEG’s Distinguished Achievement Award to the Smart Exploration project EAGE is a proud partner of the H2020-funded Smart Exploration project developing state-of-the-art technologies for mineral exploration, which has just been announced as a recipient of a 2020 Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) Distinguished Achievement Award.

EAGE has a seat on the project’s Executive Board and manages the communication and exploitation activities as well as engagement with the public.

The Smart Exploration project team will receive the award during the SEG’s Annual Conference in Houston in October 2020. The accolade is accorded to a company, institution or other organization for a specific technical contribution or contributions that have, in the unanimous opinion of the Honours and Awards Committee and the Board of Directors, substantially advanced the science of exploration geophysics. It is recognition not only for technical advances. It also acknowledges the focus on communicating to the public regarding the role that applied geophysics plays in exploration and development of natural resources.

Prof. Alireza Malehmir, Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala Uuniversity and the project coordinator, said: ‘Smart Exploration is an outstanding research-innovation project with sensible measures supporting this claim and we are delighted to be recognized for the great work Smart Exploration team has done and continues to be doing to advance and communicate mineral exploration science and technology not only in the EU but also beyond.’

Marcel van Loon, executive director, EAGE said: ‘EAGE is very proud to be communication partner of such an ambitious project, which pushes the limits of science and technology to the level that it is recognized by another professional association with this Distinguished Achievement Award.’

Smart Exploration team at Near Surface Geoscience 2019.

Smart Exploration award citation recognizes its outstanding work in (1) developing new innovative, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly tools for geophysical exploration; (2) developing community-driven science initiatives; (3) prolific publication record in high-profile international peer-review journals, leading newspapers, magazines, special issues, and industry-relevant journals; (4) expanding geophysical expertise in the EU countries and beyond through research collaborations; and (5) engaging in numerous professional development and diversity-focused scholarly activities designed to facilitate research and professional development experiences for postgraduate students and young professionals.

Smart Exploration (www.smartexploration.eu) is coordinated by Uppsala University (Sweden) and involves 27 partners from 11 EU countries with six exploration sites to test innovative hardware and software solutions. Smart Exploration has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation programme under grant agreement No. 775971.

Digital science event coming up in Kuala Lumpur Registrations opened in June for the upcoming EAGE/AAPG Digital Subsurface for Asia Pacific Conference & Exhibition scheduled for 7-9 September 2020 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Jointly organized with AAPG, the conference will showcase the latest updates in the digital subsurface field with a focus on Asia Pacific.

Field experts from leading companies such as Microsoft, Neptune Energy, Equinor, Woodside Energy, PETRONAS and White Space Energy will share their insights on digital subsurface studies and workflows enabled by data science and delivered by a workforce equipped to 6

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handle the next generation of exploration and production.

The conference presents a good opportunity for geoscience industry peers to connect and exchange technical knowledge and experience regarding the digital subsurface domain. Event highlights include several keynote presentations by industry thought leaders and an interactive panel session led by companies that have made innovations in developing data driven and digital workflows. Technical sessions aim to cover topics on Exploration, Development, Production and Drilling, Big Data, Cloud and Edge, Machine/Deep 2020

Learning, Visualization and Analytics as well as the Next Generation Workforce.

The event will also feature supplementary workshops, a hackathon and exhibition. Francois Baillard from Iraya Energies will lead a workshop and hackathon course entitled ‘From Idea to Prototype: The use of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Oil and Gas’. Jaap Mondt from Breakaway will host a one-day workshop on ‘Introduction to Machine Learning for Geophysics’.

To be a part of this conference you can register now at events.eage.org.

EAGE NEWS

EAGE Digital 2020 on target with two workshops

What will the industry look like in five years?

As already announced EAGE Digital 2020 has been rescheduled to 30 November-3 December 2020 at the same venue Austria Centre Vienna. As part of the comprehensive technical programme for this first major EAGE digital event, the conference offers participants the opportunity to be part of one of the two workshops on 30 November, prior to the technical presentations and exhibition.

The one-day workshop on ‘Empowering Geoscientists through Data, Algorithms, and Collaboration’ intends to take a deep dive into several focus areas of digitalization from a technical perspective. Three primary topics have been selected around Data, Algorithms, People, and the collaboration between multiple disciplines. There will be invited talks provided by selected speakers on relevant topic followed by interactive discussion.

The session on Data will cover aspects such as Big Data, Meta-Data and Contextualization, Data Quality and Control and Data Management. The Algorithms session aims to cover applications like Machine Learning and Big Data focusing on aspects such as model interpretability, physics-based hybrid models and scaling computational challenges. The People

session will address, amongst other topics, education and training, learning from machines and the role of the geoscientist and domain knowledge for digital workflows. The outcome of the moderated discussions on the primary topics will be made available to all workshop participants. It is hoped they will gain an overview of the challenges, opportunities and learnings in the realm of Digitalization. While the main workshop focus is the energy industry and the geosciences, we highly encourage contributions from other industries and scientific disciplines undergoing a digital transformation.

The one-day workshop on ‘Digitalization Strategy – to take home’ will be an interactive session covering the three C’s of Digitalization: Culture, Cloud and Change.

Technologies have begun to enable digital transformation in our industry.

However, only a fraction of organizations is truly generating value. The workshop will allow those attending to learn from peers at different stages of this journey how to avoid falling prey to the phenomenon of digital sugar-coating. This workshop will touch on maneuvering organization wide change including people, technology and processes.

Establishing a culture of innovation is critical, especially within the leadership ranks. In this session, we will explore what it takes to build the right team, create the right culture, and enable them to be successful. We will explore elements of building a culture that frees people of silos and technology limitations so that you can create competitive differentiation. We will

also discuss what you need to do to bring your leadership along for the ride.

It seems that everything is moving to the Cloud. We all see it coming and understand the benefits of travelling in this direction. Cloud has never been the destination but rather a journey to an agile way of doing business. What we really want to know is what does this journey really look like? What are the early adopters experiencing and how can we learn from them? What are some of the pitfalls, what is beyond Cloud, and where is the value being generated?

This digital change is happening fast.

As we embrace the changes we are seeing now, we must also look for more waves of change in the future. What will the industry look like in five years? What kind of impact will technology advancements like quantum computing, machine learning and automation have? With the rise of renewables, what will an energy company of the future look like? What does this energy transition mean for your organization? Expand your mind as we explore these topics and more with peers who are at the forefront of architecting energy strategies for the future.

The strategic workshop will not merely be lectures, but rather hands-on practical learning and discussion. There will be ample time to network with your peers and see how others are taking on the digital transformation challenge.

The detailed schedule for both workshops is now available at www.eagedigital.org. Those interested in attending one of the workshops should register together with their conference registration.

EAGE Education Calendar 28 AUG

SHORT COURSE, BY EHSAN NAEINI

OSLO, NORWAY

25 OCT

SHORT COURSE, BY DARIO GRANA

PORTO, PORTUGAL

PLEASE ALSO CHECK THE CALENDAR OF WEBINARS ON THE LEARNING GEOSCIENCE WEBSITE. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.EAGE.ORG AND WWW.LEARNINGGEOSCIENCE.ORG.

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One engagement a day keeps isolation away

What do our Distinguished Lecturer Programme, the student summit at the Annual and our short course catalogue have in common? Each of these was the basis of a new EAGE online offering. With this update, we want to bring you up to speed on our new initiatives and ongoing projects.

We realize the COVID-19 pandemic affects many, if not all, of our members. At the same time it also acts as an equalizer to connect people. No matter whether you are in Houten, Houston or Kuala Lumpur all one needs to tap into the community is a stable internet connection. Since midMarch plenty of new initiatives have been developed, in addition to already ongoing projects.

With the connecting element being central to our mission, we set ourselves the aim to provide our members with one engagement opportunity more or less every day!

Online learning has been a strong focus area. Since mid-March we have been scheduling regular weekly online education webinars which come in two formats: our traditional Distinguished Lecturer Programme (DLP webinars) and a new format - Q&A webinars during which members have the possibility to interact directly with one of our E-Lecturers and ask questions regarding their E-Lecture videos they watched prior to the webinars.

These webinars are free for our members.

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EAGE has further introduced the Interactive Online Short Courses, with some of our most popular courses and experienced instructors helping in the creation of this format. An Online Short Course gives participants live and in-depth training over the course of two or three days. It’s not just sitting back: participants have to actively participate through the Q&A with their instructors.

The move to online activities is not just driven by our offices, we have some real champions in our communities. Special interest groups and Local Chapters have been involved in the effort to keep EAGE members connected too.

Many are converting their standard physical events into online meetings. As a positive side-effect, the transition to online meetings allows them to attract a wider and more international audience, enhancing collaboration across different communities and contributing to a larger EAGE outreach. Where possible, we have added the recordings from these meetings to the EAGE library of video content on YouTube for additional visibility.

In addition, EAGE’s two largest communities (Young Professionals and Women in Geoscience & Engineering) have also been busy expanding their mentoring programme, which represents an important element in the career development opportunities offered by 2020

a professional society. With the Annual postponed to December and fewer events during the year, the mentoring programme has become an even more relevant engagement tool to support our members worldwide in this period.

Our students have also not been idle.

Various student chapters have been able to organize their own online meetings, or are in the process of doing so. To connect the various initiatives we set up the first Student e-Summit at the end of April.

The Summit’s format, using panellists from the EAGE community, was received positively. The e-Summit in May also brought us the first online Student Lecture Tours, with a first set of lectures tailored for the Latin American community.

Last but not least, EAGE has launched a temporary weekly newsletter - Stay Connected - to keep members informed of the above online engagements, online learning opportunities, news, and highlights of membership benefits and suggestions for staying connected.

When meeting in person is difficult, connecting online is more important than ever. In order to keep this up, we’re keen to be hearing your ideas to help connect people via communities@eage. org. We also invite you all to check out our upcoming projects and hope to welcome you at a local chapter lecture, webinar or e-Summit soon. After all, one engagement a day keeps isolation away!

EAGE NEWS

EAGE London goes global with evening lecture As a result of the COVID-19 restrictions in the UK, EAGE Local Chapter London had to forego the dimension of socializing aspect for its April evening lecture and went online instead. The webinar option, made available globally, resulted in the biggest attendance yet for one of the Chapter’s meetings with 130 participants from all over the world.

Topic for the hook-up was a presentation by Amine Ourabah, head of processing at STRYDE entitled ‘From nimble node to STRYDE, a brief history of a disruptive nodal technology’. An account of the disruptive compact wireless nodal technology for high density land seismic acquisition was accompanied by an overview of the modern field acquisition challenges with high-count cable systems. Ourabah described the ‘nimble node’ equipment that has been jointly developed and tested by BP, Rosneft and Schlumberger. The spectacular advantages of this technology were demonstrated by the results from field campaigns in

the Middle Eastern deserts and in the freezing Siberian conditions.

The subsequent Q&A session covered the practical aspects of handling the

the event suggest that the online format may be used in the future by EAGE Local Chapter London as a promising complimentary activity to its existing ventures.

Global geographic footprint of the registered participants at the London event.

system in the field, technical characteristics of the equipment, its performance and reliability, and future trends in the seismic industry.

Overall, very positive feedback from the community and high attendance of

EAGE Local Chapter London acknowledges Artem Kashubin of PetroTrace, Bingmu Xiao of CGG, Lok Lee of Schlumberger, Celina Giersz of Shearwater and, of course, Amine Ourabah of STRYDE for arranging this event.

CO2 storage Special Issue in Petroleum Geoscience Petroleum Geoscience is planning to publish an issue with the theme of ‘Geoscience for CO2 Storage’ and has announced a Call for Papers. The move will add to the journal’s growing collection of papers on many aspects of geoenergy and applied earth science.

The goal of this thematic collection is to bring together wide-ranging strands of research and current practice to illustrate recent progress and future directions. Suggested themes include: Regional screening and maturation of CO2 storage prospects; Quantification of storage containment systems; Predictive models of storage sites and processes; Injectivity, geomechanics and

pressure management; Novel approaches to monitoring of injected CO2; and Longterm evolution of CO2 in the subsurface.

In the transition towards a carbon-neutral future, CO2 storage will be a critical technology for decarbonization of society, particularly in those areas of industry and energy supply where renewable energy solutions are more difficult to apply, or where CO2 is a by-product of the process, e.g., manufacture of cement or fertilizer.

Successful geological storage of CO2 requires careful consideration of many factors in geoscience and engineering, some of which have long been critical in petroleum exploration and production

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activities, while others are relatively new.

It is therefore important to foster and disseminate the emerging geoscience skill set needed to mature and apply CO2 storage technology.

Papers should be submitted no later than 30 September 2020, with a view to publication of the collection in the May 2021 issue. Accepted manuscripts will be also be immediately available as part of our Online First collection.

More information, author guidelines and submission link can be found on https:// www.lyellcollection.org/cc/geosciencefor-co2-storage. For queries please contact the Journal Manager: pg@geolsoc.org.uk.

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Workshop highlights benefits of distributed fibre optic monitoring solutions

WORKSHOP

REPORT

Andreas Wuestefeld (NORSAR) and Mahmoud Farhadiroushan (Silixa) report from the 1st EAGE Workshop on Fibre Optic Sensing in Amsterdam. Conducted semi-virtual, in the face of increasing travel restrictions due to the Coronavirus, the workshop offered valuable insights towards future options of conferencing.

The event was well attended with enhanced health and safety measures in place.

In the current low price environment, companies are already finding ways to reduce costs and can be expected to shift towards technologies which provide integrated solutions, demonstrate clear value and lead to increased efficiency and reduced operational costs.

Fibre optic sensing technologies are seemingly well positioned at this intersection. In recent years, rapidly developing advances have led to increased use in reservoir and production monitoring applications in the energy industry. Distributed-sensing techniques allow for wide measurement

A wide range of fibre solutions and products were on display.

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aperture of physical properties such as temperature, pressure, strain and acoustics with increased accuracy and cost-effectiveness in geoscience applications.

Indicative of the interest in this emerging technology, more than 80 participants registered for the first EAGE workshop on fibre optics, held on 9-11 March in Amsterdam. With the early signs of COVID-19 arriving in Europe and growing concerns and travel restrictions, EAGE reacted swiftly to enhance safety protocols while also providing the possibility for remote participation via live streaming and web conferencing platforms. This hybrid styled event merged traditional workshop elements with physical and virtual speakers and audiences while maintaining both simplicity and data protection. Additionally, the question and answer sessions integrated the online participants very smoothly.

On the first day of the workshop, Mahmoud Farhadiroushan (Silixa) gave an introductory short course on the basics of fibre optic sensing. Starting with the phys2020

ical principles and terminology, he then moved on to examine various fibre types and best purpose selection factors. This was followed by an overview of common processing approaches. The presentation was enhanced by hands-on demonstrations and examples. In the afternoon, Sebastien Soulas (BP/Lytt) presented some case studies and lessons-learned from various reservoir monitoring and VSP projects.

The presentations covered the technology progress and applications from North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The sessions on the second day of the workshop encompassed Reservoir Monitoring, VSP, and Flow and Production. The morning session was kicked off with a keynote presentation by Kevin Davies (Chevron) on how down-hole fibre is to be used for monitoring low levels of overburden strain in an onshore oil field.

This was followed by other presentations about applications of DAS, DTS, and DSS for ground water flow measurement, shallow geothermal exploration, reservoir monitoring, and well revival strategies.

The keynote presentation in the afternoon was delivered jointly by Sebastien Soulas (BP/Lytt) and Garth Naldrett (Silixa) describing how precision-engineered high backscatter fibre is currently being deployed for permanent VSP data acquisition in subsea well installations such as in the Atlantis field, Gulf of Mexico. In addition, installation and processing advantages for VSPs were presented. The highly engaged audience enjoyed the opportunity to discuss posters and presentations beyond the official end of the day. These discussions continued into the dinner at a scenic waterfront restaurant.

The third day started with a keynote presentation by Maximilian Schuberth (Equinor) via video streaming describing the full Integration of DAS/DTS data for

EAGE NEWS

Special Issue on geohazard assessment planned for Near Surface Geophysics Glyn Williams, CEO of Silixa, posing a question to Sara Moriggi of Eni following a virtual presentation.

continuous monitoring such as performed at the Johan Sverdrup oil field in the North Sea. In the final keynote presentation, Wilfred Berlang (Shell) highlighted an increasingly broad number of DAS applications across the whole life cycle of a hydrocarbon asset and a pressing need for the industry to adopt a standard data format to transfer, exchange and store this data, to address the huge data volumes. There was consensus that exchange standards are helpful for efficient data handling, but difficulties remain for their implementation.

Several presentations were concerned with understanding the DAS signal, notably for microseismic recordings, such as strategies for picking, and the effect of moment tensor radiation patterns on helical cables. A common theme of most sessions was the current interest in offshore installations with long lead-in fibres over a 30 km range.

The enthusiastic audience agreed that it was a very informative workshop with content for the novice to expert in the technology. We agreed to repeat this event yearly to keep up with the rapidly changing progress.

The role of near-surface geophysics in geohazard risk assessment and mitigation are to be the topic of a Special Issue in Near Surface Geophysics (NSG) being planned for the April issue 2021 for which submissions are being invited by the guest editors.

Every year, natural hazards, such as earthquakes, landslides, or sinkholes, cause considerable damage to urban areas, civil structures, and critical infrastructure, while claiming thousands of lives worldwide. In light of a growing global population, requiring the extension of urban areas and an expansion of the infrastructure network, and increasing frequency of exceptional events due to climate change, assessing the risk of those hazards is becoming increasingly important.

Near-surface geophysical methods can provide information critical to geohazard risk assessment and mitigation.

This Special Issue will showcase the latest developments in near-surface geophysical methods as applied to geohazards. Papers are being invited that describe new developments in hazard characterization and monitoring using the broad range of geophysical sensing, and integration with geological, geotechnical, hydrological and environmental data. Papers that combine multiple approaches, including multi-disci-

plinary modelling or machine learning to effectively assess natural hazards are particularly encouraged. Authors can submit their paper through this website: nsg.eage.org.

Landslides and rockfalls on the road in the mountains, Camiguin.

Deadline for submission of full manuscripts is 31 August 2020, with final decision on accepted manuscripts on 15 February 2021.

Guest editors for this Special Issue of NSG are Sebastian Uhlemann (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, US: SUhlemann@lbl.gov); Xavier Comas (Florida Atlantic University, US: xcomas@fau. edu) and Angela Perrone (CNR, Italy: angela.perrone@imaa.cnr.it).

EAGE Student Calendar 14-17 SEP

GEO2020

BAHRAIN, THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

2-4 NOV

NEAR SURFACE GEOSCIENCE & ENGINEERING CONFERENCE (REGIONAL GEO QUIZ)

CHANG MAI,THAILAND

16-19 NOV

9TH INTERNATIONALGEOLOGICAL AND GEOSCIENCE CONFERENCE (STUDENT ACTIVITIES)

SAINT PETERSBURG,RUSSIA

7-DEC

LAURIE DAKE CHALLENGE FINAL

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

8-11 DEC

EAGE ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2020 / STUDENT ACTIVITIES

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION PLEASE CHECK THE STUDENT SECTION AT WWW.EAGE.ORG

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EAGE NEWS

Smart cities workshop highlights need for dialogue between gescientists and engineers

WORKSHOP

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The SEG/EAGE Workshop on Geophysical Aspects of Smart Cities took place at the Holiday Inn Atrium, Singapore, on 10-12 December 2019. This is the workshop report prepared by Koya Suto (Terra Australis Geophysica), Li Yunyue (National University of Singapore) and Arthur Cheng Chuen Hon (National University of Singapore).

Workshop was attended by 73 participants from 13 countries.

Poster session at Geophysical Aspect of Smart Cities Workshop.

The development of large cities presents significant problems in social, political and technical aspects. As a city grows in population, the limited area has to accommodate people and infrastructure. Additionally, economic development attracts even more people to large cities. With limited surface land area, these cities have to create space in the third dimension: upward and downward.

Larger cities are already full of skyscrapers. Underground is typically used for subways, road tunnels, car parks, warehouses and sometimes for activities of human life such as shopping centres, meeting places like concert halls and art galleries, as well as for infrastructures such as sewage pipes, water lines, electric and telecommunication cables.

Cities are exploring the use of the underground space for offices, schools or even residential buildings. Apart from space, large populations require systems to supply food, water and energy, and to ensure high standards of hygiene (from 12

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cleaning to waste disposal) as well as safety in daily life to disaster preparedness.

Planning, developing, managing and maintaining large population centres in a ‘smart’ way involve many disciplines not only in science and engineering but also economics and law. Geophysics, at the heart of which sits sensing, signal processing and information integration, has an opportunity for an important contribution to smart city projects. Hence this workshop was conceived.

Seventy-three delegates from 13 countries represented the whole spectrum of stakeholders including geophysicists, civil engineering practitioners and consultants, service providers, academic researchers, and government agencies. With two-thirds of the attendees’ geophysicists and onethird civil engineers, this workshop provided a forum for true inter-disciplinary discussions.

The technical sessions covered a variety of topics: Fibre-based distributed acoustic sensing; Application of ground penetrating radar, electrical, and gravity methods; Integration of geophysics and civil engineering; Ambient seismic imaging; Geophysical application to urban traffic systems, and Machine learning applications in geophysics and civil engineering.

Coupled with the most advanced distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology, passive seismic monitoring utilizing existing optical fibre infrastructure, originally deployed for telecommunications, was another highlight of the workshop.

Short- and long-term fibre monitoring arrays around the globe have shown unprecedented sensitivity and scalability for earthquake, weather, urban activity, and underground structure monitoring. The large volume of DAS data provides a unique opportunity for data mining and machine learning. At the same time, it also requires smart data management and information reduction, a research question that is also key to other smart city applications presented at the workshop.

Despite many successful applications shown by both academics and professionals, geophysical techniques were criticized by civil engineers for their lack of standards and reliability. The underdetermined nature of many geophysical inverse problems prevents geophysicists from providing answers as definite as direct engineering

Panel session on Bridging the Gap between Geophysics and Civil Engineering.

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measurements. On the other hand, engineers were not satisfied with qualitative descriptions and large uncertainties.

To this end, the last session was dedicated to a panel discussion titled ‘Bridging the gap between geophysics and civil engineering’ with panellists from academia and the industry, who had geophysics and civil engineering backgrounds, as well as practical and/or policy experience. The discussion highlighted a need for communication and collaboration between the two fields and the exchange of subjects not only in the university education system but also in everyday practice. The discussion acknowledged that the disciplinary boundaries are increasingly blurred with advances in technology and complex urban needs. Both geophysicists and engineers need to contribute their respective efforts with open minds to bridge the gap and to provide better urban solutions for the future smart cities.

Geophysical techniques have been welcomed in many engineering applications in urban environments, thanks to its non-intrusive characteristics. Impressive case studies at the workshop such as microgravity to detect tombs inside churches,

ground penetrating radar and resistivity to detect karst around tunneling site, and high-frequency seismic to map out active fault zones in megacities demonstrated the utility of geophysical methods in as-built environments to satisfy the high resolution, high efficiency, and high accuracy requirements.

More recently, passive geophysical methods that can harvest the existing urban

potential to significantly reduce construction risk and save total project cost.

The three-day workshop received wide critical praise from attendees. Geophysicists learned first-hand the needs of vast engineering applications, while the civil engineers learned not only the capabilities but also the limitations of geophysical methods.

The knowledge presented and exchanged in this workshop was too precious to share

Icebreaker reception/networking session.

energies have become the focus of geophysical research in urban areas and were highlighted at the workshop. Passive seismic monitoring with affordable geophone nodes enables urban shallow underground structure mapping by harvesting urban traffic noise. Interpreted together with boreholes, geophysics-aided site investigation has the

among only the 73 people at the workshop. Engineering consultants and policy makers in Singapore planned subsequent committee meetings to provide guidelines for engineering geophysics.

We look forward to another workshop to share advancements in technology and knowledge in two years.

Contributions welcome for energy transition conference There is still time to make your contribution to EAGE’s 1st Geoscience and Engineering in Energy Transition Conference (GET2020) which will be discussing one of the key issues for the future of the energy sector.

Taking place on 16-18 November 2020 in Strasbourg, France, GET2020 intends to provide a hub for the most innovative ideas in this field.

GET2020 will focus on the topics of Geothermal energy, CO2 storage, Energy storage, Cross-uses and syn-

ergies, and Solutions, society and government.

Share ideas with your peers on how the energy transition will unfold. The Call for Abstracts is open until 28 June so make sure you submit your abstracts as soon as possible at www.GET2020.org.

The EAGE Student Fund supports activities that help bridge the gap between the university and professional environments for students of geosciences and engineering. Thanks to our Student Fund contributors we can continue supporting students around the globe and through this securing the future of our industry. For more information to become a Student Fund contributor, please visit eagestudentfund.org or contact us at students@eage.org.

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CROSSTALK

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Making allowance for the Black Swan Here’s a fun question to lighten gloomy days in self-isolation? If the A Black Swan event in normal parlance simply means some separation rate amongst your regular pairs of white swans suddenly dramatic event that was not anticipated and has severe consequencrose to the typical divorce rate numbers recorded amongst wedded es, most often in a business context. Yet the theory dives deeper. couples in Western Europe, would that qualify as a Black Swan Taleb hijacked the term from the discovery in 1697 of the existence event? It would certainly be unexpected as swans are renowned for of black swans in Australia made by the Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh. This apparently had a significant impact on the science being lifetime monogamous, while over 30-40% of marriages in Western Europe end in divorce, according to most statistics. world. Up to that moment all swans had been assumed to be white.

This proposition is not quite as silly as it sounds. We are talking Earliest reference to a black swan (imaginary in this case) is usually here about how the impact of the highly improbable according attributed to the 2nd century Roman poet/satirist Juvenal. He wrote to Black Swan theory. The topic is more than pertinent in these in Latin ‘rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cygno’ (a rare troubled times when many personal and work lives are wracked by bird in the lands and very much like a black swan). Perhaps best bewilderment over the Covid-19 pandemic and oil industry woes. not to dwell on the fact that Juvenal was actually referring to the For the uninitiated, black swan musings stem from the writing possibility of a perfect wife. of Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a US-based Lebanese intellectual and Black Swan theory was developed by Taleb to address those former Wall Street entrepreneur. His bestsellers, notably The Black events that are rare and unexpected (outliers), have extreme consequences when they occur, and in retrospect (unhelpfully) can be Swan first published in 2007, and other reflections on probability (Fooled by Randomness, Antifragile, and Skin in the Game) have explained as something that could have been predicted. Historical fuelled a continuing debate between economists, philosophers and examples cited by Taleb include the First World War, emergence of the internet and 9-11. He was also prescient about the Black social scientists about how to define and manage major events that were not or could not be foreseen.

Swan 2008 financial crisis, making profitable bets in the belief that Taleb’s impact has a lot to do with his ability to unravel and the financial system was fragile and unsustainable, contrary to the popularize complicated theory by making it personal, somenearly ubiquitous view at the time. times obsessively so. The Black Swan, For extremely rare events, Taleb’s for example, is peppered with numerous, argument is well summed up by Investope‘Geoscientists should be often humorous, oft times self-aggrandizdia, stating that ‘the standard tools of probing, anecdotes about his journey from a interested in his dismissal ability and prediction such as the normal childhood in civil war Lebanon to the US, distribution do not apply since they depend of Gaussian and experience as an options trader in New on large population and past sample sizes Bell Curve distribution’ York, and meetings (long walks being his that are never available for rare events by preference) with other thinkers. definition. Extrapolating using statistics He also displays an enviable knowledge and grasp of a huge based on observations of past events is not helpful for predicting amount of literature on philosophy, mathematics, and economics.

Black Swans, and might even make us more vulnerable to them’.

He is not afraid to disrespect almost the entire economist profesThis is the problem of induction. sion, especially Nobel Prize winners, for their wrongheaded statisConfusingly perhaps as it involves another bird analogy, Taleb tics-based forecasting methods. Geoscientists should be interested cites the plight of the turkey as an example of how the viewpoint in his dismissal of Gaussian and Bell Curve distribution as the root determines whether an event is seen as unpredictable. From the of much misunderstanding of probabilities. turkey’s perspective, life on the farm being fattened up could

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hardly be more idyllic until a few days before US Thanksgiving work referencing Taleb in the title of his new book Green Swans: or Christmas in many countries. That’s when a truly Black Swan the coming boom in regenerative capitalism, published in April.

Risking the opprobrium of a forecast, he says his book is ‘the event occurs … no doubt about this being an outlier with extreme impact and explainable after the event (to the consumer but not of tale of the accelerating transformation of capitalism, markets, and course to the unsuspecting turkey on the dinner table). business – a process, I believe, will reach a major inflection point in the 2020s. The result will be a world of either Black Swan Grey swans, meantime, are known unknowns. One example here would be that we don’t know how fast a man or woman can breakdowns, among them climate change emergency and species run 100m. However, we do know that we extinction, or of breakthrough Green Swan solutions. More likely, of course, it will be a don’t know the answer. A Black Swan on the ‘The experience of shifting mix of both, challenging us to move other hand is an unknown unknown, in other words we are not even aware that we don’t the oil industry qualifies the needle from black to green.’

For the time being, the experience of the know something. as a genuine oil industry in these last few months qualiWe can probably skip the several reasons Black Swan event ’ fies as a genuine Black Swan event. A triple provided by Taleb why we humans are not whammy has been in play. Of course, there inclined to allow for the totally unknown, is nothing new in sudden oil price collapses, or hikes for that matmuch of it caused by a psychological clinging to the familiar. The ter, so no Black Swan there. Nor was there anything unpredictable upshot in his opinion is that we do not do enough to mitigate the about the collaboration between Saudi Arabia and Russia to punish possibility of the Black Swan event. In the financial world, he the US shale oil industry by flooding the market with oil. It is less argues that being a medium risk investor is a poor choice. Better he easy to imagine how oil companies could be expected to anticipate says to adopt a hyper-conservative investment strategy for 85% of a pandemic on the current scale and its impact on demand, at one a portfolio combined with a hyper-aggressive attitude to the other point dropping oil prices into negative territory. Put these three 15%. This allows for the possibility of putting big performance factors together, and you surely have a Black Swan event. numbers on the board that easily beat the average while at the same Oil companies have exhibited little sign that they had any time protecting against the negative impact of the Black Swan Plan B precautionary insurance policy to meet this unprecedented event. Another less convincing approach is to work with an even combination of circumstances. Probably even Taleb would have more speculative portfolio but insuring against losses greater than trouble offering advice. As a result, oil companies, spurred by the 15%. Taleb concedes that this may not always be possible. short-term exigencies of their share price and stakeholders, have The real point of Black Swan theory is the futility of trying to done what they always do. They have called for draconian cuts to predict the future. In this context Taleb has stated recently that he their E&P budgets oblivious of the impact that this may have on does not consider the Covid-19 pandemic a Black Swan event. the service side of the business but aware that post-Covid-19 must His reasoning is that the possibility had been well canvassed see a recovery in demand. before it happened. For example, The Coming Plague by PulIronically, the service industry might survive better than could litzer-prize winning journalist Laurie Garrett was published in be expected. Since 2014 it has had the hatches down and been 1994 and was the culmination of published work dating back at operating in survival mode. Prior to the pandemic outbreak, a least 10 years earlier. Bill Gates has been warning of an epidemic number of the key seismic players had fortuitously restructured outbreak for years and Taleb contemplates a virus scenario in their finances to free up some cash, so they have some contingency The Black Swan. funding to meet the challenging period ahead.

That countries did not pay enough heed to the pandemic threat The Black Swan school of thought would recommend that is another story, but unsurprising. It would have been challenging analysis speculating on what will happen next should be treated for governments to persuade people to invest tax dollars as a with scepticism because of the inherent limits of forecasting. This precaution against something like a pandemic, not experienced in does not make it easy for energy agencies and similar. They play recent times. The Spanish flu of 1918 that infected an estimated an important role in generating data to model global energy supply third of the world’s population and possibly killed as many as 50 and demand for a wide audience of government, industry, financial million people worldwide is too long ago to be remembered. Nothsector, etc. The methodology behind models will always be open to ing was apparently alarming enough about the SARS, HIV/Aids question whether it is oil price, climate change or some other issue. and Ebola crises’ in recent decades to stimulate much preparation However, despite Taleb’s admonishments, it is hard to fathom how for the current pandemic. an allowance can be built in for Black Swan events.

The same syndrome probably does a lot to explain the Meantime, as to the improbable question posed at the beginslow-motion international action on climate change. John Elkingning of this article, Crosstalk recommends consulting the oracle ton, a renowned international authority on corporate responsihimself, Nassim Nicholas Taleb. bility and sustainable development, investigates the dynamics at

Views expressed in Crosstalk are solely those of the author, who can be contacted at andrew@andrewmcbarnet.com.

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Now you’ll have the confidence to minimize subsurface uncertainty and avoid unnecessary drilling downtime—making your operations safer, smarter and more profitable.

Discover how our E&P software and services revolutionize subsurface exploration at Emerson.com/WeSeeInnovativeExploration.

The Emerson logo is a trademark and a service mark of Emerson Electric Co. © 2020 Emerson Electric Co.

HIGHLIGHTS

INDUSTRY NEWS

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PGS cold-stacks vessels

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BP supercomputer used to fight Covid-19

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UK industry body warns that 30,000 jobs in UK could go

Seismic companies could suffer most in oil and gas industry recession Companies supplying geoscience and seismic data services are the supply industry that will suffer the most as a result of the Covid-19 global pandemic, according to business intelligence company Rystad Energy.

Seismic revenues are estimated to fall this year by 51% year on year in a $30 Brent scenario and by 77% if Brent falls to $20.

The forecasts are driven by considerable revisions in exploration spending and delayed licensing rounds by many governments in response to low oil prices.

Under the new market dynamics, Rystad expects exploration spending to drop by more than 20% from 2019 levels, with at least a 12% decline in offshore exploration drilling alone.

‘Within exploration activities, the hardest-hit area will be the acquisition of

new geological and geophysical studies in recently acquired blocks and work on yet-to-be-approved exploration wells,’ said Rystad’s report. ‘As for the ongoing offshore projects, logistical challenges caused by travel restrictions and quarantine rules are impacting crew changes for offshore vessels and could result in completion delays that could severely hit the balance sheets of small and medium-sized companies.’

Global spending on seismic and G&G studies in 2019 was around $9.3 billion, but Rystad forecasts that it could fall to $4.6 billion this year under a $30 a barrel scenario and $2.1 billion under a $20 scenario. Spending would continue to decline in 2021 and 2022 if oil prices continued to remain at the $20-30.

‘Seismic companies across the board have started to adjust their business plans to better prepare themselves for this downturn. Most companies have implemented cost-cutting measures which include layoffs, furloughs, cold stacking of vessels and general cost reductions,’ said Rystad energy oilfield service analyst, Binny Baggs.

In general, Rystad said that it expects multi-client seismic companies to be able to adjust to the current downturn more efficiently than the seismic data acquisition companies, because of their lower cost base.

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As a result, asset-rich companies such as Shearwater, PGS and Polarcus could struggle over the next year.

‘Many of the major multi-client seismic companies have in recent years implemented asset-light business models and we expect these companies to be able to quickly adapt to changes in demand.

Since these companies charter the vessels they need, they can control their level of activity and protect their cash flows,’ said Rystad.

‘On the other hand, companies which operate on the contract data acquisition model with their own fleets, are likely to be severely impacted, with some contracts already getting cancelled and further activity expected to decline. It could become tough for these companies to maintain their fleet.’

Baggs added that the industry may have to adjust to lower contract pricing and vessel charter rates for ‘some time’.

‘There are turbulent times ahead for small and mid-sized businesses that are heavily invested in offshore acquisition as they are more likely to become victims of bankruptcies and distressed asset sales.

To survive, the market may come back again to lower contract pricing and vessel charter rates for some time, as the service companies will prioritize to cover their operating costs.’

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TGS reprocesses offshore Russia data TGS has completed the reprocessing of a 21,631 km2 regional 2D seismic survey offshore Sakhalin Island, in the Okhotsk Sea. The reprocessing has been undertaken with the support of TGS’ Russian partner, DMNG. ‘The survey covers acreage that has shown excellent prospectivity, and exploration looks highly promising,’ said TGS in a statement.

This reprocessing project is the second phase of a mission to provide greater offshore coverage of the region, after TGS’ original 2D Phase 1 Clari-Fi broadband reprocessing of 18,970 km2 in 2019.

Shearwater has received project termination notices for two contracts in Asia Pacific.

The first includes a project for Woodside in Australia, which was part of the award announced on 18 November 2019 for the largest-ever 4D seismic campaign in the Asia Pacific region covering up to six fields.

The second covers a survey for Reliance, announced on 28 January 2020, to carry out a 3D broadband survey in the Bay of Bengal offshore India.

The 1500 km2 survey was due to cover the KG-UDWHP-2018/1 block in the Krishna-Godavari basin. The vessel Polar Duchess was to have acquired the data in the second quarter using a dual source design.

The projects are terminated as per client’s rights within the respective contracts, said Shearwater.

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Meanwhile, in a unanimous decision by the Borgarting Appeal Court in Norway, TGS was acquitted of violating Norwegian tax law in connection with tax refunds received by Skeie for purchases of seismic data from TGS in 2009.

The appeal court decision follows TGS’ appeal of the Oslo City Court’s split decision of 5 October 2018, in which TGS was found guilty and fined $8.6 million.

‘TGS is satisfied with the decision, which is in line with the view the company has argued since the case materialized in 2014,’ said the company in a statement.

PGS launches East Shetland survey

Shearwater loses two surveys in Asia Pacific

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‘Together, these products will provide much-needed high-quality data for explorers and interpreters, giving greater clarity of decision-making,’ said TGS. Kristian Johansen, CEO at TGS, said: ‘Offshore Russia has long been an important region for TGS and the completion of the second phase of processing in the Sea of Okhotsk further strengthens our library of data here. There have been a number of significant discoveries of both oil and gas in recent years and our seismic data will be a core tool for explorers as they seek to further develop offshore hydrocarbon resources in the area in the years to come.’

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The vessel Ramform Tethys will cover both frontier and mature areas.

PGS has launched a 3D multi-client survey offshore East Shetland in UKCS waters.

The survey, being acquired by the PGS vessel Ramform Tethys, will cover both frontier and mature areas where new broadband seismic data is needed to enable the interpretation of the internal reflectors of the main Brent Group reservoir level. The survey aims to reveal which parts are remnant along the major fault between the East Shetland Platform and East Shetland Basin.

The PGS East Shetland 2020 dataset will enable derisking of the less tested Upper Jurassic Intra-Draupne sandstone analog of the Home and Magnus sandstones. Imaging of the fault delineations JUNE

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will significantly improve understanding of the structural traps and will provide important additional intelligence regarding the petroleum system.

Early seismic data results will be out in Q3 and full integrity depth volumes will be available in 2021.

‘This area was a popular pick in the UK 31st Round and the survey is our first in the northern hemisphere this season.

We will be heading to the Barents Sea afterwards. We have implemented a range of Covid-19 screening, social distancing, and hygiene precautions onboard and for on-signing crew, to safeguard the people and the operation,’ said Gunhild Myhr VP new ventures Europe at PGS.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Polarcus reports first quarter net loss but improves operating profit despite market uncertainty Polarcus has reported a first quarter net loss of -$4.2 million on segment revenues of $66.3 million, compared to a net loss of -$5.3 million on revenues of $67.1 million in Q1 2019.

Q1 segment operating profit of $8.5 million was up from $2.8 million in Q1 2019. Additional revenue was generated by a hybrid streamer-node project acquired

by Polarcus using third-party vessels.

Gross cost of sales of $45.2 million in the quarter decreased by 18% compared to $55 million in Q1 2019. Total cash balance was $46.7 million, while vessel utilization was 89%, compared to 92% in Q1 2019.

The company remained upbeat in the face of low oil prices and the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the fact that a seismic acquisition project offshore West Africa was terminated prior to its scheduled completion date and a

seismic acquisition project due to commence in Asia Pacific in Q2 2020 was cancelled, the company also announced two new projects since quarter end in North West Europe and Asia Pacific.

‘Our ability to secure two new project awards since quarter end demonstrates that industry activity continues, and E&P companies are placing trust in Polarcus to execute their seismic acquisition plans.

‘Whilst 2020 will be a challenging year for the industry, I am confident that the decisive action taken will provide an effective foundation for Polarcus to manage the current market uncertainty and to position the company to capture an increased level of activity anticipated through 2021-22,’ said Polarcus CEO, Duncan Eley.’

Polarcus’ backlog of $157 million compared to $170 million at the same

time last year. The company’s fleet is 50% booked for the remainder of 2020.

‘While many clients remain focused on their seismic acquisition plans, the industry may encounter project deferrals, operational disruptions, and reductions in the size of awarded surveys as a consequence of the low oil price and the Covid-19 pandemic,’ said the company’s release statement.

‘The reshaping of the seismic industry that has occurred, resulting in an increased number of multi-client companies without vessels, has led to a stable industry structure, provided that supply-side discipline continues to respond appropriately to demand levels.’

Meanwhile, Polarcus has been awarded an XArray marine seismic acquisition project in Asia Pacific that is expected to commence in June 2020 with a duration of one month.

CGG updates reservoir characterization software CGG GeoSoftware has released new versions of its cloud-ready reservoir characterization and petrophysical interpretation software.

All applications across the GeoSoftware portfolio now run on both Azure and AWS platforms, enabling easy access to products from wherever a client is working. The newest releases, Jason 10.1, HampsonRussell 10.5 and PowerLog 10.1, also offer advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as streamlined connections to Python ecosystem notebooks.

Jason 10.1 enhancements include further expansion of drag-and-drop functionality of files and viewers. The Jason Workbench now has a consolidated progress overview, an all-in-one window without distracting pop-ups. Time-todepth conversion in Jason DepthMod is faster. Velocity refinement can occur over all geologic layers simultaneously.

The Jason Python ecosystem makes Jason data available to data scientists for machine learning applications. It links to popular data analytics packages for greater efficiency and productivity.

In addition, the EarthModel application now offers more efficient transfer of data and corner point grid (CPG) to and from Petrel.

HampsonRussell 10.5 offers multi-node processing (MNP) on Windows in addition to Linux, powerfully speeding up your processing projects. Initial tests of MNP Windows indicate 3.5 times faster project speeds when using four MNP nodes rather than a single node.

A new Python ecosystem provides the flexibility to design and code custom processes while taking advantage of the HampsonRussell project structure and data access. The ecosystem accesses log, horizon and seismic data. Addition-

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ally, improved QC plots in deep learning network analysis provide ways to perform better parameterization of neural networks, enabling users to customize parameters for a better neural network design.

PowerLog 10.1 now offers Automatic Depth shifting. This artificial intelligence capability calculates depth shifts for a variety of well log data sets to a measurement that is known to be on depth, important for generating log correlations and valid petrophysical computations.

Kamal al-Yahya, senior vice-president, software and smart data solutions, said: ‘Inter-disciplinary workflows link geophysics, geology and petrophysics, while Python ecosystems within our applications enable data scientists and geoscience experts to customize their own machine learning and reservoir characterization workflows.’

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Exploration drilling will be reduced by 35% this year After the collapse in the oil price and the Covid-19 pandemic, well count is expected to drop by as much as 35% on 2019 levels, according to Westwood Global Energy Group.

At the start of the year, the high impact well count had been expected to be similar or slightly higher than the 93 wells completed in 2019. The energy analyst now expects 60-70 high impact exploration wells to be completed by the end of 2020, back to the numbers seen from 2016 to 2018 after the 2014 oil price crash.

Around 2.1 bnboe has been discovered so far this year from the 26 high impact wells completed and 2.5 bnboe of risked volume is being tested by wells currently drilling, dominated

by the Shafag Asimam well in Azerbaijan, with another 4.3 bnboe risked from the remaining expected wells in the programme yet to spud.

Westwood now expects to see a total volume of around 6 to 9 bnboe to be discovered in 2020, down 40% or more from the 15 bnboe discovered in 2019, which included giant discoveries in Russia and Iran.

In 2020 a firm rig contract is no guarantee of a well being drilled, Westwood said. For example, CNOOC’s planned Pelles A-71 well in Canada’s Flemish Pass has been postponed due to Covid-19 concerns as has the Stangnestind prospect in the Barents Sea, by Aker BP. Contracts are being closely scrutinised and in

some cases force majeure clauses triggered, Westwood added.

All regions are expected to see a decline in drilling, with North America (including Mexico) likely to take the biggest hit, although it will still be the region with the most wells.

The Eastern Mediterranean may have very few high-impact wells in the rest of the year, and Sub-Saharan Africa will likely only see 3-5 wells being completed. Drilling plans in the Central North Sea, in Guyana and Suriname and the shallow water Campeche area in Mexico are likely to be less affected, although Covid-19 may yet limit operations even where companies are keen to drill.

Liberia pushes ahead with licensing round Liberia has formally launched the Liberia Offshore Licensing Round offering nine blocks in the Harper Basin, which it claims is one of the last unexplored and undrilled regions offshore West Africa.

The blocks, including LB-25, LB-26, LB-27, LB-28, LB-29, LB-30, LB-31, LB-32, LB-33, each has a maximum area of 3500 km2, aligning with the longitude and latitude grid.

The Liberia Licensing Round 2020 has been launched after amendments to Liberia’s Petroleum Law were enshrined after major regulatory changes in October 2019.

TGS holds a range of multi-client data across the tendered acreage to support the licensing round, including 5961 km of 2D seismic, gravity and magnetic data and 6167 km2 of 3D seismic, gravity and magnetic data Due to travel restrictions related to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, roadshows will now take place via video link over the internet. The deadline for prequalified companies to submit their bids is 1 November. The licensing round closes on 28 February 2021.

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The West African nation is offering nine blocks in the offshore Harper Basin.

Several sub-commercial discoveries have proven that the petroleum systems are working offshore Liberia. The Harper Basin has a petroleum system analogous to surrounding basins associated with the recent discoveries in Ghana, 2020

Cote d’Ivoire and also the conjugate Guyana.

The bid round is specifically for the Harper Basin, but there is a provision in the petroleum law to allow direct negotiation for blocks in the Liberian Basin.

INDUSTRY NEWS

PGS cold-stacks vessels as it reports first quarter net loss

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The company is reducing the size of its active fleet from eight vessels to five.

PGS has reported a first quarter net loss of -$117 million on revenues of $168 million compared to a net loss of -$65 million on revenues of $142 million in the first quarter of 2019. First quarter operating loss was -$80 million (including $51 million of impairments) compared to -$45 million in Q1 2019.

Q1 contract revenues of $85 million compared to $44 million in Q1 2019. Cash flow from operations of $176 million compared to $120 million in Q1 2019.

Rune Olav Pedersen, president and chief executive officer, said: ‘High vessel utilization and good operational performance secured solid contract revenues in Q1 2020. Our multi-client business entered the quarter with a solid project pipeline. However, it has been difficult to secure more commitments and conclude multi-client data library sales processes due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the oil price reduction. Further, multi-client revenues were negatively impacted by delays of government block awards, where specifically pre-funding for one of our ongoing multi-client projects is contingent on final block ratification.’

PGS will cold-stack two vessels with immediate effect and a third vessel is likely to be cold-stacked in the third quarter, bringing the number of active vessels down from eight to five. This will help to reduce full-year 2020 gross

cash costs by some $100 million to below $500 million.

‘Going forward, further capacity reductions will be continuously evaluated, and we are prepared to react quickly,’ Pedersen added. ‘Our cost reduction will also comprise of a combination of temporary lay-offs, cancellation of 2020 bonus plans, salary freeze and numerous other cost initiatives as we adjust to a lower activity level.’

PGS expects lower investment plans among energy companies to significantly reduce demand for seismic services in 2020, and likely into 2021. ‘Offshore reserves will be vital for future supply and support the demand for marine seismic services. The expected future recovery of the seismic industry is likely to be strengthened further by another round of industry capacity reductions and a pent-up exploration and production demand ,’ says PGS’ outlook.

Multi-client 2020 cash investments are expected to be $150-200 million.

Approximately 50% of 2020 active 3D vessel time is currently expected to be allocated to multi-client acquisition.

Capital expenditure for 2020 will be reduced by at least $30 million to below $50 million.

The order book totalled $217 million at 31 March 2020, including $89 million relating to multi-client.

The order book was $322 million at 31 December 2019.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

TGS starts 3D survey offshore The Gambia

TGS has launched a 3D seismic survey offshore The Gambia using the vessel BGP Prospector.

The 4770 km2 Gambito 2020 3D survey covers open acreage in deep and

ultra-deep waters and looks to be highly prospective since extensive basin floor fans were identified in TGS’ 2D regional seismic grids. Located at the heart of the MSGBC basin, the survey will be adjacent

to Jaan, a fully harmonized 30,000 km2 3D multi-client seismic project which recently delivered final PSTM/PSDM products.

The acquisition in The Gambia will last around three months, with the full dataset available after final processing in Q2 2021.

The survey will support a future licensing round organized by the country. TGS also has exclusive rights to existing multi-client seismic data offshore The Gambia.

The BGP Prospector steamed south to start the survey after recently completing another 3D seismic survey in northern Senegal, also on behalf of TGS. Kristian Johansen, CEO at TGS, said: ‘The commencement of the Gambito 2020 3D is the latest step to increase our extensive subsurface survey activities in the MSGBC basin, a prolific region in offshore West Africa.’

AGS wins OBN surveys in Middle East and North Sea Axxis Geo Solutions has completed an ocean-bottom nodes (OBN) project in the Middle East. The survey was completed with strict adherence to Covid-19 safety guidelines and the crew is now demobilizing to the North Sea for previ-

ously announced work in late Q2.

Since the start of the year the Norwegian company’s crew has safely operated for more than 350,000 man hours.

Meanwhile, the company has reported that the final agreement for a seismic node

acquisition has been signed with Equinor in the North Sea. The 30-day survey is expected to commence later in the second quarter of 2020. Two seismic vessels will be deployed.

Shell pledges to go net zero by 2050 Royal Dutch Shell has outlined plans to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 or sooner.

This will require Shell to reduce by 65% the net carbon footprint of the energy products Shell sells to its customers by 2050, and by around 30% by 2035.

The company will pivot towards serving businesses and sectors that by 2050 are also net-zero emissions.

‘With the Covid-19 pandemic having a serious impact on people’s health and our economies, these are extraor-

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dinary times. Yet even at this time of immediate challenge, we must also maintain the focus on the long term,’ said Ben van Beurden, chief executive officer of Royal Dutch Shell.

‘Society’s expectations have shifted quickly in the debate around climate change. Shell now needs to go further with our own ambitions, which is why we aim to be a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 or sooner. Society, and our customers, expect nothing less.’

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Peter Ferket, chief investment officer of Robeco, co-lead as part of the Climate Action 100+ dialogue with Shell, said: ‘These new ambitions build on the 2018 joint statement between Shell and Climate Action 100+. It proves that the strong and committed engagement of institutional investors with Shell can help to accelerate the pace of change to deliver the goals of the Paris Agreement. It raises the bar and sets out an approach for others in the oil and gas sector to follow.’

INDUSTRY NEWS

BP supercomputer used to fight Covid-19 BP is providing access to its supercomputer to help researchers halt the spread of Covid-19.

The company is donating its significant supercomputing capability to the public-private consortium formed by the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, the US Department of Energy and IBM. The group, known as the Covid-19 High Performance Computing Consortium, will pool resources and expertise from Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, BP and others. It aims to provide Covid19 researchers worldwide with access to the most powerful high-performance computing resources in the fight to stop the virus.

‘The world is rallying together in response to this pandemic and our biosciences experts, computer scientists and mathematicians are proud to play their part by supporting ground-breaking and potentially life-saving research,’ said David Eyton, BP’s executive vice-president of innovation and engineering.

‘We’re all in this together and BP is working with governments and communities to do everything we can to help fight this pandemic.’

BP will provide access to its Centre for High-Performance Computing (CHPC) in Houston, which houses one of the world’s largest supercomputers for commercial research. It has 16.3 petaflops of computing capability, allowing it to process more than 16 million billion calculations per

The BP Center for High Performance Computing in Houston, Texas will be made available.

second and complete a problem in an hour that would take a laptop nine years.

BP will also make available the expertise of its Biosciences Centre, in San Diego, California. The centre consists of dozens of scientists who have capabilities in biological sciences, chemical engineering and chemistry, and works across BP to support many aspects of its operations.

These scientists will work closely with BP’s high-performance computing team to understand research proposals as they come in and help prioritize work.

Researchers are invited to submit Covid-19 related research proposals to the consortium via the online portal, which

will be reviewed and matched with computing resources from one of the partner institutions. A panel of top scientists and computing researchers will work with proposers to quickly assess the public health benefit of the work and coordinate the allocation of the group’s powerful computing assets and resources.

The sophisticated computing systems available through this consortium can process massive numbers of calculations related to bioinformatics, epidemiology, and molecular modelling, expected to help scientists develop answers to complex scientific questions about Covid-19 in hours or days versus weeks or months, said BP.

PGS launches data packages offshore Ghana PGS’s fast-track 3D GeoStreamer data from its latest multi-client seismic survey offshore Ghana has revealed Cretaceous targets and Afina-1X reservoir analogs in the Tano Basin.

The 2019 GeoStreamer survey targeted the Ghana Tano Basin, a transform margin exploration hot spot, providing the first-ever multi-client 3D broadband data offshore Ghana.

The Upper Cretaceous play is the focus in the Tano Basin with the deep marine stacked turbidite channel and fan complexes providing excellent reservoir potential in the Cenomanian, Turonian, and Campanian, said PGS. GeoStreamer data with FWI velocity model building and AVO-compliant prestack data will allow explorers to significantly derisk deepwater exploration in this prolific FIRST

basin, the company added.

‘The survey took an integrated approach to acquisition and imaging of the Upper Cretaceous play, combining the benefits of GeoStreamer broadband technology and the latest imaging workflows.

Down-dip reservoir analogs of the 2019 Afina-1X discovery are well imaged in the data,’ said Joshua May, new ventures manager for Africa at PGS. BREAK

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Oil majors’ first quarter profits plunge Equinor has reported adjusted earnings of $2.05 billion and $0.56 billion after tax in the first quarter of 2020. IFRS net operating income was $0.06 billion and the IFRS net income was -$0.71 billion, following net impairments of $2.45 billion. At the end of first quarter 2020 Equinor had completed five exploration wells with 4 commercial discoveries, and 17 wells were being drilled.

Chevron has reported earnings of $3.6 billion for first quarter 2020, compared with earnings of $2.6 billion in the first quarter 2019. Sales and other operating revenues in first quarter 2020 were $30 billion, compared to $34 billion in the year-ago period.

Chevron is further reducing its 2020 capital expenditure guidance by up to $2 billion to $14 billion. In addition, the company estimates that 2020 operating costs will decrease by $1 billion.

Exxon Mobil has announced an estimated first quarter 2020 loss of $610 million compared with earnings of $2.4 billion a year earlier. Results included a $2.9 billion charge from asset impairments relating to lower commodity prices. Capital and exploration expenditures were $7.1 billion.

Oil-equivalent production was 4 million barrels per day, up 2% from the first quarter of 2019.

ConocoPhillips has announced a further $3 billion in spending cuts this year to add on to the $2.2 billion announced last month.

Total has reported first quarter net income of $1.8 billion compared to $6.3 billion in Q1 2019. The group now anticipates 2020 production between 2.95 and 3 Mboe/d, a reduction of at least 5% from 2020 forecasts. Net investments for 2020 have been further reduced to less than $14 billion, a

decrease of nearly 25% compared to the $18 billion announced in February 2020.

Operating cost reduction increased to more than $1 billion, plus savings of more than $1 billion on energy costs.

Shell has reported first quarter earnings excluding identified items of $2.9 billion.

BP has reported underlying replacement cost profit for the first quarter was $0.8 billion, compared with $2.4 billion for the same period a year earlier.

Eni has reported a first quarter net loss of €2.93 billion (-$3.21 billion), compared to a net profit of €1.1 billion ($1.21 billion) in the first quarter of 2019, as a result of the alignment of its book value to market prices current at the end of the quarter. The company reported adjusted operating profit of €1.31 billion ($1.44 billion), down by €1 billion ($1.1 billion), on the first quarter of 2019.

PGS completes Papua New Guinea survey

Seismic data backs up ten-year extension of North Sea facility

PGS has completed the acquisition phase of the PGS Painimaut 3D multi-client programme, gathering more than 6100 km2 of seismic data in Papua New Guinea. Fast-track 3D GeoStreamer data is now available.

The Painimaut programme targets a number of play types in the under-explored Papuan Basin in both held and vacant acreage. The survey targets the Tertiary carbonate build-ups and Mesozoic rift basins adjacent to the Papuan and Eastern Plateaus, as well as

Equinor has been granted a ten-year lifetime extension for the Troll B facility in the North Sea, after demonstrating through a series of seismic surveys that the field has substantial resources still to be exploited.

Overall, nine seismic surveys have been carried out on the Troll field, with the last one was completed last summer.

All previous surveys have contributed to identifying new well targets. The licensees expect the results from processing the data from the latest seismic survey will yield additional well targets. These can be drilled from the subsea templates tied to Troll B. ‘Extended operation of Troll B secures a foundation for good resource management of significant oil and gas resources from the gigantic Troll field,’ said Arvid Østhus, assistant director development and operations, North Sea in the NPD.

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pinch-out plays and drapes over deeper structural highs.

The vessel Ramform Hyperion towed a 12 x 8 km x 150 m streamer configuration, with a triple-source, to acquire high-resolution broadband data.

PGS imaging teams are now processing these results using the latest seismic imaging workflows, including FWI and a full prestack time and depth workflow.

High-resolution GeoStreamer data will be available in Q1 2021. Gravity and magnetic data will also be available.

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Half of planned 2020 licensing rounds will be cancelled, says Rystad More than half of the world’s planned licensing rounds are likely to be cancelled this year due to the combined effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the continuing oil price war, a Rystad Energy impact analysis forecasts. New licensed offshore acreage is likely to fall by about 60% and onshore acreage by 30% compared with 2019 levels.

This year 45 countries were planning to launch at least 52 lease rounds, about 60% of them in offshore areas.

‘The unlikely upcoming lease rounds represent around 54% – a worrisome sign for global exploration. A number of factors together make these rounds unlikely to go ahead, including the oil-price drop, a global cut in investments by almost 20%, a lack of skilled manpower due to the Covid-19 pandemic, fiscal regimes that are proving unattractive in the current environment, and a lack of interest among potential participating companies,’ said Rystad Energy’s senior upstream analyst Aatisha Mahajan.

In Europe, unlikely rounds are those of the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Romania and Germany. In South America, rounds in Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic may not go ahead, while in Asia rounds in Thailand, Uzbekistan, Myanmar and the UAE may be put on ice. New Zealand is also in doubt, and in Africa, licensing rounds in Ivory Coast, Algeria, Tanzania, Senegal, Somalia, Liberia, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, South Sudan and Nigeria may also be put on hold.

The US, Suriname, Egypt, Russia and China make up the list of countries where licensing rounds hang in the balance and are marked as tentative. The US recently concluded its lease round 254 in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Latin American nation of Suriname, which is developing into a hotspot for global exploration with two major discoveries in recent months, is another that might be able to conclude a successful round.

BRIEFS

Rystad has earmarked Egypt as a prospective region that could hold a licensing round because of the willingness to participate from companies with significant free cash flow. Russia and China both have local players bidding in licensing rounds there.

Licensing rounds that are also likely to go ahead in Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, Norway, India, Lebanon, and Canada. These countries look well on track to continue their lease rounds as scheduled, although the current industry volatility could cause slight delays. India is planning to combine the OALP (Open Acreage Licensing Policy) with Round 5&6, and these blocks will be up for grabs in July.

Canada plans to go ahead with licensing in its offshore Labrador region. Trinidad and Tobago is riding on its exploration success having discovered around 400 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) in 2019 and is well placed with interest from the active players in the region and only a mild outbreak of the virus.

Norway intends to proceed with its annual awards in pre-defined areas (APA) round of all mature, unlicensed acreage, and has proposed adding 36 deepwater Norwegian Sea blocks.

Eight of the initially expected 52 licensing rounds have already been completed, in Barbados, Canada (C-NLOPB 2020), the US (Lease Sale 254), Gabon, Pakistan, Oman, Australia and Republic of the Congo.

‘We expect to see a large drop in awarded acreage this year compared with 2019. In percentage terms, the drop in offshore acreage could match the nearly 60% decline seen from 2014 to 2015, while awarded onshore acreage could shrink by almost one-third compared with a 16% drop after the previous downturn,’ added Mahajan.

Rystad’s analysis indicates that global awarded acreage is likely to fall below 2015 levels this year, while staying above the level seen in 2016.

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The UK Oil and Gas Authority has put out for consultation its revised strategy on helping the UK government to reach net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050. The proposed changes relate to carbon capture and storage (CCS) and CCS plus hydrogen.

Offshore renewables (wind, wave and tidal) should contribute further to the abatement required by 2050. ogauthority.co.uk/ news-publications/consultations/ Tim Dodson is stepping down as Equinor executive vice president exploration, a role he has held since 2011. He will become vice-president strategy execution in global strategy and business development from 1 June. Tore Løseth has been appointed acting executive vice president of exploration.

SeaBird has won a source contract in South America. The contract is expected to start in Q3, with a duration of about 30-45 days.

Public consultation has opened on 49 areas for the Australia’s 2020 offshore petroleum exploration acreage release in Western Australia, Northern Territory, Victoria and the Territory of the Ashmore and the Cartier Islands.

Sierra Leone has announced that after the Fourth Offshore Petroleum Licensing Round on 28 February 2020, offshore acreage has been awarded to Cluff Energy, covering Blocks 23, 24, 25, 36, 37,38, 39, 54, 55, 56, 57, 74, 75, 94 and 95 and Innoson, covering Blocks 96, 97, 114, 115, 116, 117, 133,134, and 135.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has published high resolution core images of 94 so-called shallow wellbores in the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea. The shallow borehole surveys were carried out by the Norwegian Continental Shelf Institute (IKU) between 1982 to 1993. The cores represent a total of more than 6.6 km, and the deepest was nearly 600 m under the seabed. The age of the rocks from the surveys covers more than 400 million years – from the Ordovician to the Late Cenozoic period.

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Exploration round-up Equinor (60%), Wellesley (20%) and Source Energy (20%) have been given a drilling permit for wildcat well 30/2-5 S in production licence PL 878. The area comprises parts of Blocks 30/2 and 30/3. The well will be drilled about 17 km south of Kvitebjørn.

Neptune Energy has won consent to drill exploration wells 34/4-15 S and 34/4-15 A in production licence PL 882 in the North Sea at a water depth is 331 m.

A consortium of Repsol (30%), Petronas (28.33%), Wintershall Dea (25%) and PTTEP (16.67%) has made significant oil discoveries on the Polok and the Chinwol prospects in Block 29 offshore Mexico. Polok is a play opening discovery within the Early Miocene reservoir of the Salina Basin (part of the Sureste Basin),

whereas Chinwol encountered oil in formations of the Pliocene.

Conoco Phillips has encountered hydrocarbons from the one well on its Harpoon exploration prospect on Alaska’s prolific North Slope.

Qatar Petroleum has announced the start of the development drilling campaign for the North Field East Project. The first of 80 NFE development wells was spudded on 29 March.

Neptune Energy has announced that the drilling campaign on the Fenja field is now underway, following the spudding of the first well. Fenja is Neptune’s first operated development project on the Norwegian Shelf and is estimated to contain 97 million boe.

Fenja will deliver around 40 kboepd at plateau. Located in the Norwegian Sea 120 km north of Kristiansund and at a water depth of 320 m, the subsea field

will be developed as a tie-back to the Njord-A platform.

Spirit Energy has been given consent to drill exploration well 7321/8-2 S in production licence PL 719 in the Barents Sea. Water depth at the site is 466 m.

Neptune Energy has announced two hydrocarbon discoveries in northwestern Germany. Drilling of the Adorf Z15 appraisal well, in the municipality of Emlichheim, reached final depth of 3500 m in the Carboniferous formation in February 2020. Subsequent production tests indicated flow rates of up to 1700 boepd gross. In the Ringe region, Neptune’s joint venture partner Wintershall Dea began operations in December 2019 to develop an extension of the existing reservoir. The Bentheim sandstone formation was found to beoil-bearing at a depth of 1500 m.

Hilcorp conducts geohazards survey offshore Alaska Hilcorp Alaska is conducting a geohazards survey in the federal waters of Cook Inlet, off the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The area to be surveyed is in lower Cook Inlet, west to southwest of Kachemak Bay. In June 2017, Hilcorp acquired 14 Outer Continental Shelf blocks from

Lease Sale 244. In the fall of 2019, Hilcorp conducted an exploration seismic survey over several of these leases. The company now proposes to conduct a geohazard site clearance survey over these leases and the surrounding area, comprising approx. 228 km2 This survey is required by US Bureau of Ocean Ener-

gy Management prior to consideration of any further exploration activities and is used to identify seafloor obstructions, shallow drilling hazards, and archaeological resources.

Hilcorp expects to begin the survey in late summer. The company will have until 31 October to complete operations.

Total announces target to go net zero by 2050 Total has announced its ambition to get to net-zero emissions by 2050 for its global business across its production and energy products. The company has pledged to achieve scope 1 and 2 emission reductions in its worldwide operations by 2050. All its production and energy products will be net zero (scope 1,2 and 3) by 2050. It will reduce the scope 3 carbon

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intensity of its energy products used worldwide by Total customers by 60% or more (less than 27.5 gCO2/MJ, which it claims is the highest ambition among the majors) with intermediate steps of 15% by 2030 and 35% by 2040.

Total has already achieved a 6% reduction in scope 3 carbon intensity since 2015.

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The company confirms its target of renewable generation gross capacity of 25 GW by 2025. Total currently allocates more than 10% of its Capex to low carbon electricity, the highest level among the majors. To contribute to the energy transition, Total will increase its allocation of Capex in favour of low carbon electricity to 20% by 2030 or sooner.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Schlumberger suffers -$7 billion first quarter loss Schlumberger has reported a first quarter net loss of -$7.376 billion on revenues of $7.45 billion compared with a net profit of $333 million on revenues of $8.3 billion in Q4 2019 and a net profit of $421 million on revenues of $7.88 billion in Q1 2019.

‘The first quarter results include an $8.5 billion pretax charge primarily relating to the impairment of goodwill, intangible assets, and other long-lived assets,’ said Schlumberger in a statement. ‘This charge, which is almost entirely non-cash, was driven by the significant decline in market valuations during March 2020.’

International revenue of $5.1 billion decreased 10% sequentially, but increased 2% year-on-year. North America revenue of $2.3 billion decreased 7% sequentially and 17% year-on-year. Cash flow from operations was $784 million and free cash flow was $179 million.

Schlumberger CEO Olivier Le Peuch said: ‘First-quarter revenue of $7.5 billion declined 9% sequentially and 5% year-on-year as the unprecedented global health and economic crisis sparked by the

Covid-19 pandemic increasingly impacted industry activity during the quarter.

‘The sequential international revenue decline was led by lower winter activity in the Europe/CIS/Africa area, particularly in the Russia & Central Asia and the UK and Continental Europe GeoMarkets.

Latin America area revenue also decreased, mainly due to reduced WesternGeco multi-client seismic licensing sales. Middle East & Asia area revenue declined on lower product sales following strong year-end sales and a seasonal decline in activity.’

Meanwhile, Halliburton has reported a first quarter loss of -$1 billion, which compares to a Q1 2019 net profit of $152 million. Adjusted net income for the first quarter of 2020, excluding impairments and other charges and a loss on the early extinguishment of debt, was $270 million. Halliburton’s total revenue in the first quarter of 2020 was $5 billion, a 12% decrease from revenue of $5.7 billion in the first quarter of 2019.

Finally, Baker Hughes has approved a plan that will result in restructuring,

impairment, and other charges of approx. $1.8 billion, of which approx. $1.5 billion will be recorded in the first quarter of 2020. Future cash expenditures associated with these charges are estimated to be approx. $0.5 billion with an expected payback within one year.

The company has approved a plan to reduce 2020 net capital expenditures by more than 20% versus 2019 net capital expenditures. The company expects to record a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of approx. $15 billion in the first quarter of 2020.

ION reports improved first quarter results ION Geophysical has a reported first quarter net loss of -$2.3 million on revenues of $56.4 million compared to a Q1 net loss of -$21.4 million on revenues of $37 million in 2019.

ION’s operating income was $6.3 million compared to an operating loss of -$15.9 million in the first quarter 2019, an improvement that was attributed primarily to an increase in 2D multi-client data library sales.

‘We achieved the best first quarter performance in six years despite challenges from both coronavirus and oil price volatility,’ said Chris Usher, ION’s president and chief executive officer. ‘Our first quarter results reflect the value of our offshore data library and validate the combined effectiveness of our strategic refocus and over $20 million cost reductions. Our team creatively closed a number of large multi-client contracts, some of which were delayed from the

fourth quarter, even after E&P market dynamics changed.

‘In April, we announced another $18 million of cost reductions, building on the over $20 million of cost savings made in January, to preserve cash and manage liquidity. We also qualified for and received $6.9 million of government relief in April. In addition, we expect the sale of our 49% share in the non-strategic Inova land seismic equipment joint venture with BGP to deliver an additional $12 million liquidity boost in the second half of the year.

‘We have quickly shifted to new digital engagement models with customers and deployed new technology solutions that facilitate remote offshore operations management. For example, Marlin SmartPort is being used by port staff to control port operations from home, and our Software group launched a ‘smart operations’ navigation and simultaneous operations FIRST

offering for E&P customers to remotely oversee their offshore operations.’

Within the E&P Technology & Services segment, multi-client revenues were $41.6 million, an increase of 78%. This result was driven by increased sales of ION’s global 2D data library, partly offset by a reduction in new venture revenues.

Imaging and Reservoir Services revenues were $4.9 million, an increase of 34%, from working through existing backlog.

Within the Operations Optimization segment, Optimization Software & Services revenues were $4.4 million, a 12% decrease from the first quarter 2019 due to reduced command and control hardware sales and, to a lesser extent, Covid-19related reduced seismic activity and associated services demand. Devices revenues were $5.5 million, a 14% increase from the first quarter 2019, due to increased sales of towed streamer equipment spares and repairs.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

UK industry body warns that 30,000 jobs in UK could go

Deidre Michie, OGUK chief executive.

The British industry body OGUK has warned that up to 30,000 jobs could be lost in the sector as companies report an increasingly grim outlook as they deal with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and a 20-year low in oil prices and a 14-year low for gas.

The industry is expected to see a dramatic reduction in revenue, sparking concerns about the ability of some companies to survive a downturn that is likely to be even more severe than the one in 2015 which the sector is just emerging from.

The figures are published in OGUK’s Business Outlook: Activity and Supply Chain report, which is based on a survey of its membership. The report calls for urgent action to protect energy security, jobs, and energy regions. OGUK has asked governments and regulators to support a three-stage framework to support the sector in dealing with the immediate crisis while positioning it to play a key role in the UK’s transition to a net zero future.

The average oil price for March was $22.5/barrel, a 65% decrease compared to January 2020. This trend has continued in April with Brent price falling to its lowest point for 20 years to $16/bbl on April 22.

OGUK anticipates that capex in the UK industry could fall to between £3.54 billion, the lowest investment since 2000 and among the lowest levels of investment since the early 1970s. OGUK also anticipates that opex will be reduced by 10-20%, compared to expectations at the start of the year, to around £6-7 billion OGUK warns that drilling activity this year could be down by 50% on 2019 levels – pushing activity levels to record lows.

Revenues and margins across the supply chain are expected to fall by 20-30%, on top of reductions seen during the last downturn. Some areas of the supply chain expected to see greater reductions.

Although there is still a significant degree of uncertainty in estimates affecting the next 12-18 months, OGUK currently anticipates that the level of direct and indirect jobs supported by the industry could contract by up to 30,000 during this period.

The survey feedback also indicates that as part of their response to the crisis more than three-quarters of supply chain companies plan to increase their non-oil and gas work this year.

Around 30% of respondents identified that they were successful in securing funding through government Covid-19 financial packages.

The three-stage framework proposed

by OGUK includes recommendations to improve current Covid-19 financial packages as well as the development of a sector deal which will support the supply chain and accelerate the UK towards a net zero future.

OGUK chief executive Deirdre Michie said: ‘With historic low oil and gas prices coming so soon after one of the most severe downturns our sector has experienced, these findings confirm an especially bleak outlook for the UK’s oil and gas industry. If the UK is to maintain its supply of domestic energy, protect jobs and build the critical infrastructure it needs to transition to a net zero future.’

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11/05/2020 15:26

Ocean Bottom from

Shallow Water Hybrid Acquisition Deepwater Revealing possibilities at shearwatergeo.com/obs

Special Topic

DATA PROCESSING Geoscientists are continuously reinventing processing or reprocessing of seismic data in order to extract more information about the earth’s substructure.

Coupled with this ingenuity are rapid developments in computing power, aiding geoscientists’ application of complex algorithms, and facilitation of integration with other data types such as well logs and potential method information to give a more complete subsurface picture.

Paolo Esestime, Zhiqiang Guo et al present a seismic tomography method applied to the processing of 28,000 km2 of seismic data in depth, which included multiple 3D seismic campaigns from 2011 to 2019.

Huw James examine models where the seismic velocity varies linearly with respect to depth.

Carl Fredrik Gyllenhammar proposes a new method to calculate synthetic density as a function of the sonic slowness (the reciprocal of velocity) and the calculated volume of clay.

Tony Martin describes a proof-of-concept test, mining an historical database to extract appropriate parameter choices for seismic processing. Using quantitative metrics, they compare the results of using the mined parameters with a fullintegrity project, and draw conclusions on whether this approach can bypass testing.

Kim Gunn Maver et al review new opportunities in utilizing dormant unstructured data to show how data analytics can be harnessed to substantially improve operational efficiencies and enable business innovation for the E&P industry.

Y. Wu et al utilize advanced high-resolution distributed fibre-optic sensing technologies on both simulated wells as well as the offset wells to understand the near wellbore geomechanics and the far-field effects of the simulation on the offset wells.

Submit an article

Special Topic overview January

Land Seismic

First Break Special Topics are covered by a mix of original articles dealing with case studies and the latest technology. Contributions to a Special Topic in First Break can be sent directly to the editorial office (firstbreak@eage.org). Submissions will be considered for publication by the editor.

February

Reservoir Monitoring

March

Modelling / Interpretation

April

Passive Seismic / Unconventionals

May

Petroleum Geology

June

Data Processing

It is also possible to submit a Technical Article to First Break. Technical Articles are subject to a peer review process and should be submitted via EAGE’s ScholarOne website: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fb

July

Machine Learning

August

Near Surface Geoscience

September

Reservoir Geoscience and Engineering

October

Renewable Transition

November

Marine Seismic & EM

December

Delivering for the Energy Challenge: Today and Tomorrow

You can find the First Break author guidelines online at www.firstbreak.org/guidelines.

More Special Topics may be added during the course of the year.

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From data conditioning, depth imaging and reservoir characterization to machine learning P.C.H. Veeken1*, A. Kashubin2, D. Curia3, Y. Davydenko 4 and I.I. Priezzhev5 Abstract As part of the Young Professionals session at the coming EAGE/ SPE annual conference Veeken et al. (2020) discuss an optimized workflow for subsurface evaluation. This write-up gives the First Break community an early impression of the material that will be presented. Subsurface evaluation studies are needed to appraise the potential of resources in the underground. The basic workflow comprises: seismic acquisition, processing, interpretation, 3D reservoir characterization, 4D production monitoring and forecasting. Streamlining the workflow augments the quality of the business decisions.

These studies comprise multiple steps and optimization is achieved by adopting an integrated multi-disciplinary approach.

Geology, geophysics and reservoir engineering issues go handin-hand in an iterative updating procedure that incorporates simulation modelling based on well production monitoring and pressure behaviour over time. Data mining of ‘big data’ is done in a semi-automated non-linear analysis mode that permits machine learning. HSE and risk mitigation is always an integral part of all subsurface evaluations.

Methodology and workflow overview Subsurface studies aim to evaluate the structure of the earth and to assess potential resources. Here we present a non-exhaustive optimized workflow as a broad introductory guide when considering one’s own project.

An early decision needs to be made on the study strategy and what type of data to acquire. To ensure context of the study, data should cover both a large-scale overview as well as being focused on the problem to be investigated. Gravmag data is available on a worldwide scale and often dedicated reconnaissance surveys are carried out to outline sedimentary basins and structural basement highs. With high resolution equipment gravity data becomes even more useful for reservoir monitoring (cf Eiken et al., 2008).

Once further budget is available, the classic workflow comprises acquiring, processing and interpreting seismic data for subsurface reservoir characterization. Horizon interpretation is often done by 2D/3D autotracking algorithms. Mapping of reflection discontinuities brings out the 3D fault pattern, often using semi-automatic seismic edge detection for fault and fracture distribution.

The way to predict fracture zones from seismic data is to calculate different geological attributes such as: curvature, variance, chaos, fault indicator, dip or slope, azimuth, amplitude, continuity and diffraction energy etc. (cf Beller et al., 2019).

Quality control and data conditioning is obligatory throughout the workflow. Amplitude preserved processing is required when reservoir characterization is the objective (Da Silva et al., 2004).

Non-linear neural networks can be utilized for seismic trace classification (Veeken and Van Moerkerken, 2013). Crossplots help to establish trends for prediction away from control points (e.g. surface geology and wells). 3D visualization and geobody sculpting is important to delineate connected and non-connected volumes. Probabilistic multi-variable methods are applied for forecasting and uncertainty analysis.

Data clustering techniques on attributes (e.g. K-means) help to define 3D groupings useful for seismic reservoir characterization and prediction studies. Kohonen self-organising maps with trace classifications and facies unit delineation may reveal subtle details (cf Leal et al., 2019). The network training scheme can be done non-supervised or supervised, the latter facilitates interpretation of the results (Guilbot et al., 1996; Balz et al., 1999). Clustering and pattern recognition on well data provide a means to establish electro-facies that are then linked to the seismic expression (Veeken, 2007). A complete well logging suite (e.g. shear sonic) is needed for more accurate seismic calibration, also in the often ‘forgotten’ overburden. Trace classification can be done on synthetic traces in the so-called ‘pseudo-well’ approach. Moreover, synthetic forward modelling allows for a supervised classification mode incorporating stochastic uncertainty analysis.

Data mining is powerful for analysis and production optimization schemes. Machine learning algorithms can discriminate trends that other methods may overlook and can define better input for the reservoir engineer. Reservoir simulation (e.g.

Eclipse, T-Navigator, Gohfer) checks the dynamic model against what is observed in the field (Buijs et al., 2019). Iterative feedback between static and dynamic models addresses scaling problems and ensures that data consistency is maintained (Figure 1).

Depth imaging The 3D migration procedure positions the processed seismic reflection traveltime dataset into its subsurface origin if a valid velocity model is available. Seismic data is processed in different pre- and post-stack domains (e.g. prestack CMP gathers, time or depth, frequency), Depth migration is preferred, although it is more costly. Various migration algorithms exist: Kirchhoff or diffraction migration, wave equation migration with various types of beam migration (e.g. Common Reflection

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Geops Consultancy | 2 PetroTrace | 3 Wintershall Dea Argentina | 4 Gelios LLC, Irkutsk National Research Technical University

5

Gubkin University

*

Corresponding author, E-mail: pveeken@hotmail.com

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Figure 1 Iterative feedback loop between Geology, Geophysics and Reservoir Engineering (modified after P. Suess, Wintershall Dea).

Figure 2 RTM section across the Campos basin (offshore Brazil). The following observations suggest the velocity model is good: 1) Flat base of plastically deformed salt, good image and focusing below salt, 2) Continuity of reflections even below salt, fault blocks conform to gravmag modelling. Also, anisotropy is incorporated in this Pre-SDM depth imaging procedure (data courtesy of CGGVeritas, Veeken, 2019).

Angle Migration (CRAM; Borghi et al., 2017), Common Reflection Surface (CRS) processing (Gierse et al., 2003), Full Wavefield Inversion migration (Gisolf et al., 2014) and Reversed Time Migration (RTM).

Tomographic techniques like Full Waveform Inversion (FWI) are robust for velocity modelling (Figure 2). FWI also provides more constraints for inversion/AVO analysis, whereby the velocity model is a real asset for the interpreter (Schulz, 1999). FWI is a data-driven technique based on wave equation propagation of the source signal in a 3D model of the subsurface. Modelling results are compared with the measured seismic data and the difference is minimized. Iterative updating may use: P-wave, S-wave, PS converted wave energy, primaries, multiples, surface waves, body waves, guided wave, refractions, diffractions. Anisotropy effects are accounted for in these simulations (Thomsen, 2002; Alkhalifah, 2014; Alkhalifah and Plessix, 2014). FWI comes in many flavours and may resolve 10m-thick sedimentary channels that are not seen by some other migration methods (Gisolf et al., 2014). Moreover, reservoir-oriented FWI allows for more reliable AVO mapping (Amplitude-Versus-Offset; Amplitude-Versus-Angle, WEB-AVO). FWI is often followed by RTM (Reverse Time Migration) or a controlled beam migration. RTM permits better imaging in complex areas and it is normally done for a limited frequency range. The higher the included frequencies the more costly the computations are.

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Anisotropy influences seismic amplitudes and has a decisive impact on quantitative interpretation (QI). This should be examined even in case of flat layered geology, where lithologic and stress-related effects play a role. For seismic prediction studies many companies do the data conditioning/processing in-house in order to keep things under control (Adiletta et al., 2019).

Multi-component, CRAM and diffraction imaging Anisotropy and shear wave splitting on wide-azimuth long-offset high-density multi-component data support fracture detection.

Cross-plots are useful for predicting geomechanical properties, e.g. Young’s Modulus, Poisson’s Ratio, and Shear Modulus. Well logs and core data therefore serve as calibration (e.g. Curia and Veeken, 2019; Curia et al., 2020).

Diffraction imaging highlights discontinuities for fault/fracture delineation from conventional single-component seismic records. It exploits the diffractive part of the total registered seismic response (Koren and Ravve, 2011; Landa et al., 2019).

Flow barriers to include in static and dynamic modelling are outlined that may remain invisible otherwise (Beller et al., 2019).

The CRAM method is based on exploding bottom-up 3D raytracing from each image point to the acquisition set-up at the surface (e.g. Landa et al., 2019). In this way, both angles and azimuths are measured at the depth imaging points and

FEATURE

thus true subsurface attributes are obtained in terms of dips and orientations for any given acquisition geometry. This special CRAM beam migration uses a local slant stack for each computed central ray with a radius related to the Fresnel zone at its surface-emerging location. This procedure enhances primary events and results in better continuity of the reflections, especially in poor seismic data zones. Moreover, it is amplitude preserving (Figure 3). An angle Q-compensation (both phase and amplitude) enhances the signal quality during the migration.

It permits imaging of complex areas such as deepwater subsalt, overthrusts, complex sedimentary environments and/or fractured reservoirs.

Integration with other geophysical datasets Complementary remote sensing data may be acquired to facilitate interpretation, for example: • Gravity and magnetic data, high resolution can be obtained by the Full Tensor Gravity (FTG) method that can also be acquired by convenient airborne surveying.

• EM data that can be obtained in offshore and onshore domains.

Moreover, resistivity is often recorded on wireline in wells. The methods can be various: Magneto-Tellurics, Controlled Source EM (CSEM), Induced Polarisation, and high resolution Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) when the target is shallow (Dagallier et al., 1999).

EM datasets always need an inversion step for meaningful interpretation of the results. The inversion is never unique and a range of models exist to explain the measured response.

Resistivity anomalies are defined against a background trend and are used to derisk mapped structures in hydrocarbon exploration projects (Veeken et al., 2009a). CSEM allows delineation of: reservoir sweet spots, preferential production fluid pathways, by-passed areas, drainage of reservoir flow units and injection pattern (Veeken et al., 2019). Guided inversion with additional constraints improves the discrimination power. The Induced Polarisation attribute is quite diagnostic in the metal ore mining industry (Figure 4).

Joint inversion narrows down the solution space (cf Colombo and De Stefano, 2007). Multi-physics combines reflection seismics, FWI, MT, CSEM datasets. Simultaneous inversion of multiple datasets is needed as a sequential approach is not good enough. A dedicated EM acquisition set-up meets specific study requirements (e.g. resolution/discrimination power, Tietze et al., 2017; interwell monitoring, Marsala et al., 2011) and helps to mitigate potential drawbacks.

Reservoir characterization Several techniques are in the toolbox: • Attribute analysis and spectral decomposition (e.g. Chopra and Marfurt, 2006, 2007; Veeken, 2007; Mantilla et al., 2019).

Figure 3 Special sorted data is used in Common Reflection Angle Migration (CRAM), a type of wave equation based beam migration. On the right, an example of quaility improvement is shown with a comparison of the Kirchhoff common offset Pre-SDM migration on the left and result of the CRAM beam migration output on the right. The same velocity model and pre-migration input is used and there is no post-migration processing (Landa et al., 2019).

Figure 4 EM data acquired with the EMS-IP method for a mineral mining project in Northern Kazakhstan.

On the left the polarisation map (a) at a depth of 500 m based on 3D inversion. Conjugate faulting controls the outline of the mapped anomalies, whereby mineralization took place along fracture trends. MN17 well reached the top of the anomaly and showed Cu-Mo mineralisation hosted by the shear zone. On the right – earth model section along profile 13. (b) SER based on results of 1D inversion; (c) Polarization using a proper 3D inversion approach. Note the difference in anomaly for resistivity and polarization.

Circular shape of polarization anomaly in map view is related to intrusive nature of rising hydrothermal fluids (Belova et al., 2020).

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• Seismic mapping and the establishment of DHI evaluation for hydrocarbon exploration.

• Analysis of P- and S-wave velocities, impedances, anisotropy (eta, epsilon delta parameters), shear-wave splitting, Vp/Vs ratios and AVA Intercept – Gradients.

• Cross-plotting and trends for prediction schemes.

Petrophysical templates to understand the seismic response (Odegaard and Avseth, 2004; Avseth et al., 2005; Mantilla et al., 2019). Fluid replacement modelling with Gassmann equation.

• Principal Component Analysis with N-dimensional data axis rotation to facilitate parameter separation (Veeken and Van Moerkerken, 2013) • Geostatistics to increase detection power or introduce higher-frequency variations in the seismic modelling (Torres Verdin et al., 1999; Dubrule, 2003; Rowbotham et al., 2003).

All modelling includes assumptions to generate reliable output (check input according to trash-in = trash-out concept). Some other techniques are: e.g. biomarker and micro-seepage mapping, geochemical surveying, palinspastic reconstruction, stratigraphic modelling, fault-seal analysis, petroleum system analysis, age-dating, detailed core /well log analysis, burial and diagenesis modelling.

Timelapse datasets permit reservoir monitoring, e.g. steam injection cloud development in time (Seismovie, Cotton et al., 2013) and can be incorporated into static and dynamic modelling with feedback loops involving inherent up- and down-scaling.

Production history matching, material balance and flow behaviour needs to be taken into account.

Well production and completion technology Various techniques are available to optimize flow, e.g.: • Tracer technology to detect flow and connectivity,

Figure 5 Linear versus non-linear operator for acoustic impedance prediction at a well location. The non-linear operator (black curve) better follows the measured well log trend (blue; Veeken et al., 2009).

Figure 6 Non supervised versus supervised trace classification. Twelve classes are used in the non-supervised neural network classification. Partial stacks allow us to examine AVO effects. The supervised approach uses 1041 scenarios and their synthetic traces. From them ten master traces are extracted that are used for classifying the real seismic volume. The range in outcomes for the various classes makes a probabilistic uncertainty approach possible (modified after Veeken, 2007).

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Figure 7 Summary of an optimized subsurface evaluation workflow. Depth imaging should always be preserved amplitude processing as this requirement is mandatory for Quantitative Interpretation. Quality control and data conditioning should be addressed all along the work chain, because the ‘Trash-in = Trash-out’ principle is valid for all data manipulations.

• Well completion technologies (e.g. inflow control valves, downhole pumps, chemical wax inhibitor schemes, production allocation, ceramic nano filters for water cleaning), • Micro seismic monitoring, • Enhanced recovery, • Flow stimulation by downhole fracking, • Digital rock and micro-pore architecture simulation and diagenetic/burial impact studies.

• Fibre optics to monitor temp/pressure difference.

The multi-disciplinary approach has demonstrated success in the unconventional Vaca Muerta play in Argentina (Buijs et al., 2019; Curia and Veeken, 2019) and also for various plays in the US Permian Basin (Adiletta et al., 2019).

Neural network and machine learning Machine learning (ML) and non-linear correlation methods have a great potential for subsurface resource evaluation. New computing technology allows big data to be analysed in a convenient way. Non-linear correlation techniques allow for a better fit between observed and modelled data (Figure 5).

We have tested ML techniques such as: Linear Regression, probabilistic ACE, Nearest Neighbour, Neural Network (e.g.

Kohonen self-organising maps, genetic inversion) and Random Forest using a committee of decision trees (Priezzhev et al., 2019a, 2019b, 2020). All methods gave reasonable results and testing on an individual case basis is necessary. Deep Machine Learning uses several hidden layers in the neural network. The scheme can be recursive, i.e. including feedback loops. Training can be non-supervised or supervised (Figure 6). We tested ML for fault edge detection using the Dynamic Time Warping algorithm (Priezzhev et al., 2020). The method is based on similarity determination with multiple search directions between nine neighbouring traces. The DTW attribute cube is fed into the standard ANT-Track algorithm to improve the trackability of the discontinuity. The results were checked by blind control wells and look encouraging in the Russian case history (Priezzhev et al., 2020).

Artificial Intelligence and pattern recognition, applied on digital oilfield data acquired in smart boreholes with e-well technology, make better reservoir management decisions possible (cf Bachir and Quenes, 2019).

that the topics in the flow chart are not exhaustive, as only the main steps are listed. Some general benefits are shown in the yellow box.

• Optimizing the workflow requires an integrated multi-disciplinary effort. Quantitative interpretation is only possible with an amplitude preserved seismic processing sequence.

• The velocity attribute is a valuable asset for the interpreter and tomographic FWI modelling is highly recommended.

Migration should incorporate anisotropy effects, even when the geometric dips are small. Interpretation is best done on the depth imaging output as artefacts and distortions are less.

• Prestack AVO and simultaneous inversion is done for reservoir characterization purposes. Cross-plotting and petrophysical template modelling gives better understanding of the seismic response and the influence of various parameters.

Attribute analysis with facies delineation and geobody sculpting is useful for 3D visualization and pattern recognition.

• The interaction between the static and dynamic earth model incorporates an iterative feedback loop. Multi-component datasets are required for effective fault and fracture system prediction and flow unit description. Diffraction Imaging is helpful for detecting discontinuities and compartments.

These upfront investments pay out in a more streamlined field development plan.

• Non-linear correlation is a powerful option in subsurface reservoir characterization. Neural network systems allow automation of part of the analysis. Big data calls for efficient computer handling in real time. The proposed optimization steps are a challenge and an opportunity to strengthen the co-operation between various disciplines.

Acknowledgements We would like to thank PetroTrace, Gelios LLC, INR Technical University, Gubkin University and Wintershall Dea Argentina for permission for this publication. We thank our colleagues who made this contribution to the Young Professionals session of the 82nd EAGE annual conference and exhibition possible. We thank the reviewers for the constructive comments that improved the manuscript.

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Curia, D., Veeken, P., Justo, D. and Alayon, M. [2018]. Anisotropic wide

er, U. [2019a]. Seismic waveform classification based on Kohonen

azimuth 3D seismic data for an unconventional shale oil project,

3D neural networks with RGB visualisation. First Break, 37, 37-43.

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Priezzhev, I.I., Danko, D.A. Veeken, P.C.H. Strecker, U. and Nikiforov,

Veeken, P.C.H. [2007]. Seismic stratigraphy, basin analysis and reservoir

A.N. [2019b]. New high-resolution discontinuity seismic attribute

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based on DTW (Dynamic Time Warping) algorithm. 81th EAGE annual Conference and Exhibition, Extended Abstracts.

Priezzhev, I.I., Danko, D.A., Strecker, U. and Veeken, P.C.H. [2020].

A new, higher-resolution, multi-trace seismic discontinuity attribute based on a Dynamic Time Warping algorithm. First Break, 38 (4), 6.

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CALENDAR

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 30 NOV - 3 DEC 2020

First EAGE Digitalization Conference and Exhibition www.eage.org • Vienna Austria

July 2020 5‑10 Jul

The 9 th International Geosciences Student Conference 2020 https://igsc2020.rwth-aachen.de/

Aachen

Germany

August 2020 17-21 Aug

Geobaikal 2020 6th Scientific Conference www.eage.org

Irkutsk

Russia

20-21 Aug

First EAGE Workshop on EOR Development and Evolution in Latin America www.eage.org

Bogotá

Colombia

24-26 Aug

GeoUtrecht 2020 https://www.geoutrecht2020.org/

Online

25-27 Aug

Second EAGE Marine Acquisition Workshop www.eage.org

Oslo

Norway

30 Aug 3 Sep

Near Surface Geoscience Conference & Exhibition 2020 www.eage.org

Belgrade

Serbia

September 2020 7‑9 Sep

EAGE/AAPG Digital Geoscience Asia Pacific Conference & Exhibition www.eage.org

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

7‑11 Sep

Geomodel 2020 www.eage.org

Gelendzhik

Russia

8-10 Sep

EAGE Seabed Seismic Today: from Acquisition to Application www.eage.org

Abu Dhabi

United Arab Emirates

14-17 Sep

ECMOR XVII 17 th European Conference on the Mathematics of Oil Recovery www.eage.org

Edinburgh

United Kingdom

15‑17 Sep

IX Simpósio Brasileiro de Geofísica

Curitiba

Brazil

16‑18 Sep

Second EAGE Conference on Pre-Salt Reservoir www.eage.org

Rio de Janeiro

Brazil

21‑23 Sep

Third EAGE Geochemistry Workshop www.eage.org

Muscat

Oman

21-23 Sep

Fifth EAGE Eastern Africa Petroluem Geoscience Forum www.eage.org

Cape town

South Africa

EAGE Events

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22‑24 Sep

First EAGE Conference on Machine Learning in Latin America www.eage.org

Cartagena

Colombia

28-30 Sep

First EAGE Workshop on East Canada Offshore Exploration www.eage.org

St. John’s

Canada

October 2020 5‑7 Oct

First EAGE Western Africa Exploration & Production Workshop www.eage.org

Dakar

Senegal

12‑14 Oct

Second EAGE Conference on Sulfur Risk Management in E&P www.eage.org

Braga

Portugal

20-22 Oct

5 th AAPG/EAGE Myanmar Oil & Gas Conference www.eage.org

Yangon

Myanmar

21‑22 Oct

Third EAGE Workshop on Unconventional Resources www.eage.org

Buenos Aires

Argentina

26‑28 Oct

EAGE Geomechanics Workshop: Creating Value & Making Decisions www.eage.org

Abu Dhabi

United Arab Emirates

26‑28 Oct

First EAGE Conference on Seismic Inversion www.eage.org

Porto

Portugal

26-28 Oct

EAGE Workshop on Quantifying Uncertainty in Depth Imaging www.eage.org

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

November 2020 2 Nov

Marine Technologies 2020 2 nd scientific workshop www.eage.org

Saint Petersburg

Russia

2-4 Nov

Third EAGE Workshop on Offshore Development and Exploration in Mexico www.eage.org

Merida

Mexico

2-4 Nov

EAGE Saint Petersburg 2020 Geosciences: Converting Knowledge into Resources www.eage.org

Saint Petersburg

Russia

2‑4 Nov

3 rd EAGE/SPE Geosteering Workshop www.eage.org

Abu Dhabi

United Arab Emirates

3 rd Asia Pacific Meeting on Near Surface Geoscience & Engineering www.eage.org

Chiang Mai

Thailand

13 Nov

EAGE/BVG/FKPE Joint Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Development www.eage.org

Bochum

Germany

15‑17 Nov

Second EAGE Workshop on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles www.eage.org

Muscat

Oman

16‑18 Nov

1st EAGE Geoscience & Engineering in Energy Transition Conference https://eage.eventsair.com/get2020

Strasbourg

France

30 Nov 3 Dec

First EAGE Digitalization Conference and Exhibition www.eage.org

Vienna

Austria

2-4 Nov

December 2020 1‑3 Dec

Second HGS and EAGE Conference on Latin America in Cartagena www.eage.org

Cartagena

Colombia

6-7 Dec

Third EAGE Workshop on Pore Pressure Prediction www.eage.org

Amsterdam

Netherlands

6-7 Dec

Eighth EAGE Workshop on Passive Seismic www.eage.org

Amsterdam

Netherlands

7‑9 Dec

First EAGE Workshop on Geothermal Energy and Hydro Power in Africa www.eage.org

Nairobi

Kenya

7‑9 Dec

International Conference of Young Scientists «GEOTERRACE-2020» https://openreviewhub.org/geoterrace

Lviv

Ukraine

8 Dec

Third Young Professionals Summit http://yp-summit.org/

Amsterdam

Netherlands

8-11 Dec

82 nd EAGE Conference & Exhibition 2020 www.eage.org

Amsterdam

Netherlands

EAGE Events

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