Real-time chemostratigraphy at wellsite; removing drilling uncertainties
David Riley A * , Morven Davidson A , Tim J. Pearce A , Alex Fuerst B and Jordan Kinsley BA
B
David Riley completed a MGeol and PhD from the University of Leicester, UK, and joined Chemostrat Ltd as a Chemostratigrapher in October 2012. Since joining Chemostrat Ltd, Dr Riley has worked on projects from eastern Canada, UK North Sea, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Australia. In 2022, he became Chemostrat Ltd Stratigraphy Manager, providing technical oversight on all chemostratigraphic studies. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London. |
Morven Davidson graduated with an MESci Geology in 2019 from the University of Liverpool. She completed a Master’s research project focussing on the tectonic history and microstructural study of peridotites from NW Italy. She worked at Chemostrat Ltd before COVID-19 as a Junior Geotech, carrying out analysis in the laboratory. Morven then worked as a Mud-logger for 1 year in the North Sea before re-joining Chemostrat as a Geologist and has worked on projects from Australia, Middle East, and UK North Sea. |
Tim J. Pearce completed his BSc from the University of Liverpool and a PhD from Kingston University. Shortly after, he founded the company Chemostrat Ltd. Chemostrat, which later developed into Hafren Scientific, a group of companies developing innovative technologies in geological sources primarily focused on the energy sector. Tim is currently the CEO of the Hafren group, including Chemostrat Australia Pty. Ltd. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and a memeber of the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. |
Alex Fuerst has a Master’s degree in Petroleum Geoscience from Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand). He has worked in the petroleum industry since 2009, including at OMV New Zealand Ltd., where he processed seismic data and velocity model quality control. In 2011, Alex joined Woodside Energy Ltd. as a Geologist, with extensive experience in Australian exploration, new ventures, and a short petrophysics rotation. He joined Chemostrat in 2021 as the Senior Geologist in the Australian office. Alex brings a rounded cross-discipline skillset to Chemostrat. |
Jordan Kinsley is a Geologist at Chemostrat Australia and is based in Perth, WA. Jordan studied his PhD in Geochemistry at The Australian National University, for which he investigated paleoenvironmental redox signals in early Paleozoic settings with a view to developing new organic molecular (biomarker) redox proxies. Jordan gained his MGeol and BSc in Geological Sciences from the University of Leeds and studied a portion of this degree at the University of Alberta. |
Abstract
Real-time chemostratigraphy is a workflow deployed at wellsites to remove stratigraphic uncertainty and support drilling operations. This study presents the chemostratigraphic wellsite workflow which, during drilling operations, support either the placement of casing points (using predefined geochemical markers to target a depth above a specific stratigraphic feature) or aid geosteering. Geosteering is typically employed during the drilling of a horizontal well and is done to keep the drill within a certain zone or horizon to maximise production. Wellsite chemostratigraphy has been effectively deployed to wellsites within multiple basins around the globe and has recently been utilised in the Perth Basin. The wellsite workflow starts before the deployment, with offset wells analysed by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy within a laboratory-based setting. This builds the correlative element-based framework and identifies the trends required to assist with either core placement, casing point, or geosteering. Samples are analysed by energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence units (these data are then used to confirm the zone previously defined) and can be identified at wellsite using the onsite tool, the selected elements of which are those less likely to be affected by drilling mud contamination and loss of circulation material (LCM). However, during drilling operation, there may be instances where LCM must be added to the drilling muds, which may have an effect on the data quality for certain elements. With a dedicated ICP spectrometry elemental database behind the wellsite operation, machine learning tools may be employed to ‘repair’ correlation critical elements.
Keywords: casing point, chemostratigraphy, drilling, geosteering, lateral well, real-time, stratigraphy, wellsite.
David Riley completed a MGeol and PhD from the University of Leicester, UK, and joined Chemostrat Ltd as a Chemostratigrapher in October 2012. Since joining Chemostrat Ltd, Dr Riley has worked on projects from eastern Canada, UK North Sea, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Australia. In 2022, he became Chemostrat Ltd Stratigraphy Manager, providing technical oversight on all chemostratigraphic studies. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London. |
Morven Davidson graduated with an MESci Geology in 2019 from the University of Liverpool. She completed a Master’s research project focussing on the tectonic history and microstructural study of peridotites from NW Italy. She worked at Chemostrat Ltd before COVID-19 as a Junior Geotech, carrying out analysis in the laboratory. Morven then worked as a Mud-logger for 1 year in the North Sea before re-joining Chemostrat as a Geologist and has worked on projects from Australia, Middle East, and UK North Sea. |
Tim J. Pearce completed his BSc from the University of Liverpool and a PhD from Kingston University. Shortly after, he founded the company Chemostrat Ltd. Chemostrat, which later developed into Hafren Scientific, a group of companies developing innovative technologies in geological sources primarily focused on the energy sector. Tim is currently the CEO of the Hafren group, including Chemostrat Australia Pty. Ltd. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and a memeber of the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. |
Alex Fuerst has a Master’s degree in Petroleum Geoscience from Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand). He has worked in the petroleum industry since 2009, including at OMV New Zealand Ltd., where he processed seismic data and velocity model quality control. In 2011, Alex joined Woodside Energy Ltd. as a Geologist, with extensive experience in Australian exploration, new ventures, and a short petrophysics rotation. He joined Chemostrat in 2021 as the Senior Geologist in the Australian office. Alex brings a rounded cross-discipline skillset to Chemostrat. |
Jordan Kinsley is a Geologist at Chemostrat Australia and is based in Perth, WA. Jordan studied his PhD in Geochemistry at The Australian National University, for which he investigated paleoenvironmental redox signals in early Paleozoic settings with a view to developing new organic molecular (biomarker) redox proxies. Jordan gained his MGeol and BSc in Geological Sciences from the University of Leeds and studied a portion of this degree at the University of Alberta. |
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