Introduction

The petroleum industry, from upstream to downstream encompasses some of the World’s largest and most complex infrastructure, commercial and trade networks. But where does it all begin? Where does the oil and gas come from and how are hydrocarbons found?

This course was developed to provide petroleum industry professionals with a working knowledge of the Geology elements and processes relevant to hydrocarbon Exploration and Production. The main concepts and terms used in Petroleum Geology will be addressed as well as the exploration and production tools, types of data and software and how geoscientists identify and evaluate drill-worthy prospects.

It is aimed for engineers and petrophysicists without geological background, administrative staff, accountants, law professionals, production technologists, health and safety officers, economists and anyone dealing with geology-related matters or with geoscience professionals. This course consists of classroom presentations, case studies and practical exercises.

Objectives

The purpose of this course is to provide participants with a global and practical view of Petroleum Geology. At the end of the course, participants will have acquired knowledge to:
• Understand the geological cycle and the basic concepts of sedimentary geology.
• Recognize the main elements and processes of a petroleum system.
• Understand basin analysis concepts, regional geology and exploration techniques.
• Understand how seismic, well and outcrop data can be used for exploration and production.
• Be able to conceptually define a prospect, calculate volumes and assess risks.
• Assess how Petroleum Geology allows a discovery to be evaluated and developed

Limited places.

Week 1
Introduction to Petroleum Geology and Sedimentary Basins
• Introduction to Geology
• Sedimentary basins
• Basin Analysis and Regional Geology
• Different types of basins
• The fundamental elements of the Petroleum system

Week two
Elements and processes of the Petroleum System
• Source rocks, hydrocarbon generation and migration
• Conventional hydrocarbons reservoirs – clastic and carbonate
• Non-conventional hydrocarbon reservoirs
• Seal rocks and seal capacity
• Plays and play-based exploration
• Structural and stratigraphic traps, examples
• Outcrop mapping and the beginning of the oil industry

Week three
Exploration methods
• Indications of an oil system, oil spills, outcrop geology
• Seismic techniques and the use of seismic in geological mapping
• Exploration Wells and Downhole Data Acquisition
• Sedimentology and Biostratigraphy
• Other Exploration Techniques, Aeromagnetic Gravity, CSEM
• Mapping plays and defining an area of interest

Week four
From the area of interest to the drill-worthy prospect
• The Use of Analogs in Exploration Geology
• Types of data and software used
• Definition of lead / prospect
• Geological and technological factors of a lead / prospect
• Geological risk and volumetry

Week five
From discovery to development
• Maturation process up to drill-worthy prospect
• Volumetric assessment of a discovery
• Definition of Phase of Hydrocarbons and Contacts (Gas – Oil and Oil – Water)
• Definition of geological uncertainties and the need for oil field assessment
• The Financial Investment Decision (FID) for the development of an oil field

Gil Machado

Gil Machado holds a degree in Geology and a European Doctorate (PhD) in Stratigraphy and Petroleum Geology and has ca. 10 years of experience in the Oil&Gas industry, in exploration projects of Oman, Mozambique, Brazil, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Gabon, Morocco, and other Atlantic basins. He is an experience biostratigrapher, including sediment fairways identification, deep and shallow water sedimentation characterization and sequence stratigraphy. He has worked extensively with well correlation, biostratigraphy, regional prospectivity studies and has managed teams and projects in multiple cultural environments.

He has mentored and supervised Bsc and Msc students, young professionals and taught several short courses and lectures on these subjects.

As part of his career he worked at Petroleum Development Oman as a Stratigrapher where he was responsible for the Precambrian and Lower Paleozoic stratigraphy studies and for the scientific management of the palynology laboratory of the company. He followed multiple wells as operational stratigrapher providing real time advice to the well geologists for casing points, TD calls, etc. He also contributed to the biostratigraphic zonation review of the subsurface of Oman.

He is affiliated with the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers, the PESGB and founder and member of the Portuguese Association of Geoscientists and Engineers.

Gil Machado is currently heading a geological consulting company – Chronosurveys – providing services and training in Stratigraphy, source rock evaluation, Petroleum Geology.

The course is delivered online through our easy-to-use Virtual Campus platform. For this course, a variety of content is provided including:

– eLearning materials
– Videos
– Interactive multimedia content
– Live webinar classes
– Texts and technical articles
– Case studies
– Assignments and evaluation exercises

Students can download the materials and work through the course at their own pace.
We regularly update this course to ensure the latest news and state-of-the-art developments are covered, and your knowledge of the subject is current.

Live webinars form part of our course delivery. These allow students and tutors to go through the course materials, exchange ideas and knowledge, and solve problems together in a virtual classroom setting. Students can also make use of the platform’s forum, a meeting point to interact with tutors and other students.

The tutoring system is managed by email. Students can email the tutor with any questions about the course and the tutor will be happy to help.

This course is designed for industry professionals who deal with Petroleum Geology on a regular basis and want to know more, including:
• Young geoscientists with limited exposure to the oil industry
• Petroleum engineers (reservoir, drilling, facilities, etc.)
• Geophysicists with little experience or training in Petroleum Geology
• Petrophysicists with little experience or training in Petroleum Geology
• Technical Support Professionals
• HSE professionals
• Economics, Law, Finance and Human Resources professionals
• Data management, IT and administrative professionals

At the end of the course, and as accreditation of knowledge acquired and of the technical and practical training, students who correctly complete the corresponding evaluation tests of the geotechnical engineering course will obtain an academic certificate issued by Ingeoexpert. This digital certificate is protected by Blockchain technology, making it unique and tamper-proof, thus enabling companies to verify its authenticity.

It can also be downloaded by students, forwarded by email and shared on social networks, as well as embedded on any website. You can see an example here.

As an essential part of Geosciences and the Petroleum Industry for any professional, knowledge and experience in Petroleum Geology will help employability in the following types of institutions:
– Oil & Gas companies engaged in exploration and production
– Geoscience Consulting and Service Companies
– Carbon sequestration companies
– Public natural resource management institutions