Salt Tectonics of the Gulf of Mexico

The objective of this 3-day course is to provide geoscientists with a detailed explanation of those aspects of salt tectonics applicable to the northern and southern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) salt basins. It consists primarily of lectures, with examples from the GoM and other basins, that are supplemented by practical exercises. The emphasis is on fundamental mechanics and processes, structural geometries and evolution, salt-sediment interaction and the implications for hydrocarbon exploration and production.

You will learn to:

1. Understand the implications of layered-evaporite sequences for velocity-model building and seismic interpretation.
2. Describe how halite differs from other lithologies and how that impacts deformation in salt basins.
3. Characterize the ways in which extension, contraction and differential loading trigger salt flow and diapir initiation / growth.
4. Interpret typical salt and stratal geometries associated with salt evacuation and diapirism.
5. Predict how drape folding around passive diapirs impacts stratal geometries, faulting and reservoir distribution in diapir-flank traps.
6. Understand why and how allochthonous salt forms and how salt sheets / canopies evolve.
7. Assess the effects of salt on various aspects of the petroleum system, including trap formation, reservoir presence, hydrocarbon maturation and migration and seal.

FULL DETAILS

Geologic Carbon Storage for Geoscientists and Engineers

Date: 23 - 27 Sep 2024
Location: Virtual

Tutors: 

• Alex Bump, Research Scientist Associate at Bureau of Economic Geology
• Seyyed Hosseini, Research Professor at The University of Texas at Austin.
• Katherine Romanak, Research Scientist at Bureau of Economic Geology

This course empowers attendees to develop and apply their skills to the growing industry of Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS). Attendees will be guided through the lifecycle of a CCUS project with an emphasis on key concepts, processes and workflows of the CCUS industry. Focus will be on developing the geoscience and engineering skills needed to progress a project.

You will learn to:

1. Outline the regulatory, policy and financial drivers and constraints for CCUS.
2. Describe the subsurface requirements for a successful storage project, including similarities and differences with oil and gas exploration.
3. Understand the workflow and perform the key tasks for defining, developing and permitting a CCUS project, including site selection, characterisation, risk assessment and monitoring for operational and post-operational phases.
4. Apply your subsurface knowledge and skills in oil and gas development to the concepts, processes and workflows of the CCUS industry.
5. Estimate CO2 storage capacity in saline aquifers at reservoir and basin-scales.

FULL DETAILS

Women in Energy Field Experience: The Role of Salt in Hydrocarbon Exploration, Energy Storage and Carbon-Reduction Mechanisms

Date: 30 Sep - 4 Oct 2024
Location: Colorado and Utah
Tutors: Kate Giles: Professor Earth Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso and Cindy Yeilding: NE Director, Denbury Inc.

This course is aimed exclusively at women working in the energy industry, particularly in the geoscience, geotechnical and engineering fields. The primary technical goal is to provide a widely applicable introduction to the interrelationship between sedimentation and structural geology with a particular focus on salt tectonics and salt-sediment interaction. The geology is examined with reference to energy production, including hydrocarbon exploration and production, along with discussions around energy transition topics (CCUS, geothermal, hydrogen and energy storage). While the technical aspects are paramount, the course is also designed to provide networking and professional development opportunities. Evening discussions and activities will allow for exchange of ideas and experiences in a supportive and open atmosphere.

You will learn to:

1. Describe the regional stratigraphy and principal structural features of the Paradox Basin, Utah.
2. Characterize and interpret controls on Paradox Basin salt-related structures and key features of passive diapiric systems, including halokinetic sequences, caprock development, non-evaporite stringers / inclusions, welds, megaflaps, counter-regional faults, radial faults and burial wedges.
3. Examine stratal geometries and halokinetic sequences and how these relate to intervals of salt inflation / evacuation and sediment flux.
4. Assess the controls on basin fill architecture, fluid flow and deformation within the Paradox Basin and compare this to analogous salt basins worldwide.
5. Understand the importance of salt basins to the energy industry for hydrocarbon production.

FULL DETAILS

Geology for Non-Geologists

Date: 14 - 17 Oct 2024
Location: Virtual
Tutor: Jonathan Evans: Energy Transition Advisor, GeoLogica Ltd

The aim of this course is to provide an overview of the fundamental geological topics relevant to the modern energy industry. Focus will be placed on petroleum geoscience and the basics of petroleum exploration, but the course will also cover geothermal systems, carbon capture and storage, and hydrogen energy.

You will learn to:

• Describe the fundamental principles of geology, including different rock types, geological time and stratigraphy.
• Understand the basics of petroleum geoscience, including the formation of oil and gas.
• Review the different types of reservoir rocks and their properties, including porosity and permeability.
• Recognize how we search for oil and gas, including using seismic and other data.
• Understand how we drill for oil and gas and how we acquire information from wells, such as log and core data.
• Recognize what technical staff in companies do and how they work together.
• Describe the basic principles of carbon capture and storage and how it is being adopted worldwide as a climate change mitigation tool.
• Understand the basics of geothermal energy, what it is and how it can be used.
• Appreciate how hydrogen energy can be used and stored underground.

FULL DETAILS

Geothermal Technologies and Well Design

Date: 12 - 15 Nov 2024
Location: Virtual
Tutor: Gioia Falcone, Rankine Chair of Energy and Engineering, University of Glasgow

This course covers fundamental aspects of geothermal engineering, linking the subsurface to the point of sale (or point of use). It encompasses the main geothermal energy uses, focusing on deep geothermal resources exploitation methods, where wells are required. The course also covers conventional and unconventional geothermal technologies, including closed-loop solutions and hybrid energy development opportunities.

You will learn to:

1. Understand the different way in which a given geothermal energy resource can be exploited, and the associated uses.
2. Describe how open-loop and closed-loop engineering solutions work.
3. Interpret operational aspects of typical geothermal well designs.
4. Identify the uncertainties and risks of different exploitation methods, vis-à-vis resource sustainability over project lifetime.
5. Assess the impact of different well performance and well integrity aspects on ultimate recovery.
6. Discuss and analyse case studies involving different geothermal technologies.

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