Issue 3

Vol. 9

This edition of GEO ExPro Magazine focuses on Africa and Reservoir Management

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Columns

5 Editorial

6 Update

14 Market Update: Sudan Conflict

16 A Minute to Read

56 GEO Profile: Malcolm Brown

68 Recent Advances in Technology: Gas hydrates I

80 GEO Tourism: The Geology of London

92 GEO Cities: Cairo

94 Exploration Update

96 GEO Media: Mountain Views

98 Hot Spot: Kenya Hits the Jackpot?

100 Q&A

102 Global Resource Management

Features

20 Cover Story: Milestones in Angola’s Oil History

28 Geophysics: Cableless Confusion

32 Reservoir Modelling: ‘Impala MPS’ Leaps Reservoir Modelling Barriers

36 Seismic Foldout: Offshore Côte d’Ivoire

42 Technology: Solving Hydraulic Fracturing ‘Controversies’

48 Exploration: Is There Oil Offshore East Africa?

52 Industry Issues: Energy and the Environment

60 Exploration: Fertilising the Future

64 Reservoir Management: Geological Expression

74 Seismic Foldout: Deep Water Offshore Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados

86 Exploration: What is Tight Gas?

Articles

Fertilising the Future

York Potash, a mining company based in north-east England, have discovered significant quantities of minerals for use as fertiliser, using technologies familiar to the oil and gas business. The town Read More

Energy and the Environment

The Rise and Rise of Corporate and Social Responsibility in the Energy Industry Petroleum operations have not always sat comfortably with concern for the environment or sustainability. However, over time Read More

Iraq Investment Set to Increase

The energy sector in Iraq is predicted to see investment of a minimum of US$50 billion over the next five years amidst a gradually improving security situation, according to a Read More

ARKeX Goes Multi-Client

Within the hydrocarbon exploration industry, the market for gravity gradiometry has grown substantially over the past few years. ARKeX, which specialises in non-seismic geophysical imaging, has become one of the Read More

ObliQ Technology Improves Seismic Imaging

In a marine geophysical survey, every attempt is made to maintain the streamer at a constant optimum depth. But there are issues involved in selecting that optimum depth; too shallow, Read More

Offshore Côte d’Ivoire: a modern exploration frontier

Deepwater potential in Côte d’Ivoire Recent discoveries such as Jubilee (Ghana, 2007) and Zaedyus (French Guiana, 2011) have proven the significant remaining potential for hydrocarbons on the Equatorial Atlantic conjugate Read More

Cableless Confusion

As the cableless seismic market grows it appears that the most flexible systems will be the winners. After almost a decade of nearly taking off, this flexible new technology is Read More

Geology Without Limits!

Cross border co-operation leads to better geological understanding As we all know, geology does not follow political boundaries. To undertake a wide-ranging geological study of a large region presents challenges, Read More

Uruguay Round II Awards Offshore Acreage

Uruguay’s state oil company, ANCAP, has recently awarded offshore blocks in the Round II bidding to British companies BP and BG, French company Total, and Irish company Tullow Oil. These Read More

Effective Data Management Maximises Subsurface Asset Values

An Exploration and Production organisation generates vast amounts of data in order to define and value its subsurface assets. But ultimate value will only be maximised if critical business decisions Read More

Africa and New Technologies

Many of the most exciting discoveries in the last decade have been in Africa – and technological developments have been key to a good number of them. Back at the Read More

Brazil: Further Pre-Salt Discoveries

Offshore Brazil continues to prove that it is one of the most exciting and prolific exploration areas in the world, with four of the top discoveries so far this year Read More

Relying on Chalk

Almost all Danish oil and gas comes from the Central Graben. Nevertheless, there is still some interest in other areas, including the onshore. he first exploration licence in Denmark was Read More

Rupert Hoare’s Mountain Views

Rupert Hoare was widely known and respected in the E&P industry. What was not so widely known was that he was an extraordinarily accomplished rock climber, mountaineer and ski-mountaineer and Read More

Liberia: Significant Oil Discovery

Liberia’s race to join its West African neighbours Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and especially Ghana has moved an important step forward. Source: African Petroleum In late February African Petroleum, which Read More

What is Tight Gas?

Since its production is tied to technological developments, well cost, and fraccing gas prices, tight gas is an economic issue A practical definition of a tight gas field at present Read More

Kenya Hits the Jackpot

After discoveries in Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda, Kenya hopes to join the club. For too long a backwater in hydrocarbon terms, dependent on imported oil and gas, East Africa is Read More

The Geology of London

With the Olympics upon us it is an appropriate time to reveal the geology of London for our visitors. A brief introduction to the geology is followed by five itineraries Read More

Sudan and South Sudan Conflict Increases Pressure on Oil Prices

On 9 July 2011 when South Sudan finally gained independence from Khartoum, we warned against the risk of increasing political tension as several critical issues had not been resolved before Read More

Extended North West African Margin Survey

Since May last year, Dolphin Geophysical has been acquiring long-offset, high specification, regional 2D data along the North West African Atlantic Margin (NWAAM). Initially covering Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia and the Read More

Solving Hydraulic Fracturing ‘Controversies’

Hydraulic fracturing has unlocked a vast, new oil and gas resource from very tight rocks. Innovative developments in nanotechnology are poised to make hydraulic fracturing more efficient, accountable, and much Read More

Cairo: City of a Thousand Minarets

Built upon power struggles and commerce, and dominated by the magnificent River Nile, Cairo is one of the most exciting cities in the world. If you have ever been to Read More

Geological Expression: A New Angle on Seismic Interpretation

Geological Expression utilises sophisticated technology to deliver dramatic gains in productivity through a workflow whose structure will be familiar to seismic interpreters. onathan Henderson, Managing Director of ffA, brings us Read More

Gas Hydrates – Part I: Burning Ice

Scientists have known and studied natural gas hydrates for decades. Vast deposits of hydrates have been found, both in the permafrost and the continental shelves of the oceans of the Read More

Exploration potential of deep water offshore Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados

The deep unexplored waters off Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados The deep and ultra-deep waters of offshore Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados have remained underexplored due to structural and stratigraphic complexity. Although Read More

EGI: Celebrating 40 Years

EGI, the Energy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City, is celebrating 40 years of global research and scientific collaboration. It is the world’s largest Read More

Is There Oil Offshore East Africa?

There is definitely gas – but do the vast expanses of the Indian Ocean also hold promising oil reserves? The emergence of East Africa as a petroleum province has been Read More

The global energy sector from a subsurface perspective