Geology and Petroleum Geology

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr David Iacopini

Pre-requisites

Entrance to MSc Integrated Petroleum Geology

Notes

Overview

Geophysics: The seismic reflection method, principles of seismic acquisition, processing, basic interpretation, pitfalls, attributes and their interpretation.

Petrophysics: All standard wireling log tools, log suites, lithologic determination from cross-plots, computerised log analysis, DST, RFT and pressure testing.

Structure

Teaching is by a mixture of lectures, labs and tutorials organised into three hour blocks. Total contact time is as follow:
1.

1. Lectures (geophysics) 39 hours
2. 
   2.
3. Lectures (petrophysics) 30 hours
4. 
   3.
5. Image log workshop 18 hours
6. 
   4.
7. Visit to acquisitions company 5 hours
8. 
   5.
9. Tutorials 33 hours

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two hour written examination (60%); continuous assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two hour written examination (100%)

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor Adrian Hartley

Pre-requisites

Entry to MSc in Integrated Petroleum Geoscience

Notes

Overview

• Sedimentary environments and facies


• Processes of sediment transport and deposition
  


• Stratigraphic architecture in relation to external forcings


• Applied sequence stratigraphy


• Principles of diagenesis and impact on reservoir properties


• Vore logging

Structure

This course will be taught by mixed delivery in 3 hour blocks which will mostly be a mix of lectures and practical exercises. There is also a field element, Porposed hours are as follow:

1. Lectures: 40 hours


2. Workshops: 22 hours


3. Field teaching: 45 hours


4. Self-directed: 60 hours


5. Private Study: 133 hours

Assessment

The course will be assessed by continuous assessment and examination. There will be a wide variety of formative assessments with instant feedback and two structured formative assessments with written feedback.


The summative assessment will be:
Brent palaeo-delta interpretation (30%)
Shuaiba group exercise (10%)
Core logging exercise (10%)
Examination (3 hours) (40%)

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor D Macdonald and Professor Adrian Hartley

Pre-requisites

Entrance to MSc Integrated Petroleum Geoscience

Notes

Overview

1. Presentation skills: oral, written and electronic (lectures and practicals)(7 hours)


2. Diversity workshop (3 hours)


3. Current issues in geosciences (attendance at external lectures) (15 hours self-directed learning)


4. Field trip: exercise in sedimentology, statigraphy, stuctural geology, tectonics, exploration geology, production geology, and economics (14 days of 8 hours = 112 hours: currently in the western US)


5. Private study in preparation for trip (13 hours)

Structure

Teaching is on a workshop basis for the skills courses and in small groups in the field (staff-student ration 1:8 or better)

Assessment

Assessment of many of the skills elements is formative with instant feedback. Much of the field assessment is also formative with the instant feedback, including peer assessment.

There are two summative elements:

1. A professional logbook details attendance at external professional events. Students are encouraged to reflect on the content of these presentations (20%)


2. Team presentations on an aspect of the petroleum geology of a region studied on the intenational field trip (80%)

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor D. Macdonald

Pre-requisites

Entry to MSc in Integrated Petroleum Geoscience

Notes

Overview

The course will cover:

• Reservoir geometry and heterogeneity from depositional and structural causes


• The role of the geologist in development planning and driving production, and the interface with reservoir engineering


• The concept of model cells and the role of upscaling


• Building a reservoir model

Structure

This course will be delivered in short course format with additional tutorials, exercises, offsite visits, and field work. Teaching will involve senior staff from the consultancy industry, BP, and Chevron. The balance of delivery is:

1. Lectures and labs 30 hours


2. Field Trip 8 hours


3. Offsite exercises (BP and Chevron) 32 hours


4. Tutorials 3 hours

Assessment

There will be two major formative assessments with instant feedback: a case histories of individual fields, and a group exercise on a field development plan. The summative assessments are:

Bruce field development exercise (BP) 10% and Alba well planning exercise (Chevron) 10%

3 hour written examination 80%

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor Andrew Hurst

Pre-requisites

Entry to MSc in Intergrated Petroleum Geoscience

Notes

Overview

The course will be taught through the second half session. The content covers the uses of structural geology in hydrocarbon exploration and basin analysis. This theme is extended to examine financial and global issues associated with the petroleum prospect evaluation. The cours will involve an internal competition in petroleum exploration to decide the team that will represent Aberdeen in the Imperial Barrel Award of the American Association of Petroleuum Geologists.

Structure

Teaching is by a variety of lectures, practical exercises and group work. the balance of delivery is:

1. Exploration economics short course 30 hours


2. Lectures and laboratory classes 90 hours


3. Tutorials

Assessment

There will be formative assessment with instant feedback through the course.


The summative assessments will be:


• Structural geology practical exercises (40%)


• Organic geochemistry report (10%)


• Exploration group exercises (10%)


• IBA group exercise (10%)


• Examination (3hours)

Credit Points

60

Course Coordinator

Professor Andrew Hurst

Pre-requisites

Entrance to MSc Integrated Petroleum Geolgy and successful completion of taught IPG modules

Notes

Overview

The project is the cumlmination of the previous taught courses of the Integrated Petroleum Geoscience MSc. It will require integration of different elements and assumes a general knowledge of all aspects of petroleum geology.

The project subject can be from any aspect of exploration through to production geoscience. We have an excellent record with local oil companies for working on highly topical and relevant projects. Commonly, the projects are constructed around current problems the companies consider deserve attention, but for which they are short of personnel. These projects usually are of a research nature, and without exception are entirely original and have not been worked on before. It is common, but not essential, that the student work on their projects in the offices of the company which offered the topic and which is providing the data.

Structure

The final project is undertaken by the student with the guidance of a mentor from the Department, and an industrial advisor within the company providing the data.

Assessment

Summative 7500 word project report (100% assessment)

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

The course aims to cover important aspects of geology, geophysics and prospect evaluation over a three week period. Assignments (60%) are set during the teaching weeks and the exam is in December.

Structure

Assessment

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor D. MacDonald

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course gives an overview of all aspects of the MSc program. It is delivered through the Wessex Fieldtrip and the first week of structured teaching. It covers Petroleum Economics, Petroleum Geology, The North Sea, Enterprise, Presentation Skills and Petroleum Technology. Assignments (60%) will be set in Wessex, and during the first week of teaching. Exam (40%) will be in December. An assessed presentation task will be set for each student and this takes place in early December.

Structure

Assessment

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr David Jolley

Pre-requisites

Entrance to Safety Engineering MSc/PgDip/PgCert.

Co-requisites

First degree and relevant experience.

Overview

this course will deliver an overview of Well and Facilities engineering in the Oil and Gas industry.

The main learning outcomes are to provide an understanding of the current technology in facilities and well engineering in the hydrocarbon industry both onshore and offshore, in exploration, production and development.

Structure

Two threads with a total of 54 contact hours time, delivered by external staff by lectures and practical work sessions in half day to day long sessions.

Assessment

Formal examination, 3 hour paper (70%), continuous assessment project (30%).

Credit Points

60

Course Coordinator

Dr Stuart Archer

Pre-requisites

120 credits from the Hydrocarbon Exploration courses

Co-requisites

The course may only be taken as part of the Hydrocarbon Exploration programme, or by permission of the Head of Geosciences.

Overview

The content of the projects will depend on the industrial sponsor, with input from an academic sponsor

Structure

The dissertation is undertaken by the student with the guidance of an oil industry related academic staff member in Geology and Petroleum Geology and an advisor within the company whose data they are working on.

Assessment

100% thesis. The course organiser may allow flexibility in the imposition of submission deadlines where there is good cause (due to individual student circumstances) for doing so.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr David Jolley

Pre-requisites

Entrance to PGT programmes in Oil and Gas Enterprise Management, Energy Futures, and Safety Engineering.

Co-requisites

First degree and relevant experience.

Notes

Overview

This course covers reservoir, well/drilling engineering and facilities management. The teaching takes place over three weeks and assignments (60%) will be set then, the exam in December.

Structure

x

Assessment

x

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr David Jolley

Pre-requisites

Entrance to PGT programmes in Oil and Gas Enterprise Management, Energy Futures and Safety Engineering.

Co-requisites

First degree and relevant experience.

Overview

This course will provide an understanding of the current technology in facilities and safety engineering in the hydrocarbon industry, both onshore and offshore, in exploration, production and development programmes. It will also give an understanding of approaches to risk management and psychology that will enhance management decision-making.

Structure

Two threads with a total of 57 contact hours time, delivered by external staff in lectures and practical work sessions, lasting half a day to a full day.

Assessment

Formal examination, 3 hour paper (70%), continuous project (30%)

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor Alex Kemp

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course will start in late January and run for three weeks, covering petroleum economics. Assessments are set during the three weeks and the exam is held in late April/early May, at the end of the Easter vacation.

Structure

Assessment

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course covers taxation, reporting, sustainable development and aspects of U.K. law which deal with the oil and gas industry. It takes place over two weeks and assignments (60%) are set, with the exam (40%) held in late April/early May, at the end of the Easter vacation.

Structure

Assessment

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

David Jolley

Pre-requisites

Entrance to MSc Oil & Gas Enterprise Management

Co-requisites

First degree and/or relevant work experience

Overview

This course will examine the collection of economic rent and other licensing and policy issues. It will consider the concept of economic rent and evaluate the devised for its collection, for example, bonus bidding, royalties, production tax, corporate income tax, Resource Rent Tax, Brown Tax, production sharing (including R-Factor and rate of return based on profit sharing). Other licensing and policy issues will examine the criteria for award under discretionary system (work programme, contribution to economy etc), relinquishment conditions, pricing policy, depletion policy, state partition and procurement policy. The economic aspects of different contractual arrangements are discussed, e.g. concessions, production sharing agreements, buy back contracts.

Structure

Block teaching at start of second half-session. Seminar/lectures 30 hours in mornings, self-directed learning 40 hours, assignments and independent work 60 hours.

Assessment

60% written examination (3 hours), 40% continuous assessment.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course covers hydrocarbon enterprise and entrepreneurship , organisational psychology, and conflict and oil. It takes place over three weeks and assignments (60%) are set then, with the exam (40%) taking place in late April/early May, at the end of the Easter vacation.

Structure

Assessment

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor David Macdonald

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course will take place at the start of the Easter vacation. We will spend a week on a team project based partly onsite, the details of which we only reveal during that week itself. This week is supplemented by another ‘game’ held offsite in the Aberdeen area. Assessment is 100% of this course. The BP Chalybeat two-day team-building in December is a non-assessed part of the course.

The last part of the course, the individual project, is an integral part of the training, and forms a large part of the assessment of each student (12 credits, equivalent to four courses). It is our experience that students mature greatly during this part of the course, both personally and technically. For this reason, and given the intensive and challenging nature of the course, we believe the students must complete the entire programme before we attempt to assess their ultimate potential.

Structure

Assessment

Credit Points

7.5

Course Coordinator

David Jolley

Pre-requisites

Entrance to MSc Oil & Gas Enterprise Management; GL5002

Co-requisites

First degree and/or work experience.

Overview

This course is designed to build on the basic geological concepts delivered by GL5002, Finding Oil. Students will be exposed to complex terrestrial and marine rock sequences which include strata of reservoir potential. They will examine variation in reservoir quality and the geometry of reservoir bodies. This will be carried on into a difficult exploration setting where reservoir definition is less predictable. These examples will be analysed in depth in the field and the results carried into seminar based workshops which will provide experience of reserve calculation and the estimation of risk.

Structure

Two one-day field excursions, one to a mixed terrestrial and marine sequence on the Fife coast and another to demonstrate alternative prospect formation and difficulties in mixed fluvial and volcanic strata. These field days will be followed by half-day workshops in which students will be trained in reservoir volume calculations and building reservoir models.

Assessment

Field notes x 2 (60%); assessed exercises x 2 (40%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr Stuart Archer

Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

Notes

Overview

This course will cover:
1. Play analysis, including creation of layered maps, use of GIS and GIS derived software, play led exploration methods, shared versus local risk, graphical presentaiton of complex data (5days.
2. Prospect analysis, including the generation of prospects from seismic data, closure, spill points and trap geometry, (2Days)
3. Gross rock volumetric quantification from seismic and the property mapping to facilitate full volumetric analysis (porosity, net to gross, water saturation, recovery factor, formation volume factor (2Days)
4. Risk and uncertainty, including probabilistic verus deterministic models, Monte Carol tools, cumulative probability curves, creaming curve analysis (1day)
5. Portfolio optimisation, including play and prosect ranking, petroleum economics, and sharing risk through equity and an appreciation of commerical issues (2days)

Structure

Teaching will be in an intensive short-course format in five blocks spread through the summer:
Block 1 will be a five-day course on play analysis (Topic 1, above)
Block 2 will be a two-day short course on propect analysis (Topic 2, above)
Block 3 will be a two-day course on volumetrics (Topic 3, above)
Block 4 will be one-day course on risk and uncetainty (Topic 4, above)
Block 5 will be a two-day course on portfolio optimisation (Topic 5, above)

Within each block, teaching will involve lectures, tutorials, stuctured discussion groups, laboratory-syle exercises, and group work. Total contact hous will be 96.

Assessment

The course will be assessed entirely by continuous assessment (CA). There will be one formative assessment per day of teaching and one summative piece of CA for each of the five main elements of the course.
Summarise, the main North Sea Play Types and rank their relative historical production and remianing hydrocarbon potential (20%)
Creat a farm-out document that summarises a prosect in your portfolio (20%)
Complete volumetric estimates for your prospect for inclusion in the farm-out document (20%)
Rank your propects by P50 reserves, then re-rank once weighted by geological risk (20%)
Make a recommendation to management how your portfolio could be optimised (20%)

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr Stuart Archer

Pre-requisites

x

Overview

x

Structure

Assessment

x

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Dr Stuart Archer

Pre-requisites

60 credits from the Hydrocarbon Exploration Programme

Co-requisites

The course can only be taken as part of the Hydrocarbon Exploration programme, or by permission of the Head of Geosciences

Overview

Field trip will be led by Professor Ron Steel (University of Aberdeen and University of Texas at Austin)
The location is Wyoming in the US and will involve travel to Denver, Colorado

Structure

Field work during the days (8 hours) and subsurface data used as lab work in the evenings (3 hours)

Assessment

Hand in field note books to be assessed for the accuracy and clarity of; geographic location, date and time, geological descriptions and interpretations, sketch maps, sections and sedimentary logs. The field note books will be orally discussed with supervisors/mentors to demonstrate sound geological understanding of exploration concepts and the importance of data acquisition in the field. (10%)
All assessment will be carried out in the field. the course co-ordinator is responsible for ensuring that the materials required to run the exercises are available