Postgraduate Geology and Geophysics 2014-2015

By the end of the course, the student should:

1. Understand the theory of seismic signal description

2. Appreciate the main processes involved in a typical seismic data-processing suite

3. Understand the basic concepts of seismic stratigraphy

4. Be able to construct synthetic seismograms and explain the principles on which they are based

5. Be able to explain, and illustrate with examples, the concepts of seismic modelling

6. Be able to define, and illustrate with examples, the different types of seismic attributes

The course aims develop practical geological skills applicable to the hydrocarbons industry, embracing the subdisciplines of clastic and carbonate sedimentology, stratigraphy, and diagenesis; it will show how sedimentological and stratigraphic knowledge is crucial in both exploration and development activities, and is fundamental in making predictive models. It will impart a practical knowledge of depositional environments which form hydrocarbon reservoirs, linking these together using the techniques of sequence stratigraphy as applied to siliciclastic and carbonate settings. The origin and effects of reservoir fluids and subsequent diagenesis will also be covered.

By the end of this course students will be aware of issues relation to team work, particularly communication, diversity, and organisation. They will be able to communicate technical interpretation effectively by oral, written and electronic methods. They will be able to design and carry out a research project relevant to the hydrocarbon industry.

Petrophysics is fundamental to understanding the properties of hydrocarbon fields both for initial static volumes in place and potential and actual dynamic performance. It lies at the centre of all subsurface activities, whether in the context of open-hole evaluation of new wells, cased-hole operations on producing wells, or in an integrated team building reservoir models for asset evaluation, field development or reservoir management. The key aims of this course are to teach: the principles of petroleum exploration, development and production to staff entering the industry for the first time, and enough basic understanding to perform a simple reservoir evaluation.

This course builds on GL5015/5515 (Introduction to petrophysics and its role in the oil and gas industry).  Students will learn how to integrate real log and core datasets to fully describe the variation in reservoir properties and how they may be distributed in oil and gas wells. Relating wireline data to core is important, as core analysis provides the only direct and quantitative measurement of the intact reservoir properties and provides essential calibration data for reliable formation evaluation.  This course provides students with a solid grounding in the acquisition and evaluation of routine (RCA) and special (SCAL) core analysis datasets.

The key objective of this course is to understand how petrophysical data (core and log), can be used to calibrate and predict the seismic response of hydrocarbon reservoirs. This can be used throughout field life from reducing exploration risk at the early stages to better quantifying the differences seen in time lapse seismic for reservoir management and field development.  Students will learn the nature of reservoir models and the petrophysical and other inputs used to construct them, including permeability predictors, upscaling and saturation height functions.  The principles of uncertainty management will be described and applied to the petrophysical parameters.

Reservoir surveillance provides an understanding of well and reservoir performance to enable efficient management of production.  The course gives an overview of the role of petrophysics in the long-term monitoring of reservoirs, including use of legacy data in understanding evolution of reservoir performance.  This links to the day-to-day reality of petrophysical operations, which provide many of the inputs to predict reservoir performance and to determine the value of assets.  A clear understanding of modelling objectives, methods to be used and uncertainties, across all of the subsurface disciplines is necessary to ensure that reservoir properties are effectively represented.

The course will give students the skills to interpret petrophysically complex reservoirs from a variety of sedimentological and lithological environments. Integration with geology will be emphasised along with the advanced tools and techniques necessary to characterise these very different reservoir types.  By the end of this course, students will understand: how the sedimentary environment impacts reservoir properties; how those properties may be evaluated; the logging tool suites available to interpret complex reservoirs; key differences between matrix and fracture based production systems; impact of clay type and distribution on clastic reservoir quality; and the potential volumes available from unconventional reservoirs.

The aim of this course is to take students to the frontier of petrophysics as currently practised and to allow them to develop specialisms that will enhance their future careers. By the end of this course students will understand: the limits of what is currently achievable using petrophysical interpretation; and the role of specialist petrophysics in either seismic interpretation, drilling, production technology, or fracture detection.  They should also have an understanding of possible future trends in petrophysics and formation evaluation.

The course aims (a) to develop professional skills to enhance students’ standing within the industry, and (b) to prepare them for their independent project by inculcating research skills and promoting independent thinking.  By the end of this course students will understand: the principles of effective communication and teamwork in a variety of settings; how the individual’s own professional ethics can influence company policy and the development of corporate social responsibility; how to analyse their own performance in a variety of settings; how to challenge received wisdom in a positive and respectful manner; how to plan and execute a research project.

The course covers aspects of geology, geophysics and prospect evaluation to illustrate how geologists deal with uncertainty and risk during the exploration process.  It will look at the place of the geoscientist during the productive life of an oilfield.  Another key aspect of this course will be the issue of communication between geoscientists and engineers.  By the end of this course students should understand how geologists explore for oil and gas, and the main tools at their disposal; the role of the geophysicist; how to make prospect maps; petroleum volumetrics; subsurface fluid flow; and the creation of static reservoir models.

This course aims to cover many important aspects of geology, geophysics and prospect evaluation whilst illustrating how geologists deal with uncertainty and risk during exploration stages. An understanding will be gained about how geologists go about exploring for oil and gas, and the main tools at their disposal. 

This course aims to cover the main aspects of drilling and well engineering whilst remaining focused on licensing and regulatory frameworks. This will include long-term views on tendering and technique development.  Another key aspect of this course will be the issue of communication between geoscientists and engineers.

This module aims to provide a common level of understanding among students on how geophysics has been used historically and is being used at present (state-of-the-art) to image the structure of the interior of the Earth and to make inferences about the geodynamic processes within the Earth responsible for formation of its surface and near surface (including sedimentary basin formation) where society lives and relies upon the exploitation of its resources.

This module focuses on the design, implementation and quality control of geophysical data acquisition in the field. The theory and practical aspects of modern data collection for seismic reflection, seismic refraction, magnetic, resistivity, gravity, electro-magnetic (EM) and passive seismology will be taught so that the students will be equipped to plan and undertake their own geophysical experiments focusing on a variety of geophysical targets. The use of a variety of geophysical equipment in the field will form a significant component of this module.

This course will provide an understanding of the management aspects of reservoir, facilities, pipeline and safety engineering in the hydrocarbon industry.  It will also give an understanding of approaches to risk management and psychology that will enhance management decision-making.

This course looks at the tools available to analyse the lithology and fluid content of a reservoir and how petrophysicists work with other discipline to estimate e hydrocarbon volumes in the subsurface.  The course identifies the multiple data sources required for reservoir evaluation, emphasising integration of all available data, potential sources of error and uncertainty within the data.  It shows how to relate wireline data to core; gives a solid grounding in the acquisition and evaluation of routine (RCA) and special (SCAL) core analysis datasets; and teaches how to apply these principles to a fully computerised formation evaluation workflow

An introduction to the theory of time series analysis applied to geophysical data acquisition and real and synthetic seismic signals, including an understanding of the underlying philosophy and mathematical foundations. The main focus will be on signal processing and 1D-2D filtering techniques with consideration to Fourier analysis, seismic travel times and geomagnetism problems. Familiarisation with practical application in a computational laboratory using commercial computational software (such as Matlab and Mathematica).

With the advent of larger and more complex datasets, the solution of inverse problems is becoming increasingly relevant in modern geophysics. In this course, as well as learning the fundamentals of inverse theory and statistics, students will be exposed to cutting edge methods used in a wide variety of applied geophysics problems, from receiver function analysis to full waveform inversion. A solid knowledge of statistics is required to properly understand modern geophysical inversion theory, which is why the two components of the course work well together.

This course covers some basic economics and then focuses on valuation of assets, how to deal with risk in making investment decisions, and the various systems by which petroleum revenue is taxed.

This course aims to deliver key skills and understanding in production geology, in the hydrocarbon industry;

• An appreciation of the role of the geologist during the development and production stages of a hydrocarbon field.

• Knowledge of the types of geological heterogeneity that might impact hydrocarbon production.

• The approaches employed in building qualitative and quantitative geological models of the subsurface, and the difficulties associated with doing this reliably.

• The basis from which to convey the expectations of the reservoir engineer, and procedures that will lead to improved reservoir performance evaluation.

This course aims to demonstrate the stages in a hydrocarbon exploration project from initial basin screening, through the identification of leads and prospects, to an economic assessment. The course includes components of structural geology, tectonics, organic geochemistry, and basin modelling. It is important to view these activities in an economic context; accordingly, the course aims to explain the role of the geologist in the business of exploration and appraisal of hydrocarbons. This aims to inform the student of important economic and logistical constraints which operate alongside geological details.

Petrophysics is fundamental to understanding the properties of hydrocarbon fields both for initial static volumes in place and potential and actual dynamic performance. It lies at the centre of all subsurface activities, whether in the context of open-hole evaluation of new wells, cased-hole operations on producing wells, or in an integrated team building reservoir models for asset evaluation, field development or reservoir management. The key aims of this course are to teach: the principles of petroleum exploration, development and production to staff entering the industry for the first time, and enough basic understanding to perform a simple reservoir evaluation.

This course builds on GL5015/5515 (Introduction to petrophysics and its role in the oil and gas industry).  Students will learn how to integrate real log and core datasets to fully describe the variation in reservoir properties and how they may be distributed in oil and gas wells. Relating wireline data to core is important, as core analysis provides the only direct and quantitative measurement of the intact reservoir properties and provides essential calibration data for reliable formation evaluation.  This course provides students with a solid grounding in the acquisition and evaluation of routine (RCA) and special (SCAL) core analysis datasets.

The key objective of this course is to understand how petrophysical data (core and log), can be used to calibrate and predict the seismic response of hydrocarbon reservoirs. This can be used throughout field life from reducing exploration risk at the early stages to better quantifying the differences seen in time lapse seismic for reservoir management and field development.  Students will learn the nature of reservoir models and the petrophysical and other inputs used to construct them, including permeability predictors, upscaling and saturation height functions.  The principles of uncertainty management will be described and applied to the petrophysical parameters.

Reservoir surveillance provides an understanding of well and reservoir performance to enable efficient management of production.  The course gives an overview of the role of petrophysics in the long-term monitoring of reservoirs, including use of legacy data in understanding evolution of reservoir performance.  This links to the day-to-day reality of petrophysical operations, which provide many of the inputs to predict reservoir performance and to determine the value of assets.  A clear understanding of modelling objectives, methods to be used and uncertainties, across all of the subsurface disciplines is necessary to ensure that reservoir properties are effectively represented.

The course will give students the skills to interpret petrophysically complex reservoirs from a variety of sedimentological and lithological environments. Integration with geology will be emphasised along with the advanced tools and techniques necessary to characterise these very different reservoir types.  By the end of this course, students will understand: how the sedimentary environment impacts reservoir properties; how those properties may be evaluated; the logging tool suites available to interpret complex reservoirs; key differences between matrix and fracture based production systems; impact of clay type and distribution on clastic reservoir quality; and the potential volumes available from unconventional reservoirs.

The aim of this course is to take students to the frontier of petrophysics as currently practised and to allow them to develop specialisms that will enhance their future careers. By the end of this course students will understand: the limits of what is currently achievable using petrophysical interpretation; and the role of specialist petrophysics in either seismic interpretation, drilling, production technology, or fracture detection.  They should also have an understanding of possible future trends in petrophysics and formation evaluation.

The course aims (a) to develop professional skills to enhance students’ standing within the industry, and (b) to prepare them for their independent project by inculcating research skills and promoting independent thinking.  By the end of this course students will understand: the principles of effective communication and teamwork in a variety of settings; how the individual’s own professional ethics can influence company policy and the development of corporate social responsibility; how to analyse their own performance in a variety of settings; how to challenge received wisdom in a positive and respectful manner; how to plan and execute a research project.

The course will develop practical skills in clastic and carbonate sedimentology, stratigraphy, and diagenesis; it will show how sedimentological and stratigraphic knowledge is crucial in understanding the architecture of reservoirs, and is fundamental in making predictive models.  The origin and effects of reservoir fluids and subsequent diagenesis will also be covered.  The course includes components of structural geology, tectonics, organic geochemistry, and basin modelling.  It incorporates a 10-day field trip which gives students a chance to integrate all of the elements in the taught part of the course.  Currently this field trip is planned to the Wessex Basin, in Dorset.

The aim of this course is to teach a critical approach for evaluation and appraisal and the ability to carry this out as part of a diverse team.  The course is centred around a three-week group project in reservoir modelling, incorporating dynamic modelling and history matching.  This course will allow the development of the necessary skills to undertake the independent project.  Specific elements will also address: presentation and communication skills; standards of professional behaviour; work in different teams in pursuit of common goals; and how to design and execute a research project relevant to the hydrocarbon industry.

The aim of this course is to provide a structured method for researching various forms of materials and sources with a critical approach for evaluation and appraisal.  This course will allow the development of the necessary research skills required to undertake the independent project.  Other skills developed include CV preparation, interview practice and group working techniques. 

This course introduces financial laws attached to petroleum exploration and exploitation with respect to the UK, alongside an introduction to international law and regulatory frameworks.

Modern seismology is wide-ranging and encompasses topics such as earthquake and tsunami hazard, the structure and dynamics of the Earth and other terrestrial planets, exploration for hydrocarbon and minerals, monitoring of micro-seismicity for a variety of purposes (carbon sequestration, induced fracturing and aftershock surveys) and even ocean circulation and weather variations. This course will teach the fundamentals of modern seismology, from exploration to the solid Earth, and will include a component on seismic imaging, which is the premier tool for illuminating Earth structure from small to large scales.

The student will be trained on the most important essentials of reflection seismics: The theory of seismic waves and their application to data processing both in pre-stack (CMP processing, velocity analysis, stacking, migration) and post-stack environments. Practical exercises involving processing of seismic reflection data will form a significant part of the course with the aim of familiarising students with the key software packages.

Borehole Geophysics provides critically important information about the subsurface through well logging and core analysis. This course will cover the fundamentals of Petrophysics and its use in the analysis of cores and geophysical well logs for reservoir characterisation and hydrocarbon assessment.

This module is takes students to the boundaries of applied geophysics with content drawn from four areas that are currently the focus of much academic research and which also garner much attention in the media:

1. Potential field theory and applications [gravity and magnetic];
   
2. Electrical/electromagnetic methods and applications, including ground penetrating radar [GPR];
   
3. Geophysical hazards; and
   
4. Engineering/environmental geophysics. This module is important as it opens up career paths to graduates outwith the resource industries. The balance between the four topics may shift from year to year in response to changing patterns of research and changing employer demand.
   

In the final project you are expected to undertake and complete a study of a problem applicable to the petroleum industry. The project is an extended, independent, self-directed, piece of practical work integrating and reinforcing the material taught on the course, and giving a detailed insight into the demands of, and ways of working in the hydrocarbon industry. The project forms the major part of the IPG’s employability strategy.

The aims of this course are:

1. to provide an opportunity to study large-scale examples of a wide spectrum of reservoir phenomena, and to evaluate them in the context of petroleum engineering and cognate areas of petroleum geoscience within the economic context of the hydrocarbon industry; and

2. to undertake and complete the study of a problem applicable to the petroleum industry.  The project is an extended, independent, self-directed, piece of practical work integrating and reinforcing the material taught on the course, and giving a detailed insight into the demands of, and ways of working in the hydrocarbon industry.

This course provides the student an opportunity to design and execute the workflow of the data treatment (including in exceptional cases the possible of acquisition), processing, analysis and modelling, and interpretation of a geophysical dataset in the context of Earth structure or processes and/or exploration goals relevant to resource industries. The project is an extended, independent, self-directed, piece of practical work integrating and reinforcing the material taught on the course, and giving a detailed insight into the demands of, and ways of working in academia or industry.

In the final project students are undertake a study of a problem applicable to the use of petrophysics and formation evaluation in the petroleum industry.  The project is an extended, independent, self-directed, piece of practical work integrating and reinforcing material taught on the course, and giving a detailed insight into the demands of, and ways of working in the hydrocarbon industry.  Projects are constructed around a current problem a company is facing.  These projects involve original research, and have not been worked on before.  Students will be expected to work on their projects in the offices of their employers.

The project is an extended, independent, self-directed, piece of practical work integrating and reinforcing the material taught on the course, and giving a detailed insight into the demands of, and ways of working in the oil and gas industry.