Digging deep

After taking over presidency of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Laurence Lines tells O&G how he thinks energy companies to source new oil in the next decade.

O&G. What do you hope to achieve as president of SEG and how do you plan to achieve it?
Lawrence Lines. I believe that the SEG’s top priority should be to reach every member with its publications (online or hard copy), continuing education, website services and regional meetings.  We plan to achieve the first three goals through coordination of SEG Online, publications and continuing education departments.  Our regional meetings are effectively planned through the collaborative efforts of our Tulsa staff and the SEG Committees.

O&G. Maximising the potential of existing oil fields is as much of a challenge as discovering new sources of oil. How can seismic surveying techniques be used to drive more efficient extraction?
LL. I believe that the secret lies in the integration of time-lapse, or 4-D, seismology with petrophysics and reservoir simulation.  Time-lapse seismology must address the issues of survey repeatability in producing oil fields in order to detect subtle reservoir changes during production.

O&G. In your opinion, what role does geophysical technology have to play in improving exploration risk rates and reducing costs within unconventional resources, such as oil shale?
LL. We must first understand the detectability and resolution of unconventional resource anomalies through rock physics and modeling.  Then, we must design our seismic surveys to delineate targets.  Finally we must carefully process and interpret these seismic surveys.  In addition to seismic surveys, there may be promise from controlled-source electromagnetic methods (CSEM) for fluid detection.

O&G. Drilling in remote and hostile environments presents many challenges throughout an operation. What are the particular challenges of seismic surveying in these environments? And, how are these challenges best tackled?
LL. The seismic contractors continue to invent ingenious methods of deploying sources and receivers for remote and hostile environments.  It would seem that portable sources and cableless receiver systems will play a big role in areas where access by conventional systems is limited.

O&G. Which technologies do you believe have the potential to revolutionise geophysics within the oil and gas industry? And which technologies are you most excited about?
LL. In seismic recording, we see the advancement of light, inexpensive, portable cableless receiver systems.  Additionally, CSEM may provide methods for fluid detection which can nicely complement time-lapse seismology.  Improvements in high-resolution magnetics and airborne gravity may allow for reconnaissance of basins.  I am personally excited about the possibilities of parallel computer architectures for  depth imaging with the complete wave equation.

O&G. What do you think the industry will be capable of, in say five and 10 years?
LL. I believe that we will see the development of complete petroleum reservoir characterisation – which will include the integration of geological, geophysical and reservoir production data.  This will provide the key to enhanced oil recovery.

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes the science of geophysics and the education of applied geophysicists. SEG, founded in 1930, fosters the expert and ethical practice of geophysics in the exploration and development of natural resources, in characterising the near surface, and in mitigating earth hazards. The society, which has more than 29 000 members in 129 countries, fulfills its mission through its publications, conferences, forums, Web sites, and educational opportunities.