DoodleTrain 2023

October 10th 2022 – November 10th 2023

We will be offering a variety of full day and half day courses with a mix of online and in person instruction.

Course Title InstructorDates
   
Fundamentals  
1. Practical QILaurie WestonNov 20 & 21, 2023
2. Seismic Survey Field Operations: Data Quality, Efficiency, Cost-effectiveness,
and Lowering Environmental Impact
CANCELLED 
3. Carbon Capture and Storage with Carbon Management Canada Facility VisitMarie MacquetOct 18 & 19, 2023
4. Mitigating Uncertainty in Carbon Capture and Sequestration ProjectsCANCELLED 
Intermediate  
5. Introduction to AVO and Seismic InversionBrian RussellNov 6, 2023
6.Recent Sand ModelsLarry MeckelOct 30 – Nov 3, 2023
7. Sequence StratigraphyPer Kent PedersenOct 25 & 26, 2023
8. Seismic Geomorphology and Seismic Stratigraphy:
Extracting Geologic Insights from 3D Data
Henry W. PosamentierOct 10 & 11, 2023
Advanced  
9. Advanced Geothermal Development in Sedimentary BasinsCANCELLED 
10.Rock Physics Theory and AVO InversionBill Goodway & Marco PerezOct 12 & 13, 2023
11. Advanced Seismic ImagingSamuel GrayOct 30 & 31, 2023

1. Practical QI

Presented by Laurie Weston

Course Dates:

2 Full Days – 8:00 AM – 4:00PM MST

Tuesday, November 7th, 2023

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

Location: TBD

Course Level: Fundamentals

Target audience: Seismic interpreters (geophysicists and geologists)

Special Requirements: Sound QI software will be provided on workstations (if available) or student laptops.

This course will encompass all elements of quantitative seismic interpretation, including assessing key data inputs (such as well information and pre-stack seismic data), covering key aspects of AVO, inversion and mathematical attributes, how machine learning provides ‘smart’ attributes, and, most importantly, how to combine all the elements into a coherent interpretation of geology. Participants will gain an understanding of why, how, when, and to what extent QI should be used to add value in an exploration or development environment for any subsurface imaging objective.

Topics covered include log and seismic data inputs and conditioning, rock physics modeling, AVO, inversion (all types), rock type classification, and, if time permits, an overview of advanced topics such as multicomponent data, time-lapse data, microseismic, and VSP’s, all in the context of contributing to an effective QI workflow.

Laurie Weston is the President and CEO of Sound QI Solutions Ltd., a Calgary-based QI consulting and software company she founded in 2007. Originally a physics/astronomy graduate from the University of Victoria, B. C., Canada, Laurie started her oil and gas career with Shell Canada doing seismic processing and interpretation in the central plains area of Alberta. Seeking adventure and travel, she took a position with LASMO plc in London, to work on various European, North African, and Middle East exploration projects. She later returned to Canada and began her consulting career, initially with short term interpretation contracts for a variety of companies. As her interest in the early days of QI grew, she started her own company to explore and contribute to this fascinating field.

Since then, Laurie has been ‘practicing’ QI for over 15 years – the latter half of her career as a geophysicist in the oil and gas business. Through her interpretation experience in many basins around the world, she is well aware of the combination of hard data, imagination, creativity, and collaboration that is necessary to be an effective and successful member of an exploration or development team, regardless of background. Laurie’s education in physics and astronomy, and her early career as a seismic processor have given her a respect (and healthy skepticism) of data and data analysis. The integration of all these aspects is her objective in the application of QI workflows.

Laurie has received numerous awards and honors for her work and presentations, including being selected as the 2017 CSEG Distinguished Lecturer. She has presented this course multiple times for the CSEG Doodletrain.

Laurie is an SEG, EAGE, and AAPG member, and an honorary lifetime member of the CSEG.

2. CANCELLED – Seismic Survey Field Operations: Data Quality, Efficiency, Cost-effectiveness, and Lowering Environmental Impact

Presented by Andrea Crook, Mostafa Naghizadeh, Michael Hons, David Simmons

Course Dates:

2 Full Days – 8:00 AM – 4:00PM MST

Monday, October 23rd, 2023

Tuesday, October 24th, 2023

Location: TBD

Course Level: Fundamentals

Target audience: Anyone interested in what actually happens between selecting geometry parameters and raw field data being delivered to a processor: geophysicists, geologists, engineers, technologists, managers, procurement personnel, students, etc. No knowledge of seismic acquisition or geophysics is required.

Special Requirements: Please bring a laptop or ensure they have a calculator to complete simple comparisons. If students are interested, OptiSeis will provide software and a demo project to help visualize field operations and equipment movement, but this is not necessary for completing course work.

This course will begin with the assumption that seismic acquisition geometry parameters have been selected and will cover what happens from this point onward until the data arrives at the processor. This includes preparation for government approvals, permitting, sending out bid requests, bid reviews including bid normalization, selecting acquisition contractors, contractor readiness, and field operations. The field operations will cover various types of seismic acquisition programs (e.g., explosive vs. Vibroseis, cabled vs. nodal, etc.) and will review important considerations when operating in different terrains (open farmland vs. forested, when heli-portable operations are required, etc.). Each aspect of field operations will be highlighted starting with front end (exclusion mapping, line clearing, surveying, and drilling) followed by recording (layout of equipment, efficiently moving equipment through the field, harvesting data). Additional topics will include considerations for acquiring high density Vibroseis programs and reducing the environmental impact of seismic acquisition. Participants will leave with a good understanding of program timelines, the amount and type of work involved, what input data is required for successful completion, and what output datasets are generated and should be archived.

Andrea is the co-founder & CEO of OptiSeis Solutions Ltd., where she leads a team focused on innovation and operational excellence, and has helped develop EcoSeis, a method for achieving a 50% land footprint reduction while safely acquiring high-quality subsurface data. At OptiSeis, she oversees advancements in geophysical research, seismic acquisition design, operations, processing QC, and interpretation services, as well as software development. Andrea graduated from the University of Manitoba with a B.Sc. Honours in geophysics and continues to engage academically by acting as an instructor for the CSEG & the SEG, as well as actively contributing to the field of geophysics with numerous award-winning papers and presentations. Andrea is the recipient of the 2019 Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists Technical Achievement Award and is the Society’s 2023 Symposium Honouree, and she also sits on the Board of Directors for the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN). Andrea’s extensive geophysical experience in seismic processing and geophysical operations was established at Shell Canada and Boyd PetroSearch where she designed, planned, and executed numerous 2D, 3D, 4D, and VSP land and marine seismic programs for both oil and gas and potash exploration and development. Throughout her career she has focused on methods for improving subsurface resolution while maintaining data quality, reducing land footprint and cost, and enabling safe field operations. She has a special interest in innovative acquisition technologies and has helped numerous client test and validate seismic geometries, sensors, sources, and acquisition methods.

Mostafa graduated from the University of Alberta with a Ph.D. in Geophysics, specializing in complex seismic interpolation algorithms, and completed postdoc research at CREWES and SAIG before working as a Processing Geophysicist at Shell Canada. From 2017 to 2021, Mostafa was an Assistant Professor of Exploration Geophysics at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Canada, where he oversaw the acquisition and processing of seismic reflection surveys for the Metal Earth project, which is focused on conducting and promoting cutting-edge, field-based, collaborative research on mineral deposits and their environments. Mostafa joined OptiSeis in 2021 to conduct seismic acquisition research on reducing the environmental impact of field operations as part of OptiSeis’ EcoSeis project, and to promote environmentally friendly seismic exploration methods for mineral exploration. Additionally, Mostafa has continued as a Research Associate with Metal Earth and currently advises and presents results from ongoing research.

Michael graduated from the University of Calgary with a M.Sc. in Geophysics with the CREWES consortium in 2008 where he conducted extensive acquisition tests on various types of geophones and nodes. He joined ExxonMobil in Houston as a geophysical acquisition specialist and moved to Imperial in 2014. In these roles, he was responsible for a wide variety of marine and land 2D/3D/4D seismic programs as well as passive and microseismic projects in basins around the world. In 2021 he co-founded 5D Integrated, which was purchased by OptiSeis in 2022, to pursue advanced seismic acquisition concepts. He has designed and evaluated dozens of seismic parameter test programs, with interests in seismic acquisition equipment, effective positioning methods, and minimum data requirements for seismic processing. His current focuses include optimization of geophones/nodes and miniaturized sources for dispersed arrays and methods for improving the operations efficiency of seismic acquisition while reducing the environmental impact.

David’s career in seismic acquisition spans almost 20 years and includes both hands-on seismic field work and extensive seismic operations oversight at multiple companies. He progressed through the industry from Drill Push to HSE Coordinator, HSE Manager, and Project Management for both recording and front-end (line clearing, surveying, drilling) operations. This led to contracting field management services at Encana and Cenovus, followed by a permanent role with Imperial Oil as Geophysical Project Lead for Imperial’s Canadian Land Division. In this role, he facilitated all contractor management, costing, project initialization, project execution and field oversight. David holds accreditation in SFOS (ENFORM), Field Supervision and executable planning (ExxonMobil), Risk analysis and Mitigation (ExxonMobil), Tap root investigation and Operational Management Systems (OH&S / Integrity Structures). He currently holds over 1400+ field days in Geophysical operations and has an in-depth knowledge of all Geophysical regulations, disciplines, and processes.

3. Carbon Capture and Storage with Carbon Management Canada Facility Visit

Presented by Marie Macquet, Don Lawton, Brendan Kolkman-Quinn, Hamid Behmanesh and CMC Team Members

Course Dates:

1 Full Day and 1 Full Day Field Trip

Wednesday, October 18th, 2023 –8:00 AM – 4:00 PM MST

Thursday, October 19th, 2023– 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM MST (approx.)

Location: TBD

Course Level: Fundamentals

Target audience: This course is directed to Geoscientists and Engineers who would like to learn the fundamentals of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) and the role that geophysics plays in the verification of secure, long-term storage of CO2 in the subsurface.

Special Requirements: A Google colaboratory account will be required. It is free (need a gmail account): https://colab.research.google.com/

Climate change is now recognized as a global threat and rising global temperatures are attributed by climate scientists to increasing levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. In particular, emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the combustion of fossil fuels as well as from other industrial sources are considered to be major contributors to climate change. Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) includes a range of technologies that can significantly reduce emissions of CO2 during the energy transition to low or zero-emitting energy sources. Carbon capture consists of the separation of CO2 from flue gases at large stationary emitters such as power stations, petroleum upgraders, steel and fertilizer plants, or even captured directly from the air. The captured CO2 can be converted to useful products, such as fuels and carbon fibre, as additives to other products such as cement, or utilized for enhanced oil recovery with a reduced carbon intensity of the produced oil. However, the greatest reduction in emissions that can be achieved in the short to intermediate timeframe is the geological storage of CO2. In this process, CO2 is injected into deep saline formations, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, and even mine tailings that can securely store the CO2 permanently. Canada is very well positioned for CO2 storage at a large scale due to its geology and technical expertise.

Key technical requirements for CO2 storage projects are injectivity, secure containment and conformance of the CO2, and the storage capacity of the injection reservoir; all of which include geophysical surveys for either baseline or time-lapse monitoring. We will review the steps necessary for having a successful CO2 storage project, with an emphasis on the role of geophysics to achieve it. The course will be illustrated with examples from the Carbon Management Canada (CMC) Newell County Facility. The site was developed in the South-East of Alberta by CMC and the University of Calgary, to develop and assess monitoring technologies for CO2 leakage detection. The second day will be a visit of the site.

Marie Macquet is the subsurface research and project delivery manager at Carbon Management Canada (CMC). She graduated with her Ph.D. in geophysics in 2014 from ISTerre laboratory, University Joseph Fourier (Grenoble, France). In 2016, she started with CREWES (University of Calgary) and CMC and began focusing on the geophysical monitoring of the subsurface applied to CO2 sequestration. Her focus is the use of passive seismic and electrical resistivity tomography to monitor carbon storage.

 

4. CANCELLED- Mitigating Uncertainty in Carbon Capture and Sequestration Projects

Presented by John Duhault

Course Dates: 2 Full Days

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023 –8:00 AM – 4:00 PM MST

Thursday, November 2nd, 2023- 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM MST

Location: TBD

Course Level: Fundamentals/Intermediate

Target audience: Early career to experienced geoscientists, engineers and CCS project planners.

Special Requirements: None

The course will introduce geological concepts and geophysical applications typically involved in CCS projects. Using the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Best practices as a guideline, the course follows the life cycle of a CCS project from concept to abandonment. The course will use case histories to illustrate the geological setting or geophysical application needed to solve the CCS project’s concerns.

The case histories clearly illustrate where integrated geological, geophysical, engineering, and legal data are critical to the project’s success.

John Duhault is an “Interpreter Uncertainity-Mitigator Trainer” geoscientist with over 44 years of industry experience, including over 50,000 hours as a geoscience interpreter in Canada and internationally. Know as “The Sage,” he is passionate about teaching the business value of integrated geophysics through the “storytelling” of case histories. He has presented papers in North America, Europe, and New Zealand.

Mr. Duhault is the President of Starbird Enterprises, a consulting and training company. He specializes in geophysical interpretation for conventional exploration (Onshore and offshore), unconventional resource plays, CCS and wastewater injection projects. He has been a subject matter expert in acquisition and structural geophysics. He loves to teach “Rock Stories” to elementary school students.

Mr. Duhault is a Past President of the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (CSEG) and is currently the Vice-Chair of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG).

He graduated from the University of Manitoba with a BSc in Geological Engineering and is a member of APEGA, CSEG, SEG, CSPG, and SPE.

5.Introduction to AVO and Seismic Inversion

Presented by Brian Russell

Course Date:

1 Full Day – 8:00 AM – 4:00PM MST

Monday, November 6th, 2023

Location: TBD

Course Level: Intermediate

Target audience: Exploration Geoscientists

Special Requirements: None

The topics of seismic inversion and AVO (Amplitude Variations with Offset) have a long and interesting history in seismic analysis and interpretation. The two topics are now grouped under the term QI, which stands for Quantitative Interpretation. Their history dates to the 1960’s when post-stack inversion, which transforms stacked seismic amplitudes into acoustic impedance, was first developed. In the 1980’s, we discovered that pre-stack amplitudes could be used to infer fluid properties of the reservoir and this led to the development of AVO analysis, which simply fits a curve to the seismic amplitudes. The equations governing AVO were then extended to inversion, and the pre-stack inversion technique was developed to extract acoustic impedance, shear impedance and density from the pre-stack gathers.

In this course, I will describe the theory of post-stack inversion, AVO analysis, and pre-stack inversion, and will illustrate these techniques using both a simple numerical example, and real data examples from around the world. Before discussing these inverse techniques, I will introduce the topic of rock physics, which will set the groundwork (and the basic geological models) for our study of inversion. Although the primary focus will be on deterministic inversion, in the final sections of the course I will discuss more advanced techniques like stochastic inversion and inversion using machine learning.

Brian started his geophysical career with Chevron in Calgary as an exploration geophysicist in 1975 and subsequently worked Chevron Geosciences in Houston and for Teknica Resource Development and Veritas Seismic in Calgary before co-founding HampsonRussell Software with Dan Hampson in 1987. HampsonRussell is now a subsidiary of GeoSoftware, where Brian is Vice President, GeoSoftware.

Brian is involved in the research of new AVO, rock physics, inversion and Machine Learning techniques as well as giving presentations on seismic theory and software throughout the world. He is a Past-President of both the SEG and CSEG and has received Honorary Membership from both societies, as well as the Cecil Green Enterprise Award from SEG (jointly with Dan Hampson) and the 1999 CSEG Medal. Brian holds a B.Sc. from the University of Saskatchewan, a M.Sc. from Durham University, U.K., and a Ph.D. from the University of Calgary, all in geophysics, and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Calgary and registered as a Professional Geophysicist (P. Geoph.) in Alberta.

6. Recent Sand Models

Presented by Larry Meckel

Course Dates:

5 Half Days – 8:00 AM – 12:00PM MST

Monday, October 30th, 2023 through to

Friday, November 3rd, 2023

Location: Zoom

Course Level: Intermediate

Target audience: Any earth scientist that deals with clastic reservoirs; exploration, field development and enhanced recovery.

Special Requirements: None

The prime focus of this 2-day course is to use the Recent and Late Pleistocene – a classic high stand-low stand combination – to develop the basic clastic depositional models for all the various reservoir types we explore for and develop. This course will develop the depositional models for 19 clastic reservoirs, virtually all that you will ever explore for or develop as a field.  For each reservoir, we will start by looking at the depositional processes, core and log signatures, and reservoir geometries in the recent and apply these observations to both outstanding outcrops and then the subsurface using logs, maps, and where available good seismic.
1.Review the PROCESSES that control sediment movement and deposition in that environment.
2.Study the resulting DEPOSITIONAL RECORD from continuous cores through the reservoirs and GEOMETRIES characteristics of each unit.
3.Document the LOG RESPONSES using the actual logs run in the modern sands.
4.Establish the FACIES and SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC CONTEXT for each unit.
5.Translate these observations to applications in the SUBSURFACE with emphasis on TRAP TYPES and SEISMIC SIGNATURES.
Alluvial Fan
Meandering
Braided (includes Incised Valleys)
Estuary
Transgressive (coastal and offshore)
Shallow Marine Shelf
Wave Dominated
Tide Dominated
Special Case: Shelf Margin Deltas
Submarine Fans
The course will summarize the vast amount of information available for each reservoir system and provide the “ground truth” that can be used in the subsurface. For each reservoir type we will:
The reservoirs we will examine in detail are:
CONTINENTAL
Aeolian
CHANNELS
Straight
BARS
Coastal Regressive
DELTAS
River Dominated
DEEP WATER
Canyons

Larry Meckel is an oil and gas consultant in Denver, Colorado. He has over 50 years of exploration experience with Shell Oil Company, Shell Development Company, and his current consulting company.

He has worked unconventional tight petroleum systems (gas and oil) since 1974. In 1976 he was fortunate to be part of an exploration team that discovered the huge, unconventional Elmworth Field in western Canada. He has worked and is familiar with most the clastic reservoir units in Western Canada.

Early in his career he studied and documented modern depositional models in Recent environments for Shell Development. He has used this material virtually every day of his exploration career. This course, “Recent Sand Models”, brings all this material together for every major clastic reservoir we explore for (exploration level) and develop (production level).

He retired from Colorado School of Mines in May 2016 where he taught “Recent Sand Models” and “Unconventional Petroleum Systems” at the graduate level. He still teaches continuing education courses for OLLI at the University of Denver.

He received the AAPG’s highest award, the Sidney Powers Award, at the April 2017 Convention in Houston for his contributions to petroleum geology. Additionally, he received their Honorary Member Award in 2016 and their Distinguished Educator Award in 2011 for his teaching excellence.

He has a PhD from Johns Hopkins University and a BA from Rice University.

7. Sequence Stratigraphy

Presented by Per Kent Pedersen

Course Dates: 2 Half Days

Wednesday, October 25th, 2023 –8:00 AM – 12:00 PM MST

Thursday, October 26th, 2023– 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM MST

Location: Zoom

Course Level: Intermediate

Target audience: Geoscientist

Special Requirements: None

This course will focus on the use of sequence stratigraphic principles to predict reservoir distribution and lateral relationships of geobodies. No pre-knowledge of sequence stratigraphy is required, as a brief introduction to basic principles of sequence stratigraphy will be provided, including seismic stratigraphic methods, criteria for recognizing sequence stratigraphic surfaces and systems tracts, etc. Abundant case studies will demonstrate the application of sequence stratigraphic concepts to outcrop, core, well log and seismic data, with focus on how it improved identification of plays and field development.

Per Kent Pedersen obtained his Ph.D. in marine geology from Aarhus University, Denmark. His exploration while in industry and research over the last 20 years has focused on geologic reservoir characterization and petroleum systems of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. This spans from pore to basin scale of unconventional clastic reservoirs integrating core, well logs, outcrops, and seismic data. He is the geological lead in the Tight Oil Consortium and co-investigator in the Microseismic Industry Consortium. Per Kent Pedersen was an AAPG distinguished lecturer with presentations on light oil plays of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin and depositional processes of fine-grained clinoforms.

8. Seismic Geomorphology and Seismic Stratigraphy: Extracting Geological Insights from 3D Seismic Data

Presented by Henry W. Posamentier

Course Dates: 2 Full Days

Tuesday, October 10th, 2023 –8:00 AM – 4:00 PM MST

Wednesday, October 11th, 2023- 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM MST

Location: Online

Course Level: Intermediate

Target audience: Geologists and geophysicists – exploration and field development

Special Requirements: None

This course is designed to enhance interpretation skill sets with regard to geologic interpretation of seismic data. The overall objective is to present seismic interpretation methods and workflows for reducing risk with regard to prediction of lithology, reservoir compartmentalization, and stratigraphic trapping potential in exploration and production. In addition, correct identification of depositional settings provides necessary context to standard geophysical analyses.

Extended Course Description Available Here

Henry W. Posamentier is a worldwide consultant in seismic and sequence stratigraphy with a focus on lithofacies prediction risk issues. He was a Senior Geological Advisor with Chevron Energy Technology Company serving as a consultant to exploration and development business units on a wide range of geological issues, prior to retiring in 2014. Before Chevron, Dr. Posamentier served as Chief Geologist with Anadarko Petroleum and was a senior exploration and research advisor with ARCO and earlier with Exxon production Research Company. Dr. Posamentier has published widely with research interests in the fields of sequence stratigraphy, seismic stratigraphy and geomorphology, and depositional systems analysis, having been an early pioneer in the disciplines of sequence stratigraphy and seismic geomorphology. Most recently, he has employed an interdisciplinary approach to the prediction of lithofacies distribution through time and space by integrating stratigraphy, geomorphology, depositional systems analysis, and sequence stratigraphy, using 3D seismic visualization integrated with borehole data.

In 1971-1972, Dr. Posamentier was a Fulbright Fellow to Austria. He has served as an AAPG Distinguished Lecturer to the United States (1991-1992), an AAPG Distinguished Lecturer to the former Soviet Union (1996-1997), an AAPG Distinguished Lecturer to the Middle East (1998-1999), and an AAPG Distinguished Lecturer to Europe (2005-2006). In 2008 he was awarded the Pettijohn Medal for excellence in sedimentology from the Society for Sedimentary geology (SEPM), the William Smith Medal for contributions to applied and economic aspects of geology from the Geological Society of London in 2010, and the Robert Berg Award for Outstanding Petroleum Research from the AAPG in 2012

9. CANCELLED Advanced Geothermal Development in Sedimentary Basins

Presented by Dr. Catherine Hickson and Emily Smejkal

Course Dates:

2 Full Days – 8:00 AM – 4:00PM MST

Monday, October 16th, 2023

Tuesday, October 17th, 2023

Location: TBD

Course Level: Advanced

Target audience: Oil and gas professionals looking for advanced understanding of geothermal energy extraction and development in sedimentary basins

Special Requirements: Not required but advantageous for students to have access to geoSCOUT. A demonstration of how to extract geothermally relevant data will be given.

This course will focus on geothermal energy extraction and development in sedimentary basins, including regulatory aspects, co-production, green and brown field exploration, and emerging technologies. It will not focus on interpretation of geophysical data other than what geophysical information is helpful for green and brown field exploration and the potential for induced seismicity

Dr. Catherine Hickson has over 40 years’ experience in geothermal development ranging from scientist to technology expert to corporate executive. She has worked in multiple countries undertaking exploration and development projects ranging from low temperature sedimentary environments to high temperature volcanic systems. Her experience includes 25 years as a Research Scientist for the Canadian Government (Geological Survey of Canada). She is currently the president of Geothermal Canada as well as CEO of Alberta No.1. Alberta No. 1 is Alberta’s first conventional geothermal project taking place in the heart of Alberta’s most active hydrocarbon exploration and production region in the vicinity of Grande Prairie.

Emily is a professional geologist with over 10 years of experience in the Oil and Gas sector. Her work has been primarily with the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, where she spent the first portion of her career working on heavy oil deposits. There, she planned and executed drilling programs for both new and existing oil fields. While working on SAGD (steam assisted gravity drainage) heavy oil projects, Emily was a geologic specialist for both wellbore integrity and surface facility geochemistry projects. Over the past two years, she has transitioned her subsurface expertise to geothermal energy development and is currently working for Alberta No.1 and Terrapin Geothermics. She is currently secretary of Geothermal Canada.

10. Rock Physics Theory and AVO Inversion

Presented by Bill Goodway & Marco Perez

Course Dates: 2 Full Days

Thursday October 12th, 2023 –8:00 AM – 4:00 PM MST

Friday, October 13th, 2023– 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM MST

Location: TBD

Course Level: Advanced

Target audience: Users of Advanced Quantitative Interpretation technology

Special Requirements: None

This course will cover the theory and basis that underlies elastic AVO and seismic petrophysical Quantitative Interpretation. These methods follow from the elastic moduli (Lambda, Mu) involved in Hooke’s law and elastic wave propagation in reflection seismology, for both isotropic and anisotropic media.

Through a mix of theory, application and case studies, this course will show that by inverting pre-stack reflectivity to various elastic moduli in terms of incompressibility (Lambda) and shear rigidity (Mu), offers a new understanding into elastic wave propagation and reflection seismology i.e. wave equation based AVO, to quantifiably characterize hydrocarbon reservoirs. Concepts of seismic petrophysics and rock physics will be discussed in detail to enable simple to more complex workflows for conventional and unconventional reservoirs.

Integrating seismic reservoir characterization workflows with other geologic and engineering data will be a primary focus.
1. AVO basics
2. Processing – conditioning gathers beyond the imaging
3. The AVO equations
4. Inversion
5. Rock Physics
6. Anisotropy
7. Case Studies
8. Unconventional and Geomechanical Applications

Bill Goodway obtained a B.Sc. in Geology from University College London and a M.Sc. in Geophysics from University of Calgary. He began his career working for various seismic contractors in the United Kingdom and Canada. Then in 1985 he joined the geophysics department at PanCanadian Petroleum where he worked in various capacities from geophysicist to being the Team Lead of a Seismic Analysis Group.

Following the PanCanadian and AEC merger to form EnCana in 2002, Bill continued in the Frontier and New Ventures Group and finally in Canadian Gas Shales, as Advisor for Seismic Analysis.

Bill retired from EnCana in 2010 to join Apache Corporation as Manager Geophysics-Advisor Senior Staff. In these positions Bill was involved in virtually all aspects of applied seismic exploration from acquisition design, processing to experimental special projects and new quantitative interpretation (QI) AVO methods.

In 2016 Bill retired from Apache and in 2019 he joined Qeye as Scientific Advisor Quantitative Interpretation and AVO technology. In addition to this Bill is a sessional instructor in Geophysics at Mount Royal University in Calgary as well as an RPS course instructor for QI.

Bill has presented and co-authored a number of papers at CSEG, EAGE and SEG conventions on seismic acquisition and processing, borehole geophysics, anisotropy, multicomponent recording and QI/AVO.

He received four CSEG annual Best Paper Awards between 1994 and 1997, was awarded the CSEG Medal in 2007 and in 2009 was selected as the SEG’s Honorary Lecturer for North America.
The CSEG recognized Bill for his work as the honouree for the 2nd CSEG symposium in 2013 and in 2016 he was presented with the Reginald Fessenden Award by the SEG for his development and promotion of lambda-rho-mu inversion technology that has become a valuable exploration tool resulting in documented cases of improved drilling success.

 

 

11. Advanced Seismic Imaging

Presented by Samuel Gray

Course Dates: 2 Full Days

Monday, October 30th, 2023 –8:00 AM – 4:00 PM MST

Tuesday, October 31st, 2023- 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM MST

Location: TBD

Course Level: Advanced

Target audience: Processors and interpreters curious about seismic-wave principles; grad students in math, physics or geophysics; university faculty in math, physics or geophysics

Special Requirements: None

We will investigate several of the principles of wave propagation that form the basis of seismic imaging theory. These include Huygens’ Principle, the Born approximation, Green’s theorem, the principle of stationary phase, and others. We will see how these principles relate to the forward and backward propagation of seismic wavefields, and how they combine with an imaging principle to produce seismic migration. The principles will be explained pictorially; we will use math as little as possible but as much as necessary. Also, if time permits, we will investigate special topics such as resolution, least-squares migration, migration of multiples and more. The course will be highly interactive, with lots of questions and discussion items for the class.

Samuel Gray received a PhD in mathematics from the University of Denver in 1978, and spent most of his career developing and implementing seismic processing, imaging and velocity estimation methods. He worked at Amoco’s Research lab in Tulsa, OK before transferring to Amoco Canada in 1994. He moved to Veritas (now CGG) when BP acquired Amoco in 1999. He has won Best Paper awards in Geophysics, the Leading Edge, CSEG Recorder and SEG and CSEG Conventions, and he was the SEG Distinguished Lecturer in 2012. He won the SEG’s Reginald Fessenden Award in 2010 and he was awarded the Maurice Ewing Medal by the SEG in 2017.