Carbonate Reservoirs and Carbonate Sequence Stratigraphy
Duration: 5 Days
Target Audience: Geologists, Reservoir Engineers, Stratigraphers, Geoscience Graduates
Delivery Mode: Classroom or Virtual with Practical Exercises on Cores, Logs, and Seismic
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Course Overview
This intensive course provides a comprehensive understanding of carbonate depositional environments, reservoir properties, and sequence stratigraphy applied to carbonate systems. Participants will learn to recognize carbonate facies, interpret diagenetic overprints, and build sequence stratigraphic frameworks for exploration and development.
Hands-on sessions will focus on real datasets from carbonate fields, integrating core, well logs, and seismic data to develop predictive models for reservoir distribution and quality.
Day-by-Day Outline
Day 1 – Carbonate Depositional Systems
- Overview of carbonate-producing organisms and fabrics
- Carbonate environments: ramps, platforms, reefs, isolated buildups
- Carbonate factory concepts: warm/tropical vs. cool-water
- Facies belts and depositional models
- Exercise: Interpreting depositional facies in core photos
Day 2 – Carbonate Diagenesis and Reservoir Properties
- Diagenetic processes: cementation, dissolution, dolomitization, karstification
- Diagenetic facies and reservoir heterogeneity
- Types of porosity in carbonates: interparticle, vuggy, moldic, fracture
- Relationships between diagenesis, pore systems, and permeability
- Exercise: Porosity type identification and impact on reservoir quality
Day 3 – Fundamentals of Carbonate Sequence Stratigraphy
- Concepts of accommodation space and relative sea-level change in carbonates
- Recognition of key sequence stratigraphic surfaces: maximum flooding, exposure surfaces
- Systems tracts in carbonates: HST, TST, LST
- Stacking patterns and cycle sets
- Exercise: Cycle and sequence identification on carbonate cores and logs
Day 4 – Integrating Carbonate Sequence Stratigraphy with Subsurface Data
- Well log expression of carbonate sequences
- Seismic stratigraphy in carbonate platforms: reflection geometries, onlap, downlap
- Wheeler diagrams and time-slice interpretation
- Correlating carbonate sequences regionally
- Exercise: Sequence correlation between multiple wells
Day 5 – Applied Case Studies and Modeling
- Case studies from major carbonate provinces (Middle East, North Africa)
- Predicting reservoir architecture using sequence stratigraphy
- Zonation for static and dynamic reservoir modeling
- Impact of sequence stratigraphy on production strategies
- Capstone Workshop: Build a carbonate sequence model from provided datasets and present interpretation
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Classify carbonate depositional environments and associated facies
- Identify and interpret diagenetic features affecting reservoir quality
- Apply sequence stratigraphic concepts to carbonate reservoirs
- Integrate core, log, and seismic data to build predictive carbonate models
- Support exploration and development planning with sequence-based reservoir frameworks
Customizable Add-ons
Tailored content for local geology (e.g. Nile Delta, Western Desert)
Lab visit or simulation hands-on demo
Integration with economics or production courses
Special Customization for Regional NOCs
- Includes legal and fiscal case examples from MENA (Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Algeria)
- Arabic-English bilingual delivery available
- Tailored licensing round simulation exercises
- Optional site visits to local oilfields or regulatory agencies
Trainer Profile
- Senior reservoir and exploration engineers from IOCs and NOCs
- Former advisors to government ministries
- Experts in petroleum contracts and economic modeling
Certification
Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion and a performance report including assessment outcomes and instructor feedback.
|
