An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Development Geology
Applying Geology to Field Development Decisions
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,000
Starting From
20 Dec 2027
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Development Geology
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Development Geology - GG-DEV-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-DEV-PEA27 | 20 - 24 Dec 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
3000 |
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Development Geology
This training covers development geology from appraisal through field life. It works through the development geologist's role and decisions, reservoir architecture for development, well and target selection, drainage and connectivity, reserves and recovery, infill and redevelopment, surveillance and model updating, and the delivery of geological input to development decisions.
Description
Development geology is the application of geology to decisions about wells, drainage and recovery. It is distinct from exploration geology in that the reservoir is known to exist and the question is how to produce it, and distinct from reservoir engineering in that the reasoning starts from rock architecture rather than from flow equations. The development geologist decides what the reservoir looks like between the wells, and that judgement sets well locations, completion intervals, drainage expectations and ultimately recovery.
This training covers the discipline as practised. The development geologist's role and decisions are established first, covering what the position actually delivers and how it fits with engineering and management. Reservoir architecture for development follows, covering the architectural features that matter for drainage and the evidence for them. Well and target selection are then developed in detail, covering target definition, geological risk at the well location, trajectory design and the geological basis for completion intervals. Drainage and connectivity follow, covering the geological controls on sweep and the identification of unswept volume. Reserves and recovery are then addressed, covering the geological contribution to recovery factor. Infill and redevelopment follow, covering mature field opportunity identification. Surveillance and model updating are then developed as the continuous loop of the discipline. The training closes with delivery of geological input to decisions.
A development well is drilled on a geological prediction and the prediction is testable within weeks. The target is defined by an expected depth, an expected thickness, an expected facies and an expected property set, all predicted from offset wells and seismic. The well either confirms them or does not, and the difference is immediate feedback on the quality of the geological reasoning. Few disciplines get such direct and rapid verification, and the development geologist who records the prediction before drilling and compares it afterwards improves considerably faster than one who does not.
Recovery factor is mostly a geological number. Drive mechanism and development concept set the broad range, but within that range the recovery depends on connectivity, on the continuity of barriers, on permeability contrast, on the fraction of the reservoir a given well pattern can reach and on whether injected fluid sweeps the oil or bypasses it. Every one of those is architecture. A field with the same fluids, the same pressure and the same well count can recover twenty per cent or fifty per cent depending on how the rock is arranged.
Unswept volume in a mature field is identified geologically. Production and pressure data indicate that volume remains and roughly where, but the specific location of bypassed oil depends on which compartments were never penetrated, which thin layers were never perforated, which attic volumes sit above the highest completion and which low permeability intervals never contributed. Finding these requires rereading the geology with the production history in hand, and is where most remaining value in mature fields sits.
Finally, the geological model must change as wells are drilled. Every new well is data, and the correlation, the facies prediction, the property distribution and the structural picture should be updated by it. Teams that treat the model as finished after the development plan is approved progressively diverge from reality, and discover the divergence when a well misses. Teams that update after every well keep their predictive capability current, which is what the position exists to provide.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Define the development geologist's contribution to field development decisions
- Characterise reservoir architecture at the scale relevant to drainage
- Define and evaluate well targets and assess geological risk at the location
- Design well trajectories to meet geological objectives
- Specify completion intervals on a geological basis
- Identify the geological controls on sweep and connectivity
- Locate unswept volume in producing fields
- Assess the geological contribution to recovery factor
- Identify and rank infill and redevelopment opportunities
- Update models from new wells and surveillance data
The training works through field development case studies from appraisal to mature production. Participants define well targets and record pre-drill predictions, then compare against the actual results supplied afterwards. Production and pressure data are used to locate unswept volume and generate infill proposals, which are then defended on technical grounds. Models are updated from new well data and the effect on development decisions assessed.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Improve development well success and target delivery
- Base completion decisions on reservoir architecture
- Identify unswept volume and infill opportunities systematically
- Improve recovery factor estimation and its geological basis
- Keep reservoir models current through field life
- Strengthen the geological contribution to development decisions
Participants will:
- Define and justify well targets
- Predict reservoir properties at proposed locations
- Interpret production data geologically
- Identify remaining opportunity in mature fields
- Work effectively with reservoir and drilling engineers
- Perform competently as a development geologist
- Development and production geologists
- Reservoir geologists moving into development roles
- Reservoir engineers working with development geology
- Petrophysicists supporting development
- Subsurface team leaders
- Exploration geoscientists transferring to development
- Graduate geoscientists entering asset teams
Module 1 - The Development Geologist's Role
- Development geology against exploration geology
- Decisions the development geologist supports
- Position within the asset team
- Working with reservoir engineering
- Working with drilling and completions
- Deliverables and their standards
- Field life stages and changing emphasis
- Appraisal to development transition
- Mature field roles
- Accountability for predictions
- Building credibility through verification
Module 2 - Reservoir Architecture for Development
- Architecture at the drainage scale
- Reservoir geometry and extent
- Internal layering and its continuity
- Barriers, baffles and their continuity
- Vertical and lateral permeability contrast
- Depositional architecture by system type
- Faults and their drainage significance
- Fractures and their flow contribution
- Diagenetic heterogeneity
- Evidence for architecture from wells and seismic
- Analogue use in architecture prediction
- Documenting the architectural model
Module 3 - Well and Target Selection
- Target definition and its specification
- Expected depth, thickness and properties
- Pre-drill prediction documentation
- Geological risk at the location
- Structural position and its risks
- Facies prediction at the target
- Property prediction and its uncertainty
- Target ranking and selection
- Trajectory design for geological objectives
- Horizontal and deviated well targets
- Drilling hazards of geological origin
- Post-drill comparison and learning
Module 4 - Completions and Perforation Strategy
- Geological basis for completion intervals
- Net pay and completion interval relationship
- Perforating across permeability contrast
- Avoiding water and gas bearing intervals
- Standoff from contacts
- Coning and cresting risk
- Zonal isolation requirements
- Selective completion for later intervals
- Horizontal well completion segmentation
- Geological input to stimulation design
- Completion review against production results
Module 5 - Drainage and Connectivity
- Drainage area and its geological controls
- Connectivity between wells
- Pressure data as connectivity evidence
- Interference and tracer testing
- Static against dynamic connectivity
- Baffle effects on drainage timing
- Sweep efficiency and its controls
- Permeability contrast and bypassing
- Gravity and viscous force balance
- Injection pattern and geological constraints
- Water and gas breakthrough prediction
- Diagnosing unexpected drainage behaviour
Module 6 - Reserves and Recovery
- In-place volume estimation for development
- Geological contribution to recovery factor
- Recovery factor by drive mechanism and architecture
- Analogue recovery factors and their use
- Reserves definitions in outline
- Reserves categories and geological support
- Booking requirements and their evidence
- Reserves revisions and their causes
- Contingent resources in development
- Production forecasting input from geology
- Documenting the geological basis for reserves
Module 7 - Infill and Redevelopment
- Mature field opportunity types
- Unswept volume identification
- Bypassed compartments
- Unperforated and behind-casing intervals
- Attic and cellar oil
- Low permeability contribution
- Infill well location selection
- Infill drainage overlap assessment
- Sidetrack and re-entry opportunities
- Water and gas shutoff candidates
- Redevelopment concept screening
- Ranking opportunities for value
Module 8 - Surveillance and Model Updating
- Surveillance data types and their use
- Production allocation and its geological reading
- Production logging interpretation
- Pressure surveillance and its interpretation
- 4D seismic for surveillance
- Tracer and interference results
- New well data integration
- Updating correlation and framework
- Updating property distribution
- Updating the model after each well
- Diagnosing prediction failures
- Maintaining predictive capability through field life
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
