An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Mapping & Interpreting Deepwater Reservoirs
Mapping and Interpreting Deepwater Reservoir Systems
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,500
Starting From
18 Oct 2027
Home Geology and Geoscience Mapping & Interpreting Deepwater Reservoirs
Mapping & Interpreting Deepwater Reservoirs
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Mapping & Interpreting Deepwater Reservoirs - GG-MDEEP-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-MDEEP-PEA27 | 18 - 22 Oct 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
3500 |
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Mapping & Interpreting Deepwater Reservoirs
This training covers the mapping and interpretation of deepwater reservoirs. It works through deepwater depositional processes, architectural element recognition, confinement and its effects, correlation in turbidite successions, channel and lobe mapping, amalgamation and connectivity, seismic geomorphology, drape and barrier distribution, analogue dimension application and the validation of deepwater reservoir maps.
Description
Deepwater reservoirs are built from channels, lobes, levees, mass transport deposits and the fine-grained drapes between them, arranged in geometries that depend on the degree of confinement and the sediment supply. The productive sand bodies are often excellent quality and their connectivity is frequently poor, which makes the architecture rather than the rock properties the main control on recovery. Mapping them means mapping architectural elements, not contouring sand thickness.
This training covers deepwater mapping. Deepwater depositional processes are established first, covering the flow types and the deposits each produces. Architectural element recognition follows, covering the identification of channels, lobes, levees and mass transport deposits from wells and seismic. Confinement and its effects are then developed, covering the systematic differences between confined and unconfined systems. Correlation in turbidite successions follows. Channel and lobe mapping are then addressed. Amalgamation and connectivity follow. Seismic geomorphology is then developed, since deepwater systems are among the best imaged in the subsurface. Drape and barrier distribution follows. Analogue dimension application is addressed. The training closes with validation.
Confinement controls the architecture and therefore the connectivity. A system confined within a slope valley or a minibasin stacks its deposits vertically, amalgamating channels and producing high net to gross with good vertical connectivity. An unconfined system on an open slope spreads laterally, producing isolated lobes and channels separated by fine-grained deposits with poor connectivity. The same sediment supply therefore produces reservoirs with very different behaviour, and establishing the degree of confinement is the first interpretive step.
Hemipelagic drapes are thin, continuous and the main barriers. Between depositional events, fine sediment settles across the whole system, producing mudstone layers that may be only centimetres thick and are laterally extensive over the entire fan. These drapes separate stacked lobes and channel storeys, and they are the reason a thick amalgamated sand package may behave as several separate flow units. They are at or below log resolution and are frequently absent from models, which is one reason deepwater models over-connect.
Deepwater systems image well in seismic and the plan view geometry is directly observable. Channel sinuosity, lobe outlines, levee geometry, mass transport deposits and the overall fan shape are visible in amplitude extractions and horizon slices in a way that no other depositional system matches. This is a substantial advantage: the body geometry that has to be inferred from analogues in a fluvial reservoir can often be measured directly in a deepwater one, provided the seismic resolves the thickness involved.
Finally, mass transport deposits matter out of proportion to their reservoir content. A debris flow or slide deposit contains little or no reservoir and can be tens of metres thick and laterally extensive, forming a barrier that separates the systems above and below it. They also provide the topography that confines subsequent deposition, so their distribution controls where later sands accumulate. Mapping them is therefore necessary even though they are not reservoir, and they are frequently dismissed as non-reservoir and left unmapped.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Identify deepwater depositional processes and their deposits
- Recognise architectural elements from well and seismic data
- Assess confinement and its effect on architecture
- Correlate within turbidite successions
- Map channels, lobes and their stacking
- Assess amalgamation and connectivity from the architecture
- Apply seismic geomorphology to map body geometry
- Map drapes, mass transport deposits and other barriers
- Apply analogue dimension data to deepwater mapping
- Validate deepwater maps against production and pressure data
The training works on deepwater field data sets with core, log, seismic and production data. Participants identify architectural elements, correlate successions and map bodies using seismic geomorphology and analogue dimensions. Connectivity predictions are tested against pressure and production data. Confined and unconfined systems are compared directly.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Map deepwater reservoirs by architectural element
- Assess confinement and its connectivity consequences
- Identify and map drapes and barriers
- Use seismic geomorphology for body geometry
- Avoid over-connected deepwater models
- Improve well targeting in deepwater reservoirs
Participants will:
- Recognise deepwater architectural elements
- Assess confinement from the data
- Correlate turbidite successions
- Map channels and lobes
- Interpret seismic geomorphology
- Predict and test connectivity
- Geoscientists working deepwater reservoirs
- Development geologists in deepwater fields
- Sedimentologists supporting deepwater studies
- Seismic interpreters in deepwater settings
- Reservoir modellers building deepwater models
- Reservoir engineers in deepwater developments
- Exploration geologists in deepwater plays
Module 1 - Deepwater Processes
- Sediment gravity flow types
- Turbidity currents and their deposits
- Bouma sequence and its interpretation
- High and low density turbidity currents
- Hybrid event beds
- Debris flows and their deposits
- Slides and slumps
- Bottom current reworking
- Hemipelagic settling
- Flow transformation
- Deposit character by process
- Process interpretation from core
Module 2 - Architectural Elements
- Element classification
- Channel fills and their character
- Channel axis to margin variation
- Levee and overbank deposits
- Crevasse splays
- Lobe deposits and their character
- Lobe fringe and distal deposits
- Mass transport deposits
- Condensed and drape intervals
- Element recognition from logs
- Element recognition from core
- Element hierarchy and scale
Module 3 - Confinement
- Confinement concepts
- Slope valley confinement
- Minibasin and intraslope confinement
- Salt and structurally confined systems
- Unconfined slope and basin floor systems
- Ponded against bypass systems
- Confinement effect on stacking
- Vertical against lateral stacking
- Net to gross by confinement
- Connectivity by confinement
- Identifying confinement from data
- Confinement evolution through time
Module 4 - Correlation in Turbidite Successions
- Correlation challenges in deepwater systems
- Bed scale against element scale correlation
- Drape and condensed interval correlation
- Mass transport deposits as markers
- Biostratigraphic and chemostratigraphic constraints
- Seismic constrained correlation
- Same level different element problem
- Framework surfaces
- Correlation panels for deepwater systems
- Alternative correlations and their effect
- Correlation confidence
- Testing correlations against pressure data
Module 5 - Channel and Lobe Mapping
- Channel outline mapping
- Channel width and thickness relationships
- Sinuosity and its mapping
- Channel storey stacking
- Channel belt and complex mapping
- Lobe outline mapping
- Lobe dimensions and aspect ratios
- Lobe stacking and compensation
- Lobe fringe mapping
- Thickness mapping within elements
- Net sand mapping in deepwater systems
- Mapping element by element
Module 6 - Amalgamation and Connectivity
- Amalgamation surfaces and their recognition
- Amalgamated against separated bodies
- Vertical connectivity through amalgamation
- Lateral connectivity between elements
- Channel to lobe connectivity
- Levee as a barrier or baffle
- Net to gross and connectivity thresholds
- Connectivity prediction from architecture
- Pressure evidence for connectivity
- Production evidence for connectivity
- Over-connection in deepwater models
- Representing connectivity in maps and models
Module 7 - Seismic Geomorphology
- Deepwater seismic imaging quality
- Horizon slices and stratal slicing
- Amplitude extraction for geomorphology
- Channel imaging in plan view
- Lobe outline imaging
- Levee and overbank imaging
- Mass transport deposit imaging
- Spectral decomposition applications
- Resolution against element thickness
- Calibrating seismic geometry to wells
- Measuring dimensions from seismic
- Avoiding over-interpretation
Module 8 - Barriers, Analogues and Validation
- Hemipelagic drape distribution
- Drape thickness and continuity
- Drapes below log resolution
- Mass transport deposits as barriers
- Mass transport deposit mapping
- Levee barriers
- Diagenetic barriers in deepwater systems
- Analogue data sources for deepwater systems
- Outcrop analogue dimensions
- Modern system analogue data
- Map validation against production
- Map revision from dynamic evidence
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.
