Postgraduate Course: Subsurface Reservoir Quality (PGGE11226)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Subsurface reservoirs are important for more than just the extraction of hydrocarbons, and uses will probably become more diverse in the near future, for example as renewable energy has to be stored to match intermittent supply with fluctuating consumer demand. Reservoirs are essential for geological carbon storage as part of carbon capture and storage; for energy storage as porous rock compressed air energy storage; and for gas storage such as hydrogen and methane. |
| Course description |
This course examines the science underpinning reservoir quality in sandstone and carbonate reservoirs. This is particularly relevant for hydrocarbon exploration and production, for CO2 storage sites, for energy storage as compressed air or as hydrogen or methane, and for groundwater aquifers. The mineralogy and physical arrangement of sedimentary grains is changed during burial by compaction, geochemical reactions, and fluid flow. That has a systematic impact on spaces between the grains, i.e. the porosity holding fluids, and permeability enabling flow of fluids. Course themes are divided into sandstones and carbonates. Each theme progresses from depositional and shallow burial effects, to processes during deeper burial. Shallow and deep burial (dis)similarities will be explained as will contrast and similarities between sandstones and carbonates. A core-logging exercise (normally in the BGS corestore in Edinburgh but probably online unless the Covid19 situation changes dramatically) will consider larger scale reservoir characteristics including net:gross ratio and the role of fluid baffles and barriers.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Sedimentology, or petroleum geoscience, or hydrogeology are useful.
Check with organiser if you do not hold any of these at SCQF 9, or 10, or 11
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Basic geology to the satisfaction of the course organiser |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 40 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 29,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
167 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
75% Essay
25% Report on the core-logging exercise
One week is intended to be an excursion to the Geological Survey core store, in Edinburgh, which needs all day. This will be Week 6 or Week 7 of semester
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| Feedback |
Weeks 1- 5: class discussion of more challenging concepts and class queries
Week 6 or 7: small group and individual discussion during the core logging exercise
Weeks 6 to 10: peer assessment of group presentations (by assessment sheet) and group feedback from CO
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of how sandstone and carbonate reservoir porosity and permeability in the subsurface is influenced by sedimentological effects of depositional mineralogy, grainsize, and sorting.
- Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the effects, from shallow-to-deep burial of compaction, cementation and dissolution. This knowledge will be integrated with basin modelling, geochemical measurements and petrological measurements.
- Show an appreciation of the macro- and micro-scale controls on porefluid flow in reservoirs.
- Illustrate some of the research and commercial methods, with case examples, by which porous reservoirs can be assessed.
- Engage with synthesis and condensation of information, via an assessed critical essay. This will showcase students detailed understanding of specific topics, linkage into a coherent understanding, and with objectives to offer professional level interpretations of forefront developments.
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Reading List
Wilson MD, 1998, Reservoir quality assessment and prediction in clastic rocks. SEPM Short Course 30.
Hartmann Beaumont and Coalson, 2000, Predicting sandstone reservoir system quality. Search and Discovery article 40005 http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/beaumont
Beaumont & Foster, 1988, Reservoirs II Sandstones. AAPG Treatise of Petroleum geology 5.
Beaumont & Foster, 1988, Reservoirs III Carbonates, AAPG Treatise of Petroleum geology 4. Includes:
Harris and Kendall, 1985, Carbonate Cementation a review;
Longman, 1980, Carbonate diagenetic textures from near surface diagenetic environments;
Jardine et al., 1977, J Pet Tech v.29. Distribution and quality carbonate reservoirs;
McIlreath and Morrow, 1990, Diagenesis. Geoscience Canada 338pp.
Stonecipher, S., 1984, Factors controlling diagenesis AAPG |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical thinking, rival hypotheses for the fundamental controls and processes of diagenesis are presented, and must be summarised and compared in the assessed essay.
Group working for preparation of a presentation
Presentation skills
Technical knowledge |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Stuart Haszeldine
Tel: (0131 6)50 8549
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Heather Penman
Tel: (0131 6)50
Email: |
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