Technical Agenda

Tuesday, 20 April 2010

Session I: Introduction of the E&P Laboratory

Session Managers: Nicola Bevilacqua, Klaus Potsch

Opening Speakers: Luca Bertelli, Senior Vice President, Exploration, Eni, Leopold Bräuer, Manager, Technology & Laboratory,OMV

Session 1 will allow attendees to become familiar with the themes surrounding an E&P laboratory. These will include:

• The added value of a lab in the oil and gas industry
• The role of Service Companies and Research Centres
• What the lab is expected to deliver
• In what capacity should a lab perform daily work and develop new technologies

The discussion will also touch on various aspects of the business and character of a lab (specialized, outsourced, commercial, integrated etc.)

Session II: Geology

Session Managers: Salvatore Giammetti, Ionut Dragoi

Laboratory geological activities can provide strong added value for the entire E&P process. Nowadays sophisticated coring tools make available up to hundreds of meters of cores in all types of lithologies. This costly and inestimable treasure demands to be effectively and properly exploited: from this perspective the need to share different experiences is crucial. Issues to be discussed are:

• Reservoir Quality Prediction on the full “reservoir basket”: sandstones, carbonates, tight, unconventional.
• The lab activities for the unconventional resources.
• Global Geochemistry: from surface geochemistry to oil isotopic characterisation.
• Analogue modelling vs. Digital simulator. Pros and Cons?
• Biostratigraphy was a fundamental exploration tool in the eighties. What’s the future?
• Why care about Fluid Inclusions?
• Impact of virtualisation for geology labs: Is there any room to squeeze new value from well data samples?

Wednesday, 21 April 2010

Session III: Reservoir/Production Chemistry

Session Managers: Daniela Arlotto, Dragutin Domitrovic

The session will focus on experimental technologies that help the reservoir characterisation. Experimental determination of both rock and fl uid properties is the tool that provides some very important parameters to improve reservoir understanding. To share experiences and to work together is the key to success for lab specialists, geologists and reservoir engineers. Issues to be discussed are:

• Is there need/room for improved clarity in communication between lab and reservoir specialists? More knowledge about each other’s specialties (techniques, requirements, possibilities and limitations)?
• How much can the available lab technology help in characterising complex reservoirs? (naturally fractured, very low permeability etc.)
• What is the state-of-the-art of pore network modelling based on tomographic techniques?
• Which lab procedures can be recommended for evaluating the sealing capacity of cap rock above gas storage reservoirs?
• Which techniques can be used for advanced tests of EOR methods?
• How can heavy oils be PVT characterised in a safe (mercury free) way?
• How sure can we be about long-term properties of CO2 storage reservoirs and their cap rocks?

Session IV: Material Sciences

Session Managers: Wolfgang Havlik, Wolfram Kleinitz

Case studies will illustrate problems and some of the recent successes in material selection and inhibitors to combat corrosion and extend lifetimes of all installations. The importance of applied production chemistry in the upstream process will be highlighted. Examples will demonstrate the power of applied production chemistry to increase production by providing fl ow assurance. Discussions will focus on topics such as:

• Do providers of chemicals understand our problems?
• How do we test and select oilfi eld chemicals? How easy is the fi eld application? Where are the limits?
• Simple chemicals versus “unknown” cocktails. How simple should a chemical be?
• Standard versus “exotic” materials
• Compatibility of chemicals
• QC and cost challenge in the tail-end phase
• Flow assurance: are chemicals the miracle substances?

Thursday, 22 April 2010

Session V: R&D

Session Managers: Francois Montel, Brian Moffatt

This research session will cover:

• Preparing the lab to accommodate increasing demand for non-conventionnal resources studies
• How to anticipate the needs and which technologies will be necessary for developing in-situ measurement?
• Safety regulations and access to the samples versus research activities, smaller volumes? molecular simulations / pore networks?
• How to develop collaboration with Universities: JIP / partnership / mixed research unit
• Research activities require high technical skill. Are they compatible with lab staff careers in the oil and gas industry?
• Is it necessary to maintain routine lab internally or balance between routine and advanced experiments
• ‘Measuring’ added value of the research lab
• How research and training are necessary to secure the future of the lab when it is almost impossible without a partnership with selected universities or other institutions
• The session will discuss how we can provide management with strong arguments to expand lab activities in order to prepare our future.

Wrap Up – Klaus Potsch, Nicola Bevilacqua

This session will capture all of the main points from the previous sessions and summarize the ideas and discussions in a ‘Strengths – Weaknesses’ analysis by answering the following questions:

• How will the Laboratories of the future be and which challenges will they have to face?
• What would be the ideal environment for a lab?
• Which disciplines or topics should it cover?

The end of this workshop should provide a clear picture of the value of an E&P lab as a hub for hard data.

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