bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HYDROCARBON CHARGE HISTORY OF THE NORTHERN LONDONDERRY HIGH: IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAP INTEGRITY AND FUTURE PROSPECTIVITY
Authors: Brincat M.P. , O’Brien G.W. , Lisk M. , Ruig M. De , George S.C.
Published: August 2017

Re-appraisal of the oil charge history of the northern Londonderry High has identified numerous palaeo-oil columns of up to 80 m in height. An integration of the oil charge history, stress field analysis and contemporary seepage data allows a subdivision of the well results into three distinct provinces. These each have distinct charge histories that reflect differences in potential source kitchens and all have been adversely affected by the Neogene collision of the Australian and Southeast Asian plates. Traps located on the northern and northeastern Londonderry High have experienced high oil charge rates at the Mesozoic level, with nearly all valid traps showing evidence of prior oil accumulation. Breaching of these oil columns in the Neogene appears to be related to the orientation of the contemporary stress field, which promotes shear failure on the faults reliant for seal. Present day hydrocarbon migration indicators, such as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data show differences in seepage response between the northern and northeastern Londonderry High, with prolific current day seepage restricted to the northern province. Rapid subsidence associated with plate collision has accelerated maturation in the northern province to create these strong seepage anomalies over this region. The absence of seepage over the breached oil columns of the northeastern province indicates that either, oil charge has ceased to this area or that hydrocarbon leakage is episodic in nature.In contrast, results from the northwestern province show no evidence of prior oil accumulation, despite many wells having tested valid traps. These data point to either a lack of connected oil migration pathways or an impoverished source kitchen for liquid hydrocarbons. Low levels of seepage in the northwestern Londonderry High detected by the SAR data are minor compared with other parts of the Timor Sea and consistent with migration continuing at the current day. The overall prospectivity for fault bound traps in the study area appears to be low, due to extensive fault reactivation producing low fault seal integrity. Stratigraphic plays that do not rely on faults for seal, particularly in the northern and northeastern provinces, represent an alternative play concept at the Jurassic level. At shallower levels in the Cretaceous, subtle four-way dip closed structures are often enhanced by the reactivation process and could be ideally positioned to receive remigrated oil from breached Jurassic oil accumulations.
TRENDS AND OUTLOOK FOR EXPLORATION IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Authors: Tinapple W.L.
Published: August 2017

Petroleum exploration activity in Western Australia over the past decade has been on the increase, boosted by the positive results of many new discoveries, mainly on the North West Shelf but also in frontier areas. Significant discoveries in 1999–2000 resulted from new exploration concepts including deep plays in the Barrow/Dampier Sub-basins, heavy oil plays in the Carnarvon Basin, a deep-water gas play west of Gorgon, large gas/condensate plays in the Browse Basin, and a new gas play in the southern Bonaparte Basin. Discovery itself is a great incentive to the industry to further exploration; however, concerns over oil price, the Australian dollar, markets, policies and perceived prospectivity impact on exploration spending. The short-term outlook for WA is good as a result of existing work commitments including an average of 50 exploration wells to be drilled each year for the next three years. Onshore, where exploration has been subdued, there are signs of increased activity. The Western Australian government is playing a key role in promoting the State through gazettals, promotional activities— conferences and publications, acquiring precompetitive data and making petroleum data more accessible. The government funded Petroleum Exploration Initiatives program is continuing and efforts are being made to facilitate exploration. Sustained high oil prices, improvements in technology and efforts to expedite access to land are just some of the factors which will assist companies in their endeavours. In the longer term, continued growth in Western Australia’s petroleum industry is projected.
LEGENDRE: PROJECT MANAGING AN INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Clegg D.P. , R.J.Goodson  , Kirk-Burnnand B.
Published: August 2017

This paper describes the development of the Legendre Oil fields from a project management perspective, and reflects on the contracting strategies and management style adopted in order to make a relatively small field of 44 MMbbl (6.998MkL) economically viable.The fields are due to come on stream in mid 2001, utilising a converted jack-up production facility and FSO tanker.The contracting of the main production facility and FSO under ‘service agreements’ means that contactors are fully responsible for the conversion, maintenance and operation of the facilities. Nevertheless, Woodside as Operator retains responsibility for operations under the prevailing legislation.The ‘service agreements’ were developed through building on Apache’s experience in the Stag Project. They enable strong alignment in the objectives of both the Joint Venture Partners (JVP) and contractors, but require vision and more attention to detail in comparison to conventional contracting strategies since the Agreement must cater for the full field life and potentially beyond. This paper discusses the learning gathered and the successes achieved in meeting the project objectives and sharing risk.Additionally, the experiences in developing trust and confidence in the ability of a third party to commission and operate production facilities on Woodside’s behalf are examined.In presenting the paper, we will give an up to date and topical summary of the project.
SHALE OIL—A NEW PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT PARADIGM
Authors: McFarland J.D.
Published: August 2017

Australia’s oil shale deposits in Central Queensland represent an immense potential source of high quality hydrocarbons, with an estimated 30 billion barrels of insitu oil. Using new production technology, the low sulphur oil products produced from these oil shale deposits could significantly enhance Australia’s options in meeting future demands for cleaner transport fuels to improve air quality and in reducing dependence on oil imports.As such, the Stuart Oil Shale Project at Gladstone in Queensland is one of the most significant new developments in the Australasian oil and gas industry. The Stuart Project is a joint venture between Australian companies Southern Pacific Petroleum NL and Central Pacific Minerals NL (SPP/CPM), and Canada’s Suncor Energy Inc (Suncor). Construction of the $285 million Stuart Stage 1 technology demonstration plant was completed in 1999 and commissioning and production testing of this 4,500 b/d (715 m3/d) plant by Suncor, the project operator, has progressed throughout 2000.The Stuart Project incorporates the Alberta-Taciuk Processor (ATP), a new generation of oil shale retorting technology which was chosen following a A$150 million R&D program in the 1980s. Upon technical and operational success in Stage 1, the expected next step involves scaling up the ATP in Stage 2 to a commercial sized module producing about 15,000 b/d (2,350 m3/d). This could lead to a commercial scale operation at Stuart of at least 85,000 b/d (13,500 m3/d) within the decade.Success at Stuart creates a new production development paradigm for oil shale. This will have important implications for Australia in terms of job creation and economic activity, as well as providing a new source of indigenous oil supply to deliver clean transportation fuels for Australia’s future.
RISK-BASED MANAGEMENT OF STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY FOR BASS STRAIT PLATFORMS
Authors: Barton A.D.
Published: August 2017

Esso Australia Pty Ltd (Esso) has embraced the framework of risk management to improve the focus and priorities of its inspection and maintenance activities. Structural integrity is one of the disciplines that has adopted a risk-based approach to inspection and integrity assessment and this has been applied to Esso/BHP’s 18 offshore platforms located in Bass Strait.The paper provides a discussion of the issues faced in the management of structural integrity of offshore platforms which lead to the development of a risk-based inspection (RBI) strategy. RBI is applied to improve the prediction of the structures’ condition and provides a consistent basis for continued improvement in the future. The RBI model generates targeted inspection workscopes for each platform that, coupled with the implementation of appropriate inspection techniques, ensure that the integrity of the platforms can be managed with greater confidence and at lower cost.The RBI approach has resulted in reduced focus on traditional areas of uncertainty such as fatigue of tubular joints, and increased focus on secondary structures, for example service caissons. This shift in focus is made possible by building into the risk model a calibration process that considers previous inspection data. A key component of this calibration is a new method developed to calibrate tubular joint fatigue lives.
NORM IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY— EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT PLAN
Authors: Akarsu E. , Hamilton D.J. , Tyler D.C.
Published: August 2017

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) is an inevitable by-product of petroleum exploration and production. It is produced with the reservoir fluids and is typically found in low concentrations, but potentially high volumes. However, Victorian regulations that cover NORM are based on acceptable public exposure to ionising radiation and appear to be formulated around high concentration, low volume sources such as those found in medical procedures.Esso Australia Pty Ltd conducted a comprehensive exposure assessment study to establish limits for NORM. The two-year study was carried out in conjunction with the regulators (Victorian Environment Protection Authority, Department of Human Services, and Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency) and included other key stakeholders like employees and suppliers.This paper provides a discussion of the management plans for, and the results of, assessments undertaken to quantify any potential risk of handling and disposing of NORM material in the environment. The assessments demonstrate that exposure to NORM released into the environment from Bass Strait oil and gas operations does not present a radiological hazard to workers, the general public, or ecological receptors. In fact, it represents less than 1% of Australian and internationally accepted limits for such exposure.
THE MINERVA GAS FIELD EIA—A CASE STUDY OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN DECISIONMAKING
Authors: Pinceratto E.J.
Published: August 2017

The Minerva gas field is situated approximately 10 km offshore Port Campbell, Victoria, in the Southern Ocean in water depth of approximately 60 m. The development involves the drilling and completion of two wells, offshore pipelines to the coast, subterranean shore crossing and onshore pipelines to a gas treatment plant where liquids will be removed prior to exporting the gas.From the outset, the project attracted the interest of the local and wider community due to its proximity to the highly regarded Port Campbell National Park. The National Park is known for its unique geomorphological features, its fauna and flora and aboriginal heritage sites.The development has been subject to a dual jurisdiction, State and Federal, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. The process included the formation of a Community Consultative Committee consisting of representatives from government agencies, local community groups, environmental groups, industry associations and the proponent. The Committee provided input to the scope of the EIA and reviewed and endorsed the studies and report prior to public exhibition. An independent panel hearing and ministerial assessments followed public exhibition.A phased process was adopted in the selection of routes, sites and technologies to achieve the lowest practicable environmental impact. Each phase was supported by studies of environmental aspects, fauna, flora, heritage, visual and social impacts. The process commenced on a regional scale and progressively refined the concept and the study area. Detailed studies of key environmental aspects were conducted for the selected development options.The final development concept addressed the key findings of the baseline and subsequent environmental studies and was largely supported by an independent panel. However, there still remained concerns by sectors of the community on the issue of precedent and integrity of the National Park. The Ministerial assessment reflected the issues of community value above technical, environmental, archaeological and heritage considerations.
ALLIANCE COMPETENCE: KEY CAPABILITIES FOR SUCCESS
Authors: Kiers D.
Published: August 2017

The formulation of alliances and partnerships is a global trend that is growing at an exponential rate. In the United States, alliances now account for 18% of the revenue of Fortune 1,000 Companies—and this figure is expected to exceed 30% by 2004. In Europe, alliances are growing at an even faster rate, and already represent over 30% of revenue. According to recent surveys, 82% of United States executives believe alliances will be a prime vehicle for future growth, and managing alliances is consistently mentioned as one of their three biggest challenges.Developing a competence in alliances and other collaborative arrangements, therefore, is now high on virtually all corporate agendas. Yet the ability to successfully manage alliances remains elusive. If current trends continue, about 70% of all alliances will fail to deliver the expected results.In most cases, failure is attributed to mismatches in corporate culture, poor communications, or some similarly high-level cause. This conventional analysis camouflages some specific and fundamental capabilities that are critical for alliance success. These capabilities address facilitating and maintaining alliance-like thinking and behaviours that are a match for alliance strategies. The ability to develop the appropriate thinking and behaviour to be a valued partner is a distinct corporate competitive advantage.Using recent examples in the oil and gas industry in Canada and Australia, this paper details three key capabilities that are critical to alliance success. Some new approaches to effective partnering in any environment or industry are offered, to help in reframing the challenges that inevitably arise.
PRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS IN 2000
Authors: Nolan M.J.
Published: August 2017

The year 2000 was an excellent year for oil and gas production in Australia, with both high oil prices and record crude and condensate production. Whilst there were no significant new developments brought online in 2000, there were major redevelopments of existing assets and the startup of the Eastern Gas Pipeline between Longford and Sydney. Unfortunately, safety has not improved, with both Lost Time and Total Reportable Incident Frequency rates increasing from 1999.
LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS IN 2000
Authors: Fahey J. , Perks D.
Published: August 2017

This paper briefly describes a number of legal developments in 2000 which may be of significance to participants in the petroleum exploration and production industry.There has been a number of varied legal developments in this field during the past year, and this paper is not an exhaustive account of all of them. Instead, an attempt has been made to provide an overview of selected developments during 2000 which are noteworthy. With this mind, this paper deals with the following matters:prospective East Timorese independence and the Timor Gap Treaty (focussing on practical arrangements);changes to the work program bidding system;commencement of the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Legislation Amendment Act No 1 2000 (Cth);review of federal and state petroleum (submerged lands) legislation against competition policy principles;commencement of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth);reform of petroleum legislation in South Australia and Queensland; andgreenhouse reforms.In respect of the matters noted above, we have attempted to outline the implications for participants in the petroleum exploration and production industry.
ONSHORE ACREAGE RELEASE 2001
Authors: Andrejewskis A.J.
Published: August 2017

It is my privilege to present the onshore acreage release for the year 2001 on behalf of the States and Territories.I will be presenting the information as supplied to me by each department of the States and Territories.Before doing so, I would like to make a few remarks. Many of these will be familiar to you, but I believe bear repeating to remind ourselves.While there appears to be a resurgence of onshore interest and activity, last year saw the lowest level of onshore exploration activity in many years.At the risk of being emotive, Australia does not deserve this poor level of exploration activity.Australia has vast sedimentary basins, and these are under-explored by any world standards. Targets range from Palaeogoics (even neo-Proterozoic) to Tertiary.Australia needs:To have innovative concepts.The drive to carry out these concepts.Support of the governments and community.Financial backing of good ideas and good people.Land access.While this list is not exhaustive, it does encapsulate the key issues.The opportunities for onshore oil and gas successes are vast so I urge all in the industry to pursue these opportunities.And now, I turn to each state, starting with Queensland.
INCREASING COMMUNITY RIGHTS REGARDING
PETROLEUM PROJECTS
Authors: Young D.M. , Kennedy A.M.
Published: August 2017

This paper examines the extent to which communities can impact on companies wishing to explore for, produce, process and transport petroleum products within and outside Australia, and focusses on recent developments. It looks at the extent to which third parties (communities) must or can be involved in the process of obtaining and subsequently exercising these rights.
THE POTENTIAL FOR GEOLOGICAL SEQUESTRATION OF CO2 IN AUSTRALIA: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NEW GAS FIELD DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Bradshaw J. , Bradshaw B.E. , Allinson G. , Rigg A.J. , Nguyen V. , Spencer L.
Published: August 2017

Many industries and researchers have been examining ways of substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions. No single method is likely to be a panacea, although some options do show considerable promise. Geological sequestration is one option that utilises mature technology and has the potential to sequester large volumes of CO2. This technology may have particular relevance to some of Australia’s major gas resources that are relatively high in CO2. In Australia, geological sequestration has been the subject of research within the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre’s GEODISC program. A portfolio of potential geological sequestration sites (sinks) has been identified across all sedimentary basins in Australia, and these have been compared with nearby known or potential CO2 emission sources, including natural gas resources. These sources have been identified by incorporating detailed analysis of the national greenhouse gas emission databases with other publicly available data, a process that resulted in recognition of eight regional emission nodes. An earlier generic economic model for geological sequestration in Australia has been updated to accommodate the changes arising from this process of source to sink matching. Preliminary findings have established the relative attractiveness of potential injection sites through a ranking approach. It includes the ability to accommodate the volumes of sequesterable greenhouse gas emissions predicted for the adjacent region, the costs involved in transport, sequestration and ongoing operations, and a variety of technical geological risks. Some nodes with high volumes of emissions and low sequestration costs clearly appear to be suitable, whilst others with technical and economic issues appear to be problematic. This assessment may require further refinement once findings are completed from the GEODISC site-specific research currently underway.
POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF GAS-TO-LIQUIDS ON THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Authors: Patterson P.D. , Payne R. , Tam S.S.
Published: August 2017

Over the past decade interest in gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology within the oil and gas industry has been on the rise. Depending on the level of cost reductions obtained, this technology has the potential to create a significant change in the oil and gas industry. In an effort to consider these changes, this paper will address the following issues:Can GTL technology redefine the energy industry’s present structure and give rise to a broad range of new competitors and/or products? If so, how and when is it likely to happen?Our answer to the first part of the question is, simply, yes. GTL technology certainly has the potential. However, the depth and breadth and timing of GTL’s penetration into the industry will be driven by forces of cost, price and environmental regulations. The depth of penetration depends on the answers to the following questions: Can GTL plants be built for US$25,000/bpd or less? What impact will scale and learning curve have on cost reductions? What premium will the consumer market give for GTL products? Is the peak production for conventional oil production on the horizon?If the development of the LNG industry is representative of the potential growth in the GTL industry, we could project a GTL production rate of 1,000,000 bpd in 2025, or about 1.3% of the world’s current production rate.
A NEW PROCESS FOR CONVERTING NATURAL GAS INTO HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS
Authors: Hall K.R. , Akgerman A. , Anthony R.G. , Eubank P.T. , Bullin J.A. , Cantrell J.G. , Weber B.R. , Jr.  , Betsill J.
Published: August 2017

Gas-to-liquids technology has become an intensely investigated field in the petrochemical industries. The obvious reason is the vast reserves of stranded natural gas (currently flared, reinjected or not produced) and the desire to monetise these resources. Conventional wisdom has gravitated to some variation of Fischer- Tropsch technology to produce hydrocarbon liquids from natural gas. We have developed an entirely different approach for this conversion and licensed the technology to Synfuels International of Dallas for commercialisation.The new process has several advantages: it is simple; it should be economical for flows ranging from 10 MMSCFD through 500 MMSCFD; it can be skid-mounted (at lower flow rates) for transportation to site; it appears that the cost of fluids produced would be less than $20 per barrel; it is nearly energy self-sufficient; water can be a by-product; and the nominal product is a light gasoline with about a C7 molecular weight that can be converted into a heavier fraction with extra processing. This paper presents some details of the process and discusses results from a 100 MSCFD pilot unit.
3D FAULT MODELLING AND ASSESSMENT OF TOP SEAL STRUCTURAL PERMEABILITY—PENOLA TROUGH, ONSHORE OTWAY BASIN
Authors: Boult P.J. , B.A.Camac  , Davids A.W.
Published: August 2017

Many of the commercial hydrocarbon accumulations discovered to date within the Pretty Hill Formation in the onshore Otway Basin of southeastern Australia rely on a semi-brittle top seal and fault seal. Therefore a detailed and integrated fault, stress field and fracture analysis is fundamental to prospect evaluation.A syn-kinematic interpretation of the 3D seismic data set, using variance cube and visualisation technology was augmented with interpretation of the dip-meter and high-resolution borehole images. This resulted in the interpretation of a more complex fault history than previously inferred from 2D seismic mapping and dipmeter analysis alone.There are two major prospect/field bounding fault sets within the Penola Trough. Northwest-trending faults are associated with two commercial fields and several palaeo-accumulations. East-west trending faults are associated with three major fields, two uneconomic fields and two possible palaeo accumulations.Hydrocarbon leakage is probably caused by the creation of structural permeability across the regional seal. The location of leakage depends on the interaction between the seal, associated faults, and the regional stress field. Faults deflect regional stress trajectories within the top seal, creating local areas of high differential stress which enables brittle failure and the development of structural permeability. Predicting stress trajectories, the magnitude of differential stress and thus the location of structural permeability within the top seal to the underlying Pretty Hill Formation reservoirs, will reduce exploration risk uncertainty.
SELECTING THE WINNING BID
Authors: Alexander E. , Morton J.
Published: August 2017

Work program bidding is established as the favoured method of allocating petroleum exploration tenements in offshore Australian waters and most of onshore Australia. However, the selection of winning bids can be complicated by the ranking of 2D versus 3D seismic, seismic versus drilling, program timing issues etc. On occasion the selection of the winning bids has been contentious. This paper summarises the process developed by the Petroleum Group in South Australia to select the winning work program bids for prospective onshore blocks for which bids have been gazetted. No other Australian jurisdiction has yet publicly released their detailed bid assessment processes.Onshore acreage releases with work program bidding have been used in South Australia since the 1980s by Petroleum Group to:focus industry onto specific prospective areas of the State (e.g. the Cooper Basin post expiry of PELs 5 and 6 in 1999); maximise exploration commitments; and achieve competition policy.The South Australian Petroleum Act 2000 allows cash or work program bidding to be used depending on the acreage. Acreage releases are announced by Ministerial press release. Associated clear bid assessment criteria are published together with promotional material to aid applicants. The date and time for close of bidding are also established, usually allowing a 6–9 month acreage evaluation period, the timeframe depending on the volume of data involved, i.e. the exploration maturity of the area.Applications received as a result of a gazettal process (i.e. competing bids) are assessed by a process designed to ensure probity and to achieve the over-arching aim of the bidding process i.e. the suitability of the applicants proposed work program for evaluating the prospectivity of the licence area and discovering petroleum.A scoring system has been developed which establishes, for each bid what is effectively a risked net present value in well equivalents. In this system, guaranteed work scores higher than non-guaranteed work; early work scores higher than later work; wells with multiple targets are scored higher than single target wells; 2D and 3D seismic and other exploration activity is converted into well equivalents; and loading of the later, non-guaranteed years of work programs are heavily discounted.The scoring system may also take into account differences in the amount and density of exploration data and minor variations may be made to the system to take this into account. It is intended that details of the scoring system to be used in bid assessment will be published each time bids are sought to ensure transparency and a level playing field.Comparisons are made with acreage management philosophy and processes used by other regulatory regimes in Australia and internationally.
STABILISATION OF OFFSHORE MARINE PIPELINES BY DUMPED STONE
Authors: Lipski W. , Hinwood J.B.
Published: August 2017

Tests were carried out on a scale model of a rock berm in a wave-current flume to determine the resistance of the berm to damage from combined wave and current action. The range of tests covered many of the situations possible in the field and serves to aid in the design of pipeline protection systems.Two distinct mechanisms of berm damage were observed. The first was damage on the downstream face of the berm caused by the formation of a vortex and the second was damage due to excessive bed shear stress causing rocks to dislodge from the berm. These mechanisms can occur individually or simultaneously to cause unacceptable damage to the berm.The results are presented as a design chart, indicating under what conditions damage to a rock berm can be expected to occur and the extent of the expected damage where it does occur.
MULTI-COMPONENT SEISMIC—THE TOOL FOR ALL REASONS
Authors: Engelmark F.L.
Published: August 2017

Marine multi-component seismic, known as 4C, is an emerging seismic technology providing improved and sometimes unique solutions to many common problems. In the marine environment the seismic sensors have to be placed on the sea-floor to capture converted or shear wave modes that cannot propagate through liquid media. Although this means increased acquisition cost, the improved information content makes it money well spent to better image and characterise reservoirs.The 4C solutions fall into two major groups of five. First there are the imaging solutions:Improved standard P-wave imaging. Improved converted wave (P-S) resolution in the shallow sediments. Converted wave imaging through gas clouds. Converted wave imaging of low impedance contrast reservoirs. Improved sub-salt and sub-basalt imaging with converted waves. The second group consists of the five characterisation solutions:Improved fracture characterisation by means of P-S waves. Qualitative 4D or time-lapse characterisation of fractured reservoirs with low intrinsic permeability. Improved lithology and fluid characterisation by combining the information in the two wave modes. Improved quantitative time-lapse evaluation of pressure and saturation changes. Improved characterisation of drilling hazards by combined evaluation of the two wave modes. So far the most popular 4C solutions are imaging through gas and improved P-wave imaging of Jurassic reservoirs in the North Sea, for example the Statfjord, Brent and Beryl fields. However, as the technology is developing and maturing, the characterisation solutions will probably be the most common applications of 4C in the near future.
VECTOR WAVEFIELD-SEPARATION TECHNIQUES FOR IMPROVED MULTI-COMPONENT SEISMIC EXPLORATION
Authors: Hendrick N. , Hearn S.
Published: August 2017

Analysis of multi-component seismic data commonly involves scalar processing of the vertical component to provide a conventional P-wave image, and scalar processing of the horizontal component(s) to yield an Swave image. A number of convincing examples now exist where such S-wave imagery has significantly enhanced hydrocarbon exploration.There is potential to achieve cleaner P- and S-wave images by more fully exploiting the true vector nature of multi-component reflection data. The simplest form of vector analysis, termed polarisation analysis, allows identification of different wave types. It does not, however, generally lead to effective wavefield separation, due to significant interference between the different waves in a typical exploration-seismic recording.More effective vector separation is possible if the particle-motion information from polarisation analysis is coupled with the more familiar tools of frequency and velocity filtering. Three related separation algorithms, termed MUSIC, IWSA and PIM are considered here. These techniques all utilise a parametric approach whereby wavefield slowness and polarisation are modelled simultaneously in the frequency domain.Synthetic and ocean-bottom cable examples are used to demonstrate practical issues relating to the use of these tools. The PIM algorithm is considered to be the most generally useful of the three multi-component wavefield separation algorithms. Implementation of these tools in a highly automated production environment is considered non-trivial. Hence, it is envisaged that such vector separation schemes will have most application for specialised data processing over identified target zones. Vector wavefield separation has the potential to amplify the considerable success already achieved with integrated P- and S-wave exploration.
ADDING VALUE THROUGH MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
Authors: Alciaturi M.
Published: August 2017

Many market commentators are forecasting increased corporate merger and acquisition activity in the Australian oil and gas sector. This activity presents industry participants with significant opportunities to increase shareholder value.An effectively designed acquisition approach (business process) assists in establishing strategic objectives to maximise value and returns to a company. Steps in a structured process include assessing the acquirer’s strengths and weaknesses, defining the strategy, identifying the range of possible targets and evaluating the preferred target prior to negotiating and completing the acquisition.Observed market evidence supports the theoretical notion that market participants determine the value of E&P companies with primary reference to the NAV (DCF) methodology. The benefits of this valuation methodology are that it attempts to rigorously capture the effect of large changes in production over time and the irregular nature of E&P companies’ capital expenditure programs.Effective due diligence supports the decision-making process by identifying the risk factors that can make or break a deal and assists to clarify the transaction whilst effective structuring of the acquisition will minimise value-loss through tax leakages etc.
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION OF THE UPSTREAM PETROLEUM INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Authors: Laws R.A. , Aust T. , Malavazos M.
Published: August 2017

South Australia has adopted a regulatory framework for the upstream petroleum industry within which environmental objectives are established through a consultative process. A principal focus of the new regime is the building of community confidence in the environmental performance of the industry and the capability of its regulator. Without such confidence, restrictions on access to land can be expected to grow. Denial of access will result in resources lying undiscovered and undeveloped to the economic detriment of the industry and the community.The development of the new legislative framework was underpinned by modern regulatory principles and practices with particular regard to applying the principles of certainty, openness, transparency, flexibility, practicability and efficiency. Transparency and consultative processes were considered particularly important in addressing concerns of conflict of interest and the risk of regulator capture.The new Act provides that no activity can occur unless it is covered by a statement of environmental objectives (SEO), developed on the basis of an environmental impact report (EIR). SEOs also contain the methodology by which compliance with achievement of objectives is assessed. Once an SEO is in place, it can be used throughout the industry for like activities. Compliance costs for both government and industry will be reduced as a result. Approval time frames and the potential for delays will also be significantly improved. SEOs are now in place for all normal Cooper and Otway Basin seismic, drilling, pipelining and production activities, although some are in interim form and are under review.Public consultation on the EIR and draft SEO is undertaken for significant activities. Criteria to assist determination of the degree of significance of proposed activities have been established. Based on the degree of predicability and manageability of the likely impacts of the activity, these criteria provide a useful framework within which the necessary value judgements can be made.Consultation is confined within government for non significant activity proposals. Inter-agency agreements have been put in place to facilitate this process.Copies of all EIRs, SEOs and significance assessments are made available via the World Wide Web. Company annual licence environmental compliance reports plus summaries of results of audits by inspectors are also made public in the same way.The Act includes the concept of the enforcement pyramid in which a range of actions escalating in severity can be applied to suit any degree of non-compliance. In addition, companies who exhibit a history of compliance, plus a capacity to comply in the future, are rewarded by up to a 50% reduction in licence fees and do not need to seek approval for routine activities.
THE COOPER BASIN NATIVE TITLE AGREEMENTS—AN EXPLORER’S PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Martin N.W.
Published: August 2017

On 22 October 2001 in Adelaide, the successful bidders for the 1998 First Round Cooper Basin Acreage Release, the South Australian Government, and various native title claimant groups completed the signing of historic and long awaited native title agreements. A few days later, the Petroleum Exploration Licences (PEL) were issued in respect of the blocks covered by those agreements, and so commenced a new era of oil and gas exploration in South Australia.This paper examines the process that led to the finalisation of negotiations and the signing of the agreements, from the perspective of one of the exploration companies that participated in the negotiations.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF GORGON AREA GAS
Authors: Grose I.J.
Published: August 2017

Australia will increasingly need to turn to natural gas to offset declining oil production and meet an expanding global need for clean energy. The Gorgon Development Joint Venture Participants, (ChevronTexaco/Exxon- Mobil/Shell), are poised to develop the significant Gorgon gas reserves located 130 km offshore the North West Australian coast to help fulfil this need.The Gorgon Development has access to extensive proved reserves of 13.8 Tcf and a development plan that can supply gas to a Barrow Island landfall at world competitive prices. Several concepts are being considered for development of the Gorgon reserves.Technology will play a key role, with the extensive use of subsea production facilities and innovative LNG design concepts being considered.The focus is on a design that would have a low unit cost and also provide new benchmarks in safety and environmental performance. The development of the Gorgon reserves could also facilitate the establishment of other gas-based industries in Western Australia and offers the opportunity for new gas-to-liquid (GTL) plants to lead Australia’s transition to a gas-based economy.The Gorgon Development is expected to attract nearly A$4 billion investment for an LNG development and a further A$2 billion for a major industrial gas consumer. Total export income could reach A$2,500 million per year for 30 years.
AUSTRALIAN GTL CLEAN DIESEL: A STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY FOR AUSTRALIA’S STRANDED GAS RESERVES
Authors: Higgs W.G. , Prass P.E.
Published: August 2017

Australia’s lack of gas supply infrastructure and market opportunities means that in the northwest of our nation more than 100 trillion cubic feet of gas remains uncommitted to customer contracts.Because of Western Australia’s relatively small domestic gas markets and the long transport distances to larger markets, the belief has been that only the LNG industry has the scale to monetise the large volumes of gas required to underpin greenfield developments and expansion of gas supply infrastructure.Changing fuel specifications around the world, combined with the limited opportunities for new LNG contracts, has renewed interest in gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology as an alternative to crude oil refining for a source of clean and efficient transport fuels. GTL is an exciting new market opportunity for Australian gas.Exploration interest in Australia appears to be waning. Declining opportunities for oil discoveries and the lack of markets for natural gas make investments in Australia’s upstream sector unattractive compared to other locations around the world.In addition, Australia has dwindling crude oil supplies and faces the prospect of increasing reliance on imported crude oil and refined products. An Australian GTL Clean Diesel industry can help overcome these hurdles by creating a designer blendstock and a valuable new GTL Clean Diesel export industry.A GTL Clean Diesel industry would not only help resolve many of Australia’s current upstream and downstream problems in the petroleum industry, but would also provide massive economic benefits to Australia.This paper will look not only at the making but also the marketing of this fuel of the future.
THE HUMAN FACTOR: A BENCHMARK OF WORKER ATTITUDE TO HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE AUSTRALIAN OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY 1999–2001
Authors: Safari B. , Ilsley D. , Healy J.
Published: August 2017

This paper presents a benchmark of workers perceptions about Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) in the Australian oil and gas industry, particularly those areas covered by the Commonwealth Safety Case Regime. Between 1999 and 2001, the National Institute of Labour Studies conducted surveys of workers attitudes to—and opinions of—Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) in seven oil and gas companies. The broad objectives of this exercise were:To provide each participating company with feedback on its HSE climate from a worker’s perspective; andTo produce an industry benchmark of HSE climate, allowing each company to measure itself in comparison with the rest of the industry.It is hoped that the benchmark will stimulate HSE awareness within participating companies and encourage them to share information and learn from each other. This will lead to improvements in HSE within the industry as a whole.
FLUVIAL ARCHITECTURE AND THE TECTONIC CONTROL ON DEPOSITION OF ONSHORE EUMERALLA FORMATION, OTWAY RANGES, VICTORIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR EXPLORATION IN THE EARLY CRETACEOUS OTWAY BASIN
Authors: Noll C.A. , Hall M.
Published: August 2017

Spectacular outcrops of the terrestrial Aptian-Albian Eumeralla Formation are exposed in the Skenes Creek– Wongarra region, located on the eastern margin of the Otway Ranges, Victoria. The succession comprises mudstone-dominated floodplain and lacustrine successions and fluvially-derived sandstones. Lithofacies observed in the study area comprise intraformational and exotically derived conglomerate, massive and planar laminated sandstone, trough and tabular cross-bedded sandstone, ripple laminated sandstone, interbedded sandstone and mudstone, massive to laminated mudstone and thin coal seams. Architectural analysis of the fluvial system reveals these lithofacies are arranged into architectural elements that include channel elements, sandy bedforms, downstream and lateral accretion elements, laminated sand sheets and overbank fines elements.The fluvial system is characterised by low-sinuousity, braided river channels with high width to depth ratios. Palaeocurrent data indicates that the generally westward palaeoflow is interpreted to have been diverted into local axial-through drainage patterns by active northeast trending normal faults. One of these, the Skenes Creek Fault, is also likely to have structurally isolated floodplain and lacustrine successions from the main channel belt, leading to the deposition of an anomalously thick coal measure sequence in the hanging wall of the fault. The local study therefore provides insight into regional lithofacies and potential source rock distributions, and the associated tectonostratigraphic evolution of the Eumeralla Formation in the eastern Otway Basin. While the nature of the Eumeralla Formation sandstone does not lend itself to good reservoir properties, the geometry and internal structure of the sands provide an excellent model for other fluvial sandstone reservoir reconstructions.
THE GIPPSLAND BASIN TOP LATROBE UNCONFORMITY, AND ITS EXPRESSION IN OTHER SE AUSTRALIA BASINS
Authors: Holdgate G.R. , Rodriquez C. , Johnstone E.M. , Wallace M.W. , Gallagher S.J.
Published: August 2017

The Early/Middle Eocene was an important time for developing the present configuration of the Indo- Australian plate, with the onset of fast spreading beginning in the Southern Ocean, and the commencement of northwest directed compression in the Gippsland Basin. Significant unconformities developed during this time including the Top Latrobe Unconformity (Top Latrobe) within Gippsland, and similar unconformities in the Torquay and Otway Basins.On seismic over uplifted highs, (and where close spaced well data exists), a low angular unconformity exists between interbedded sand/shale/coal facies of the Latrobe Group and the Seaspray Group. The Marlin and Flounder channels eroded up to 600 m into the earliest Eocene deformed surfaces, and their infill in turn has been eroded at a top-Latrobe group unconformity where tectonic deformation and the resultant variable tilting produced an angular unconformity up to 5°. Missing biostratigraphic zones occur below the unconformity and many faults terminate at the Top Latrobe. The Top Latrobe is also characterised by resistant sandstone strike-ridges that created a varied topography. In areas of uplift where interbedded sandstone/shale units occur in the Top Latrobe subcrop, strike ridges are common. Where thick shale units occur at the Top Latrobe subcrop, topographic troughs or valleys are more common.A study of 50 key offshore wells across the Gippsland Basin suggests that the best correlation between the seismic/synthetic Top Latrobe, and the lithobiostratigraphic Top Latrobe occurs in the upper part of the Middle Eocene. This date can be constrained between 40 and 44 Ma based on the ages of Marlin and Flounder channeling and infill and the Gurnard Formation. In the onshore part of the Gippsland Basin, the Top Latrobe can be located as a disconformity within coal measure units along the top of the Middle Eocene Traralgon–2 coal seam. In the Torquay Basin the only exposed example of this Eocene event is preserved in the Anglesea coal mine as a low angle unconformity between the A group coal seam and the overlying Boonah Formation. Low angular unconformities in seismic data are evident in the offshore Torquay and Otway basins at this time indicating the widespread nature of this unconformity in the southeastern Australian coastal basins.