bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
BUSINESS REPORTING AND COMMUNICATIONS—A KEY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR THE AUSTRALIAN PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
Authors: Bray M.
Published: August 2017

In their most recent world investment outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecast a global petroleum investment requirement of US$6 trillion through to 2030.The annual average requirement is very high relative to capital raising levels in the sector. The IEA, however, predicts that the investment gap should be able to be financed.It goes on to suggest in particular that the future success of the Australian petroleum sector will not be necessarily constrained by access to sufficient capital, rather, the key impediment will be the availability of attractive and viable investment propositions.Organisations that are able to mount such a proposition will be doing so in the face of present reporting limitations, technological change, cross-sector capital competition, global energy market changes, constraints of capital markets and short-term perspectives, impacts of regulation, threats on security of licences to operate and the importance of corporate reputations in areas like sustainability and social performance.A new model of business performance reporting and communications is required for the petroleum sector and businesses to meet these challenges. Definitions of business reporting and communications are set out in Box 1.Critical areas in a new model are:stimulating improved stakeholder understanding of business models;synchronising stakeholder decision-making models with business performance reports; and,precision in stakeholder decision-making processes based upon insights about performance drivers and risks and the performance outlook.This paper explains why fit-for-purpose business reporting and communications are critical success factors—not only in attracting the financing to meet the 25-year investment requirement, but, more importantly, in helping Australian petroleum businesses to differentiate their performance from others.
SEQUENTIAL AND SYSTEMS APPROACHES FOR EVALUATING INVESTMENT DECISIONS—INFLUENCE OF FUNCTIONAL DEPENDENCIES AND INTERACTIONS
Authors: Al-Harthy M.H. , Khurana A.K. , Begg S. , Bratvold R.B.
Published: August 2017

Development decision-making practices in the oil and gas industry focus on detailed modelling of every decision parameter—such as reserves, production schedule, facilities design, costs and prices—individually, without due attention to the dependencies and interactions between these parameters. Dependencies and interactions are captured in modelling of uncertainties in some parts of the system (such as reserves and production schedules) but not in others.Modelling uncertainty without modelling dependencies fails to benefit from investing in the values of flexibility and information. Modelling of dependencies and interactions promotes the integration of all the relevant parameters of petroleum projects in a holistic manner.Separate and sequential modelling of individual components of investment decisions limits the ability to examine how changes in one component impact on other components of the system. On the other hand, the systems approach views a development decision as an integrated unit, including components such as reserves, production schedule, facilities design, costs and prices.This paper hypothesises that modelling dependencies and interactions should not be limited to estimating reserves, but should be extended to model the total petroleum system. We believe that there is potential for adding value to petroleum projects by modelling dependencies and interactions in a holistic systems-based stochastic environment.The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the impact of functional dependencies and interactions on the development decision of a hypothetical offshore oil field. Specifically, we show the difference between the treatment of functional dependencies and interactions together with their implications for the sequential and systems approaches using Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) based stochastic modelling to capture uncertainties.The systems approach captures interactions and dependencies while the sequential approach ignores them. Ignoring interactions leads to under-estimating the mean Net Present Value (NPV) as well as the standard deviation (by 54% and 44% respectively in our example). Furthermore, in our example, the P10, P50 and P90 (NPV’s) are all under-estimated by 20%, 50% and 50% respectively. These results clearly show that proper systematic treatment of dependencies and interactions can have significant impact on petroleum project evaluation.
PETROLEUM (SUBMERGED LANDS) ACT 1967—REWRITE AND BEYOND
Authors: Barrymore S.
Published: August 2017

In 2005 the Australian Government introduced into Parliament the long awaited Offshore Petroleum Bill (Bill). Often referred to as the rewrite of the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1967 (Act), the Bill essentially is a redraft of the Act in a bid to improve readability and clarity. A number of policy changes have been made, albeit most are minor.The public consultation process undertaken as part of the rewrite of the Act saw a number of other issues raised. As these were beyond the ambit of the rewrite—that is, to improve readability and clarity of the Act—these issues were temporarily parked until the completion of the rewrite process.Government will now proceed with a process of review and consultation with industry on these parked issues. In a number of areas divergent views of Government and industry can be expected.It is not clear the extent to which industry in general and APPEA in particular and its members will actively support the review process or whether inertia will prevail, without substantive progress. Reform has the potential to significantly change and enhance the offshore regime from what it is today. While it is early days, questions remain as to whether the process will produce significant changes in an acceptable timeframe.
AUSTRALIA’S NEW INTERNATIONAL TAXATION REGIME—THE FISCAL IMPACT FOR THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Authors: Henderson R. , Watkins D.
Published: August 2017

Changes to Australia’s international tax regime as part of the Government’s Review of International Taxation Arrangements should be good news for the oil and gas industry. The nature of the industry is that Australian -based companies often look offshore to spread their risk and find new oil and gas opportunities. Likewise, many foreign oil and gas companies have come to Australia. The tax reforms should simplify and encourage greater investment by providing additional exemptions and other concessions to achieve greater tax efficiency. This paper will seek to explain the new reforms and illustrate how they will benefit investors and participants in the oil and gas industry.
THE NEW LOSS RECOUPMENT RULES—GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS
Authors: Murray J.H.
Published: August 2017

The Federal Government has proposed to change the tests to enable companies to recoup losses for tax purposes. There is some good news and some bad news. This paper will discuss the changes and comment on how the changes may impact oil and gas companies.The good news is that the continuity of ownership rules will be changed for widely-held companies from 1 July 2002, to simplify compliance. In essence, stakeholders of less than 10% will be attributable to a single notional entity, making it easier to test whether there has been a sufficient continuity of ownership to pass this test.The bad news is that the government also proposes to remove the same business test for companies whose total income is more than A$100 million. This is proposed to apply to losses incurred in income years commencing on or after 1 July 2005.With oil at US$60 per barrel it is likely there will be a number of oil producers whose income will exceed the A$100 million test, particularly where there has been an accelerated development of the fields. It is also possible given the high costs of exploration and move into production that companies may have undeducted losses for income tax purposes. The problem is that for junior/ medium level producers particularly, equity transactions are not uncommon and the opportunities for breaching the continuity of ownership test are increased. Without access to the same business test these losses may be at risk of being lost permanently.It may be possible to structure an instrument that enables the oil producer to issue paper resembling equity in certain ways, without causing a breach of the continuity of ownership. The paper discusses this and other issues in relation to the proposal.
INTEGRITY OF BOLTED JOINTS: HYDROCARBON LEAK REDUCTION BY JOINT-INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT
Authors: Noble R.
Published: August 2017

Bolted joints are very common in petroleum production facilities. Whereas extensive controls are applied to the production of a welded joint—in terms of material control and specification, control and competence of the welder, and verification of the integrity of the weld—this is not the case for bolted joints. The consequences of failure of a welded joint and a bolted joint, however, are similar and potentially catastrophic if the contents of the pipeline or vessel are hydrocarbons under pressure. This paper discusses the main issues in producing and maintaining a leak-free bolted joint and makes the case for establishing industry-wide standards for the management of bolted joints that are equally as stringent as those applied to welded joints.Implementing such a system, whilst improving and assuring the safety and environmental performance of an asset, will also reduce costs due to rework, product loss, schedule slippage and production downtime.
VALUING THE ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS OF VEGETATION REMOVAL AND ECOSYSTEM DISTURBANCE ASSOCIATED WITH PETROLEUM OPERATIONS, COOPER BASIN, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Authors: Mazourenko E.V.
Published: August 2017

This paper describes the results of a small-scale study that looked at an alternative way of managing the environmental impacts of petroleum developments. The study was based on a contention that an application of the contingent valuation method (CVM) in the context of petroleum developments might assist the petroleum industry in achieving the goals of ecologically sustainable development (ESD), while contributing to the change of the community’s attitude towards the industry. CVM, based on direct community involvement in determining the environmental costs of the native vegetation removal associated with the petroleum developments in the South Australian Cooper Basin, was applied to the selected ‘groups of interest’. The collected data were analysed and discussed in light of the feasibility of a full-scale CVM study, and its potential practical value both for the petroleum companies operating in the Cooper Basin and the regulatory state government authorities. The results of this study showed that the application of CVM in the context of the petroleum industry might yield significant benefits for the industry in terms of ESD. In the long term, it may assist in changing the community’s perception of the petroleum industry. This approach does not intend to contradict, but to complement, the current environmental management practices of the petroleum developers.
DECISION TYPE—A KEY TO REALISING THE POTENTIAL OF DECISION MAKING UNDER UNCERTAINTY
Authors: Mackie S.I. , Begg S.H. , Smith C. , Welsh M.B.
Published: August 2017

Business underperformance in the upstream oil and gas industry, and the failure of many decisions to return expected results, has led to a growing interest over the past few years in understanding the impacts of decisionmaking tools and processes and their relationship to decision outcomes. A primary observation is that different decision types require different decision-making approaches to achieve optimal outcomes.Optimal decision making relies on understanding the types of decisions being made and tailoring the type of decision with the appropriate tools and processes. Yet the industry lacks both a definition of decision types and any guidelines as to what tools and processes should be used for what decisions types. We argue that maximising the chances of a good outcome in real-world decisions requires the implementation of such tailoring.
CHALLENGES IN APPLYING AN INTEGRATED RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Authors: Ames M.B. , Wysocki J.
Published: August 2017

Global warming, ecosystem destruction, outraged communities, workers compensation, corruption and ineffective governance—these are just some of the myriad of social and environmental risks facing today’s petroleum exploration and production companies. Once perceived as peripheral issues to be dealt with by technical specialists, these issues can now significantly impact on the viability of businesses. In an attempt to manage these risks many organisations have integrated the management of social and environmental risk with other risks to the organisation (financial, legal, technical, governance, etc.). In contrast to some other risk areas, the application of risk assessment to social and environmental issues can involve significant qualitative analysis. The concepts surrounding risk management have broad applications and many organisations struggle with the development of company-specific risk management processes. This paper discusses the limitations associated with the integrated approach and presents tools for improving the quality of the assessment process.
THE GLOBAL WORKFORCE—ACCESSING AND RETAINING SKILLED WORKERS FOR THE UPSTREAM PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
Authors: McKinnon A.
Published: August 2017

The composition of the global workforce in the upstream oil and gas industry has been affected by a number of converging trends, generated by a combination of demographic, economic and industry factors. While governments and peak industry groups are developing initiatives for young people to train for the industry, human resources and line managers need to adapt company processes to these demographic changes in the short to medium term, not only to ensure adequate supply and continuity of talent, but also to meet corporate targets in exploration and production. This paper outlines these changes, their effects on petroleum companies and strategies employed to adapt to change.
REFRESHING SKILLS
Authors: Hummel K. , Rhodes K.
Published: August 2017

The changes experienced by the industry in the last decade have contributed to increasing competency demands on operational personnel and increased demand for evidence of competency. This in turn has led to an increased emphasis on the assessment of competencies to externally recognised standards. Many companies are using the nationally endorsed competency standards in the PMA02 Chemical, Hydrocarbons and Oil Refining Training Package. A group of companies have established the Hydrocarbons Assessor Network to help them move towards best practice competency assessment and to identify industry benchmarks. Santos Ltd is one such company and its experiences show that a properly designed and supported assessment system can make a positive contribution not only to the skills of the workforce but also the culture in the workplace. They have been able to use their assessment system as one means of revitalising the workforce and equipping them to face today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
INDIRECT TAXATION IN AUSTRALIA—WHERE ARE WE?
Authors: Maynard R.
Published: August 2017

Despite some effort at tax reform in Australia, industry still has to deal with a number of indirect taxes including: goods and services tax (GST); customs and excise duties; fuel tax credits; payroll and other employment taxes; and, stamp duties.While most of these imposts have been around for some time in one form or another, many changes have occurred in the administration of them—some under the banner of reform or streamlining, some subtle and some extensive.This paper seeks to summarise some of the main indirect tax issues that remain to be resolved or have emerged. For example, GST, which has now been in operation for more than six years, has a number of significant interpretive issues that are yet to be finally determined. The Mining and Energy Industry Partnership Issues Register still lists ‘Supply of Going Concerns: Farm Ins and Farm Outs’ as an unresolved issue. While the main problems are not so much with the ‘going concerns’ side but rather with non-monetary consideration, and tend to be in the hard rock mining sector, there is a renewed focus from both an income tax and GST perspective that has the potential to alter some long-held positions. Managing the petroleum industry’s position through this process will be important. In the case of the Government’s much-heralded fuel tax credits scheme, which has the stated aim of reducing taxes on business inputs, the changes in the early years offer little in the way of reductions for most businesses.
Glacially influenced petroleum plays in the Kulshill Group (Late Carboniferous–Early Permian) of the Southeastern Bonaparte Basin, Western Australia
Authors: Gorter John , Poynter Sarah , Bayford Stewart , Caudullo Andrea
Published: August 2017

Glacial deposits within the Lower Kulshill Group (Late Carboniferous-Early Permian) were initially recognised in cores from onshore wells in the southeastern Bonaparte Basin in the 1960s. Subsequent offshore wells have extended the distribution of the glaciogene units 100 km to the north. Their capacity to entrap oil and gas was proven by the Turtle and Barnett wells, located on the offshore Turtle High. Similar age glaciogene rocks occur within the Cooper Basin of central Australia, where they contain oil and gas reserves, and in the Canning, Carnarvon and Perth basins of Western Australia. Using sparse cores, electric logs, palynology and a sequence stratigraphic interpretation of 2D seismic data, the distribution of potential reservoir sandstones and sealing lithologies of the glaciogenic strata has been mapped for the offshore southeastern Bonaparte Basin. This study highlights the petroleum trapping potential associated with sub-glacial ice tunnel valley features, which are widespread in the offshore part of the basin.
Climate change impact on NW Shelf seabed evolution and its implication for offshore pipeline design
Authors: Li Fangjun , Griffiths Cedric , Salles Tristan , Dyt Chris , Feng Ming , Jenkins Chris
Published: August 2017

In this paper, the impact of climate change on seabed sediment transport in the north-western region of the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has been investigated by a state-of-the-art numerical sediment transport model, Sedsim. It links the environmental forces and seabed response into a dynamic sedimentation system. Although numerical implementation of some forcing and responses is approximate, it is a significant step forward in understanding the nature of potential long-term seabed changes as well as in evaluating the likely impact of climate change on the northwest Australian continental shelf. It was found that:
the modelled high-energy climate change scenario produced 17% and 38% increases on total volumes of seabed transport in the northern and southern part of the Australian northwest region respectively;
the Indonesian ThroughFlow (ITF), the Leeuwin Current (LC) and high energy waves (associated with tropical cyclones) play the most important roles in large-scale long-term evolution of the NW seafloor;
offshore pipeline design could usefully incorporate the changed risk profiles due to long-term non-stationarity of climate-derived forcing processes.
Porosity trends and reservoir quality in the Bass Basin
Authors: Arian Natt , Tingate Peter , Hillis Richard
Published: August 2017

A study of porosity trends and reservoir quality of the Eastern View Group (EVG) of the Bass Basin has been undertaken.
Previous exploration in the Bass Basin targeted the Upper EVG due to its stratigraphic equivalence to the hydrocarbon-rich Upper Latrobe Group in the Gippsland Basin. Although this exploration has proved that mature source rocks in the basin have generated and expelled hydrocarbons, the relative lack of hydrocarbon charge into the Upper EVG has previously been identified as a major exploration risk. If hydrocarbon generation is adequate, the lack of Upper EVG accumulations is probably related to limited vertical migration. Thus the reservoir quality of the most relatively charged Middle and Lower EVG is important in determining the basins’ prospectivity.
Sonic log data were deemed to be the most appropriate to determine porosity for this study. Wyllie, Clemenceau, Hunt-Raymer and modified Hunt-Raymer equations were used to calculate porosity. The results from each method were compared with available core plug data and the best method (modified Hunt-Raymer) selected. The modified Hunt-Raymer derived porosity trends were examined both vertically and laterally in the basin.
In some sandstone intervals an increase in porosity with depth was observed. Thicker sand bodies can exhibit average calculated porosity of approximately 20% even at depths greater than 3,000 m. Several sands in the Middle EVG show a localised increase in porosity with depth, which is attributed to the fining upwards (coarsening downwards) of fluvial channels. The presence of good reservoir sands in the Middle and Lower EVG closer to mature source rocks in the basin is very encouraging as it makes deeper exploration in the Bass Basin more attractive.
Development of semi-submersible production vessels and its application to Australian waters
Authors: Engelsen Hilde , Hannus Henrik
Published: August 2017

Semi-submersible platforms have a long history in the North Sea. In the beginning they were used mainly as mobile offshore drilling units, but in the last two decades the permanently moored semi-submersible production vessels have become widely used both as gas processing units and combination oil and gas production vessels. The design of production semi-submersibles evolved from that of drilling rigs, but there have since been significant improvements to the design of the hull and the topside configuration in relation to operational requirements and construction processes. The design methods have also been successfully adapted to areas with different environmental conditions, in combination with steel catenary risers and polyester mooring systems. On recent designs, simplifications of the hull systems are being implemented, which ease operation and enhance the passive safety. Finally, the semi-submersible production vessel’s application to Australian waters is discussed with focus on topside layout, hull design and mooring system design. Environmental conditions offshore northwest Australia are compared to North Sea and Gulf of Mexico conditions, along with vessel class and regulatory requirements.
Unbonded flexible pipe integrity management, reuse and life extension
Authors: Botto Adriana , Banti Céline , O'Sullivan Enda
Published: August 2017

Australia has a long tradition of innovation in the use of floating production systems in the past 20 years. The classical solution adopts unbonded flexible pipe, a key technology, to enable floating facilities to produce in relatively shallow waters. While unbonded flexible pipe is a reliable technology that has been in use for approximately 30 years, damage, and ultimately failure can occur during its early (i.e. during manufacturing/testing, installation and early operation) and later life.
Accurate assessments of the historical records of flexible pipe usage have led to an increased understanding of the potential failure mechanisms. This enables mitigation of incidents by developing operating strategies and procedures to manage the flexible pipe in a knowledgeable and cost effective manner.
This paper discusses the available techniques for the inspecting and monitoring requirements of flexible pipe, including consideration of the value offered by conventional general visual inspection (GVI) techniques. Examples of developed alternative technologies are discussed, as well as how these alternatives can reduce the requirement for GVI when supplemented with an integrated integrity management strategy.
Furthermore, given the advances in understanding of complex flexible pipe inter-layer behaviour, this paper demonstrates that through proper asset management, flexible pipe technology service life can be extended beyond the original design value. Similarly, flexible pipe that had previously been considered damaged and requiring early replacement can be justified for extension to beyond the original design life.
Consideration has also been given to the potential for the re-use of flexible pipes and the hazards which can arise from this activity including recovery, storage, testing and installation. The key stages required to safely manage this process have been outlined.
2008 offshore petroleum exploration acreage release
Authors: Hartwell John
Published: August 2017

The 2008 Offshore Petroleum Acreage Release comprises 35 areas located across five basins. The areas cover a full range of water depths, and range from frontier to mature in exploration status and offer opportunities for exploration companies of all sizes.
Seven of these release areas are classified as Designated Frontier Areas and are subject to the frontier exploration tax incentive.
losing dates for applications are:

the first bidding round for 17 areas closes on 9 October 2008; and,
the second bidding round for a further 18 areas closes on 9 April 2009.
Review of the 2008 offshore petroleum exploration release areas
Authors: Bradshaw Marita
Published: August 2017

Each year the Australian Government releases new offshore opportunities for petroleum exploration. Thirty-five new exploration areas located across five of Australia’s offshore sedimentary basins are offered in the 2008 Release. All the areas are available through a work program bidding system with closing dates for bids at six and 12 months from the date of release. Acreage in the first round closes on 9 October 2008 and includes the more explored areas. The second closing round on 9 April 2009 comprises acreage located in less well explored and frontier regions.
The 2008 exploration areas are in Commonwealth waters offshore of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and in the Territory of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands adjacent area. The 2008 Release focusses on the North West Shelf, as well as offering two new exploration areas in the Vlaming Sub-basin in the offshore Perth Basin.
Seven of the new release areas are located in Australia’s major hydrocarbon producing province, the Carnarvon Basin. They include a shallow water area in the western Barrow Sub-basin and another on the Rankin Platform, three areas in deeper water in the Exmouth Sub-basin and two on the deepwater Exmouth Plateau. Six areas are available for bidding in the Browse Basin and another five in the Bedout Sub-basin of the Roebuck Basin. In the Bonaparte Basin, the 15 Release areas are located in shallow water and represent a range of geological settings, including the Vulcan and Petrel sub-basins, Ashmore Platform and Londonderry High.
The 2008 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Release of 35 areas in five basins covers a wide range in size, water depth and exploration maturity to provide investment opportunities suited to both small and large explorers. The Release areas are selected from nominations from industry, the States and Territory, and Geoscience Australia. The focus of the 2008 Release is on the North West Shelf where there is strong industry interest in the producing Carnarvon and Bonaparte basins and in the Browse Basin, the home of super-giant gas fields under active consideration for development. Also included in the 2008 Release is the Bedout Sub-basin, in the Roebuck Basin, located on the central North West Shelf, between the hotly contested Carnarvon and Browse basins. In addition, the Release show-cases the southern Vlaming Sub-basin, Perth Basin, where recent studies by Geoscience Australia provide a new understanding of petroleum potential (Nicholson et al, this volume).
Cryogenic ultrasonic flow measurement—an enabling technology for LNG production, storage and transportation
Authors: Brown Gregor , Augenstein Don , Estrada Herbert , Cousins Terry
Published: August 2017

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is becoming an increasingly important energy commodity with the declines in conventional oil reserves. The economics of LNG depend on the use of cost effective production, storage and transportation systems, which can involve use of shared facilities. For example, shared storage and berthing facilities can result in massive cost savings for LNG producers.
The potential cost savings associated with shared storage or transportation of LNG can only be realised if each partner can be assured that they are getting their fair share of the final revenue, i.e. reliable systems for production allocation and custody transfer are required. Previously, tank level based volumetric measurement has been the standard in LNG measurement; however, such systems are dependent on the very infrastructure that can be eliminated in shared transportation and storage systems. What is needed for shared facilities is a reliable method of in-line LNG metering.
Up until recently, in-line metering of LNG had not been used for allocation or custody transfer owing to a lack of qualified technologies capable of accurate measurement. The two major challenges are to produce a metering technology capable of reliable operation at cryogenic temperatures and to devise a traceable calibration method appropriate for the conditions of operation.
This paper describes the development of reliable ultrasonic meters designed for high accuracy measurement of LNG and addresses the issues that could arise as a result of the differences between calibration and field conditions. Data is presented demonstrating the performance and robustness of transducers specially designed for cryogenic operation. Details are provided of a method for transferring laboratory calibration using water to LNG application conditions with minimal uncertainty.
The paper includes a case study related to the use of these meters for allocation into shared storage at the Qatar Gas common facilities project. Prior to selection of the meters for this application the project partners undertook an evaluation of the ultrasonic technology at the Kenai LNG plant in Alaska alongside Coriolis flow metering technology. The aims of this field qualification testing are described and results presented.
Measurement While Coring (MWC)—measurement of core acquisition in real time
Authors: Wheatley Greg
Published: August 2017

Coring technology has remained relatively unchanged for decades. One of the primary technology gaps has always been the lack of real-time data at the surface on core recovery. Coretrack has developed the Core Level Recorder (CLR), a core recovery tracking tool that delivers accurate core-to-reservoir correlation. The CLR can be coupled to a mud pulser system to deliver surface readout on the core recovery process delivering accurate core-to-reservoir correlation in real time. The CLR is placed inside the inner core barrel and moves upwards as core is recovered into the barrel recording the amount of rock captured in a time versus distance format. The transmission of this data to surface provides the real-time information on whether or not core is being recovered and accurately records any gaps in the process allowing the core to be correlated to the formation with ±50 mm accuracy.
The CLR has been designed for use in both water and synthetic oil based drilling fluids of up to 125 °C and 10 kpsi with runs carried out in a variety of both on and offshore wells in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Australia. The CLR can be run in deviated holes and in all currently available core barrels. The most common size is for 4 inch core, however it is easily adapted for other barrel diameters.
Real-time data transmission enables the coring technician to accurately state when core is being recovered. This greatly increases the ability to state when core milling or core jams have occurredâa notification that removes unnecessary round trips and brings significant savings.
This paper will present case histories of runs made with the CLR.
Post-rift marine transgression of the southern Browse Basin margin: controls on hydrocarbon reservoir development and exploration potential
Authors: Tucker Stephen
Published: August 2017

The formation of the Precipice Fold Belt (560 Ma) marked the last significant modification of the basement drainage pattern and catchment area supplying sediment to the southern Browse Basin. Seismic mapping of the Proterozoic basement and the results of exploration drilling confirm the extension of both the geological formations and structural features exposed on the Proterozoic Kimberley Plateau into the offshore study area.
As with the present-day shelf, sedimentation during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous marine transgression directly onlapped the basement in the study area and showed the influence of basement topography on stratigraphy. A marked increase in net-to-gross and reservoir sand thickness is observed moving northeast from the Leveque to the Yampi shelves.
This broad change in stratigraphy can be related to specific basement-controlled morphologies. A >250 m-high escarpment formed by the Proterozoic Kimberley Plateau basement terrane bounds the Yampi Shelf to the southeast of the Palaeozoic zero-edge line. This escarpment fixed the location of shelf sediment input points forming a barrier to marine transgression, which ensured that the Yampi Shelf was relatively immune from sediment starvation during highstand systems tracts. In contrast, the broad low angle Leveque Shelf experienced large lateral shifts in shelf sediment input points during eustatic changes in sea level with sedimentation dominated by transgressive systems tracts.
In addition to shelf morphology, the larger basement-controlled drainage area (80,000 km2) supplying sediment to the Yampi Shelf tended to increase sedimentation rates, leading to shelf delta progradation during highstand systems tracts. The quality and thickness of mass flow deposits seen in the Caswell Sub-basin and along the Prudhoe Terrace are the direct result of the concentration of high net-to-gross sand close to the offlap break on the Yampi Shelf.
Given the extreme long term stability of the southern Browse Basin margin, recognition of the influence of basement structure on shelf sedimentation has refined the geological model for the post-rift marine transgression. This model could be used to reduce the risk on reservoir and seal distributions in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous study interval. In a broader context, observations on basement-controlled reservoir and seal distribution from the Browse Basin might be usefully applied to other basins where sediment is supplied from long-lived Proterozoic margins.
Just a kick or out of control—drilling into the energy insurance market
Authors: Grierson William
Published: August 2017

It has long been conceded by international insurance markets that across all classes of cover Australia historically represents between 1% and 2% of total premiumâbut accounts for between 3% and 4% of losses. Until recently this was also the perception in energy insurance, and while Australia might not have been making large amounts of money for international insurers the anomaly was not great enough to force underwriters to sit up and take notice as they had, for example, in the Gulf of Mexico. This has now all changed.
In addition to the normal attritional losses the market has come to expect, a general run of international losses and recent high-profile Australian claims such as the Varanus Island fireâin itself likely to be one of the largest energy losses globally in 2008âhave come to the attention of underwriters. There is now a serious re-thinking of the energy insurance sectorâs positions both internationally and on Australian business in particular.
The specific situation in energy is complicated by the drag along effect of severe Australian losses in the broader mining and resource arena. The SeptemberâOctober 2008 edition of the influential Inside Fac publicationâa widely read journal for insurers and reinsurersâlisted a total of US$3.5 billion in mining claims for the first half of 2008, of which US$1.96 billion (56%) occurred in Australia and a further US$400 million (11%) arose from international operations of Australian companies placed within Australian-based insurance programs. The issue for the Australian energy sector is that the same global underwriters who take on the petroleum business are also key players in the mining arena, and the markets are therefore closely linked.
This presentation will focus on the impact that conditions, together with other factors, will have as well as explaining what it will likely mean for Australian exploration and production (E&P) companies. It will highlight how they can best position themselves for the new insurance reality they are about to confront.
DrillACE concept for New Zealand waters
Authors: Pinna Rodney , Thomas Glynn , Bieganski Michael
Published: August 2017

The Maari DrillACE Well Head Platform (WHP) was installed offshore New Zealand during the second quarter of 2008 for the designated operator OMV New Zealand Ltd. The platform was engineered and designed by Arup and Clough. Clough was responsible for engineering, procurement, construction and installation activities on the project, with Arup undertaking the design of the primary steel structure, including the plated base, deck and tubular jacket. The Maari WHP was the third ACE platform and the second DrillACE platform to be installed. This paper considers a number of the unique features of the structural design of the Maari DrillACE platform that were encountered during this project as well as providing a background on the ACE platform concept.
Customising the geological timescale for use in Australasia
Authors: Laurie John R , Mantle Daniel , Nicoll Robert S , Ogg James
Published: August 2017

The global standard geological timescale (GTS 2004) is largely built around northern hemisphere datasets. Consequently, a large proportion of the biozones used in Australia were not included, thus hampering its implementation in the region. Previously, most of the Australasian biozonal schemes had been tied to the Australian Geological Survey Organisation timescale (AGSO 1996) but each of these needed to be recalibrated to tie with the updated and globally standardised GTS 2004. This process was complicated by the fact that several of the local biozonal schemes have been revised in the intervening period. The updates of Australian biozones to GTS 2004 compliance were accomplished using extensive literature searches as well as targetted reviews of some biozonal schemes. These recalibrated and amended schemes have now been included in Geoscience Australia’s Timescales Database, which acts as a core lookup table for numerous databases across the organisation.
In 2010, GTS 2004 will be replaced by an updated standard timescale. To facilitate this transition and other future revisions, Geoscience Australia’s Timescales Database is being revised to store the relationships between biozones and the geological timescale in a format that will allow essentially automatic, rather than protracted manual, updates.
A public visualisation software package, Time Scale Creator, is available on the web from the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) to display user-selected intervals from an ICS database suite of over 20,000 biological, geomagnetic, sea-level, and other events with ages consistent with GTS 2004. Geoscience Australia (GA) has compiled a customised datapack for Time Scale Creator which includes most Australian biozonal schemes. In addition, Geoscience Australia is using the lithostratigraphic capabilities of this software package to generate basin biozonation and stratigraphy charts, which supersede those published nearly a decade ago.
Petroleum data: leading the search for geothermal resources in Western Australia
Authors: Ghori K. Ameed
Published: August 2017

In Western Australian basins, subsurface drill-hole data, primarily from petroleum exploration, allows the identification of regions of high temperature at depth that may be potential geothermal resources. The extent and economic viability of such resources remain poorly known and require further study. Observed temperatures at depths up to 4.5 km reach 150°C in parts of the Canning, Carnarvon and Perth basins, indicating low-enthalpy resources related to regional heat flow. The greatest potential for hydrothermal resources is in the Perth Basin where subsurface temperatures of 65–85°C are reached at 2–3.5 km depth. Heat-flow modelling of 170 Perth Basin wells shows a range of 30–140 mW/m2, with the highest surface heat-flow values in the northern part of the basin. The median value of 76.5 mW/m2 for this basin exceeds the average reported for the Australian continent—64.5 mW/m2.
Potential hot rocks resources are present in parts of the Canning, Carnarvon and Perth basins where the depth to 200°C is less than 5 km. Knowledge of high subhorizontal stress conditions that can enhance geothermal water flow from engineered reservoirs are based on data mostly from petroleum wells in the Perth Basin. A systematic quantitative assessment of geological, hydrogeological, geophysical, stress orientation and geochemical conditions is required to further delineate and prove these resources. Progressive compilation, validation and interpretation of subsurface data from more than 800 wells is underway, and includes temperature logs of 47 shallow water bores and 30 new thermal conductivity measurements of Perth Basin wells. Data compilation from 580 wells in the Canning, Carnarvon and Perth basins is complete. To date the greatest number of wells indicating high geothermal gradients and temperatures are in the Carnarvon Basin.
CO2 storage in saline formation: the impacts of reservoir properties and geometry on CO2 trapping mechanisms
Authors: Labregere Diane , Marmin Norhafiz , Hurter Suzanne , Berge Johan , Lukyanov Alexander A.
Published: August 2017

Effective geological storage of CO2 can be accomplished through a number of trapping mechanisms. Physical trapping is achieved through either CO2 being trapped under a structural closure or CO2 made immobile in the pore space, as residual saturation, by capillary action. Geochemical trapping, which might be regarded as a more secure mode of storage, is achieved through dissolution of CO2 in formation water and precipitation of carbonates. The dissolution rate depends on surface contact and is generally enhanced by greater CO2 plume movement. During site selection, a potential injection well location is commonly evaluated with respect to the proximity to potential leakage features. This paper investigates requirements for separation distance between CO2 injection location and potential leakage features in highly permeable steeply dipping brine reservoir settings. Reservoir models are simulated with a compositional code and sensitivity analyses performed with variations in reservoir permeability, hysteresis effects, and formation dip. Trapping mechanisms, over a timescale of several centuries, are illustrated as key indicators for containment and storage performance.
Study results suggest that the amount of CO2 trapped by dissolution and residual saturation is enhanced by a dynamically flowing plume. The simulation results demonstrate that the separation distance requirement typically envisaged in a worst-case reservoir geometry setting is commonly overly conservative, representing opportunity for further optimisation.
Numerical simulation is useful in addressing the complex reality of flow dynamics such as hysteresis in footprint prediction. Understanding CO2 plume migration scenarios relative to potential leakage risks, under various key reservoir key properties, is essential in storage containment and capacity assessments for storage site selection and development.
Viability study of implementing smart/intelligent completion in commingled wells in an Australian offshore oil field
Authors: Nadri Pari Mahdi , Kabir Akim
Published: August 2017

Simulating the automated action of smart well components represents a challenge in forecasting performance of such wells, and is fundamental to design decisions. Examples are wells equipped with inflow control valves (ICV), where zones have to be switched on, off or partially closed based on their performance relative to the rest of the wells/completions in the field, and where they share the same surface network and facilities constraints.
This paper presents a study that has been carried out to justify installation of a surface controlled ICV in a group of wells in an offshore Australian field with commingled production. The merit of surface-controlled ICV versus uncontrolled commingled production has been compared. A numerical reservoir simulator program has been used to model reservoir performance and production from individual zones. Also, the wells and production network have been simulated using well flow simulator and a production network simulation software respectively.
A simulation manager software is used to facilitate information exchange between the two simulation programs (production network and reservoir) and optimisation of the process. Proper control of ICVs is simulated based on reservoir and wellbore simulation data, which will result in maximum oil production of a field network system resulting in higher recovery. Also, we have done economic analysis for smart well completion implementation. The results of two aforementioned analyses (simulation study and economics) show that smart completion is viable for this field.
2009 Release of offshore petroleum exploration acreage
Authors: Hartwell John
Published: August 2017

John Hartwell is Head of the Resources Division in the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, Canberra Australia.
The Resources Division provides advice to the Australian Government on policy issues, legislative changes and administrative matters related to the petroleum industry, upstream and downstream and the coal and minerals industries.
In addition to his divisional responsibilities, he is the Australian Commissioner for the Australia/East Timor Joint Petroleum Development Area and Chairman of the National Oil and Gas Safety Advisory Committee. He also chairs two of the taskforces, Clean Fossil Energy and Aluminium, under the Asia Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate (AP6).
He serves on two industry and government leadership groups delivering reports to the Australian Government, strategies for the oil and gas industry and framework for the uranium industry.
More recently he led a team charged with responsibility for taking forward the Australian Government’s proposal to establish a global carbon capture and storage institute.
He is involved in the implementation of a range of resource related initiatives under the Government’s Industry Action Agenda process, including mining and technology services, minerals exploration and light metals. Previously he served as Deputy Chairman of the Snowy Mountains Council and the Commonwealth representative to the Natural Gas Pipelines Advisory Committee.
He has occupied a wide range of positions in the Australian Government dealing with trade, commodity, and energy and resource issues. He has worked in Treasury, the Department of Trade, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Primary Industries and Energy before the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. From 1992–96 he was a Minister Counsellor in the Australian Embassy, Washington, with responsibility for agriculture and resource issues and also served in the Australian High Commission, London (1981–84) as the Counsellor/senior trade relations officer.
He holds a MComm in economics, and Honours in economics from the University of New South Wales, Australia. Prior to joining the Australian Government, worked as a bank economist. He was awarded a public service medal in 2005 for his work on resources issues for the Australian Government.