bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection of palaeo-oil columns in the offshore northern Perth Basin: extension of the effective Permo-Triassic charge system
Authors: Kempton Richard , Gong Se , Kennard John , Volk Herbert , Mills David , Eadington Peter , Liu Keyu
Published: August 2017

A widespread charge system for oil accumulation in the offshore northern Perth Basin, Western Australia, is revealed by specialised fluid inclusion technologies. Palaeo-oil columns are detected in about three of four exploration wells, including those at the Cliff Head, Dunsborough, Frankland and Perseverance fields, and in dry wells at Flying Foam–1, Hadda–1, Houtman–1, Leander Reef–1, Lilac–1, Livet–1, Mentelle–1 and Morangie–1. A high incidence of palaeo-oil charge into Permian reservoirs below the Kockatea Shale confirms that the conventional oil shows are, in part, residues of palaeo-oil. Oil migration is suggested at Vindara–1 and Leander Reef–1 and is below detection limits in Batavia–1, Charon–1, Fiddich–1 Geelvink–1A, Gun Island–1 and South Turtle Dove–1B, Twin Lions–1 and Wittecarra–1.
New geochemical data from fluid inclusion oil at Hadda–1 shows evidence for a contribution from the Hovea Member of the Kockatea Shale, including: high wax content; low pristane/phytane ratio; high abundance of extended tricyclic terpanes; and, the highly diagnostic C33 n-alkylcyclohexane biomarker. This key component of the petroleum system acted as both source and seal, and extends further offshore than previously realised. Possible co-sourcing from terrestrial organic matter is indicated by high abundances of C29 steranes and diasteranes, C19 tricyclic, and C24 tetracyclic terpanes, which may be sourced from Permian rocks.
The high incidence of palaeo-oil and residual columns suggests that trap integrity is likely to be an important preservation risk, with elements of gas displacement. Screening of prospects for structural and hydrocarbon charge characteristics, which are favourable for retention of oil, is key in future exploration of the offshore northern Perth Basin.
Oil price forecasting using probabilistic projection of the United States dollar
Authors: Moriarty Noll
Published: August 2017

Accurate forecasts for medium-term commodity prices are essential for resource companies committing to large capital expenditures. The inaccuracy of conventional forecasting methods is well known because they tend to be extrapolations of the current price trend. The inevitable reversal catches many by surprise.
This paper demonstrates that medium-term (2–5 years) commodity prices are not strongly linked to economic health and commodity demand-supply, but are instead inversely controlled by supply-demand for the United States dollar (USD) and consequent valuation. P90, P50 and P10 projection bounds for future valuation of the USD are presented based on the successful probabilistic techniques of the petroleum exploration industry.
This allows probabilistic projections for the oil price, which is inversely related to the USD valuation. I show that the USD is significantly undervalued at present. Probabilistic projection of the USD valuation indicates that likely appreciation will put downward pressure on commodity prices for the next 2–5 years. If the USD premise is correct, likely appreciation of the dollar during the next 2–5 years will hold stable, or even decrease, oil price to around USD $50 BBL. This is a contrary expectation to most forecasts—one which, if it eventuates, should give cause for reflection before committing to large capital expenditures.
Further investigation could examine the extent to which the USD valuation can be modelled as a fractal phenomenon. If so, it would mean the USD valuation is not driven by conventional economic fundamentals; instead, it is a semi-random number series with serial correlation. If true, probabilistic forecasts of the USD can be significantly improved, hence that of medium-term commodity prices.
Methodology for environmental impact assessment of underwater noise on marine mammals
Authors: Petersen Dick , David Antoine , Jurevicius Darren
Published: August 2017

The oil and gas industry uses some exploration and production technologies that produce high levels of underwater sound, such as seismic surveys, underwater blasting for demolition and construction, and offshore piling. These underwater noise sources have the potential to impact marine species, which are usually reliant on sound instead of light as their primary sense for communication and sensing their environment. Regulatory interest in minimising the impacts of underwater noise on marine fauna is increasing. This paper presents a methodology for assessing these environmental impacts, with particular focus on cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), although it can easily be adapted to other marine mammal species and fishes. It requires input from a variety of fields, such as: underwater acoustics for sound propagation modelling and source noise characterisation; marine bio-acoustics for determining the effects of sound on marine species’ hearing and communication; and marine ecology for identifying the marine species that may be affected and assessing the biological importance of noise-affected marine areas. These inputs are used in a risk assessment to assess the likely impacts of underwater noise on marine species, which is a collaborative effort by specialists in the fields of underwater acoustics, marine bio-acoustics and marine ecology.
Active monitoring of hydraulic fracture propagation: an experimental and numerical study
Authors: Nabipour Amin , Evans Brian , Sarmadivaleh Mohammad
Published: August 2017

Hydraulic fracturing is known as one of the most common stimulation techniques performed in oil and gas wells for maximising hydrocarbon production. It is a complex procedure due to numerous influencing factors associated with it. As a result, hydraulic fracturing monitoring techniques are used to determine the real-time extent of the induced fracture and to prevent unwanted events. Although the well-known method of monitoring is the microseismic method, active monitoring of a hydraulic fracture has shown capable of providing useful information about the fracture properties in both laboratory conditions and field operations.
In this study, the focus is on laboratory experiment of hydraulic fracturing using a true-triaxial cell capable of simulating field conditions required for hydraulic fracturing. By injecting high-pressure fluid, a hydraulic fracture was induced inside a 20 cm cube of cement. Using a pair of ultrasonic transducers, transmission data were recorded before and during the test. Both cases of an open and closed hydraulic fracture were investigated. Then, using a discrete particle scheme, seismic monitoring of the hydraulic fracture was numerically modelled for a hexagonally packed sample and compared with the lab results.
The results show good agreements with data in the literature. As the hydraulic fracture crosses the transducers line, signal dispersion was observed in the compressional wave data. A decrease was observed in both the amplitude and velocity of the waves. This can be used as an indicator of the hydraulic fracture width. As the fracture closes by reducing fluid pressure, a sensible increase occurred in the amplitude of the transmitted waves while the travel time showed no detectable variations. The numerical model produced similar results. As the modelled hydraulic fracture reached the source-receiver line, both amplitude and velocity of the transmitted waves decreased. This provides hope for the future real-time ability to monitor the growth of induced fractures during the fraccing operation. At present, however, it still needs improvements to be calibrated with experimental results.
Hydraulic fracturing in an unconventional naturally fractured reservoir: a numerical and experimental study
Authors: Sarmadivaleh Mohammad , Rasouli Vamegh , Shihab Noufal Kakode
Published: August 2017

Natural fractures play a vital role in the production of low permeability reservoirs when no stimulation techniques are used. The characteristics of natural fractures, together with their pattern that defines how they communicate with each other and to the wellbore, will govern how effectively they can contribute in production enhancement. In most occasions, however, hydraulic fracturing must be used as a remedy to have an economical production rate. Fraccing itself is a complicated process, but would be further complicated when it is practiced in a discontinuous medium.
Depending on the properties of the natural fracture(s) and operational condition of the fraccing job, opening, offsetting, crossing or arresting are possible interactions that may happen when an induced fracture reaches a natural discontinuity. In this study, the simplest interaction case with an angle of approach of 90° was studied through both laboratory experiments and numerical modelling. The experiments were carried out under real-triaxial stress conditions using a true-triaxial stress cell (TTSC). Two cement blocks of 20 cm with artificially-made natural fractures were used in this study. The cuts in one sample were filled with weak glue, whereas stiff cement was used in the second sample. The results indicate the importance of interface filling material properties in dominating the interaction mechanism. The numerical models built to simulate these two lab scenarios used particle flow code 2D (PFC2D). The model was tuned and validated against the experimental observations and a good agreement observed between the results of the two approaches.
Hydraulic fractures productivity performance in tight gas sands—a numerical simulation approach
Authors: Ostojic Jakov , Rezaee Reza , Bahrami Hassan
Published: August 2017

The increasing global demand for energy along with the reduction in conventional gas reserves has lead to the increasing demand and exploration of unconventional gas sources. Hydraulically-fractured tight gas reservoirs are one of the most common unconventional sources being produced today and look to be a regular source of gas in the future. Hydraulic fracture orientation and spacing are important factors in effective field drainage and gas recovery.
This paper presents a 3D single well hydraulically fractured tight gas model created using commercial simulation software, which will be used to simulate gas production and synthetically generate welltest data. The hydraulic fractures will be simulated with varying sizes and different numbers of fractures intersecting the wellbore. The focus of the simulation runs will be on the effect of hydraulic fracture size and spacing on well productivity performance.
The results obtained from the welltest simulations will be plotted and used to understand the impact on reservoir response under the different hydraulic fracturing scenarios. The outputs of the models can also be used to relate welltest response to the efficiency of hydraulic fractures and, therefore, productivity performance.
Using model form contracts in the Australian oil and gas industry
Authors: Thompson Andrew
Published: August 2017

The adoption of model form contracts makes good business and legal risk management sense. In an Australian context there are a number of model form contracts available for each phase of an oil and gas project. This paper focuses on a few key examples including the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN) Model Form Farmout Agreement and related Term Sheet, and the AIPN Model Form International Operating Agreement. Recent statutory changes, world events and practical drafting trends affecting the use of model form contracts also are commented on.
A preliminary experimental study on sand production under true triaxial stress conditions
Authors: Younessi Ahmadreza , Rasouli Vamegh
Published: August 2017

Sand production prediction is becoming a regular study in reservoirs with weak or unconsolidated sands. Three main approaches for sanding prediction are analytical, numerical and experimental methods. Laboratory experiments have proven to provide more realistic results, with these being used to understand sanding mechanisms and validate analytical and numerical methods.
A large number of experimental studies have been carried out by researchers worldwide—most of which have been performed on cylindrical-shape samples under uniaxial (i.e. σ1 ≠ 0, σ2 = σ3 = 0) or triaxial (i.e. σ1 ≠ 0, σ2 = σ3 ≠ 0) stress conditions. In general, a sanding experiment under true-triaxial stresses (i.e. σ1 ≠ σ2 ≠ σ3 ≠ 0) is more realistic in simulating downhole conditions. This stress condition can be simulated in the laboratory on a cubic sample.
The first part of this paper provides a comprehensive but brief literature review on past sanding laboratory experiments. This will be followed by the introducition of a unique true-triaxial stress cell (TTSC) which was modified and used for sanding simulations in the laboratory. The applied modifications will be illustrated and the test procedure described. The sample preparation for testing synthetic samples will be explained and some preliminary results obtained will be presented.
Liability in oil and gas: what happened in the case of Deepwater Horizon?
Authors: McClurg Leanne
Published: August 2017

Disasters such as the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and the consequential pollution in the Gulf of Mexico have heightened awareness surrounding liability for such events. It is an opportune time for all companies—whether owners, operators or contractors—to closely examine their contracting regimes to ensure their interests are protected to the maximum extent possible. It is commercial reality in all industries that parties negotiating contracts seek to limit their liability. Unique to the oil and gas industry, contracts for services usually contain reciprocal indemnities, often referred to as knock for knock clauses, where each party is responsible for loss or damage to its own people and property, regardless of the cause.
Such clauses have the effect of altering the common law position where liability is usually based on the cause of any loss or damage. In this session the speaker discusses some tips and traps for drafting reciprocal indemnity clauses, and looks at how they have been interpreted by the courts. Consideration is given to how an incident like Deepwater Horizon would be treated if it occurred in Australia and an update on the US Senate Committee’s inquiry into the disaster is provided.
Confidentiality—conditions, compliance and consequences
Authors: King Josephine , Gibbs Alison
Published: August 2017

With advancements in technology driving faster and easier flows of information, it has never been more important for companies to understand how the law can assist them in protecting their valuable information and what their obligations are in dealing with the confidential information of others. This is of particular relevance in the petroleum industry, where the possession of data and information is usually crucial to a company’s decision about whether to proceed with a project, and where information can provide a significant commercial advantage. This paper will examine the legal framework regulating the use and protection of confidential information, from an Australian perspective. The paper will consider related issues such as:

When should information should be treated as confidential?
When is a confidentiality agreement required between parties?
What needs to be considered when entering into a confidentiality agreement?
What is the position at law in the event that there is no written confidentiality agreement between parties?
What restrictions apply to the purposes for which confidential information can be used?
Finally, the paper will consider the legal consequences of breach of confidentiality and suggest practical ways that companies can minimise their risk of being exposed to these consequences.
Barrow Island enhanced oil recovery polymer pilot—part two: progress and way forward
Authors: León Daniel , Scott John , Saul Steven , Hartanto Lina , Gardner Shannon , Costelloe Costelloe , Santoso Erwin , Widjanarko Wisnu , Welton Paul , Fletcher Alistair
Published: August 2017

After successful design and implementation phases that included both subsurface and facilities components, an EOR polymer injection pilot has been operational for two years in Australia's largest onshore oil field at Barrow Island (816 MMstb OOIP). The pilot's main objective was to identify a suitable EOR technology for the complex, highly heterogeneous, very fine-grained, bioturbated argillaceous sandstone—high in glauconite, high porosity (∼23 %), low permeability (∼5 mD, with 50+ mD streaks)—reservoir that will ultimately increase the recovery of commercial resources past the estimated ultimate recovery factor with waterflooding (∼42 %). This was achieved using the in-depth flow diversion (IFD) methodology to access new unswept oil zones—both vertically and horizontally—by inducing growth in the fracture network. During the pilot operating phase, the main focus has been on surveillance and monitoring activities to assess the effectiveness of the process, including:

injection pressure at the wellheads—indicating any increase in resistance to flow;
pressure fall off tests at the injectors—to determine fracture growth, if any
sampling and lab analysis at the producers—to identify polymer breakthrough;
frequent production tests—quantifying reduction in water cut and oil production uplift; and,
pressure build up surveys at the producers.

These activities provided input data to the fit for purpose simulation model built in Reveal incorporating fractures and polymer as a fourth phase. With more than 96 % compliance to the surveillance plan, this paper will present the present findings and evaluation of the results, which may lead to the continuation of the pilot in other patterns of the reservoir and, possibly, to further expansion in the field.
Monitoring for introduced marine pests for the Gorgon LNG Project
Authors: Wells Fred
Published: August 2017

Chevron Australia Pty Ltd is constructing a major gas processing plant at Barrow Island, WA. There are also substantial marine environmental values along with the widely known terrestrial environmental values of Barrow Island. Chevron has adopted an extensive, proactive program to protect the Barrow Island marine environment from introduced marine pest species (IMP), including mechanisms to prevent their arrival, a monitoring program to detect any IMP that do arrive, and action plans to be used should a pest species be detected.
A monitoring strategy based on the national IMP monitoring protocols has been developed for Barrow Island. Remote operated vehicle (ROV) transects are made at six monthly intervals, at a combination of sites within and outside operational areas. The ROV surveys are supplemented by beam trawl sampling of biota in sandy areas.
Quarterly monitoring occurs at four sites along the east coast of Barrow Island, using shoreline visual searches, settlement plates and sediment cores for toxic dinoflagellates. A similar quarterly sampling program has been established at the major supply bases at Henderson, south of Perth, and Dampier. This is to provide early warning should an IMP be detected in either locality.
The combination of prevention, monitoring and response is a cutting edge response designed to prevent the introduction of IMP to Barrow Island waters.
Balancing environmental, societal and energy production issues
Authors: Haut Richard , Williams Thomas , Theodori Gene , Slutz Jim
Published: August 2017

Clean burning natural gas begins with environmentally-friendly drilling and production. The industry has made great strides in protecting the environment while increasing production, yet producers still face challenges in relation to effectively operating in environmentally-sensitive areas. The Environmentally Friendly Drilling Program integrates technologies—including: rig designs, drilling fluid systems, waste management, roads, and pads—into systems that reduce the impact in environmentally-sensitive areas.
The objective is to identify, develop and transfer critical, cost effective, new technologies, which provide policy makers and industry with the ability to develop US domestic reserves in a safe and environmentally-friendly manner. The program was honoured with the Environmental Partnership Chairman’s Stewardship Award from the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission at its 2009 annual meeting. The program, funded by industry and government, provides a comprehensive technology transfer effort, which includes outreach to industry, government and the general public.
In addition, a scorecard system is being developed to recognise companies that use the most appropriate technologies and systems to minimise the environmental tradeoffs of operations in sensitive ecosystems. The scorecard assesses drilling operations and technologies with respect to: air, site, water, waste management, biodiversity, and societal issues. The goal of the scorecard is to develop a mindset in the industry that environmental stewardship is a core value.
In addition, the scorecard enables all stakeholders to understand the balance between energy development and the impact on the environment. The program has made significant advances in reducing environmental tradeoffs and in addressing societal issues associated with natural gas production.
Price review mechanisms in a global market
Authors: Thomas David , Douglas Chris
Published: August 2017

The east Australian gas market (including SA) has, throughout its history, been isolated with limited connectivity from the gas fields that supply its major centres. With the arrival of CSG, imminent LNG exports and recent increased connectivity between gas fields and customers, the east Australian gas market has undergone substantial change. Against this background, it is timely to reconsider the approach to price review mechanisms contained in long-term gas supply agreements—particularly what market will be considered in any review process and what evidence will be available to the parties to a price review (in a cost-effective way) to allow consideration of movements in that market for the purposes of re-setting the price to be paid by a customer.
In this extended abstract, the author discuss the effects of CSG developments and increased connectivity on the eastern gas market along with the effect LNG can have, particularly by reference to its impact on the WA gas market. A critical analysis of various price review mechanisms is undertaken with a view to identifying appropriate price review processes and criteria for the future along with reviewing the fundamentals of a price review process—specifically, the need for any price review and associated arbitration to give rise to a justiciable dispute such that the process attracts the operation of the relevant Commercial Arbitration Act and overriding Court supervision for the purposes of any necessary subpoenas or reviews of decisions.
From state to market and back: the role of the public sector in the energy markets—the European experience
Authors: Talus Kim
Published: August 2017

During the last few decades, the contemporary ideology behind energy market regulation in most western nations has been that the introduction of competition will contribute to security of supply. Energy will respond to the economic rules of the markets, going where the prices are highest—its use, substitution and investments responding to prices. The presentation will focus on this idea and discuss the question of whether international competition and free markets can deliver security of supply or whether public intervention and control is necessary.
The study builds on the experience of the European Union (EU). The central argument is that there are two significant caveats to this ideology. First, there are real world distortions that work against the price responsiveness of the energy investments. In the EU, these distortions have been underestimated. Second, although investments may respond to demand in the long run, they do not seem to do so in the short run.
The failure of the market-based system in the EU will be illustrated through two case studies: the Nabucco pipeline project where the European Commission has assumed the role of a state in its support of the project; and, the third legislative package for electricity and gas entering into force in 2011, which marks a clear departure from the previous regulatory regimes—these emphasised the market-based approach. The incoming regime increases the role of the state in, for example, granting the public authorities a decisive role in certain situations in accepting investment plans from transmission system operators and monitoring that they are followed in practice.
Ecological engineering for climate mitigation and adaptation—a case study for the North West Shelf
Authors: Wheen Peter , Kim Shaun , Lawrence Martin , Ridley John
Published: August 2017

This paper introduces the Australian-developed Ocean Nourishment technology, as well as the science, its regulation, and its potential commercial application for the North West Shelf.
Ocean nourishment is a form of ecological engineering, designed to transfer carbon from the ocean's sunlit surface zone to the largest carbon sink on the planet: the ocean. It is a scaleable and economical form of bio-mimicry; simulating the ocean's natural biological processes. Nourishing the surface ocean with macronutrients increases the movement of atmospheric CO2 into the deep-ocean carbon store.
Short lifecycle microscopic plants—which are prolific carbon consumers—use sunlight to process the added nutrients. This additional marine productivity leads to reduced CO2 levels in both the upper ocean and in the atmosphere. Dispersing nitrogen alone allows the potential long-term (1,000 years) removal of one tenth (0.8 Gt carbon/annum) of present anthropogenic emissions.
In addition to carbon sequestration, there is a desirable by-product of the process. The increased marine productivity will lead to increased fish stocks, which will assist in feeding the world's human population. Individual licensed sites would be capable of sequestering 5–8 Mt of CO2 at $25–35 per tonne. This is estimated to produce an additional harvest of 300,000 tonnes of fish each year.
The path to commercialisation for such a promising technology with global reach and untried application requires focussed scientific application. Establishing revenue streams for carbon sequestration or fisheries enhancement is complex. International regulation is being addressed by the LondonConvention/London Protocol of the International Maritime Organisation.
Economic cost benefit analysis of climate change adaptation for infrastructure
Authors: Nolan Michael
Published: August 2017

This paper explores the lessons learnt from the Optimising Adaptation Investment projects for the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency–it includes coastal settlements, water supply and rail infrastructure case studies. These projects are the first of their kind in Australia and are considered internationally as a leading example of economic cost benefit analysis. They have been used effectively to inform decision making on specific adaptation responses to climate change risks to existing and new infrastructure. The lessons learnt will be explored for offshore platforms, ports, rail, road, drainage, tailings dams, mine facilities, water, and power supply, which includes the following elements:

What decision makers require to make informed decisions under the uncertainty of climate change impacts.
Reducing the uncertainty through economic modelling and cost benefit analysis.
Optimising the right timing and scale of various adaptation options.
Benefiting from oil and gas infrastructure adaptation opportunities.

To further support the elements above, the applied process for integrating climate adaptation into infrastructure planning, design and operation will be illustrated by AECOM project experiences. AECOM has completed more than 60 significant climate change risk and adaptation projects for mines, ports, water supply and treatment, energy generation, transmission and distribution, rail, road, and coastal settlements in Australia, including the report: Climate Change Impacts to Infrastructure in Australia for the Garnaut Climate Change Review.
Geology and petroleum prospectivity of the deepwater Otway and Sorell basins: new insights from an integrated regional study
Authors: Stacey Andrew , Mitchell Cameron , Nayak Goutam , Struckmeyer Heike , Morse Michael , Totterdell Jennie , Gibson George
Published: August 2017

The frontier deepwater Otway and Sorell basins lie offshore of southwestern Victoria and western Tasmania at the eastern end of Australia’s Southern Rift System. The basins developed during rifting and continental separation between Australia and Antarctica from the Cretaceous to Cenozoic. The complex structural and depositional history of the basins reflects their location in the transition from an orthogonal–obliquely rifted continental margin (western–central Otway Basin) to a transform continental margin (southern Sorell Basin).
Despite good 2D seismic data coverage, these basins remain relatively untested and their prospectivity poorly understood. The deepwater (> 500 m) section of the Otway Basin has been tested by two wells, of which Somerset–1 recorded minor gas shows. Three wells have been drilled in the Sorell Basin, where minor oil shows were recorded near the base of Cape Sorell–1.
As part of the federal government-funded Offshore Energy Security Program, Geoscience Australia has acquired new aeromagnetic data and used open file seismic datasets to carry out an integrated regional study of the deepwater Otway and Sorell basins. Structural interpretation of the new aeromagnetic data and potential field modelling provide new insights into the basement architecture and tectonic history, and highlights the role of pre-existing structural fabric in controlling the evolution of the basins. Regional scale mapping of key sequence stratigraphic surfaces across the basins, integration of the regional structural analysis, and petroleum systems modelling have resulted in a clearer understanding of the tectonostratigraphic evolution and petroleum prospectivity of this complex basin system.
Understanding the plumbing of the Gippsland Basin: new results on fluid migration and reservoir quality
Authors: Tingate Peter , Campi Monica , O'Brien Geoffrey , Miranda John , Divko Louise Goldie , Liu Keyu , Mills David , Volk Herbert , Hall Don , Hamilton Joseph
Published: August 2017

Understanding the CO2 storage potential and petroleum prospectivity of the Gippsland Basin are critical to managing the resources of this region. Key controls on determining the prospectivity for CO2 storage and petroleum include understanding the fluid migration history and reservoir characteristics in the basin.
Gippsland Basin hydrology, reservoir characteristics and petroleum systems are being studied to better understand how CO2 can be safely stored in the subsurface. Hydrocarbon migration pathways have been delineated using petroleum systems modelling. The latest hydrocarbon charge history data has been acquired to test the containment potential of individual structures along these migration pathways.
The charge history results indicate the Golden Beach gas field has had a complex hydrocarbon fill history, and that early charge has migrated through the regional seal. The results also indicate that early oil charge was very common in the basin, including large structures that are now filled with gas (e.g. Barracouta). The results allow the regions with good CO2 containment potential to be delineated for further storage investigations.
A new evaluation of the reservoir characteristics of the Latrobe Group—through porosity/permeability analysis and automated mineral analysis (AMA)—has provided insights into CO2 injectivity and capacity. The AMA results constrain the mineralogy and diagenetic history of the reservoirs and seals. In addition, the data highlights the presence of carbonates, glauconite and K-feldspar that are potentially reactive with injected CO2.
Health and safety managers: a user's guide
Authors: McQueenie Jim
Published: August 2017

CEOs and line managers are keenly aware of the importance of effective health and safety management in major hazard industries such as oil and gas and their moral and legal accountability for health and safety at work. This speaker presents a “users guide” to leaders describing how to select, scope, direct and monitor the health and safety function in order to ensure the “health” of the health and safety function, ensure risks are effectively identified and prioritised, monitor implementation and progress and ensure events and trends are appropriately flagged and actioned. The speaker seeks to provide leaders with a self check capability to ensure obligations are discharged.
Structural and stratigraphic architecture of Australia's frontier onshore sedimentary basins: the Arckaringa, Officer, Amadeus, and Georgina basins
Authors: Carr Lidena , Korsch Russell , Preiss Wolfgang , Menpes Sandra , Holzschuh Josef , Costelloe Ross
Published: August 2017

The Onshore Energy Security Program—funded by the Australian Government and conducted by Geoscience Australia—has acquired deep seismic reflection data in conjunction with state and territory geological surveys, across several frontier sedimentary basins to stimulate petroleum exploration in onshore Australia.
Here, we present data from two seismic lines collected in SA and NT. Seismic line 08GA-OM1 crossed the Arckaringa and Officer basins in SA and the southern-most Amadeus Basin in NT. Seismic line 09GA-GA1 crossed the northeastern part of the Amadeus Basin and the complete width of the southern Georgina Basin in NT. Structural and sequence stratigraphic interpretations of the seismic lines will be presented here, followed by an assessment of the petroleum potential of the basins.
Seismic line 08GA-OM1 also crosses the Neoproterozoic to Devonian eastern Officer Basin. The basin is structurally complex in this area, being dominated by south-directed thrust faults and fault-related folds—providing potential for underthrust petroleum plays. The northern margin of the basin is overthrust to the south by the Mesoproterozoic Musgrave Province. To the north, the Moorilyanna Trough of the Officer Basin is a major depocentre of up to 7,000 m deep.
Both seismic lines cross parts of the eastern Amadeus Basin. Seismic line 08GA-OM1 shows that the southern margin of the basin is overthrust to the north by the Musgrave Province with the main movement during the Petermann Orogeny. In the northeast, seismic line 09GA-GA1 crosses two parts of the basin separated by the Paleoproteroozic to Mesoproterozoic Casey Inlier (part of the Arunta Region). The northern margin of the basin is imaged seismically as a southward-verging, thinned-skinned thrust belt, showing considerable structural thickening of the stratigraphic succession.
Seismic line 09GA-GA1 was positioned to cross that part of the southern Georgina Basin that was considered previously to be in the oil window. Here, the basin has a complex southern margin, with Neoproterozoic stratigraphy being thrust interleaved with basement rocks of the Arunta Region. The main part of the basin, containing a Neoproterozoic to Devonian succession, is asymmetric, thinning to the north where it overlies the Paleoproterozoic Davenport Province. The well, Phillip–2, drilled adjacent to the seismic line, intersected basement at a depth of 1,489 m, and has been used to map the stratigraphic sequences across the basin.
Quantitative analysis of seismic response to total organic content and thermal maturity in shale gas plays
Authors: Hassan Zadeh Ebrahim , Rezaee Reza , Kemper Michel
Published: August 2017

Although shales constitute about 75% of most sedimentary basins, the studies dealing with their seismic response are relatively few, particularly for the organic rich shale gas. Mapping distribution of shale gas and identifying their maturation level and organic carbon richness is critically important for unconventional gas field exploration and development.
This study analyses the sensitivity of acoustic and elastic parameters of shales to variations in pore fluid content. Based on the effective medium theory a rock physics model has been made by inversion of the shale stiffness tensor from sonic, density, porosity and clay content logs.
Due to the lack of a generally agreed upon fluid substitution model for shale, a statistical approach to Gassmann’s Model using effective porosity in the near boundary conditions, has been developed to account for shale. Fluid substituted logs—for a variety of maturation levels—and gas saturations were generated and used to make the layered earth models. AVO and seismic forward modelling were performed using the rock physics modelled and the fluid substituted logs on layered models.
As part of seismic forward modelling, simultaneous inversion is performed for each model to generate P-impedance, S-impedance and density volumes. The sensitivity of the models were analysed by histogram, cross plotting, cross section highlighting, and body checking techniques. This study showed a dramatic hydrocarbon content effect—specifically gas—in the seismic response of shales.
Indigenous employment initiatives
Authors: Dodd Elizabeth , Ruska Pekeri
Published: August 2017

With the increased focus on Indigenous affairs and issues in the resources sector, there are benefits and opportunities that come from resource companies’ agreements with Indigenous organisations. There are ways to nurture these opportunities and facilitate these benefits.
The Resources Technology Innovation Centre has a national focus and has created the position of Indigenous Engagement Officer responsible for assisting Indigenous small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) engage with key resource companies in the sector. The engagement of Indigenous businesses with the knowledge, tools and expertise necessary to improve productivity, increases competitiveness and fully capitalises on the present growth potential. The primary aim is to help indigenous SMEs develop the skills, tools and knowledge needed to improve their competitiveness, increase their productivity and maximise their growth potential.
This presentation will discuss the ways to improve social and socio-economic outcomes for communities in oil and gas regions by linking them with other stakeholders that can assist the Indigenous SMEs in achieving their goals.
Governance in the oil and gas industry
Authors: Hall Andrea
Published: August 2017

One of the outcomes of the global financial crisis is the re-focus on the governance of organisations: do they understand the risks they are facing, and the efficiency and effectiveness of their control environment? Well run businesses achieve long term success. Effective governance structures protect brand and value propositions; they are also key to maintaining the trust of business partners and financial stakeholders.
While the need for good governance is well understood, the achievement of good governance is still unattainable for some. Do you, as directors, executives and managers, understand the governance of your organisation? How have you shaped the governance of your organisation to enhance its value? Particularly in the following areas:

Does the governance of the business model align with the strategy and do the respective divisions work towards a common purpose?
Use of governance to drive value from activities in new markets, JVs, greenfield investments and M&A.
Consideration of effective governance structures for major projects to achieve business, cost and desired timeframe outcomes.
Use of good governance in determining capital structures and capital management, including cash flow and working capital management.
Integration of governance, risks and compliance activities and their integration with business as usual activities.
Do the risk and governance processes strengthen the resilience of your company, including its ability to evade, adapt end respond to new risks?

These and other issues will be discussed to gain a perspective on how effective governance can help achieve long-term organisational success. We will draw on oil and gas case studies when considering these topics.
Tax opportunities to bring value back into companies
Authors: Henderson Rod , O'Connor Nathan
Published: August 2017

This extended abstract will provide oil and gas executives and their broader teams with an understanding of some of the broader tax challenges and opportunities facing their industry. Key topics to be discussed are:

Practical issues arising out of the proposed extension of the PRRT system to onshore oil and gas.
Henry Report—what else did he say (i.e. covering non-RSPT aspects)?
Exploration/development cut-off for income tax and PRRT.
Large scale oil and gas and LNG projects—getting the tax aspects right.

The issues will be delivered in a non-technical commercial format, and will be suitable for people from all junior explorers to the major producers. A major focus of the presentation will be in exploring how these and other tax topics can be used by oil and gas executives to bring value back to their companies.
New insights into reservoir sand provenance in the Exmouth Plateau and Browse Basin
Authors: Southgate Peter , Sircombe Keith , Lewis Christopher
Published: August 2017

A pilot study to determine if zircons present in reservoir facies of the North West Shelf can be used to identify provenance and sediment transport pathways has analysed samples from three wells: Guardian–1 and Hijinx–1 (Carnarvon Basin), and Burnside–1 (Browse Basin). Operating companies Chevron, Santos and Hess collected 3–5 kg of cuttings from sandstone bodies intersected in the three wells. Samples were sent to Geoscience Australia for zircon separation and analysis at the Geochronology Laboratory on a sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP).
To provide a statistically meaningful representation of ages in each sample, 70–80 grains were randomly selected for analysis. During the past 20 years, Geoscience Australia and the state geological surveys of WA, NT, Queensland and SA, together with the ANU, UWA and Curtin University, have analysed zircons found in igneous and sedimentary rocks that outcrop in WA and central Australia. This analysis has been done to determine the ages of emplacement, extrusion or maximum depositional ages.
This dataset permits the ages of potential onshore provenance areas to be differentiated; hence, correlations can be made between zircons contained within the transported sands and their potential source regions from onshore Australia.
In this extended abstract, the spectrum of ages in each sample will be shown, and potential provenance and sediment transport pathways will be discussed. The abstract concludes with the outline of a 2–3 year project to obtain a dataset that will provide a regional stratigraphic and spatial coverage of the North West Shelf for provenance studies.
From wells to decisions—data management for coal seam gas operators in Australia as compared to conventional oil and gas operators
Authors: Smith Peter , Paton Iain
Published: August 2017

The large number of wells associated with typical coal seam gas (CSG) developments in Australia has changed the paradigm for field management and optimisation. Real time data access, automation and optimisation—which have been previously considered luxuries in conventional resources—are key to the development and operation of fields, which can easily reach more than 1,000 wells. The particular issue in Australia of the shortage of skilled labour and operators has increased pressure to automate field operations.
This extended abstract outlines established best practices for gathering the numerous data types associated with wells and surface equipment, and converting that data into information that can inform the decision processes of engineers and managers alike. There will be analysis made of the existing standard, tools, software and data management systems from the conventional oil and gas industry, as well as how some of these can be ported to the CSG fields.
The need to define industry standards that are similar to those developed over many years in the conventional oil and gas industry will be discussed. Case studies from Australia and wider international CSG operations will highlight the innovative solutions that can be realised through an integrated project from downhole to office, and how commercial off the shelf solutions have advantages over customised one-off systems.
Furthermore, case studies will be presented from both CSG and conventional fields on how these enabling technologies translate into increased production, efficiencies and lift optimisation and move towards the goal of allowing engineers to make informed decisions as quickly as possible. Unique aspects of CSG operations, which require similarly unique and innovative solutions, will be highlighted in contrast to conventional oil and gas.
Oversight or out of sight: the intersection between talent management, OHS governance and the issues for boards
Authors: Barry Lisa
Published: August 2017

In the wake of the Montara spill many companies have renewed efforts to review and implement leading safety and environmental performance; however, the issue is conceivably even more fundamental. With the recent Deepwater Horizon spillage, BP has booked a $US 32.2 billion provision to cover the costs of the spill—with the result that the company recorded the worst quarterly loss in British corporate history.
What would a board need to know, in what form, and by when, in such a situation? Does the governance of such issues need to be strengthened? And in what way? How material and how effective is the oversight exercised by boards over operations of high technical expertise and remote location? What are the questions that boards should be asking about safety and environmental performance? And what are the real lead indicators of risk and performance shortfall? This presentation will draw from research by Deloitte’s Centre for Corporate Governance, as well as from interviews with Australian directors.
It will also explore the issue of safety and environmental risk from the human capital perspective of talent management and shortage—mindful that the very impetus for the recently released report by the National Resources Sector Employment Taskforce was the decision to sanction the Gorgon LNG Project now underway. Finally, this presentation will outline some of the latest data analytics available to boards and management to gain insight into OHS and environmental incidents so that they can design measurable interventions to minimise risk.