Technology Focus: Formation Evaluation (August 2022)
Authors: Perry Stephanie 
Published: September 2022

Over the past couple of years, we have observed the energy sector expand horizons and embrace transitions to alternative energy and scientific sectors. In light of that, it’s encouraging to see and review a continued focus on oil and gas exploration, development, and production across university, private equity, and operated contributors. In trying to complete the almost impossible task of culling down hundreds of papers into a short list of recommended readings, there are always common overarching themes that stand out. In briefly reviewing and sharing those observations, I saw that the topics below had many papers and drew much focus over the past year:
- Advancing and improving subsurface characterization through integration (e.g., measurements and modeling)
- Downhole monitoring and effect on production understanding
- Advancing tools into harsher conditions and environments of hydrocarbon prospectivity
- Laboratory measurement innovation and advancement, particularly in enhanced
- oil recovery (EOR) and continued in unconventionals and in integration or combination of existing tools
Interesting to observe was the lack of dominance that has been present over the past couple of years of the advanced analytics and machine-learning applications. Perhaps we have reached a point where we have achieved the fundamental development of, and base modeling of, prototypes and work flows, and now are testing the hypotheses in real time. The industry looks forward to the effect the models may have in real-time operational application results.
Rock and fluid interactions and behavior significantly dominated the focus of the efforts of researchers and operators to test their scientific hypotheses, all with the aim of understanding what to improve, mitigate, or predict in terms of subsurface interaction, and then translate that to wellhead performance. As we continue to advance the capability in the laboratory environment to test downhole condition measurements experimentally, the tools we are using appear to be bridging the subsurface characterization with the production results. Continued focus on unconventionals
is complemented with a renewed focus on conventional research as well. Beyond the primary upstream focus, significant progression exists with regard to midstream-to-downstream research and knowledge-sharing, primarily related to EOR and injection capacity.
I hope you enjoy these selections, and encourage everyone to continue to expand their knowledge bases as well as develop further depth in disciplines about which they are passionate. Please continue to encourage one another to push research and application forward for the benefit of all communities.
Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.
SPE 209445 - Fluid/Fluid Interfacial Area and Its Effect on Relative Permeability—A Pore-Network Modeling Study by Sanchay Mukherjee, The Pennsylvania State University, et al.
OTC 32092 - Analytical Model to Effective Permeability Loss Prediction and Formation Mechanical Damage Control in Fractured Oil Wells by Fernando Bastos Fernandes, Pontifical Catholic University, et al.
SPE 209280 - Analyzing X-Ray Computed Tomography Images From Unconventional Reservoirs Using Deep Generative Models by Yulman Perez Claro, Stanford University, et al.