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Dr. Krystinik uses smartSECTION to demonstrate sequence stratigraphic correlation techniques in Cross Section View.
Recently LMKR’s GeoGraphix smartSECTION software was featured in a prestigious field course in Rock Springs, Wyoming, taught by petroleum industry experts Dr. Lee Krystinik and Randi Martinsen. Myself and my colleague Julia, had the pleasure of attending this field course as well as the opportunity to instruct class participants on how to utilize the software. We also participated in class discussions on how advanced cross section technology can best be used to increase the efficiency of well-log correlations within a sequence stratigraphic framework resulting in enhanced reservoir prediction. The class was very successful in enabling participants to perform course exercises utilizing GeoGraphix cross section and modeling modules. It also enabled us to gain a more complete understanding on how the smartSECTION module can efficiently be used in exploration workflow exercises. This kind of exposure and industry interaction increases LMKR’s ability to understand the true needs and workflows used by exploration and production geoscientists, and in doing so directly enhance the future development of our software to meet these needs.
June 8 – 14, 2013, myself and Julia Johnson (GeoGraphix Support Analysts) attended the Nautilus field trip entitled Clastic Reservoir Prediction Using Advanced Sequence
Lee Krystinick and Randi Martinsen lecture on coastal fluvial successions near Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Stratigraphic Interpretation. This class is taught annually by AAPG president Lee Krystinik and the 2014 AAPG President-elect Randi Martinsen. Dr. Krystinik is the current founder of Fossil Creek Petroleum, an independent exploration company, and Randi Martinsen is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Wyoming and has recently formed a company called Hydrocarbon Insight, LLC dedicated to the application of geologic models to hydrocarbon exploration. Both instructors have taught multiple petroleum courses and are internationally recognized petroleum geology experts. This course had 15 participants encompassing a group of petroleum geoscientists and petroleum engineers from over five different countries representing a number of oil companies including Devon Energy Corporation, Marathon Oil Corporation, Anadarko Petroleum Company and Murphy Oil Corporation.
Julia Johnson, LMKR Customer Support Analyst, participates in discussion with course participants as Lee Krystinik reviews shoreface environments near Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Over the past decade, smartSECTION has repeatedly been used as the software of choice for this course by Dr. Krystinik and Ms. Martinsen. Each year two LMKR support analysts attend the course to instruct the users on how to utilize the software, and ensure smooth workflow performance during the course of the class. The class consists of a combination of morning field trips observing outcrops, and an afternoon software workshop working on correlating digital well logs and interpreting conventional cores. For the software workshop, LMKR sponsored and provided laptops with the GeoGraphix software, complete with all course exercises.
This field course is designed to teach the basic concepts of the sequence stratigraphy of clastic coastal plain to marine environments of deposition, and the application of these concepts to the interpretation of outcrops and well-logs in order to better predict updip and downdip reservoir quality deposits. The class is very comprehensive and covers everything from detailed analysis of conventional cores, out crops and well-log analysis. smartSECTION is used to do all well-log correlations outlined in the course exercises. Dr. Krystinik highly recommends the software to the class participants stating, “smartSECTION is my favorite tool for geological correlation because it was built by geologists, for geologists and yields immediate results for geoscientists who have only been exposed to the software for a few minutes! I have used a wide range of computer-assisted correlation software packages, but have found that I greatly prefer smartSECTION because of ease of use and the substantially smaller number of clicks between “starting” and “done!”
The primary strength of smartSECTION is that it enables the users to efficiently correlate the log signatures and concurrently model the interpretations, using real-time mapping capabilities. smartSECTION enables the users to apply traditional methods of log correlation within a digital environment for rapid correlation. The ability to display vector and raster images, move log images and curves, compare type log sections, and easily pick multiple formation tops, all assist in the rapid correlation of the log curve signatures. The software is also intuitive to use, thereby enabling users to quickly jump in after minimal instruction, and complete their exercises with little external assistance. The software therefore enables the instructors and the students to focus on course content and not on how to use the software.
Far beyond being an easy-to-use, intuitive tool for log correlations, smartSECTION is a complete 3D modeling software that generates real-time, contoured surfaces based on formation picks, and contains several advanced tools such as the Fault offset tool, Unconformity and Fault Networks tool, and the Unconformity Trimming tool. These all serve to make the analysis of stratigraphic packages and stratal intersections much easier to interpret and visualize. In addition, smartSECTION’s powerful Conformance tool enables the user to predict and display the surface geometry of deeper surfaces, using information gained from shallower surfaces with ample control points. This Conformance tool is frequently used in unconventional drilling workflows to define and model target surfaces based on maps generated from 3D seismic information. smartSECTION also enables users to display seismic lines concurrently with well logs in cross section view, and display GeoAtlas mapped surfaces in cross section view. Finally, for an additional price, it offers its own GeoSteering tool, called smartSTRAT which enables geosteering within an established, real-time geologic stratigraphic model. Overall, it offers the petroleum explorationist a complete interpretation package.
Beverly Halliwell-Ross explains how to use smartSECTION to class participants during class session focusing on log correlation techniques.
As participants in the course, we assisted the users when needed and observed and participated in the use of the software to complete the course exercises. This enabled us to not only assist and interact with users, but most importantly, to immerse ourselves in real case scenario and observe how GeoGraphix applications can be used by petroleum Geologists during exploration workflows . The observation of the user’s software practice also provided insight on how to further enhance the functionality of GeoGraphix to even better adapt to more complex interpretation workflows. Hence, our participation was invaluable to exposure to the latest scientific modeling practices employed by our users – our learnings will be feedback to the LMKR Research & Development team for consideration in future roadmap development.
LMKR welcomes and encourages the use of GeoGraphix software in industry-sponsored courses, and looks forward to many more years of close collaboration in such endeavors. We view these kinds of interactions as the ultimate opportunity to learn more about the needs of our clients and better adapt our software to the everyday application of petroleum exploration.
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