BTO 3224 Geoscience & Petroleum Exploration

Problem Based Learning: Case Study

Purpose
This project is designed to tie together concepts you have learned in the lecture. You will
work in small teams to research a given reservoir field in a petroleum basin. You will
deliver a presentation on 3 August 2020; thus, you will gain background on your basin,
but you will also benefit from other groups. You will most likely work in one or more of
these areas sometime during your career.

Guidelines
Research your area as thoroughly as possible. You will deliver a 15-minute online
presentation. This presentation should be well-rehearsed such that it is plus or minus one
minute of the 15-minute time limit. Each person in the group should present part of the
project. The organization, formatting, and design of the presentation are also a group effort.
You should include relevant and well-cited figures (maps, stratigraphic sections, cross-
sections, etc.). You will submit your written report and presentation slides before the
presentation day. The report should be at least 30 pages of double-spaced text. Be sure to
include references. THE PRESENTATION AND REPORT SHOULD BE WELL CITED.

Grading
Your presentations and reports will be evaluated and given a grade of 10% (Presentation)
and 20% (Report). Refer to the rubric for details on how you will be grade.

Scope
You will be assigned a field. In your field, you will focus on the petroleum geology of the
major producing reservoir(s) in that field. You should try to find information for all the
bullet points in the outline below, but keep it clear and concise. The presentation should
include at least one slide for each of these points.

1. General information:
- Location: show a satellite image
- Field history: year of discovery, discovery method, exploration & production
(E&P) companies in this field, cumulative production to date, estimated remaining
reserves, total value of reserves at the present price of oil/gas

2. Regional tectonic setting

- Basin type and age: Name the type of basin (i.e. Passive Margin, Back-Arc, etc…)
and how and when the basin was formed
- Basin sedimentary fill: age of the rocks deposited in the basin and total thickness.

3. Petroleum system elements

- Source rock: age, depositional environment. Show pictures of this rock in cores or
outcrops
BTO 3224 Geoscience & Petroleum Exploration

- Reservoir rock: age, rock type, and depositional environment, properties such as
porosity and permeability, thickness, depth. Show pictures, maps (isopach,
porosity, etc.) and stratigraphic cross-sections
- Seal rock: age, depositional environment. Show any available pictures
- Overburden rocks: age, depositional environment, and thickness.
Show regional cross-sections and maps showing the location of these petroleum
system elements.

4. Petroleum system processes

- Trap formation: time of the trap formation and how the traps are formed. Show
cross-sections (well correlations or seismic sections) and structure contour maps
- Generation/migration/accumulation: time of oil generation and its relationship
with the time of deposition of the overburden rocks. Display cross-sections
showing the migration pathways.
Combine all this information in an events chart and burial history chart.

5. Conclusions
You are encouraged to add your own interpretation and draw your own
conclusions where necessary (you may think about how production could be
improved, and if there are any potential perspectives in the basin or field).

Resources
You should use as many resources as possible. You are allowed to use any and all available
resources, including literature and the internet as long as it is well-cited. Use
ezproxy.ump.edu.my to utilize the university’s subscribed online database. If the paper is
not available to download, contact the librarian to request for access. Please use Geological
Society of America (GSA) Geosciences style for your references.

Timeline
1 August 2020: Submission of PPT Slides and First Draft of Report by email
3 August 2020: Final Presentation (4-6 PM)
5 August 2020: Final Report Submission by email (Corrected Version)

List of fields
Group 1: Ghawar Field, UAE
Group 2: Tengiz Field, Kazakhstan
Group 3: Burgan Field, Kuwait
Group 4: West Qurna, Iraq
Group 5: Bolivar Coastal Field, Venezuela
Group 6: Prudhoe Bay, Alaska