2011/6/30 Yanto R.Sumantri <[email protected]>:
>
> Rekan
>
> Saya mendengar bahwa beberapa waktu yang lalu pak RPK memberikan
> presentasi
> di Kementerian ESDM..Apaah ada Rekan yang mengikuti presentasi tsb ?
> Apa apa saja yang disampaikan oleh Beliau ?Apa ada idee yang baru ?
> Kalau boeh share - lah ...............
Kebetulan saya menjadi moderatornya.
dibawah ini item-item dalam presentasi tsb
RDP
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THE IMPORTANCE OF NEW IDEAS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROCARBON EXPLORATION
CONCEPTS
Pengembangan metoda secara academis di bidang hulu Migas
“Oil is first found in the mind of men” (Wallace E. Pratt, 1952: The
philosophy of exploration)
There are two aspect of oil and gas exploration in the upstream of the
petroleum industry:
Exploration Concepts (Plays Concepts)
Exploration Methods or Exploration Technology
These two aspects of exploration are inseparable
Exploration Technology/Methods without Exploration Concept is blind.
Exploration Concept without Exploration Technology/Methods is lame.
OIL IS FOUND IN NEW AREAS WITHOLD IDEAS, BUT OIL IS ALSO FOUND IN OLD AREAS
USING NEW IDEAS
IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGY
Exploration Technology is developing rapidly, but it is getting more
expensive to develop and to operate. This is the case in seismic methods.
Exploration technology and methods can be patented.
Exploration technology usually follows an exploration concept.
There are examples where an exploration concept or “plays” cannot be
realized because of lack of exploration technology to detect this new
concept of exploration.
As an example the idea of oil accumulation in carbonate reefs in
Papua area was already conceived since before World War II by NNGPM
geologist Only a few discoveries were made using surface geologic methods.
It was not until the 70s that significant discoveries were made (Petromer
Trend, 1972) with the development of digital seismic methods, which can
detect reef build-ups.
OLD MATURE BASINS AND NEW IDEAS
In Western Indonesia most oil and gas accumulations have been found using
old ideas.
No new significant discoveries can be expected using conventional
exploration plays.
Encouragement of new exploration concept is required.
FRONTIERS AND NEW IDEAS
New areas in Indonesia are more becoming more difficult to access, such as
deep sea basins, and Eastern Indonesia, therefore increasingly expensive to
explore, and a more higher risk to take.
New areas or frontiers are often geologically difficult areas not considered
as prospective for hydrocarbon accumulations, therefore, requires also new
ideas and new exploration technology. Such as parts of Java have a
considerable thick volcanic cover, technology for sub-volcanic/sub-basalt
exploration is still to be developed.
Only increasing oil prices and favorable political and business environment
will stimulate exploration in new areas.
HISTORY OF IDEAS
The historical development of exploration plays started with the anticlinal
theory in the 19th century, with the sandstone reservoir concept and the
organic theory of hydrocarbon origin.
This historical development can be traced in the development of the
classification of the traps with the latest trap classification emphasizing
on the sealing aspect:
Clapp, 1929; Wilson, 1934; Heroy,1941;de Sitter, 1941; Wilhelm,
1945;Levorsen, 1967;Perrodon, 1983;North, 1985; Milton and Bertram, 1992.
These classifications indicate the progress of ideas through time.
RESERVOIR CONCEPT
However, the concept or reservoir rock is also equally important, the
concept of granular porosity in sandstones, the concept of diagenetic
porosity in carbonates, and fracture porosity in all kind of rocks,
including volcanics and crystalline rock or even shales.
This is particularly made possible in the development of seismic methods
such as using azimuthal surveys and multi-component surveys
In the mature South Sumatra Basin fractured basement plays is now the
current exploration concept since the discovery of the Suban field. This is
probably true for other basins in western Indonesia.
FRACTURE RESERVOIRS
New ideas on the origin of fracture reservoirs have developed recently: not
only by tectonic processes, but also other processes.
TECTONIC FRACTURES.
This is the most common fracture reservoir entertained by the petroleum
industry, advances have been made in understanding and prediction of
fractures, mainly in basement rocks.
EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL FRACTURES IN METEORIC IMPACT CRATERS:
Numerous fields in the world are known to be associated in meteoric impact
craters (Canterell field in Chicxubluc crater, Mexico, Ames field in Texas,
US, Redwing Creek field, North Dakota, US etc).
ARTIFICIAL FRACTURES.
The development of artificial fracturing technology also makes it possible
to have a new idea of exploration concept of shale oil and shale gas,
exploiting hydrocarbons directly in the kitchen where hydrocarbons were
being generated
SOURCE ROCKS
The development of concept of source rock is also important in the
development of new exploration plays.
In the old days only marine sediments, shales, were considered as source
rocks.
Nowadays non marine lacustrine deposits are probably the main source rock in
western Indonesia.
Coal and coaly shales are also now considered as source rock, such as in NW
Java Basin, although it is controversial.
Maturation is often considered a problem, but now we know that immature
source rock can also generate biogenic gas.
The discovery of the Tiger field offshore Vietnam and the oil and gas
accumulations in impact craters also sparks a new revival in the
inorganic/a-biogenic origin of hydrocarbons.
DEVELOPMENT OF DRILLING TECHNOLOGY
The new exploration concept also includes reservoir relatively thin layers
with highly spatial variation made its exploration and extraction very
difficult and expensive.
However, interest has increased significantly due to recent enhancements to
unconventional gas well development technology, specifically horizontal
drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
The benefits of horizontal drilling are that multiple lateral/horizontal
targets can be produced from a single well.
These drilling and production technology are also strongly dependent on the
use of new and appropriate technologies of seismic survey and the geological
knowledge of the plays.
NEW IDEAS AND THE INDIVIDUAL GEOLOGIST
An individual geologist with new ideas can only prove his new exploration
concepts or plays by convincing the management of a company to acquire a
block where his new exploration plays exist, explore, drill the prospect,
and makes a discovery.
The company will get the credit for the discovery and of course the reward
by getting a new reserves and the eventual increase in production. Of course
a company expects a much higher reward for its willingness to enter a much
higher risk
The individual geologist who develops a successful new idea may be given
credit for the discovery within the company, but rarely known outside his
company.
The geoscientist working for a company may be rewarded by allowing him to
publish his successful idea in scientific journals, but no financial reward,
unless he is getting an option in the company stock. But also most of the
time he can not get permission to publish their papers due to data
confidentiality.
In a worse case situation this individual geologist got laid off before his
good ideas are proven to be right.
Once an idea or exploration concept is successful by discovering a new oil
or gas field, other companies will follow as ideas cannot be patented.
THE ENTERPRENEUR GEOLOGIST
An entrepreneur geologist would probably not be satisfied with this
situation.
Having an new exploration concept he will raise capital by convincing
investors with high risk capital to form his own exploration company,
acquire a block where the geologic condition satisfy his ideas of a new
exploration concept or plays.
Successful new ideas of exploration concepts are actually rare, more new
ideas develop into a failure. But to discover new oil fields in a mature
petroleum basin requires new ideas or exploration concept (For science to
advance, scientist must be free to make mistakes).
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF IDEAS
Exploration concepts are initially ideas developed in the mind of men.
New exploration ideas developed in other countries may not be applicable in
Indonesia
To apply these ideas depends on:
The up to date knowledge on the regional geology of the area
The accurate geologic data availability in the whole region.
REGIONAL GEOLOGY KNOWLEDGE
Studies on the regional geology of Indonesia is of utmost importance for
developing new ideas.
The rapid development of literature in the geology of Indonesia is a good
sign (Van Gorsel. 2011)
Research in regional geology should be encouraged and funded.
Research in universities and government research institution should not be
limited to justify prospectivity of blocks.
SUBSURFACE DATA AVAILABILITY
Recent legislation on public access to petroleum data is to be applauded.
However, there appears to be snags in accessing 5 year old data.
Subsurface petroleum data should also be available to university and
research institutions.
Accessibility of new petroleum data is of utmost important to apply new
ideas on exploration play concepts.
NEW IDEAS AND RISK
In view of the decreasing reserves and production in Indonesia a conducive
environment is required for individuals or companies to explore for
hydrocarbons using bold new ideas.
Only bold new ideas can discover significant hydro-carbon accumulations or
even giant fields in Indonesia.
Exploration based on bold new ideas is an extremely high risk venture
bordering on speculation.
It should be therefore rewarded by a higher take of the production results.
As ideas cannot be patented, once is it is successful it will be followed by
others.
THE RISK FACTOR AND REWARD
Not all basins have the same risk factors.
Established mature basins have a much lower risk.
Frontier areas have a much higher risk due to its scarcity of data,
complicated geology and accessibility.
This risk factor should be reflected in the production split as the main
criteria for tender.
BOLD NEW IDEAS AND THE INDONESIAN SOCIETY
Bold new ideas are of course not in the mind of mainstream geoscientist who
evaluate basins based on the established of exploration concepts.
Indonesian society cannot accept a new discovery not anticipated by the
state oil and gas institutions which use established ideas.
If a new discovery is made based on a new exploration play, it feels to be
betrayed by its own institutions.
Do not expect new significant discoveries with established ideas
PRESENT STATE OF REGULATIONS
Present state regulations on Production Sharing Contract are not conducive
for drilling prospects using bold and especially speculative exploration
plays as it requires a lengthy approval by oil and gas authorities.
This is primarly to prevent in case of failure, where the cost of failure
ends up to be carried by the state.
This can be remedied by the abolition the approval procedure, but
increasing the split for the contractor through tender, while all the
exploration risk will be totally at the contractor’s cost.
CONCLUSIONS
To increase or even sustain production level discoveries of new reserves
through exploration is a must.
As less and less discoveries are made using old established ideas, new ideas
with higher risk exploration concepts should be encouraged through a higher
reward.
To apply new ideas in exploration concept data availability and research in
regional geology must be improved.
A new business and political environment should be created to increase
reward and simplification of procedures.
