We collaborate with oil-and-gas industry researchers to develop technologies that improve efficiency in E&P activities. We are the custodian of forward-thinking petrophysical concepts that we contribute in research partnerships. For example, individual rock property measurements or their “coupled” forms – ratios and products – are not adequate for quantitative interpretation of the subsurface or determination of reservoir properties. But when they are defined in appropriate relationships or integrated with other rock property measurements, they become useful for quantifying and segregating reservoir characteristics.
Fossil fuels are not going away any time soon and will remain a major contributor to the world’s energy portfolio for decades to come. The need will exist to find more oil and gas deposits, but accomplishing this will not be easy. Unconventional reservoirs as well as complex conventional resources will continue to challenge researchers. There is a lot of geologic and reservoir information we are still striving to extract from seismic data, despite multi-disciplinary integration and genuine efforts by practitioners of rock physics and subsurface imaging.
The trajectory of research in. unconventional resources points to: 1) improved characterization of shale reservoirs to predict and locate “sweet spots;” 2) improved reservoir performance; and 3) development of improved technologies and engineering practices to ensure these resources are developed safely and with minimal environmental impact. For the potential benefits of unconventional resources to be guaranteed, collaboration between researchers, producers, service providers, policy makers, local leaders, industry associations, investors and academia, combined with the right advances in technology, will be crucial. Effecting this collaboration is a research challenge by itself.