Experimental capabilities of seismic emission tomography for solving the problems of searching and exploration of deep hydrocarbon accumulations

The standard seismic prospecting has been designed to investigate thin layering at shallow depths. At depths more than 4 km the rocks are significantly compacted, change their properties and it is often impossible to trace clear horizons by reflected waves. In the crystalline basement and lower horizons of the sedimentary cover the block structure of rocks is clearly manifested. Taking this into account geological models should be developed and other predictive indicators should be used when searching for hydrocarbon accumulations. For the study of great depths more informative seismic methods are emission and transmission tomography which have been developed in detail in seismology. This article discusses prognostic indicators different from seismic prospecting and presents experimental results confirming the success of emission tomography in their detection using the example of field studies at developed hydrocarbon deposit and other geophysical objects. The range of working depths of research covers the entire crust of the Earth including the crust-mantle transition zone. Keywords: seismic emission; emission tomography; rocks; hydrocarbon deposits.

Elaboration of a new calculation procedure of hydrocarbon deposit layer thickness in fuel channels of heat engines and power plants

The article is devoted to theoretical research connected with elaboration of a new calculation procedure for hydrocarbon deposit layer thickness. A common problem of deposit formation in heat engines and power plants is thoroughly investigated. In addition, the wall composition, temperature, time and a number of life cycles, etc. are mentioned as key factors that have direct influence on this heat phenomenon. The paper describes thermophysical properties of deposits in fuel feed systems of different engines. The literature search and analysis did not reveal any similar procedures of calculation of hydrocarbon deposit layer thickness that could be connected with electrical properties of a wall or a deposit. The paper presents new equations for calculating the deposit formation thickness and rate based upon thermal and electrical nature of this process. These new equations led to elaboration of the new calculation procedure of hydrocarbon deposit layer thickness on a metal wall for any fuel channel of a heat engine or a power plant based on liquid hydrocarbon fuel or coolant. The new calculation technique was verified by experiments in aviation kerosene boiling in volume, which clarified special features in the application of new equations. Owing to the universal character of the proposed technique, it can be used for calculating the deposit formation virtually in all the known heat engines and power plants, for various operating conditions, for different metal wall compositions, at various fuel flow rates and pressures, temperature regimes inside fuel-feed and cooling channels.

Forecasting oil and gas saturation of the section based on the results of seismic survey interpretation using innovative methods on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Seismoacoustic entropy analysis (SAE-analysis) and the method of frequency compositions (MFC) are methods of seismic exploration aimed at solving problems of direct search for hydrocarbons based on the results of seismic exploration in promising areas. Both methods use the seismoacoustic response of a hydrocarbon deposit when interacting with the incident wave front as a search criterion. The location of the deposit is determined through dynamic processing and statistical analysis of the spectral characteristics of the wave field. The article presents the results of the forecast of oil saturation by the methods of MFC and SAE-analysis on the territory of Kazakhstan.

Sharing is Caring: Transboundary Hydrocarbon Deposits on the Continental Shelf

The sovereign and exclusive rights of States to explore the continental shelf and exploit its resources implies an unfettered right to exclude any exploitation by a third State of hydrocarbons that are located on its continental shelf. Yet, these rights do not allow impairment to the sovereign and exclusive rights of third States to exploit resources that extend onto their continental shelves. State practice demonstrates multiple definitions of hydrocarbon deposits implying that the decision of whether a hydrocarbon deposit is transboundary may vary depending on the relevant treaty provision. State practice also indicates heterogeneous procedural and substantive approaches to the commencement of transboundary hydrocarbon deposits exploitation. These differences have substantive implications relevant to the determination of the constitutive elements of transboundary hydrocarbon deposits and for the circumstances under which a transboundary hydrocarbon deposit can operate under customary international law.

Improving the Accuracy of Hydrocarbon Reserves Estimation Based on an Integrated Approach

The paper presents an integrated approach to computer modeling of hydrocarbon deposits, as well as the results of its application in oil volume calculation. Such approach involves all available information, as well as visual analytics, and allows to get a more accurate and reliable distribution of parameters in the volume of the three-dimensional computer model of hydrocarbon deposit due to its adjustment based on actual (historical) information about the operation of the oil field. The adjusted in this way model allows to obtain a more accurate predictive solution for the development and to improve the management efficiency of hydrocarbon deposits.

Methodological scheme for ranking interval expert estimates of the territories hydrocarbon potential

The problem of priorities establishing for expert interval-valued estimations when experts hold the opposite opinion is considered. The whole group of expert estimates is subdivided into subgroups, first of which provides the probability of the deposit presence, and the second one provides the probability of deposit missing. A ranking methodology for interval expert estimates of the territories’ hydrocarbon potential, consisting of two stages, is proposed. At the first stage, an estimates formed by two subgroups of experts are separately aggregated by optimization. Two aggregated interval estimates of the corresponding hypotheses probabilities are obtained as a result. In the second stage, a priority estimate is determined by comparing the results. A numerical example of the test territory evaluating for a hydrocarbon deposit presence was calculated. Interval-valued estimates by five experts were used in this example for the hypotheses of hydrocarbons presence/missing. Various metrics of the distance between interval values were used to calculate persistent minima of aggregating estimates. The results of the calculations indicate the hypothesis’ priority of a hydrocarbon deposit presence within the study area. The proposed methodology for ranking interval-valued expert estimates can be used in the “Geologist’s Computer Assistant” software system.The problem of priorities establishing for expert interval-valued estimations when experts hold the opposite opinion is considered. The whole group of expert estimates is subdivided into subgroups, first of which provides the probability of the deposit presence, and the second one provides the probability of deposit missing. A ranking methodology for interval expert estimates of the territories’ hydrocarbon potential, consisting of two stages, is proposed. At the first stage, an estimates formed by two subgroups of experts are separately aggregated by optimization. Two aggregated interval estimates of the corresponding hypotheses probabilities are obtained as a result. In the second stage, a priority estimate is determined by comparing the results. A numerical example of the test territory evaluating for a hydrocarbon deposit presence was calculated. Interval-valued estimates by five experts were used in this example for the hypotheses of hydrocarbons presence/missing. Various metrics of the distance between interval values were used to calculate persistent minima of aggregating estimates. The results of the calculations indicate the hypothesis’ priority of a hydrocarbon deposit presence within the study area. The proposed methodology for ranking interval-valued expert estimates can be used in the “Geologist’s Computer Assistant” software system.