Unit information: Petroleum Sedimentology in 2019/20

Unit name	Petroleum Sedimentology
Unit code	EASC30024
Credit points	10
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1B (weeks 7 - 12)
Unit director	Professor. Whitaker
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	Mandatory units in Year 1 and Year 2 of the relevant degree programme (BSc or MSci Geology, BSc or MSci Environmental Geoscience or BSc or MSci Geophysics).
Co-requisites	n/a
School/department	School of Earth Sciences
Faculty	Faculty of Science

Description including Unit Aims

This unit draws upon the skills and knowledge gained from Year 1 Dynamic Surface teaching in EASC10001, and the units EASC20007 Sedimentology and EASC20042 Applied Geophysics. It enables students to apply their knowledge of sedimentology and geophysics to hydrocarbon-prone sedimentary basins to develop an understanding of hydrocarbon source, reservoir and trap systems, of basin-fill architecture and of the movement of fluids through reservoir systems.

The unit includes a compulsory fieldwork element that will be consolidated via poster presentation. Formative feedback on poster swill be provided. Failure to attend the field trip, unless valid documentation is presented, and contribute to a poster will result in loss of credit points for the unit and may lead to a requirement to withdraw from the degree programme.

Case studies from a number of different industrial and geological settings will be used to expand knowledge of a range of regional geologies, including examples from across the UK and other examples from across the World.

Students will also be introduced to emerging opportunities offered by unconventional reservoirs and also carbon storage and sequestration.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the unit you will be able to

• Unfold the provenance and geochemical history of hydrocarbon reserves.

• Characterise reservoirs and seals in terms of their origin and porosity and permeability and understand their scale-dependence.

• Describe the characteristics of reservoirs that influence the flow of hydrocarbons.

• Describe, classify and give examples of hydrocarbon basins in relation to plate tectonic setting.

• Relate and account for facies changes in modern and ancient basins in relation to depositional environments, and variations in reservoir properties.

• Understand and apply the basic techniques of exploration geophysics and petrophysics from seismic stratigraphy to downhole logging.

• Understand the basics of reservoir modelling.

• Evaluate and map exploration prospects and calculate reserves for different geological reservoir models.

• Recognise the phases an oil field goes through as technology advances, from early gas/oil extraction to flushing of reservoirs and on to use of empty reservoirs for potential carbon storage.

Teaching Information

15 Lectures, 5 practicals and 2 days of fieldwork

Assessment Information

Final 3 hour examination (100%).

Formative feedback will be provided during the poster session by staff and demonstrators, with detailed feedback to each poster group and more generic feedback on Blackboard.

Reading and References

There are no specific texts for this unit.