Dallas Geophysical Society March 2022 Luncheon

Brookhaven College Geotechnology Institute

3939 Valley View Lane Farmers Branch, Texas 75244

Buliding H-125

Topic: Leveraging Stochastic Inversion to increase understanding of Drilling and Completion Hazards in the Midland Basin

Speaker: Dennis Ellison

Abstract: Permian operators face many challenges in the exploration and development of resource plays such as the Wolfcamp-Spraberry in the Midland Basin. Advances in drilling and completions have unlocked enormous amounts of hydrocarbons in the short term, but geology remains the strongest predictor of long-term production.

Carbonate debris flows are an example of the significance that geology plays in the Permian Basin. These debris flows are drilling hazards, and when they are not avoided, they increase rig time and costs. They are also stress barriers that negatively impact hydraulic stimulation efforts, resulting in poor well production. Isolating debris flows from resource-rich reservoirs is critical during the target selection process to optimize horizontal well placement and achieve the desired rock failure from hydraulic stimulation, both needed for higher production performance.

From a previous deterministic inversion, a carbonate debris flow near the target was identified but needed more information about its thickness and extent. The objective of this study was to provide high-resolution elastic property volume through the Modified Stochastic Inversion (MSI) workflow with careful consideration of the geologic context and availability of the data. This was also an opportunity to propose a repeatable workflow and practice that may be applied to other seismic assets in the Permian Basin.

Bio: Dennis Ellison, Principal Consultant - QSI

Principal Consultant for QSI at Emerson EPS North America. His career started in depth imaging of geologically complex land data and transitioned into reservoir characterization and Quantitative Interpretation, focusing on unconventional reservoir property prediction. Dennis holds a Master’s degree in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Calgary in Canada. He was recently appointed as VP for the CSEG and is a member of SEG, SPE, EAGE, and APEGA.