OilSim ExplorationOilSim Exploration

OLF OILSIM 2008

Overview

• Purpose: Enhance your overall understanding of petroleum exploration

• Multidisciplinary challenge

• You are an exploration team in charge of a new petroleum province

• Your task is to get maximum return on investment (ROI)

Money

• You start with $200 Million– You can apply for more money later

• Value:– Net value of the oil fields discovered– MINUS costs (surveys, wells, etc.)

• Winning team: – highest return on investment (ROI)– ROI = Earnings / Funds received

Learning Points

• Where and how to find oil• Surveys used in exploration• Licensing rounds• Farm-in and Partnerships• Rigs and Sub-contractors• Addressing environmental issues• Reducing uncertainty• Economically viable volumes

Oil & Gas Industry

• Upstream– Exploration– Field Development– Production

• Downstream– Refining– Distribution

Structure

• Phase 1: Find Basins• Phase 2: Bid for Licences• Phase 3: Drilling

– 3.1 Farm-in– 3.2 Order Rig– 3.3 Select Providers– 3.4 Select Position– 3.5 Testing

MapColumns (1 to 112)

Row

s (1

to 1

52) 600 sea bed depth

Cell (73,66)

Block 134

134

Login

www.oilsim.com

Main screen

First task

• Find the 3 basins in the area• Basin: Sedimentary rocks in the deep

subsurface where oil and gas was generated

• Procedure1.Buy and study magnetic and gravimetric

surveys2.Submit 3 block numbers; one for each basin

centre

Surveys

Gravimetric surveys

• Gravimetric surveys show the gravity in the sub-surface

• Sedimentary rocks (“basins”) have lower densities than the surrounding crystalline rocks

• Low gravity (green) -> Basins• High gravity (red) -> Crystalline

rocks

Gravimetric surveys

Magnetic surveys

More detail

NorthEast

Quarter map survey

Enter decision

Task 1

• Possible to get between 0 and 100 knowledge points (KP)– KP’s can be used e.g. when you apply

for money

• Must be solved before deadline• After the deadline, all submissions

are evaluated

Task 1 solved

• All basins are located• Message sent to all teams with the

results• Oil and gas is close to the basins• Next step: First licensing round

– The blocks around one of the basins are on offer

Second task

• Bid to get a exploration licence• Exploration licence: A permission from the

Government to explore a block• Procedure

1. Buy and study Common Risk Segment Maps, 2D Seismic surveys, and Spawning Ground Maps

2. Submit 3 bids– Block number– Amount offered to Government (“bonus”)

Migration

Basin

Prospect

Play

Migration

Prospect

Migration

ReservoirSeal

Real Seismic

                                                                                                                                                                       

2D Seismic surveys

• A 2D Seismic survey is a cross section of the geological layers– along either a column or a row

• Is used for locating prospects• Look out for traps• Three separate geological layers

2D Seismic example

Prospects

Top of sealing rock

Top of reservoir rock

Cross-sections

Column

Row

Prospect, ReservoirBasin, Source

Wells

179

Remarks

• In OilSim, there is only one type of trap: the four-way closure structural trap– in reality, there are several other types

• Three prospecting systems– 3. Eocene (1.500 m below seabed)– 2. Paleocene (2.500 m -)– 1. Cretaceous (3.500 m -)

Common Risk Segment

• Prospect probability– Red: low– Orange: medium– Green: high

There is one CRS for each geological layer

Common Risk Segment

Band 3 Eocene

Band 2 Paleocene

Band 1 Creataceous

Spawning Grounds

• There are spawning ground areas in the map – these are environmentally sensitive areas where fish breed

• Some spawning grounds might be in the blocks that have been offered

• However, no licences will be awarded in blocks that are spawning grounds

• To find out which blocks are spawning grounds, you can buy a Spawning Ground Survey

Spawning Ground Survey

Red Area:Spawning GroundsYou will not be awarded blocks that contain any red area

Blue Area:Not Spawning Grounds

The survey covers the whole area

Tips

• Study spawning ground maps to see which blocks to avoid

• Use CRS to see which blocks to study• Buy and study many 2D surveys• Focus on shallow water blocks

– It is cheaper to drill exploration wells in shallow water

– It is more economically viable to produce oil and gas in shallow water

Enter bid

Bidding

• Minimum bonus: 1000000• Maximum bonus: 30000000• You will only get one licence• Highest bid gets the licence• If you lose on all three blocks, you will

get a random licence (of the ones that are left)

• Do submit 3 bids -> more KP’s and higher probability for success

Task 2

• Submit your bid before the deadline

• After the deadline, all bids are evaluated, and each team gets one and only one licence

Task 2 solved

• Every team has got one exploration licence

• Message sent to all teams with the results

• Knowledge Points: a measure of how prosperous the blocks the team bid for were

• Next step: Farm-in

Farm-in & -out

• The headquarters of you company has evaluated the licence that you got awarded

• Although the possibility of finding oil is fair, the costs involved are large, and the headquarters wants you to spread the risk.

• This is accomplished by:– investing in other licences (farm-in), and– letting other invest in your licence (farm-out)

Task 3.1 Farm-out

• Get other’s to invest 20% or more in your licence (“farm-out”)

• You can only send farm-in offers (!)– Offers to buy parts of other licences

• Procedure for farming in:1.Study CRS and 2D Seismic surveys

2.Submit one offer for each viable licence– Amount offered– Share wanted (in whole %)

Farm-in

Send an offer

Partnerships

• Partners pay their share of all future costs incurred by the partnership.

• Partners receive their share of the net proceedings from any oil found on the licence

• The operator team takes all decisions regarding acquirement of 3D seismic, drilling of wells and testing of wells

Task 3.1

• Study CRS and 2D seismic surveys of the other licences

• Submit your bids– Minimum amount 100,000 for 1%

• You are not allowed to drill before at least 20% of your licence has been farmed out

• You can farm-in & -out at any time• Partners in a block get all info about

drilled wells and discovered oil and gas fields

Task 3.1

• Partnerships will be established every time a seller accepts an offer

• On the main page, you can see all the licences– The licences you operate– The licences you have invested in– Other licences

• Next task: order rig

Task 3.2 Rig

• 3 rig types– Drillships– Semi-submersibles– Jack-up rigs

• Different water depths, Different day rates– Rig cost = drilling days * day rate

Available Rigs

Drilling days

Drilling Depths

Seabed

3500 m below seabed

Layer 3 Eocene

Layer 2 Paleocene

Layer 1 Cretaceous

1500 m below seabed

2500 m below seabed

“water depth”

Seabed Depth

Task 3.2 Rigs

Rigs

• Limited number of rigs available• You can order a rig

– Start using it within 20 minutes

• Not enough for all– Wait in a queue, if another team is

using the rig

• Rig day rates are dynamic

Task 3.3 Providers

Track Record

Select Providers

Task 3.4 Position

• You have to choose where to drill– Which cells?

• ..and how deep to drill– Either to the Eocene horizon– Through the Eocene to the Paleocene

horizon, – or through the Eocene, the Paleocene,

and to the Cretaceous horizon

Environmental Impact Assessment

• Buy an EIA survey to get more knowledge about the area

• EIA equals• Less probability for drilling problems• Less severe consequences if you run into

problems

• In the EIA you can also see which drilling locations to avoid

3D Seismic

• Shows the structure:– in one (of the three) horizons– in one block

• Look out for “tops”– a top = a trap = a prospect

3D Seismic

Three targets

Layer 1 Creataceous

Layer 2 Paleocene

Layer 3 Eocene

Column 60, Row 79

Column 60, Row 78

Select Positions

Drilling position 3

Drilling position 2

Budget

Drilling results

Drilling result

Task 3.5 Testing

• If you discover a field-> decide whether you want more information about that field

• You get more information by doing a production test (and other tests)

• Tests take 10 days per field• Tests have the same day-rate as the

drilling (you use the same providers)

Test decision

Field value

Prospects

Licence Value

Appraisal

Appraisal– From Probable volume to proven reserves

Narrowing ranges

• First well:– 0 to 572 MBO (after drilling)– 11 to 266 MBO (after testing)– Proven volume: 11 MBO

• Second well– 11 to 233 MBO (after drilling)– 35 to 210 MBO– Proven volume: 35 MBO

Continue...

• Drill appraisal wells to narrow the uncertainty (get proven volumes)

• Drill into other prospects• Farm-in and -out• Two additional licensing rounds• Apply for more money, if you run

out of cash• Winner: highest ROI