Technical Analysis
Our company motto, “Led by Science” is more than a simple tagline. We purposely seek out and implement leading edge, disruptive technologies that might not yet be found in the mainstream of the oil industry. We invest in these techniques to improve our understanding of the petroleum systems as well as to reduce drilling risk. As an early adopter for many of these technologies, our technical team evaluates the basic science behind the algorithms and our management team authorizes the capital to implement these solutions on our real world exploration opportunity in the Guyana Basin. New technology purposely combined with advanced scientific understanding and implemented by experts in each field leads to significant risk reduction and recognition of oil and gas reserves that might be bypassed by more a conventional exploration approach. The various technologies discussed below are representative of this approach. The following proprietary work was conducted exclusively by JHI to help unlock the potential of the Canje Block.
Apex Spectral
Apex Spectral is the world leader in seismic dispersion imaging. Dispersion is a phenomenon observed in seismic data in the frequency domain and is caused by fluid movement within the rock matrix when excited by the seismic wave. Apex Spectral has invented, patented, and commercialized robust and reliable technology to image dispersion. The measurement called “ADF®” is proportional to reservoir fluid viscosity, permeability, and thickness-all key factors in determining the commerciality of hydrocarbon reservoirs. ADF acts as a DHI (Direct Hydrocarbon Indicator) because typical oils like Brent, WTI or Saudi Light have much lower viscosity and surface tension than brine which causes a much stronger dispersion anomaly as compared with water wet reservoirs. For more information visit www.apexspectral.com
The JHI Geoscience team, working with Apex Spectral, have tested ADF techniques using 2D seismic that crosses key discovery wells and dry holes in the Guyana Basin. Calibrated with these results, the entire Canje 3D survey has now been analyzed on a proprietary basis using this technique. When paired with more conventional AVO and DHI techniques, JHI is lowering the risk of finding commercial hydrocarbons before testing with the drill bit. JHI has also recognized an additional benefit in the deeper geology where more conventional AVO techniques begin to be less definitive, the ADF signal continues to point the way to potential prospects in these deeper horizons.
eSeis
eSeis has pioneered the now established field of “Seismic Petrophysics”, integrating petrophysics, geophysics, geology and engineering resulting in optimal solutions for the petroleum industry. Their flagship product, known as SAIL (Spectral AVO Inversion for Lithology) is an advanced seismic interpretation technique that converts seismic data into lithology and fluids volumes by utilizing spectral decomposition, AVO, inversion and proprietary petrophysical algorithms. These techniques utilize compressional and estimated shear properties to determine lithology, porosity, and the presence of compressible hydrocarbons. For more information visit www.e-seis.com
The JHI Geoscience team, working with eSeis, have completed a pilot study using the SAIL product over a large prospect in the Canje Block. Our technical team have presented this prospect to the Canje Partners for technical approval to add to the potential drilling queue in the block.
dGB Earth Sciences
dGB Earth Sciences is a company that provides innovative seismic software interpretation solutions to the petroleum industry. One such innovation, known as the Chimney Cube, utilizes advanced seismic attributes analyzed using a neural network to highlight the presence of vertical hydrocarbon migration patterns on 3D seismic. For more information visit www.dgbes.com
The JHI Geoscience team, working with consultants at dGB, have completed proprietary Chimney Cube processing on the entire Canje 3D seismic survey. This data set has proven valuable by identifying the position of key petroleum source rocks and highlighting the migration of oil from those source rocks into prospective reservoirs. Exploration risk has been reduced by the additional use of this information to assess top seal integrity over stratigraphically trapped prospects mapped using other techniques.
ZetaWare
Petroleum System Analysis or Basin Modeling utilizes a sophisticated computer model to predict when a source bed begins to covert organic matter into oil and gas. A basin model incorporates a wide range of geological information which is combined with the 3D seismic data to the timing of maturation, illustrate the oil migration pathways, and predict oil column heights and reservoir pressures before wells are drilled. For more information visit www.zetaware.com
The JHI Geoscience team, working with the consultants at ZetaWare, have completed a proprietary 3D model over the Guyana basin. This animated model, predicts the timing of oil generation and illustrates how prospects in the Canje Block have been filled with oil.
PALEOMAP
The goal of the PALEOMAP Project is to illustrate the plate tectonic development of the ocean basins and continents, as well as the changing distribution of land and sea over geologic time. In development for over 30 years and including contributions from leading geoscience institutions, oil industry specialists and universities, PALEOMAP animations provide an understanding of the development of our planet in a highly visual context that all viewers can easily understand. For more information visit www.scotese.com
The JHI Geoscience team has completed a custom animation depicting the development of the Guyana Basin beginning with the opening of the Atlantic Ocean over 130 million years ago. This animation has been integrated with our proprietary geological interpretations to tell the story of why oil and gas is being found offshore Guyana.
Qeye Labs
Qeye is a geophysical technology company specializing in quantitative interpretation (QI). Historically, seismic data was used to generate images of the geological structure subsurface. Modern quantitative interpretation (QI) extracts additional, high value information from the pre-stack seismic data (gathers). The variation of the seismic amplitude with incident angle (AVO) at a geological interface contains information on the rock and fluid properties in the layers.
The key steps in all QI workflows use the AVO information to convert the seismic data from amplitude at an interface to properties in a layer. This process is called seismic inversion. Seismic inversion estimates the elastic and petrophysical properties in the subsurface away from the wellbore. For more information visit www.qeye-labs.com
The JHI Geoscience team has completed a proprietary, full elastic AVO inversion across the entire Canje 3D survey. Typically this level of technology is only applied after many wells have been drilled so that the ground truth observed in the well can be used to calibrate the seismic result. In the case of the Canje project, JHI has taken the bold step, on a proprietary basis, to invest in this inversion early such that as soon as the first well is drilled, the petrophysical calibration from the well results can be applied to immediately update the inversion results and improve subsequent exploration and development on a block wide basis. Once well calibration can be applied, these results will also serve as the foundation to build advanced reservoir simulation models necessary to design and implement field development.
Sharp Reflections
“Modern quantitative interpretation (QI) techniques have great predictive power, but only where very high-quality seismic data inputs are used in the analysis.” For more information visit www.sharpreflections.com
The JHI Geoscience team, recognizing potential noise contamination in the pre-stack gathers on selected areas within the Canje 3D dataset, and utilized the advanced capabilities of Sharp Reflections to analyze and condition the Pre-Stack seismic data for reservoir characterization using advanced AVO analysis.
MBL
MBL is recognized as one of the leading geophysical consulting and service firms specializing in the interpretation and integration of Gravity and Magnetics data in the search for oil and gas worldwide. Typically utilized in the early stage of basin exploration, this geophysical data is particularly suited to the mapping of major basement related fault systems, large basement structures, and is one of the few ways that the oil industry can recognize potential subsurface volcanoes. For more information visit www.mbl-inc.com
The JHI Geoscience team contracted with MBL to integrate gravity data acquired during the proprietary 3D survey over the Canje Block with other large regional data sets acquired from PGS and Staatsolie both in Guyana and Suriname. The result of this work has allowed the technical team to better understand the key elements of the petroleum system.
Geomodeling
The JHI Geoscience team utilizes the Attribute StudioTM interpretation software for seismic attribute analysis and quantitative interpretation for reservoir characterization. Attribute StudioTM is an integrated environment for quantitative interpretation, seismic attribute generation, visualization, calibration and correlation of seismic signal to well result. This enables our team to quickly derive reservoir properties from seismic attributes and move beyond conventional workflows.
Recently, Geomodeling has introduced advanced AI technologies, implementing a Deep Learning toolkit that allows efficient and more thorough analysis of “Big Data” such as dense 3D seismic to classify and map key reservoir facies on the seismic data in preparation for full dynamic reservoir simulation. For more information visit www.geomodeling.com
The JHI Geoscience team utilizes the Geomodeling interpretation system in our technical work to analyze elements of prospect geology not available in other software packages. As drilling in the Canje Block moves forward, calibration of well petrophysics will aid the interpretation of these attributes to reduce drilling risk and to recognize new prospect types.
Petrel E&P Software Platform
Developed by Schlumberger, the Petrel workstation platform has emerged as the standard of the petroleum industry for mapping and integration of seismic, well information, engineering and reservoir simulation by both super major and large independent companies. For more information visit www.sofware.slb.com/products/petrel
The JHI Geoscience team utilizes the Petrel workstation software for mapping and analysis of 3D seismic on the Canje Block. Utilizing this system also affords the opportunity for direct integration with our partners, who use this same software.
PGS
JHI has licensed 3,750 kilometers of 2D multiclient 2D seismic data from PGS, a world leader in speculative seismic libraries. Acquired in 2009 in cooperation with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), this coarse regional grid (10 km x 20 km) of seismic coverage over both the Canje and Stabroek Blocks in Guyana afforded a key “first look” at the overall subsurface geometry on the Guyana portion of the basin. For more information visit www.pgs.com
The JHI Geoscience team has completed proprietary mapping and integration of this regional dataset into a comprehensive understanding of the geology and geophysics of the petroleum system. Key ties between seismic and important discovery wells (Liza, Turbot and many others) allowed our team to understand and calibrate the seismic character and AVO response of reservoirs discovered in the Stabroek Block and map the presence of these same reservoir systems into the Canje Block.
Staatsolie
JHI has purchased multiple data packages from Staatsolie, the national oil company of Suriname, providing 2D seismic coverage over much of the Suriname portion of the basin. These data packages include well information, gravity and magnetics, well logs and other key geoscience information. For more information visit www.staatsolie.com
The JHI Geoscience team have completed a proprietary regional mapping study covering the entire Guyana-Suriname Basin, integrating all information into a basin-wide series of maps that more clearly highlight key elements of the petroleum system. The results of this work are being used to guide exploration efforts beyond the boundaries of the Canje Block in Guyana.