Application of 3D marine controlled-source electromagnetic finite-element forward modelling to hydrocarbon exploration in the Flemish Pass Basin offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Dunham, Michael W. (2017) Application of 3D marine controlled-source electromagnetic finite-element forward modelling to hydrocarbon exploration in the Flemish Pass Basin offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The Flemish Pass Basin located 450 km east offshore St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada has seen an increase in exploration activity over the past decade. Risk mitigation is important for deepwater drilling, and marine CSEM interpretation techniques have the potential help de-risk reservoirs in an offshore exploration setting. This thesis uses 3D marine CSEM finite-element forward modeling with comparisons to measured data to (1) show the finite-element forward modeling code can synthesize data from real complex models built using unstructured grids, and (2) use this forward modeling technique to provide additional support and interpretations for two offshore exploration fields in the Flemish Pass Basin: Mizzen and Bay du Nord. In summary, the finite-element forward modeling code was able to synthesize good quality results from complex models built from real data. Sensitivity to the Mizzen reservoir was found, but it is likely below the detectability threshold. This is likely a result of the reservoir being too small and containing uneconomic volumes of hydrocarbons. However, the Bay du Nord reservoir is much larger and is predicted to contain much higher volumes of hydrocarbons. Numerical analysis confirmed a much greater sensitivity to the Bay du Nord reservoir exists.

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