SPE 133903 Integrated Workflow for Modeling Basin-Scale Petroleum Systems: Applications to the Kupe Area, Taranaki, New

Zealand
L. Roncaglia, M. Arnot, J. Baur, M. Fohrmann, P. King, K.F. Kroeger, B. Ilg, D. Strogen, and H. Zhu, GNS Science, and M. Milner, OMV New Zealand Ltd

Copyright 2010, Society of Petroleum Engineers This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Florence, Italy, 1922 September 2010. This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.

Abstract This paper describes a multidisciplinary integrated workflow for mapping Late Cretaceous to Recent subsurface structure and stratigraphy, and modeling petroleum systems of the Taranaki Basin (74,209 km2), New Zealand. The basin-scale assessment of geology and fluid flow is aimed to improve previous, mostly local, studies. The size of the study area and integration over a nine-year timeframe of large datasets, multiple software and disciplines present technical challenges. The workflow consists of the following six main tasks: data compilation, quality assessment and integration; structural and stratigraphic interpretation of seismic reflection data over a regional framework and local grids including assessment of timing and volumetrics of erosion; validation of the geometric and geological integrity of the structural framework through structural restoration; seismic attribute analysis and facies mapping to constrain the sedimentary facies distribution and the paleogeographic evolution of the basin; construction of 3D static models of stratigraphy, lithology distribution and faulting, as determined from the seismic and well interpretations; development of 4D dynamic models of basin deformation and petroleum generation and migration through time, to improve prediction of where as-yet undiscovered petroleum accumulations may be preserved. Representative examples of data applications and results are presented for the hydrocarbon-producing Kupe area (4,155 km2). In Kupe, more than 200 fault planes and 20 laterally-continuous stratigraphic horizons are mapped, constrained by well data, and included in structurally-validated 3D framework models, which are populated with seismic attribute properties. The 4D models are created by integrating the results of all the steps of the workflow with source rock geochemical properties, heatflow data from crustal-scale modeling, and rock properties for reservoir fairways. This integrated workflow and associated data management and interpretation protocols have proved effective for developing a holistic 4D depiction of Taranaki Basin tectono-stratigraphy and petroleum systems. It provides a co-ordinated approach to interrogating large amounts of independent data, and the derivative models are the base for detailed petroleum exploration. Lessons learned may serve as guidelines for projects of similar scale. Keywords Method, workflow, regional, modeling, facies, seismic, attribute, Kupe, Taranaki. Introduction The Taranaki Basin is located along the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, west of the convergent boundary between the Pacific plate to the east and the Australian plate to the west. It is bound by the Taranaki Fault in the east and the deep water Challenger Plateau in the west. Taranaki is the only region in New Zealand currently producing commercial quantities of oil and gas, and therefore it is arguably the most economically-significant basin in the country. The basin remains the focus of a considerable effort to find more petroleum reserves and up-to-date information on the basins geology is a key component for ongoing exploration. The last comprehensive open-file accounts of the tectonic framework, depositional sequences, lithostratigraphy and petroleum systems of the Taranaki Basin were undertaken in the mid 1990s (Armstrong et al. 1996; King and Thrasher 1996). The 4D Taranaki (4DT) Project, currently being undertaken by GNS Science, aims to refine this knowledge of basin history through