
A consortium of resource companies required independent expertise to review more than 1 million acres of opportunity. The purpose of the assessment was to determine whether it was plausible to describe the stratigraphic zone as a potential shale/tight oil reservoir and, if warranted, to provide a volumetric assessment.
Project Highlights
- One million acres of opportunity requires independent expertise
- Sproule experts conclude zone could be a tight oil reservoir
- Significant upside for E&P company results in continued exploration
- Two years of additional data confirms original assessment
Challenge
- A consortium of resource companies required independent expertise to review more than 1 million acres of opportunity
- The zone of interest was commonly interpreted as source rock, with maturity ranging from the early oil window to the dry gas window; previous exploration in the area focused on diagenetic traps in carbonates
- The purpose of the assessment was to determine whether it was plausible to describe the stratigraphic zone as a potential shale/tight oil reservoir and, if warranted, to provide a volumetric assessment
Solution
- Two independent methods were used to estimate the present-day volume of hydrocarbons within the shale to capture the uncertainty: the first was a mapping of the pyrolysis S1 data and basin modelling, and the second was geological mapping using a gross isopach map in conjunction with petrophysical parameters
- The pyrolysis data was interpreted to represent the minimum present-day residual oil saturation within the shale, and the volumetric analysis represented the total hydrocarbons that could currently be present within the shale
Value
- Sproule concluded that the stratigraphic zone of interest could be described as a potential tight oil reservoir, indicating significant upside for an exploration and production (E&P) company
- The assessment determined whether it was worthwhile for the consortium to conduct further investigation into these resources
- After two years of exploration drilling, Sproule was contracted to update the original assessment to incorporate the results of eight new wells
- The data from these wells supported the original assessment

Manager, Engineering
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