PRESENTED BY:

ANGSUMAN PHUKAN
ENE 16016
M-TECH ENERGY TECHNOLOGY

PETROLEUM EXPLORATION
Introduction
Hydrocarbon exploration (or oil and gas
exploration)
Is search by petroleum geologists and
geophysicists for hydrocarbon deposits beneath
the earth surface.
Oil and natural gas
Petroleum exploration and production are
concerned with the geological interpretation of
geophysical data, especially in offshore areas.
History of Oil Exploration
600 bc in India, Persia, Syria, China, Greece,
Italy

Modern drilling by col. Drake in 1859 at

Titusville, Pennsylvania (USA)

In India at Digboi in 1889 (30 years later)

What is Petroleum?

A naturally occurring, yellow to black,

flammable liquid, found in geological
formations beneath the Earth's surface.
Refined into various types of fuels.
Consists of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights
and other organic compounds.
Petroleum is formed when large quantities of dead
organisms, usually zooplankton and algae, are buried
underneath sedimentary rock and subjected to both
intense heat and pressure.
Types of Petroleum
Oil and gas are formed by the thermal cracking of
organic compounds buried in fine-grained rocks

Algae = Hydrogen rich = Oil-prone

Wood = Hydrogen poor = Gas-prone
What is it Used for?
What is Geophysical Exploration?
The application of the principles of physics to the
study of the subsurface, in search of hydrocarbon
Geophysical investigations of the interior of the
earth involves taking measurements at or near
earths surface that are influenced by the internal
distribution of physical properties.
The objective of any exploration venture is to
find new volumes of hydrocarbons at a low cost
and in a short period of time.
Methods of Exploration
Gravity Surveying
 Gravity method provides presence of sediments in a basin
rapidly and economically
Field observed in gravitational prospecting is a composite

of contributions from all depths within the usual range of

exploration interest
Quantity actually observed is not earths true gravitational

attraction but its variation from one point to another

Variations in gravity observed depend upon lateral changes

in density of earth materials in the vicinity of measuring

point
 An anomaly in earths gravity can be related to a
buried geological feature e.g. salt dome
It is possible to map boundaries and estimate
depth distribution of sedimentary basins
Gravity surveys are useful in initial exploration of
water covered shelf areas where no geological
information is available at all.
There are two types of gravimeters: relative and
absolute.
 Absolute gravimeters measure the local gravity in
absolute units.
Relative gravimeters compare the value of gravity
at one point with another. They must be calibrated
at a location where the gravity is known
accurately, and then transported to the location
where the gravity is to be measured.
Earths gravitational field and its
relation to gravity exploration
Any variation in gravity is a positive gravity
anomaly if it is higher than from that over the
area surrounding it and negative when lower
Magnetics
Magnetic prospecting is used to explore for both
oil and minerals
It gives information to determine depth to
basement rocks, locate and define the extent of
sedimentary basins.
Magnetic rocks have almost always acquired their
polarization from the earths field.
Sedimentary rocks exert a very small magnetic
effect compared to igneous rocks.
 If the rock is igneous, its direction of magnetization
will be that of the earths field at the time it cooled
from its initial molten state to a temperature below
the Curie point. This is called thermo remnant
magnetization.

If the rock is sedimentary, any orientation of its

magnetic grains during deposition would have been
in alignment with the field that existed when the
deposition occurred. This is depositional remnant
magnetization.
Electromagnetics
Electromagnetics-Sea Bed Logging
Seismic Geophysical Survey
The seismic methods are the most widely used of all

geophysical methods used in petroleum exploration.

Seismic methods measure seismic velocity of rock

layers to detect both lateral and depth variations and the

objective is to determine the litho logy and geometry of
the layers.

A seismic wave can be thought of as shock wave (elastic

wave) or vibration traveling through the ground.

 The rate of travel, or velocity, of the wave is related
to the density of the rock.

There are two types of elastic waves produced: 1) P-

waves, which are primary or compression waves,
and 2) S-waves, or shear waves
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