psuzealand

PSU and Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State University for Geological Prospecting (MGRI) represented Russia in the SEG EVOLVE – 2021 International Geophysical Program. As a result, the Russian national team became the best in three categories – “Best Structural Maps”, “Best Resource Estimation” and “Best Economic Analysis”.

“We studied the oil and gas component of the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand’, 5.5km northwest of Cape Egmont. We were required to go through a full cycle – from prospecting to field development and scenarios for increasing production,” says Kristina Muryskina, a graduate of the Department of Geophysics, PSU.

3 students and 1 graduate of the Faculty of Geology, PSU, joined the Russian team, for the contest.  

The Taranaki Basin is an onshore-offshore Cretaceous rift basin on the West Coast of New Zealand. It covers approximately 100,000 km2 of which the majority is offshore. The most of New Zealand’s oil and gas production occurs here, with over 400 wells and approximately 20 oil and gas fields being drilled.

The PSU and MGRI team had to initially use 2D and 3D seismic data, well logging data and field data. The participants assessed the geological risks of the project and determined the initial flow rate of the wells.

The advantage of the program is the feedback from international colleagues, which allowed Russian students to learn from the experience of world-famous oil and gas industry experts. In the fall of 2021, PSU and MGRI teams successfully presented their results at the SEG Annual Meeting.

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) is a learned society dedicated to promoting the science and education of exploration geophysics. The Society fosters the expert and ethical practice of geophysics in the exploration and development of natural resources, in characterizing the near-surface, and in mitigating earth hazards.

While most SEG members are involved in exploration for petroleum, SEG members also are involved in application of geophysics methods to mineral exploration as well as environmental and engineering problems, archaeology, and other scientific endeavors. SEG EVOLVE is an educational program that aims to educate students on real production data.

Taranaki picture source: NASA