General Industrial Requirements and Evaluation Indicators for Petroleum Exploration
Oil exploration is the process of searching for and exploiting underground oil deposits. Hydrocarbon exploration is the search for hydrocarbon deposits, oil and natural gas by means of geological surveys, geophysical and other kinds of exploration. Petroleum exploration requires an integrated effort that involves various technical approaches, such as geological surveys, geophysical surveys, and drill. Therefore, a successful exploration requires the combination of geological knowledge and earth-observation technologies, as well as extensive geological surveying.
The general industrial requirements for petroleum exploration are as follows. Firstly, understanding the regional geology and hydrocarbon systems is the basis of petroleum prospecting, so the regional geological background should be studied in advance. Secondly, geophysical prospecting is used to accurately identify structural characters. Through various explorations such as seismic exploration, gravity exploration, and magnetic exploration, subsurface geology of a certain area can be revealed. Thirdly, the identification of potential oil and natural gas resources through mine planning and stratigraphic correlation techniques should be done.
The evaluation indicators for petroleum exploration are numerous and the evaluation system is comprehensive. According to the analysis process, the evaluation indicators can be divided into two categories: qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative evaluation indicators mainly include the area of prospective resource, potential assessable resources, total reserves, and recoverable reserves. Qualitative evaluation indicators include the geological environment of the prospect, structural features of the prospective formation, reservoir characteristics, and petroliferous gas structure.
The qualitative evaluation indicators play a critical role. For example, the geological environment of the prospective formation should be analyzed. This includes the study of geological processes such as tectonic deformation, magmatic activity, and stratigraphic correlation. The structural features of the prospective formation, such as fault indications, must also be observed. In addition, the reservoir characteristics that may contain petroleum need to be examined. This includes the evaluation of reservoir rock texture, forming conditions, pore and void types, etc. Furthermore, petroliferous gas structures and exploration history should also be taken into consideration in the evaluation process.
Finally, the most important factor in evaluating petroleum exploration is the analysis of the risk level. Risk is a critical factor for petroleum exploration and exploitation, and the risk analysis should aim to quantitatively assess the uncertainty involved in the exploration and development process. The evaluation of the risk level should consider potential hazards and environmental risks, as well as economic and management risks.
In summary, the evaluation of petroleum exploration requires a comprehensive understanding of regional geology and hydrocarbon systems. Qualitative evaluation indicators and quantitative evaluation indicators, such as the area of a prospective resource, potential assessable resources, total reserves, and recoverable reserves, must be considered in the evaluation process. However, the most important factor is the analysis of the risk level. Considering all the factors mentioned above, the evaluation indicators for petroleum exploration can be used to assess the potential of underground oil deposits.
