Brunei Shell Petroleum delivers Seminar to FOS Geology Students
Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP) presented a seminar to FOS Geology students on the 30th August 2017, on the subjects of Well Planning, Geohazard Assessments and Operation Geology in the Oil and Gas Industry. This seminar was part of a two-event seminar initiated by the Department of Geological Sciences and the Geophysics Team and Exploration Department, BSP.
Presenting were BSP local experts, Bazlin Razali and Azrin Alus (Production Geologists) and Miskiah Masri (Geohazard Specialist), who covered important topics relating to the Oil and Gas Industry, addressing the issues in an integrative way. This included topics of well blowouts, which can be a catastrophic incident, as documented in the U.S. Deepwater Horizon Accident in 2010.
Students intently listening during the seminar (Photo by Phua Eng Siong)
FOS Geology students, lecturers and Brunei Shell Petroleum staff in a group photo session after the seminar
Well blowouts as such leads to the loss of oil production. To avoid these incidents, BSP invests heavily in the development and training of its staff, stressed Ms. Bazlin Razali. Geohazards are continuously addressed for every well being drilled, an experience shared by Ms. Miskiah with the Layang-Layang Discovery well.
An operations geologist’s role is to continuously monitor the progress of the well in real-time. They are also responsible for interpreting the wireline logging data obtained from the well, which helps to better understand the subsurface geology.
Geology Lecturers and students attending BSP Seminar (Photo by Phua Eng Siong)
FOS Geology students showing their interpreted cross-section in a group photo with BSP staff (Photo by Phua Eng Siong)
Energy demand is projected to increase by more than 50% by 2050. Thus, exploration for oil and gas will still be required. Exploration work starts from Remote Sensing, Field Work at Outcrops as well as Seismic Acquisition and Interpretation, both for offshore and onshore sites. BSP staff, Mr. Saiful, pointed out the challenges of onshore exploration due to dense vegetation. Understanding seismic cross sections, especially sandy areas were important to determine the geological environment and the petroleum system. During the process of evaluating prospective hydrocarbon areas and stratigraphic traps, Mr. Azree explained that risks and uncertainties always need to be taken into account.
The lecture was very well received with students actively participating during the questions sessions, obtaining yet another fruitful experience in a niche area of the geosciences.