One North Sea fairway analysis: revealing opportunities through data integration across scales

Abstract

Abstract While the North Sea has many well-established prolific plays, the downwards trend of annual discovered resources has cast doubt on the continued ability of the stratigraphy to provide world-class future discoveries. However, despite this downwards trend, significant discoveries can still be made, such as Johan Sverdrup (Norwegian North Sea in 2010). Furthermore, new sub-plays within this petroleum system and new unproven plays with alternative source rocks are still being tested, although often with associated higher perceived pre-drill subsurface risk (Pg) and/or lower volume potential. There is room for new optimism, however, as new approaches and technologies are deployed, which could lead to future success. The analysis of regionally extensive integrated datasets allows for the interpretation of ‘One North Sea’ fairway maps that honour detailed observations from the prospect scale through to the play scale and beyond. By integrating source-rock maturity, hydrocarbon expulsion and migration, well shows, seismically defined gas chimneys, and direct hydrocarbon indications onto regional fairway maps, hydrocarbons can be traced from the source kitchens to the traps. By utilizing a zoom-in/zoom-out methodology, models can be developed, tested and applied across the basin, allowing new ideas to emerge, de-risk established prospects and reveal under-appreciated hydrocarbon volumetric upsides.