BasinMod 2012 Additions and Enhancements

Many new capabilities have been added to the current release of BasinMod 2012 which, in addition to the capabilities already present in BasinMod, will aid the user in solving problems in less time for both unconventional and conventional resource plays.

Surface Mapping

Display calculated values over the Area of Interest, such as the temperature map, below left. In addition, Trigger Maps display the depth to or the age of a specific occurrence, such as the depth to the top of the source rock maturity, as seen below right.

Log Cross-Plots

Determine lithology and porosity using cross-plots of logs of interval travel time, bulk density, neutron porosity, and others.

Mineral Mixes

Build lithologies by combining percentages of minerals to utilize core and XRD data and to enable more accurate and realistic modelling of source and reservoir properties. As an example, rocks with higher percentages of silica and/or carbonate (greater than 50%) are more brittle and more responsive to hydraulic fracking.

Erosion Estimator

Estimate the amount of surface erosion using a Sonic Transit Time log. The depth to which the source rock is buried before uplift and erosion has an effect on compaction, temperature, maturity, and ultimately, the generation of hydrocarbon.

Use Sonic Transit time logs to estimate the amount of surface erosion

Select Logs

The selection of logs to display has been made easier and more flexible.

Determination of TOC from Logs - Δ log R

The amount of TOC is critical in a resource play as it not only dictates how much hydrocarbon may be generated but, since methane is adsorbed onto organic matter, the amount of TOC will determine how much methane can be adsorbed. Calculation of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) from logs is accomplished by the Δ log R (Delta Log R) method. This technique works well in both oil-prone and gas-prone source rocks and is effective over a wide range of maturities.

Calculation of TOC from Logs using the Delta Log R Method

Calculation of Initial TOC

The determination of initial TOC provides an indication of the total generative capacity of the source rock. Theoretical and experimental calculations indicate that organic carbon loss during generation and expulsion can be significant. By not taking this loss into account and by using present-day measured TOC, some otherwise good source rocks could be ignored, or the volume of hydrocarbons could be underestimated.

The method proposed by Daly and Edman is used for estimating the loss in the amount of TOC due to thermal maturation.