SPWLA Unconventional Resources SIG Charter

Preamble
The hydrocarbon resource base is rapidly changing. In the first decade of the 21st Century economic reservoirs include formations with average porosity well under 10% and permeability measured in the nanodarcy range. Future economic production may come from methane hydrates and in-situ transformation and mobilization of the organics in oil shale. Non-hydrocarbon reservoirs such as geothermal reservoirs or reservoirs for CO2 sequestration could become important areas for application of petrophysics. Perhaps the only aspect these unconventional reservoirs have in common with the typical reservoirs exploited in the 20th Century is that they require reservoir characterization for optimal development. Key factors in this characterization are core measurements at in-situ conditions and information obtained from borehole tools. Petrophysical methods, petrophysicists, and the SPWLA as the professional society for petrophysicists have an important role to play in the understanding of unconventional reservoirs. The objective of this SIG is to provide the SPWLA a leading role in facilitating communication among members of the technical community to interchange technologies needed to efficiently exploit these new resources.

Unconventional Resources
Unconventional resources are essentially defined by what they are not; that is they are not the reservoirs that dominated hydrocarbon production for most of the 20th Century. In general they require a different strategy for characterization and development. In most cases, they involve special core measurement methods, different log interpretation techniques, and non-standard development such as massive hydraulic fracturing. Coal bed methane, shale gas, and tight-gas sandstones are categorized as unconventional reservoirs. These are the unconventional reservoirs that by law RPSEA was mandated to support research in. However, they also include among other types transition zone reservoirs, oil shale, hydrates, geothermal reservoirs (both dry and steam), and will in the future include yet unrecognized reservoirs. The Unconventional Resources SIG encompasses all unconventional non-mining assets. The main focus of the SIG is on those reservoirs that at a given time are of significant economic importance, but it will also provide a forum for technical exchange on other resources that could become important in the future. Conventional hydrocarbon (HC) resources usually mean sand, shaly sand or carbonate reservoir formations with intergranular pore systems, intermediate to high porosity, intermediate to high permeability that contain gas or intermediate to light oil. The HC generally migrated from source rocks and was trapped by structure and/or lithology seals. They generally need to be at shallow enough depths that standard tools can be used to characterize them. That is unconventional HC resources include but are not limited to any HC-bearing reservoir formations that are different from those above conventional formations. They can be, but are not limited to, coal bed methane, oil shale, shale gas (from storage mechanism, pore system, migration and seal point of view), vuggy or fractured igneous rock (from the lithology and pore system point of view), vuggy or fractured carbonate

(from the pore system point of view), tight gas (from permeability range point of view), ultra deep reservoirs (outside of standard tool and laboratory operation conditions point of view), and heavy oil, tar, hydrate (from fluid property or storage mechanism of view). The definition of unconventional HC resources may be and will be updated with time. Some reservoirs such as tight-gas sands are conventional by many petrophysical standards, but unconventional by other standards. For example a common definition of unconventional gas reservoirs are reservoirs that cannot be produced at economic volumes of gas without assistance from massive stimulation treatments. In general the definition of unconventional used in this Charter will be inclusive.

SIG Structure and Activities

The SIG shall have as its general membership those members of SPWLA who ask to be included within its membership. The activities of the SIG will be organized and coordinated by an Executive Committee, whose officers and duties are listed below. Subcommittees that can include non-members of the Executive Committee shall be formed as needed. The Executive Committee shall have the right to institute a membership fee to fund the SIG activities. The Executive Committee will be populated by volunteers from the SIG general membership. In the case of an excessive number of volunteers, the current Executive Committee will choose the new members from those volunteering. The Executive Committee will choose the officers. The current general membership shall have the right to petition the SPWLA to have the Executive Committee removed. If 25% of the current membership signs this petition the SPWLA will be asked to organize an election to choose a new Executive Committee. The current Executive Committee shall have the right to petition the SPWLA to dissolve this SIG or make it inactive. The SIG shall have subgroups formed as needed to deal with the various unconventional resources. The activities of the SIG will be in general any activities consistent with facilitating the work of Petrophysicists in the exploitation of unconventional resources. The activities shall include but not be limited to those listed below.

Officers
Chairman a) Preside over all SIG related activities and meetings. b) Maintain communication with the SPWLA. c) Coordinate and lead development of SIG related meetings, workshops, short courses, and sessions in general meetings. d) Maintain contacts with other professional societies that are also concerned with unconventional reservoirs. e) Encourage membership in the Unconventional Resources SIG. Vice-chairman Technology a) Provide technical leadership in development of SIG related meetings, workshops, short courses, and sessions in general meetings.

b) c) d) e)

Provide technical support for contacts with other professional societies. Provide technical support for web-based information exchange activities. Provide leadership for technical standardization activities. Encourage participation in the SIG.

Vice-chairman Communication a) Organize and lead development of appropriate structures for the web-based information exchange activities. b) Coordinate and assure efficient operation of the web-based information exchange activities. c) Encourage participation in the SIG. Secretary a) b) c) d) Maintain up-to-date membership list of the SIG. Provide written notice of meetings to SIG members. Coordinate location and date for SIG meetings, workshops, and short courses. Encourage participation in the SIG

Committee chairs as needed.

Non-exclusive list of SIG activities

A. Web-based information exchange a. Posting of papers and talks b. Expert list c. Question area d. Short courses B. Organization and coordination of meetings a. b. c. d. e. f. Local meetings Workshops Annual meeting session Short courses Coordination with other societies Meeting directory

C. Measurement standardization a. Core b. Logs