Pore Pressure Prediction and Evaluation in Exploration and Drilling

Overview

Description:

This 5-day intensive course provides a complete understanding of pore pressure prediction, estimation, and monitoring techniques, essential for safe and efficient exploration and drilling operations. Understanding subsurface pressure regimes is critical to prevent well control incidents, kicks, and blowouts, and to optimize mud weight windows for drilling.

The course is designed for geologists, drilling engineers, petrophysicists, and geophysicists, offering a multidisciplinary approach to predicting pore pressure, fracture gradient, and overpressure mechanisms. It covers both pre-drill modeling using seismic and offset well data, and real-time pressure monitoring while drilling.

Participants will gain hands-on experience with real datasets, learn to integrate seismic velocity, well logs, and drilling parameters, and apply industry-standard models such as Eaton’s and Bowers’ method.

4-Aug	London	Dates could be adjust for special requests
11-Aug	Cairo
18-Aug	Dubai

👥 Who Should Attend:

Exploration & development geologists
Drilling and well planning engineers
Petrophysicists and geophysicists
Wellsite geologists and mud loggers
HSE and risk management professionals

🗓️ Day 1: Introduction to Pore Pressure & Overpressure Mechanisms

Time	Topic
08:30 – 09:00	Welcome, Objectives, Icebreaker
09:00 – 10:30	Fundamentals of Subsurface Pressures – Hydrostatic, lithostatic, and pore pressure
10:30 – 10:45	☕ Coffee Break
10:45 – 12:15	Causes of Overpressure – Undercompaction, fluid expansion, tectonics, etc.
12:15 – 01:15	🍽 Lunch Break
01:15 – 02:45	Geological Controls on Pressure – Basin type, lithology, burial history
02:45 – 03:00	☕ Coffee Break
03:00 – 04:30	Exercise: Identifying overpressure indicators in logs and well reports

🗓️ Day 2: Pore Pressure Prediction Methods Using Well Logs

Time	Topic
08:30 – 10:00	Log-Based Detection Methods – Sonic, resistivity, density, and D-exponent
10:00 – 10:15	☕ Coffee Break
10:15 – 12:15	Eaton’s Method – Theory and application
12:15 – 01:15	🍽 Lunch Break
01:15 – 02:45	Bowers’ Method – Velocity-based estimation of effective stress
02:45 – 03:00	☕ Coffee Break
03:00 – 04:30	Exercise: Pore pressure prediction from well log data using Excel

🗓️ Day 3: Seismic-Based Pore Pressure Estimation

Time	Topic
08:30 – 10:00	Seismic Velocity Models – RMS, interval, and migration velocities
10:00 – 10:15	☕ Coffee Break
10:15 – 12:15	Velocity to Pressure Transformation – Using Eaton and Bowers with seismic
12:15 – 01:15	🍽 Lunch Break
01:15 – 02:45	Uncertainty & Calibration – Integrating offset wells, anisotropy, QC
02:45 – 03:00	☕ Coffee Break
03:00 – 04:30	Exercise: Building a pre-drill pore pressure model using seismic data

🗓️ Day 4: Real-Time Pore Pressure Detection While Drilling

Time	Topic
08:30 – 10:00	Monitoring Parameters – D-exponent, ROP, mud weight, pit gain
10:00 – 10:15	☕ Coffee Break
10:15 – 12:15	Kick Indicators & Warning Signs – Shale density, gas levels, connection gas
12:15 – 01:15	🍽 Lunch Break
01:15 – 02:45	Shale Density & Cuttings Trends – Lag time interpretation
02:45 – 03:00	☕ Coffee Break
03:00 – 04:30	Exercise: Interpret pore pressure from a real-time wellsite log

🗓️ Day 5: Pore Pressure & Well Design + Case Studies

Time	Topic
08:30 – 10:00	Fracture Gradient & Mud Window – Leak-off tests, breakdown pressure
10:00 – 10:15	☕ Coffee Break
10:15 – 12:15	Pore Pressure in Well Design – Casing design, kick tolerance
12:15 – 01:15	🍽 Lunch Break
01:15 – 03:00	Integrated Case Study – Pre-drill and real-time PP prediction workflow
03:00 – 03:15	☕ Coffee Break
03:15 – 04:30	Final Review, Group Presentations, Q&A, Course Evaluation & Certificates

📂 Course Materials Provided:

Full course manual (PDF + printed)
Excel worksheets for Eaton/Bowers methods
Seismic velocity datasets and real logs
Case studies and workflow templates

Target audiences

Reservoir Engineers, Geologists

$ 5,750

Course Features

Lecture 0
Quiz 0
Duration 5 days
Skill level All levels
Language English
Students 40
Assessments Yes

Pore Pressure Prediction and Evaluation in Exploration and Drilling