An integrated assessment of UK Shale resource distribution based on fundamental analyses of shale mechanical & fluid properties.
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leicester
Department Name: Sch of Geog, Geol & the Environment
Abstract
The research carried out in the proposed project will address to fundamental questions related to UK Shale gas. Namely: How much gas and where is it located? Stakeholder interest in accessing new, scientifically calibrated estimates of resources and reserves will be of immense scientific, industry and public interest. Government will also use these outcomes to inform energy policy in the UK for potentially the next 20 years. Regular communication with the other Challenges in this call and industrial partners will take place at a minimum of 6 month intervals. There will also be formal reporting requirements to the funding bodies.
Beneficiaries
Industry
Depending on which current shale gas resource estimates we take (BGS: Andrews 2014) or Urgano (2017) and the recovery factor applied (nominally 10%) the UK would appear to have between 10 and 50 years of potential gas supply from the northern England Carboniferous basins. Assuming UK gas consumption continues at the current rate of approximately 2.7tcf/year. The value of narrowing the range on this estimate cannot be understated. Working with industry partners we can critically test current and evolving academic models of pore and fracture systems in shales against new data acquired by industry. The models will be re-calibrated with real well bore and test data to provide revised models of pore and fracture behaviour. The key to industry and the country is more efficient exploration and exploitation activities. Fewer wells, fewer pads equals less disruption, less emissions and consequently minimised environmental impact.
Government
Having a scientifically supported range of resource estimates for UK shale gas and its location is of immense value to government in terms of framing UK energy policy going forward. CO2 emission commitments require a cleaner energy policy based on gas rather than coal and oil and a resource that is indigenous from either the North and Irish seas and potentially onshore UK. This mitigates emissions related to transportation and the valid criticism that imported gas is just shifting the problem onto someone else.
General Public
One of the key roles we have to play as an informed group is in explaining to the general public from a scientific expert point of view the key pluses and minuses associated with shale gas and the impact of fracking and a potentially large resource might have on industrialisation and environment in the areas we identify that may contain the gas resources.
Beneficiaries
Industry
Depending on which current shale gas resource estimates we take (BGS: Andrews 2014) or Urgano (2017) and the recovery factor applied (nominally 10%) the UK would appear to have between 10 and 50 years of potential gas supply from the northern England Carboniferous basins. Assuming UK gas consumption continues at the current rate of approximately 2.7tcf/year. The value of narrowing the range on this estimate cannot be understated. Working with industry partners we can critically test current and evolving academic models of pore and fracture systems in shales against new data acquired by industry. The models will be re-calibrated with real well bore and test data to provide revised models of pore and fracture behaviour. The key to industry and the country is more efficient exploration and exploitation activities. Fewer wells, fewer pads equals less disruption, less emissions and consequently minimised environmental impact.
Government
Having a scientifically supported range of resource estimates for UK shale gas and its location is of immense value to government in terms of framing UK energy policy going forward. CO2 emission commitments require a cleaner energy policy based on gas rather than coal and oil and a resource that is indigenous from either the North and Irish seas and potentially onshore UK. This mitigates emissions related to transportation and the valid criticism that imported gas is just shifting the problem onto someone else.
General Public
One of the key roles we have to play as an informed group is in explaining to the general public from a scientific expert point of view the key pluses and minuses associated with shale gas and the impact of fracking and a potentially large resource might have on industrialisation and environment in the areas we identify that may contain the gas resources.
Planned Impact
The impact of this work will be to:
. Provide a basin-wide model of UK shale gas resources and n estimate of likely recoverable volumes, associated environmental opportunities and risks (e.g. heavy metal release on hydraulic fracturing), This model will help other teams involved in the NERC Unconventional hydrocarbons project to evaluate social and environmental risks, and thereby help inform public debate and the decision making process.
. Provide scientific insights, and high quality data acquired through careful experimental design, that will facilitate the development of improved evaluation methods, thereby extending scientific knowledge.
. Facilitate the development of UK community of shale gas experts who work collaboratively, to support decision making processes and subsequent developmental activities in the event that these UK resources are developed further.
. Provide UK on-shore operating companies with a resource pool they can draw on to optimise their developmental activities.
. Assist a number of UK SME's develop their measurement and interpretation capabilities, thereby allowing them to be more successful in commercially deploying their technologies in support of UK shale gas resource development work, and to also commercial support related activities world-wide.
Please see main submission for further details.
. Provide a basin-wide model of UK shale gas resources and n estimate of likely recoverable volumes, associated environmental opportunities and risks (e.g. heavy metal release on hydraulic fracturing), This model will help other teams involved in the NERC Unconventional hydrocarbons project to evaluate social and environmental risks, and thereby help inform public debate and the decision making process.
. Provide scientific insights, and high quality data acquired through careful experimental design, that will facilitate the development of improved evaluation methods, thereby extending scientific knowledge.
. Facilitate the development of UK community of shale gas experts who work collaboratively, to support decision making processes and subsequent developmental activities in the event that these UK resources are developed further.
. Provide UK on-shore operating companies with a resource pool they can draw on to optimise their developmental activities.
. Assist a number of UK SME's develop their measurement and interpretation capabilities, thereby allowing them to be more successful in commercially deploying their technologies in support of UK shale gas resource development work, and to also commercial support related activities world-wide.
Please see main submission for further details.
Organisations
- University of Leicester (Lead Research Organisation)
- UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM (Collaboration)
- British Geological Survey (Collaboration)
- Manchester University (Collaboration)
- Heriot-Watt University (Collaboration)
- Newcastle University (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL (Collaboration)
- IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON (Collaboration)
- University of Bristol (Collaboration)
Publications
Beriro D
(2023)
Infrared spectroscopy and chemometric modelling of organic carbon measured by Rock-Eval pyrolysis of UK shale rock
in Geological Society, London, Special Publications
| Description | Hyperspectral imaging of organic rich mudstones appears to provide comparable data to more expensive and destructive sampling methods. This is a potentially a significant advantage as it facilitates the non--destructive analysis of core, and potentially provides measurements of organic content and mineral content at much higher resolution than can be obtained using conventional borehole measurement technologies. |
| Exploitation Route | We envision our findings will directly impact on the choice of zones to that might be hydraulically stimulated for unconventional gas production. In addition our findings will show how the technique can be successfully applied during the exploration phase of resource development |
| Sectors | Education,Energy,Environment |
| Title | Hyperspectral imaging of organic rich mudstones |
| Description | In collaboration with Spectra-Map Ltd we are assessing the suitability and use of near to short wave infrared (NIR-SWIR) in the analysis of organic rich mudstones. Hyperspectral core imaging is increasingly being applied to conventional hydrocarbon resources, but its use in unconventional resources is currently untested and unclear. We will be integrating hyperspectral scanning data with other available data to provide continuous, high resolution and non-destructive data that can be used to evaluate the economic potential of an organic rich mudstone at the fine scale (sub mm) to the production scale (tens of metres). |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Work is still in progress. |
| Title | Organic Rich Mudstone Formation Evaluation (ORMPIMS) |
| Description | The University of Leicester is developing a novel workflow/methodology for the petrophysical interpretation and analysis of organic rich mudstones (shales). The formation evaluation workflows used to characterise shale gas formations are often challenging to implement. Limitations on workflows include: data availability, inadequacies in experimental design and data acquisition strategies, assumptions regarding the relationships between physical properties, and assumptions about organic matter properties. In this poster we present a self-consistent petrophysical model that offers users the potential to integrate core and well-log data whilst allowing for variable kerogen maturity. Our method combines and integrates many other published models into a physically self-consistent model that is capable of fully describing the petrophysical properties of organic rich mudstones. We forsee that this workflow will have applications outside of the energy sector for the description, interpretation and evalation of organic rich mudstones in engineering geology, sequence stratigraphy and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The research is currently being prepared for publication. A number of impacts to the energy sector and wider geoscience can be forseen: Energy sector: - A petrophysical workflow that is applicable to a range of environments and geological basins without the need for empirical-correlations. - Robust estimation of gas in place (GIP) volumes from petrophysical data whilst accounting for variable organic matter maturity. - Reduced uncertaintly in the interpretation and resource estimation of wireline log and other geophysical data. Wider impacts to geoscience: - A physically self-consistent petrophysical characterisation of organic rich mudstone, the outputs of which could be used in the fields of engineering geology, hydrogeology or geohazards. - The ability to account for variable organic matter maturity and composition, which will greatly improve basin analysis and the understanding of the wider geological history of a basin. - The ability to robustly estimate total organic carbon (TOC), lithology and porosities will directly feed into sequence stratigraphy and the interpretation of geological areas containing organic rich mudstones. |
| Title | Bowland-12 Seismic Interpretation and data processing |
| Description | As part of collaborative research with Imperial College London the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube was made available to the University of Leicester. A detailed structural interpretation of this cube has been undertaken with the aim to structurally restore the Bowland Shale to it's geological palaeo-geography at the time of deposition in the Carboniferous. Ongoing research will correlate the Petrophysical facies and GIP estimates from the ORMPIMS workflow into this structural model and facilitate the construction of a geological reservoir model of the Bowland Shale. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Forseeable outputs: - Seismic interpretations and tied wells - Palaeogeographical reconstruction and structural restoration to the Middle-Late Carboniferous - Reservoir model encompassing TOC, maturity and facies distributions within the Bowland Shale to reduce uncertainty in exploration This research is ongoing, but we forsee that primarily the structural restoration will improve our understanding of the Middle-Late Carboniferous palaeogeography of the Bowland Shale in the geographical area around Preston and the North West of England. |
| Title | ORMPIMS - Shale petrophysical model |
| Description | Python AWI modules for Techlog 2018 that accompany the publication "A workflow for the formation evaluation of organic rich mudstones accounting for physical property changes in organic matter as a function of thermal maturity". We cannot make documentation available for use of the code, please contact Kieran Blacker for details on installation and use (kjb44@leicester.ac.uk). Pritchard, T., Blacker, K.J., Khurram, T., Davies, S., - "A workflow for the formation evaluation of organic rich mudstones accounting for physical property changes in organic matter as a function of thermal maturity" - Marine and Petroleum Geology (submitted) |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Publication currently in review |
| URL | https://github.com/kieranblacker/ORMPIMS |
| Title | Re-evaluation of organic rich mudstones of the UK using ORMPIMS: |
| Description | We are developing a new petrophysical evaluation workflow for the characterisation of organic rich mudstones. The model combines a number of existing published models with new multi-component petrophysical and organic matter maturation models into an integrated analysis that should, in theory, be applicable to any organic rich mudstone. The model is presented as 'organic rich mudstone petrophysical interpretive models (ORMPIMS)' and is fully implemented using Python in the commonly used commercial petrophysical software Techlog, developed by Schlumberger. We are applying this model to an existing database of commercial and non-commercial boreholes from the UK completed from 1982 to 2018. We will be using the model to perform a state of the art re-evaluation of the economic potential of these wells and the organic rich mudstones they sample. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Work is in progress, but we anticipate sharing the results with members of the research consortium at a future meeting. |
| Title | UK Bowland Shale Desk Study & Literature Review |
| Description | The University of Leicester has undertaken a literature review of the stratigraphy and a palaeogeography of the Carboniferous Bowland-Hodder Shales of the UK for the purpose of improving our understanding of the regional-scale geological processes and settings leading to the burial of organic matter. As part of this work a GIS and Petrel database has been compiled from published work, available data and online resources. This database will be submitted to NERC as part of the research items generated in this grant. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This model aims to integrate the detailed one dimensional analyses undertaken in the ORMPIMS and Hyperspectral core scanning work packages into the wider geological setting of the Carboniferous geology of the UK. As part of this ongoing research we are developing a paleo-geographical model of facies and TOC distribution in the Bowland-Hodder shale. This model will serve to improve our geological understanding of the region and allow for a reduction in uncertainty when undertaking exploration for Shale Gas Resources. |
| Title | UK Legacy Shale Wells database |
| Description | The University of Leicester has collated a number of wells and their associated data into an organised database for the evaulation of the Shale Gas Potential of the Bowland-Hodder Shales of the UK. The database currently consists of 15 exploration wells ranging in age from 1978-2015 accross the North of England. The database is currently stored in a Schlumberger Techlog Project, but input files and outputs can be viewed or modified in any well interpretation software. At the conclusion of the research grant the data will be provided to NERC for archiving and sharing. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The University of Leicester is applying it's ORMPIMS interpretation model to the interpretation of these wells to improve our understanding of the Bowland-Hodder Shale. The wells have been used to estimate the one dimensional gas in place at the well locations, and this interpretation has been provided to other institutions undertaking basin-scale analysis and resource estimation. As our model is also capable of interpreting the non-organic phase of the shale, and therefore improves our overall understanding of geological history of these basins. |
| Description | Collaboration between University of Leicester and other UKUH research institutions |
| Organisation | British Geological Survey |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As part of the UKUH Grant the University of Leicester is collaborating with the following Universities; Imperial College London, University of Bristol, University of Manchester, University of Leeds, University of Newcastle, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham, University of Edinburgh, Herriot Watt University, British Geological Survey. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to Imperial College London: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Outputs from the Hyperspectral core imaging research undertaken in collaboration with SpectraMap UK Ltd As part of the collaboration with Imperial College London the University of Leicester has granted visiting researcher status to ICL postdoctoral researcher Bhavik Lodhia, who was given workspace at the University and access to research materials. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to University of Bristol: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Seismic-petrophysical well-ties to the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to all other members of the UKUH grant: - Limited petrophysical interpretations of legacy exploration wells (pre-2010 data) - Multiple oral and poster presentations at working meetings (see outcomes) Summary of research: The University of Leicester has provided... |
| Collaborator Contribution | As part of this collaboration Imperial College London has provided: - Additional borehole data and geochemical analyses (multiple wells) - 3D and 2D seismic data from Lancashire in the area around Preston As part of this collaboration the University of Bristol has provided: - Additional borehole data (Grange Hill 1z) As part of this collaboration the BGS has provided: - Additional source rock analysis (SRA) and rock-eval data - Biostratigraphic reports and interpretations for legacy wells |
| Impact | Posters: |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration between University of Leicester and other UKUH research institutions |
| Organisation | Heriot-Watt University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As part of the UKUH Grant the University of Leicester is collaborating with the following Universities; Imperial College London, University of Bristol, University of Manchester, University of Leeds, University of Newcastle, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham, University of Edinburgh, Herriot Watt University, British Geological Survey. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to Imperial College London: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Outputs from the Hyperspectral core imaging research undertaken in collaboration with SpectraMap UK Ltd As part of the collaboration with Imperial College London the University of Leicester has granted visiting researcher status to ICL postdoctoral researcher Bhavik Lodhia, who was given workspace at the University and access to research materials. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to University of Bristol: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Seismic-petrophysical well-ties to the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to all other members of the UKUH grant: - Limited petrophysical interpretations of legacy exploration wells (pre-2010 data) - Multiple oral and poster presentations at working meetings (see outcomes) Summary of research: The University of Leicester has provided... |
| Collaborator Contribution | As part of this collaboration Imperial College London has provided: - Additional borehole data and geochemical analyses (multiple wells) - 3D and 2D seismic data from Lancashire in the area around Preston As part of this collaboration the University of Bristol has provided: - Additional borehole data (Grange Hill 1z) As part of this collaboration the BGS has provided: - Additional source rock analysis (SRA) and rock-eval data - Biostratigraphic reports and interpretations for legacy wells |
| Impact | Posters: |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration between University of Leicester and other UKUH research institutions |
| Organisation | Imperial College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As part of the UKUH Grant the University of Leicester is collaborating with the following Universities; Imperial College London, University of Bristol, University of Manchester, University of Leeds, University of Newcastle, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham, University of Edinburgh, Herriot Watt University, British Geological Survey. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to Imperial College London: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Outputs from the Hyperspectral core imaging research undertaken in collaboration with SpectraMap UK Ltd As part of the collaboration with Imperial College London the University of Leicester has granted visiting researcher status to ICL postdoctoral researcher Bhavik Lodhia, who was given workspace at the University and access to research materials. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to University of Bristol: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Seismic-petrophysical well-ties to the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to all other members of the UKUH grant: - Limited petrophysical interpretations of legacy exploration wells (pre-2010 data) - Multiple oral and poster presentations at working meetings (see outcomes) Summary of research: The University of Leicester has provided... |
| Collaborator Contribution | As part of this collaboration Imperial College London has provided: - Additional borehole data and geochemical analyses (multiple wells) - 3D and 2D seismic data from Lancashire in the area around Preston As part of this collaboration the University of Bristol has provided: - Additional borehole data (Grange Hill 1z) As part of this collaboration the BGS has provided: - Additional source rock analysis (SRA) and rock-eval data - Biostratigraphic reports and interpretations for legacy wells |
| Impact | Posters: |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration between University of Leicester and other UKUH research institutions |
| Organisation | Manchester University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As part of the UKUH Grant the University of Leicester is collaborating with the following Universities; Imperial College London, University of Bristol, University of Manchester, University of Leeds, University of Newcastle, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham, University of Edinburgh, Herriot Watt University, British Geological Survey. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to Imperial College London: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Outputs from the Hyperspectral core imaging research undertaken in collaboration with SpectraMap UK Ltd As part of the collaboration with Imperial College London the University of Leicester has granted visiting researcher status to ICL postdoctoral researcher Bhavik Lodhia, who was given workspace at the University and access to research materials. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to University of Bristol: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Seismic-petrophysical well-ties to the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to all other members of the UKUH grant: - Limited petrophysical interpretations of legacy exploration wells (pre-2010 data) - Multiple oral and poster presentations at working meetings (see outcomes) Summary of research: The University of Leicester has provided... |
| Collaborator Contribution | As part of this collaboration Imperial College London has provided: - Additional borehole data and geochemical analyses (multiple wells) - 3D and 2D seismic data from Lancashire in the area around Preston As part of this collaboration the University of Bristol has provided: - Additional borehole data (Grange Hill 1z) As part of this collaboration the BGS has provided: - Additional source rock analysis (SRA) and rock-eval data - Biostratigraphic reports and interpretations for legacy wells |
| Impact | Posters: |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration between University of Leicester and other UKUH research institutions |
| Organisation | Newcastle University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As part of the UKUH Grant the University of Leicester is collaborating with the following Universities; Imperial College London, University of Bristol, University of Manchester, University of Leeds, University of Newcastle, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham, University of Edinburgh, Herriot Watt University, British Geological Survey. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to Imperial College London: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Outputs from the Hyperspectral core imaging research undertaken in collaboration with SpectraMap UK Ltd As part of the collaboration with Imperial College London the University of Leicester has granted visiting researcher status to ICL postdoctoral researcher Bhavik Lodhia, who was given workspace at the University and access to research materials. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to University of Bristol: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Seismic-petrophysical well-ties to the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to all other members of the UKUH grant: - Limited petrophysical interpretations of legacy exploration wells (pre-2010 data) - Multiple oral and poster presentations at working meetings (see outcomes) Summary of research: The University of Leicester has provided... |
| Collaborator Contribution | As part of this collaboration Imperial College London has provided: - Additional borehole data and geochemical analyses (multiple wells) - 3D and 2D seismic data from Lancashire in the area around Preston As part of this collaboration the University of Bristol has provided: - Additional borehole data (Grange Hill 1z) As part of this collaboration the BGS has provided: - Additional source rock analysis (SRA) and rock-eval data - Biostratigraphic reports and interpretations for legacy wells |
| Impact | Posters: |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration between University of Leicester and other UKUH research institutions |
| Organisation | University of Bristol |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As part of the UKUH Grant the University of Leicester is collaborating with the following Universities; Imperial College London, University of Bristol, University of Manchester, University of Leeds, University of Newcastle, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham, University of Edinburgh, Herriot Watt University, British Geological Survey. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to Imperial College London: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Outputs from the Hyperspectral core imaging research undertaken in collaboration with SpectraMap UK Ltd As part of the collaboration with Imperial College London the University of Leicester has granted visiting researcher status to ICL postdoctoral researcher Bhavik Lodhia, who was given workspace at the University and access to research materials. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to University of Bristol: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Seismic-petrophysical well-ties to the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to all other members of the UKUH grant: - Limited petrophysical interpretations of legacy exploration wells (pre-2010 data) - Multiple oral and poster presentations at working meetings (see outcomes) Summary of research: The University of Leicester has provided... |
| Collaborator Contribution | As part of this collaboration Imperial College London has provided: - Additional borehole data and geochemical analyses (multiple wells) - 3D and 2D seismic data from Lancashire in the area around Preston As part of this collaboration the University of Bristol has provided: - Additional borehole data (Grange Hill 1z) As part of this collaboration the BGS has provided: - Additional source rock analysis (SRA) and rock-eval data - Biostratigraphic reports and interpretations for legacy wells |
| Impact | Posters: |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration between University of Leicester and other UKUH research institutions |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As part of the UKUH Grant the University of Leicester is collaborating with the following Universities; Imperial College London, University of Bristol, University of Manchester, University of Leeds, University of Newcastle, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham, University of Edinburgh, Herriot Watt University, British Geological Survey. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to Imperial College London: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Outputs from the Hyperspectral core imaging research undertaken in collaboration with SpectraMap UK Ltd As part of the collaboration with Imperial College London the University of Leicester has granted visiting researcher status to ICL postdoctoral researcher Bhavik Lodhia, who was given workspace at the University and access to research materials. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to University of Bristol: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Seismic-petrophysical well-ties to the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to all other members of the UKUH grant: - Limited petrophysical interpretations of legacy exploration wells (pre-2010 data) - Multiple oral and poster presentations at working meetings (see outcomes) Summary of research: The University of Leicester has provided... |
| Collaborator Contribution | As part of this collaboration Imperial College London has provided: - Additional borehole data and geochemical analyses (multiple wells) - 3D and 2D seismic data from Lancashire in the area around Preston As part of this collaboration the University of Bristol has provided: - Additional borehole data (Grange Hill 1z) As part of this collaboration the BGS has provided: - Additional source rock analysis (SRA) and rock-eval data - Biostratigraphic reports and interpretations for legacy wells |
| Impact | Posters: |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration between University of Leicester and other UKUH research institutions |
| Organisation | University of Leeds |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As part of the UKUH Grant the University of Leicester is collaborating with the following Universities; Imperial College London, University of Bristol, University of Manchester, University of Leeds, University of Newcastle, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham, University of Edinburgh, Herriot Watt University, British Geological Survey. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to Imperial College London: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Outputs from the Hyperspectral core imaging research undertaken in collaboration with SpectraMap UK Ltd As part of the collaboration with Imperial College London the University of Leicester has granted visiting researcher status to ICL postdoctoral researcher Bhavik Lodhia, who was given workspace at the University and access to research materials. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to University of Bristol: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Seismic-petrophysical well-ties to the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to all other members of the UKUH grant: - Limited petrophysical interpretations of legacy exploration wells (pre-2010 data) - Multiple oral and poster presentations at working meetings (see outcomes) Summary of research: The University of Leicester has provided... |
| Collaborator Contribution | As part of this collaboration Imperial College London has provided: - Additional borehole data and geochemical analyses (multiple wells) - 3D and 2D seismic data from Lancashire in the area around Preston As part of this collaboration the University of Bristol has provided: - Additional borehole data (Grange Hill 1z) As part of this collaboration the BGS has provided: - Additional source rock analysis (SRA) and rock-eval data - Biostratigraphic reports and interpretations for legacy wells |
| Impact | Posters: |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration between University of Leicester and other UKUH research institutions |
| Organisation | University of Liverpool |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As part of the UKUH Grant the University of Leicester is collaborating with the following Universities; Imperial College London, University of Bristol, University of Manchester, University of Leeds, University of Newcastle, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham, University of Edinburgh, Herriot Watt University, British Geological Survey. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to Imperial College London: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Outputs from the Hyperspectral core imaging research undertaken in collaboration with SpectraMap UK Ltd As part of the collaboration with Imperial College London the University of Leicester has granted visiting researcher status to ICL postdoctoral researcher Bhavik Lodhia, who was given workspace at the University and access to research materials. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to University of Bristol: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Seismic-petrophysical well-ties to the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to all other members of the UKUH grant: - Limited petrophysical interpretations of legacy exploration wells (pre-2010 data) - Multiple oral and poster presentations at working meetings (see outcomes) Summary of research: The University of Leicester has provided... |
| Collaborator Contribution | As part of this collaboration Imperial College London has provided: - Additional borehole data and geochemical analyses (multiple wells) - 3D and 2D seismic data from Lancashire in the area around Preston As part of this collaboration the University of Bristol has provided: - Additional borehole data (Grange Hill 1z) As part of this collaboration the BGS has provided: - Additional source rock analysis (SRA) and rock-eval data - Biostratigraphic reports and interpretations for legacy wells |
| Impact | Posters: |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration between University of Leicester and other UKUH research institutions |
| Organisation | University of Nottingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As part of the UKUH Grant the University of Leicester is collaborating with the following Universities; Imperial College London, University of Bristol, University of Manchester, University of Leeds, University of Newcastle, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham, University of Edinburgh, Herriot Watt University, British Geological Survey. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to Imperial College London: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Outputs from the Hyperspectral core imaging research undertaken in collaboration with SpectraMap UK Ltd As part of the collaboration with Imperial College London the University of Leicester has granted visiting researcher status to ICL postdoctoral researcher Bhavik Lodhia, who was given workspace at the University and access to research materials. Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to University of Bristol: - Chronostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy for exploration wells in the Bowland Shale Formation - Interpretations of the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube - Seismic-petrophysical well-ties to the Bowland-12 3D seismic cube Of this collaboration the University of Leicester had provided to all other members of the UKUH grant: - Limited petrophysical interpretations of legacy exploration wells (pre-2010 data) - Multiple oral and poster presentations at working meetings (see outcomes) Summary of research: The University of Leicester has provided... |
| Collaborator Contribution | As part of this collaboration Imperial College London has provided: - Additional borehole data and geochemical analyses (multiple wells) - 3D and 2D seismic data from Lancashire in the area around Preston As part of this collaboration the University of Bristol has provided: - Additional borehole data (Grange Hill 1z) As part of this collaboration the BGS has provided: - Additional source rock analysis (SRA) and rock-eval data - Biostratigraphic reports and interpretations for legacy wells |
| Impact | Posters: |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | UKUH Small grant BH174225-SP06 with Imperial College London (PI Dr Robin Thomas) |
| Organisation | Imperial College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration has just begun - Jan 21 |
| Collaborator Contribution | Collaboration has just begun - Jan 21 |
| Impact | Work ongoing, project has just begun |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Oral presentation at UKUH Challenge 2 meeting - April 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Kieran Blacker & Dr Tim Pritchard presented the outcomes of the first 9 months of the research project to other research group members, industry representitives and UK Energy Sector organisational bodies. Following this discussion the members of Challenge 2 were involved in a discussion and feedback on the work presented by the University of Leicester, and the collaboration with Imperial College London was set up as a direct result of this meeting. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Poster presentation at EGU ADM 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A poster presentation at European Geophysical Union (EGU) annual discussion meeting 2019 in Vienna, Austria. The poster presented work undertaken in the research project on the Hyperspectral core scanning of shale core work package. The poster was on display for a full day at the conference and received considerable interest from an international academic audience and led to many discussions with other Universities on the research. The poster has since been published online and received interest post-presentation throughout 2019 and 2020. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333579758_Assessing_the_suitability_of_infrared_hyperspectr... |
| Description | Poster presentation at NERC UKUH annual discussion meeting 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The University of Leicester members Kieran Blacker, Sarah Davies and Tim Pritchard presented two posters on the work completed to date to the wider grant members and a number of policymakers from the UK Oil and Gas energy sector. The posters were intended to communicate the ongoing research undertaken at the University of Leicester to industry (Cuadrilla, IGAS) and UK Energy Sector Policymakers (UK OGA, BEIS, Environment Agency, DECC). Talk Abstracts are copied below: Poster 1 : Hyperspectral imaging: Assessing the suitability of infrared hyperspectral imaging to characterise organic-rich mudstones: an example from the Carboniferous Bowland-Hodder shales of the UK Authors - Kieran Blacker, Tim Pritchard, Jordan McDevitt, Gavin Hunt, Michael Stark The formation-evaluation of organic-rich shales still remains a challenging prospect. Conventional methods of compositional core analysis, such as rock-eval pyrolysis and x-ray diffraction (XRD) are inherently destructive and costly to perform, typically limiting their use on difficult and expensive to obtain core. Hyperspectral imaging in the near to short-wave infrared spectrum (1.3-2.5µm) has the capability to non-destructively capture detailed, continuous mineralogical and geochemical data quickly at sub-millimetre resolution. In this study we assess the suitability of hyperspectral-IR as a technique to characterise organic rich shales using examples from the Bowland-Hodder Shales sampled by the Caudrilla exploration well, Becconsall-1Z. Several cored intervals of shale were selected from this well and scanned using the Spectra-Map SpecCam sensor with 0.5mm pixel resolution and 3mm along line resolution. Semi-quantitative mineral abundance curves and two-dimensional mineral abundance maps were estimated independently of any core data using a reference library of known IR-mineral spectra. This allowed a blind assessment of the technique and we find good correlations of IR-derived TOC and mineral-abundance estimates to those from XRD and rock-eval. We also demonstrate that when hyperspectral-IR is used alongside standard core analyses in a combined approach it has the potential to identify subtle bedding-scale variations in clay type, variable carbonate content and subtle structural fabrics. Such features would be otherwise difficult or impossible to identify from the core non-destructively and are significantly below the resolution of downhole geophysical logs. We find that in this manner hyperspectral imaging can be used as both a reconnaissance tool before further sampling, or alongside conventional core analyses in an enhanced analysis and assessment of the economic potential and brittleness of prospective unconventional shale gas deposits. Poster 2 : ORMPIMS Title - Organic Rich Mudstone Formation Evaluation (ORMPIMS) Authors - Tim Pritchard, Kieran Blacker, Sarah Davies, Tayyaba Khurram The formation evaluation workflows used to characterise shale gas formations are often challenging to implement. Limitations on workflows include: data availability, inadequacies in experimental design and data acquisition strategies, assumptions regarding the relationships between physical properties, and assumptions about organic matter properties. In this poster we present a self-consistent petrophysical model that offers users the potential to integrate core and well-log data whilst allowing for variable kerogen maturity. Using the recently-drilled Caudrilla Resources LTD Preese Hall-1 well, and the legacy well Thistleton-1, we present the results of the workflow. We demonstrate that the method can be invaluable for the evaluation of new prospects and data, or used in a re-evaluation of legacy data. We also discuss the workflow can be further refined and improved if additional data, such as production or in-situ pressure and temperature data, is made available. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |