What is a play in oil and gas?

What is a play in oil and gas?

In geology, a petroleum play, or simply a play, is a group of oil fields or prospects in the same region that are controlled by the same set of geological circumstances. The term is widely used in the realm of exploitation of hydrocarbon-based resources.

What is the difference between play and prospect?

The play consists of one or more geologically related prospects, and a prospect is a potential trap that must be evaluated by drilling to determine whether it contains commercial quantities of petroleum.

What is a gas play?

Shale Gas Play – A set of discovered, undiscovered or possible natural gas accumulations that exhibit similar geological characteristics. Shale plays are located within basins, which are large-scale geologic depressions, often hundreds of miles across, which also may contain other oil and natural gas resources.

What are the key elements of petroleum play?

The essential elements of a petroleum system include the following:

• Source rock.
• Reservoir rock.
• Seal rock.
• Overburden rock.

What is prospect and lead in oil and gas?

Prospect. – A potential petroleum trap defined by a grid of seismic lines (at least 2 lines). • Lead. – A potential petroleum trap defined by only one seismic line.

When searching for petroleum deposits What are some key characteristics of the geology?

Petroleum geology involves the analysis of 1) source rocks that are rich in organic matter – the source of oil and natural gas, 2) geological structures and stratigraphic layers that permit accumulations of petroleum to form in the subsurface (traps and seals), and 3) the characteristics of porous subsurface rock …

What is play based exploration?

Play-based exploration reflect a shift in focus, as prospects are not the basic unit of exploration, but plays are. Individual prospect probabilities are balanced and calibrated with the play maps, and prospect volumes are validated against the field size distribution (FSD) for the play.

What is play lead and prospect?

◆ A Play: An exploration concept that includes. a specific source, reservoir, and trap type. ◆ A Lead: An possible trap, data is not. sufficient to fully map it. ◆ A Prospect: A specific trap that has been.

What is US tight oil?

Tight oil is a type of oil found in impermeable shale and limestone rock deposits. Also known as “shale oil,” tight oil is processed into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels—just like conventional oil—but is extracted using hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” Click to enlarge. U.S. liquid fuels by source, 1970-2040.

What is shale drilling?

Hydraulic fracturing – commonly known as fracking – is the process used to extract shale gas. Deep holes are drilled down into the shale rock, followed by horizontal drilling to access more of the gas, as shale reserves are typically distributed horizontally rather than vertically.

What is a Seal rock in geology?

1. n. [Geology] A relatively impermeable rock, commonly shale, anhydrite or salt, that forms a barrier or cap above and around reservoir rock such that fluids cannot migrate beyond the reservoir.

What are the four basic components of a petroleum system?

The elements of a petroleum system include a source rock, reservoir, trap and seal. Geological processes involved are trap formation and generation-migration-accumulation.

What is a prospect in geology?

1. n. [Geology] An area of exploration in which hydrocarbons have been predicted to exist in economic quantity. A prospect is commonly an anomaly, such as a geologic structure or a seismic amplitude anomaly, that is recommended by explorationists for drilling a well.

What is prospect geology?

Does US still frack for oil?

Extracting oil and gas through unconventional methods such as fracking has expanded rapidly across the US over the past two decades, with at least 17.6 million people living within about half a mile (1km) of an active well.

What is better than fracking?

Considering the increasing environmental cost, wind and solar power become more economic than fracking. Wind and solar power is renewable energy, which means it is clean, affordable and theoretically inexhaustible. Compared to fracking, wind and solar power produces no emission to our environmental.