Charlie Kerans

Charlie Kerans

Charlie Kerans is currently Goldhammer Chair of Carbonate Geology at the Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin. From 1985-2005 Kerans was a senior research scientist at the Bureau of Economic Geology at UT where he developed and co-led the Carbonate Reservoir Characterization Research Laboratory. His areas of focus are in carbonate sequence stratigraphy and reservoir characterization, with an emphasis on integrating outcrop analog information for improved understanding of the subsurface. Kerans has been both a domestic and international AAPG distinguished lecturer. He also won the Pratt award from AAPG for best paper in the AAPG Bulletin in 1994 (first author) and in 2005 (second author). He is currently engaged in study of carbonate reservoir analysis in the Middle East, West Texas, and in South America, and supervises research on carbonate stratigraphy and sedimentology.
 
lecture abstracts

Lecture CK1: A Global Perspective on Carbonate Hydrocarbon Reservoirs: Challenges and Potential

The role of carbonate reservoirs in world oil production will be central in the next 20 years. More than 300 of the worlds 945 giant fields are in carbonates, representing 47% of reserves in this rank. Imaging giant carbonate reservoirs at the exploration scale is relatively straight-forward. Difficulties arise when reservoir continuity and quality are evaluated using standard wireline tools and 3D seismic. Resolving internal depositional architecture, diagenetic overprints, fracture permeability, origin and distribution of microporosity, and basic petrophysical parameters of lithology, porosity, and permeability, become vexing issues.

A proposed workflow for carbonate reservoir characterization involves (1) determination of age and Milankovitch setting of the reservoir interval (basic background geologic data), (2) acquiring and analyzing in detail a significant distribution of core material both in terms of depositional architecture and rock fabric facies, (3) recognition of the dominant control on reservoir quality, whether it be depositional/stratigraphic, diagenetic, or structural, and (4) determining the best approach to 3D modeling of the depositional facies and static petrophysical (porosity/permeability/saturation) elements by combining sequence stratigraphic framework and geostatistical approaches to handle small-scale and longer range variability.

The major oil accumulations in carbonate systems remains in shelf/ramp carbonates contained in simple broad structures, where flow unit structure and recovery are controlled by sequence- and cycle-scale stratigraphic heterogeneities. Major contributions to world oil reserves will come from reserve growth in these systems using improved imaging and recovery technologies including tertiary approaches. New challenges in carbonate exploration are in the delineation of carbonate reservoirs in deepwater systems and the prediction and imaging of stratigraphic traps and diagenetically controlled reservoirs such as karst-controlled, and hydrothermal systems.
publications of note

Kerans, Charles, and Tinker, S. W., 1999, Extrinsic stratigraphic controls on development of the Capitan Reef Complex, in Geologic framework of the Capitan Reef: SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology), Special Publication No. 65, p. 15–36.

Kerans, Charles, Lucia, F. J., and Senger, R. K., 1994, Integrated characterization of carbonate ramp reservoirs using Permian San Andres Formation outcrop analogs: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 78, no. 2, p. 181–216.

 

  
 
 
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