Dr. Smye is a geoscientist working on subsurface interpretation and integration at the Bureau of Economic Geology, UT Austin. She works with the Center for Integrated Seismicity Research, the Tight Oil Resource Assessment Program, and is the PI of a project providing tight oil resource-in-place estimates to the Energy Information Administration. Her work focuses on basin-scale geologic characterization of both producing shale intervals and formations utilized for injection of hydraulic fracturing flowback and produced water. She has experience in most shale oil and gas plays in the US, including the Permian Basin, Eagle Ford, Marcellus, Haynesville, Barnett and Bakken.
Research Interests and Expertise
Unconventional oil and gas production
Induced seismicity
Saltwater disposal
Stress and pore pressure
Stratigraphy and petrophysics
Education
Ph.D. Earth Sciences, The University of Cambridge, U.K., 2012
B.S. Geology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 2008
B.S. Chemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 2008
Selected Recent Publications
Smye, K.M., Hennings, P.H., and Horne, E.A., 2021, Variations in Vertical Stress in the Permian Basin Region, in press at AAPG Bulletin, doi: 10.1306/10092019189.
Smye, K.M., Banerji, D.A, Eastwood, R., McDaid, G., and Hennings, P.H., Facies and Reservoir Properties of the Delaware Mountain Group of the Delaware Basin, in revision at Journal of Sedimentary Research.
Eastwood, R.L., and Smye, K.M., Effects of Overpressure on Mechanical Properties of Unconventional Shale Reservoirs Through Novel Use of a Sonic Overpressure Indicator, in revision at SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering: Formation Evaluation.
Morris, A.P., Hennings, P.H., Horne, E.A., and Smye, K.M., 2021, Stability of basement-rooted faults in the Delaware Basin of Texas and New Mexico, USA, Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 149, 104360, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2021.104360.
Gao, R.S., Nicot, J.-P., Hennings, P.H., La Pointe, P., Smye, K., Horne, E.A., and Dommisse, R., Low pressure build-up with large disposal volumes of oilfield water A comprehensive hydrogeologic model of pore pressure change in the Ellenburger Group, Fort Worth Basin, North-Central Texas, in press at AAPG Bulletin, doi: 10.1306/03252120159.
Smye, K.M., Ikonnikova, S., Yang, Q., McDaid, G, and Goodman, E., 2020, Geologic Variability and Well Productivity in U.S. Oil Plays: The Efficiency of Completion Intensity and New Designs in Various Geologic Contexts, Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, 10 pp., https://doi.org/10.15530/urtec-2020-3317.
Gherabati, S.A., Smye, K.M., McDaid, G., and Hamlin, S., 2020, New Engineering and Geologic Parameters to Predict Infill Well Performance in the Wolfcamp of the Delaware Basin, Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, 3077, 13 pp., https://doi.org/10.15530/urtec-2020-3077.
Ikonnikova, S., Yang, Q., Smye, K., and McDaid, G., 2020, Revisiting Production Outlooks of the Eagle Ford and Bakken Plays: Analysis of the Well Productivity and Play Economics Changes Over the Last 5 Years. Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, 9 pp., https://doi:10.15530/urtec-2020-3029.
Lemons, C.R., McDaid, G., Smye, K.M., Acevedo, J., Hennings, P.H., Banerji, D.A., and Scanlon, B.R., 2019, Spatiotemporal and Stratigraphic Trends in salt-water disposal practies of the Permian Basin, Texas and New Mexico, United States, Environmental Geosciences, v. 26, no. 4.
Smye, K.M., Hamlin, H.S., Eastwood, R., and McDaid, G., 2019, Variability of Geologic Properties in Shale Gas and Tight Oil Plays: Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Journal, v. 8, no. 11, p. 191-209.
Smye, K.M., Lemons, C.R., Eastwood, R., McDaid, G., and Hennings, P.H., 2019, Stratigraphic Architecture and Petrophysical Characterization of Formations for Deep Disposal in the Fort Worth Basin, TX: Interpretation, vol. 7, no. 4.
Selected Recent Presentations
Smye, K.M, Horne, E.A., and Pelletier, I., Understanding Causal Factors of Induced Seismicity: Integrated Geologic Modeling of the Delaware Basin, invited seminar hosted by AAPG Women’s Network at the 2020 Annual Convention and Exhibition, October 1 2020.
Smye, K.M., Hennings, P., Eastwood, R., and Banerji, D.A., Geologic Characterization of the Delaware Mountain Group in the Delaware Basin for Regional Assessment of Saltwater Disposal Capacity and Induced Seismicity October 28, 2020.
Smye, K.M., Ikonnikova, S., Yang, Q., McDaid, G, and Goodman, E., Geologic Variability and Well Productivity in U.S. Oil Plays: The Efficiency of Completion Intensity and New Designs in Various Geologic Contexts, Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, online, July 2020.
Gherabati, S.A., Smye, K.M. (presenter), McDaid, G., and Hamlin, S., New Engineering and Geologic Paramteres to Predict Infill Well Performance in the Wolfcamp of the Delaware Basin, Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, online, July 2020.
Smye, K.M., Hamlin, H.S., Eastwood, R., and McDaid, G., Variability of Geologic Properties in Shale Gas and Tight Oil Plays, Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies, Houston, TX, Oct. 2019.
Smye, K.M., Banerji, D.A., Hamlin, H.S., Eastwood, R.L., Lemons, C.R., McDaid, G., and Hennings, P.H. Stratigraphic and Facies Architecture of the Delaware Mountain Group, Delaware Basin: Implications for Disposal of Hydraulic Fracturing Wastewater, AAPG ACE 2019.
Smye, K.M., Horne, E.A., and Hennings, P.H. Development of a Three-Dimensional Vertical Stress Model for the Greater Permian Basin Region, AAPG ACE 2019.
Variability of shale properties in unconventional oil and gas plays, and their effects on resource-in-place and productivity assessments, Shale Insight, Pittsburgh, PA, Oct. 2018.
Evaluating the sustainability of US shale gas reservoirs, invited talk at U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA, 2018.
What changed in U.S. shale in five years: geology, technology, and economics, invited talk at U.S. Energy Information Administration Energy Forecasting Forum, Washington DC, 2018.
Selected Awards
2008-2012 Gates Cambridge Scholar
2008 Oklahoma School of Geology and Geophysics Outstanding Senior
2007-2008Goldwater Scholar, Morris K. Udall Scholar
2004-2008 National Merit Scholar
