Applying petrophysics and rock property modelling to enhance play-based assessments of the geological storage potential for carbon dioxide: western Eromanga Basin case study

Barry E. Bradshaw; Tom Bernecker; Mavise Beattie; Jeremy Iwanec; Ray Spicer; David Lund; Ryan Owens

doi:10.1071/EP24041

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Applying petrophysics and rock property modelling to enhance play-based assessments of the geological storage potential for carbon dioxide: western Eromanga Basin case study

Barry E. Bradshaw ^A ^* , Tom Bernecker ^A , Mavise Beattie ^B , Jeremy Iwanec ^C , Ray Spicer ^D , David Lund ^E and Ryan Owens ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Geoscience Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

^B ADZ Energy, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.

^C NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

^D tbc Petrophysics, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

^E Horizon Oil Ltd, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Barry Bradshaw is a Geoscientist with 33 years of experience undertaking regional geological and geophysical studies and play-based resource assessments for hydrocarbon resources and geological storage projects. Barry is currently employed as the Energy Resources and Advice Activity Leader at Geoscience Australia, and he has previously worked as a Principal Geologist at CGSS consultants, a Senior Research Scientist at the Australian Geological Survey Organisation/Geoscience Australia, and a Research Scientist at Texas A&M University (USA). Barry graduated from the University of Sydney in 1988 and completed a PhD in Earth Sciences at the University of Waikato (New Zealand) in 1991.

Thomas (Tom) Bernecker is a Geoscientist who holds an MSc from the University of Aachen, Germany, and a PhD from La Trobe University, Melbourne. His early geological work involved the development of models for siliciclastic and carbonate depositional systems in northwestern Europe and in Australia. After a lectureship at the University of Melbourne, Tom joined the Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Energy where his work focused on the hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Gippsland and Otway basins. Tom joined Geoscience Australia in 2007 and is currently the Director of Energy Resources Advice and Promotion.

Mavise Beattie is a seasoned Geoscientist with over 20 years of global experience in the oil and gas industry, holding a PhD from the University of Wollongong. Her career began with Shell as a Sedimentologist/Reservoir Geologist, and she has since worked with prominent companies like Oil Search, INPEX, KUFPEC, Drillsearch Energy, Santos, Geoscience Australia and, currently, ADZ Energy. Mavise has contributed to significant projects across various regions, including Borneo (Malaysia), Papua New Guinea (PNG), Australia, the Philippines and Alaska. Her expertise spans reservoir modelling, field development, well planning, resource and reserves assessment, assurance, project management and team leadership.

Jeremy Iwanec is a Geoscientist with 21 years of petroleum industry experience. He completed a BSc (Honours) in Applied Geology from the University of New South Wales in 2002 before joining Oil Search Limited in 2003. At Oil Search, he worked on various projects across PNG, Yemen and Kurdistan, specialising in play-based exploration, 2D and 3D seismic interpretation, structural and stratigraphic modelling, well planning and delivery, and resource assessments. In 2021, Jeremy joined Geoscience Australia where he conducted studies of sediment-hosted energy resources through geological modelling and play-based mapping. In 2024, Jeremy began working with the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, focusing on long-duration energy storage technologies.

Ray Spicer gained his qualifications from the National Centre for Petroleum Geology and Geophysics and the University of Adelaide. His experience has been gained in all aspects of petrophysics, including new ventures, exploration, appraisal, development and abandonment. As well as working within the majority of both onshore and offshore Australian basins he has also worked on, or had exposure to, basins in PNG, New Zealand, the Middle East and North Africa, Southeast Asia and the Former Soviet Union.

David Lund is a Development Geologist with over 25 years of petroleum industry experience. He joined Horizon in 2023, working the company's China and Australian assets. Prior to joining Horizon, David was a Geological Advisor with Oil Search, working extensively on the PNG oil and gas fields, and as an Energy Resources Assessment Geoscientist with Geoscience Australia.

Ryan Owens is an Energy Resources Geoscientist in the Energy Resources and Advice team at Geoscience Australia. He graduated from the Australian National University (ANU) in 2007 with a BSc in Geology (Honours). Subsequently, he worked in mineral exploration before undertaking further studies in paleoceanography at the Research School of Earth Sciences, ANU. Ryan joined Geoscience Australia in 2014 through the graduate program and has contributed to a variety of projects, including the northern Houtman Sub-basin prospectivity study, the Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program and Offshore Acreage Releases.

^* Correspondence to: barry.bradshaw@ga.gov.au

Australian Energy Producers Journal 65, EP24041 https://doi.org/10.1071/EP24041

Submitted: 12 December 2024 Accepted: 28 February 2025 Published: 22 May 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of Australian Energy Producers. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY).

Abstract

Identifying basin areas that are prospective for the geological storage of carbon dioxide (GSC) is essential to support Australia’s transition to a net-zero emissions energy future. Geoscience Australia has developed a play-based common risk segment (CRS) mapping approach to evaluate GSC prospectivity based on four geological risk elements: (1) injectivity, (2) storage effectiveness, (3) containment and (4) structural complexity. Various geological criteria are used to evaluate these risk elements using post-drill data/analysis, gross depositional environment (GDE) maps, rock property maps, and depth structure and isochore maps. Rock property maps form an essential component in defining the CRSs for GSC prospectivity maps. This paper provides a case study from Geoscience Australia’s assessment of the GSC potential for the western Eromanga Basin (WEB). Rock property maps are constructed in the Petrel Software Platform (©SLB). Inputs for these models include a 3D structural model incorporating 14 play intervals, GDE maps and sub-surface rock properties derived from petrophysical analyses of wireline log data (such as volume of clay/shale, total and effective porosity, Timur-Coates permeability and apparent water salinity). Key outputs from the geological model include permeability thickness (used to assess injectivity), effective porosity (used together with depth structure maps to assess storage effectiveness), and net seal thickness (used to assess containment). Results from the CRS mapping show the WEB has potential to support industrial-scale (>1 mtpa) GSC projects using migration assisted storage in structurally simple areas where there is favourable stacking of effective reservoirs overlain by impermeable seals.

Keywords: common risk segment maps, effective porosity, geological model, geological storage of carbon dioxide, permeability thickness, petrophysics, play-based assessments, rock property maps.

Biographies

Barry Bradshaw is a Geoscientist with 33 years of experience undertaking regional geological and geophysical studies and play-based resource assessments for hydrocarbon resources and geological storage projects. Barry is currently employed as the Energy Resources and Advice Activity Leader at Geoscience Australia, and he has previously worked as a Principal Geologist at CGSS consultants, a Senior Research Scientist at the Australian Geological Survey Organisation/Geoscience Australia, and a Research Scientist at Texas A&M University (USA). Barry graduated from the University of Sydney in 1988 and completed a PhD in Earth Sciences at the University of Waikato (New Zealand) in 1991.

Thomas (Tom) Bernecker is a Geoscientist who holds an MSc from the University of Aachen, Germany, and a PhD from La Trobe University, Melbourne. His early geological work involved the development of models for siliciclastic and carbonate depositional systems in northwestern Europe and in Australia. After a lectureship at the University of Melbourne, Tom joined the Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Energy where his work focused on the hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Gippsland and Otway basins. Tom joined Geoscience Australia in 2007 and is currently the Director of Energy Resources Advice and Promotion.

Mavise Beattie is a seasoned Geoscientist with over 20 years of global experience in the oil and gas industry, holding a PhD from the University of Wollongong. Her career began with Shell as a Sedimentologist/Reservoir Geologist, and she has since worked with prominent companies like Oil Search, INPEX, KUFPEC, Drillsearch Energy, Santos, Geoscience Australia and, currently, ADZ Energy. Mavise has contributed to significant projects across various regions, including Borneo (Malaysia), Papua New Guinea (PNG), Australia, the Philippines and Alaska. Her expertise spans reservoir modelling, field development, well planning, resource and reserves assessment, assurance, project management and team leadership.

Jeremy Iwanec is a Geoscientist with 21 years of petroleum industry experience. He completed a BSc (Honours) in Applied Geology from the University of New South Wales in 2002 before joining Oil Search Limited in 2003. At Oil Search, he worked on various projects across PNG, Yemen and Kurdistan, specialising in play-based exploration, 2D and 3D seismic interpretation, structural and stratigraphic modelling, well planning and delivery, and resource assessments. In 2021, Jeremy joined Geoscience Australia where he conducted studies of sediment-hosted energy resources through geological modelling and play-based mapping. In 2024, Jeremy began working with the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, focusing on long-duration energy storage technologies.

Ray Spicer gained his qualifications from the National Centre for Petroleum Geology and Geophysics and the University of Adelaide. His experience has been gained in all aspects of petrophysics, including new ventures, exploration, appraisal, development and abandonment. As well as working within the majority of both onshore and offshore Australian basins he has also worked on, or had exposure to, basins in PNG, New Zealand, the Middle East and North Africa, Southeast Asia and the Former Soviet Union.

David Lund is a Development Geologist with over 25 years of petroleum industry experience. He joined Horizon in 2023, working the company's China and Australian assets. Prior to joining Horizon, David was a Geological Advisor with Oil Search, working extensively on the PNG oil and gas fields, and as an Energy Resources Assessment Geoscientist with Geoscience Australia.

Ryan Owens is an Energy Resources Geoscientist in the Energy Resources and Advice team at Geoscience Australia. He graduated from the Australian National University (ANU) in 2007 with a BSc in Geology (Honours). Subsequently, he worked in mineral exploration before undertaking further studies in paleoceanography at the Research School of Earth Sciences, ANU. Ryan joined Geoscience Australia in 2014 through the graduate program and has contributed to a variety of projects, including the northern Houtman Sub-basin prospectivity study, the Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program and Offshore Acreage Releases.

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