Session 22. Oral Presentation for: 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 * and Ryan Owens A *A
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. |
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. |
Abstract
Presented on 28 May 2025: Session 22
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.
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Keywords: common risk segment maps, effective porosity, geological model, geological storage of carbon dioxide, permeability thickness, petrophysics, play-based assessments, rock property maps.
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. |
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. |
