Advanced Petroleum Reserves Evaluation Training Course

Advanced Petroleum Reserves Evaluation Training Course

Introduction

Advanced Petroleum Reserves Evaluation Training Course is designed to equip oil and gas professionals with advanced technical knowledge and practical skills for estimating, classifying, evaluating, and reporting petroleum reserves and resources. This course explores internationally recognized reserves classification frameworks, including the Petroleum Resources Management System (PRMS), volumetric estimation methods, material balance techniques, decline curve analysis, reservoir simulation, probabilistic modelling, and deterministic evaluation approaches. Participants will learn how geological, geophysical, petrophysical, reservoir engineering, production, and economic data are integrated to establish reliable estimates of proved, probable, and possible reserves. The programme also examines uncertainty quantification, recovery factor estimation, production forecasting, and the impact of technical assumptions on reserves booking and project valuation.

The course addresses modern industry priorities such as digital oilfield analytics, probabilistic reserves modelling, uncertainty management, data-driven reservoir evaluation, reserves reconciliation, and economic limit analysis. Participants will examine how reservoir performance, recovery mechanisms, well productivity, facility capacity, operating costs, commodity prices, fiscal terms, and abandonment liabilities influence recoverable volumes and project economics. Special emphasis is placed on reserves audit preparation, independent technical reviews, investment decision support, and transparent reporting for management, regulators, lenders, and investors. By the end of the programme, participants will be better equipped to support field development decisions, optimize hydrocarbon recovery, improve reserves confidence, and maximize the long-term value of petroleum assets in conventional, unconventional, mature, and complex reservoirs.

Course Duration

10 days

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Apply internationally recognized Petroleum Resources Management System (PRMS) principles to classify and report petroleum reserves and resources.
2. Conduct advanced hydrocarbon reserves estimation using deterministic and probabilistic evaluation methods.
3. Evaluate reservoir properties using integrated geological, geophysical, petrophysical, and engineering datasets.
4. Perform volumetric calculations for oil, gas, condensate, and unconventional hydrocarbon accumulations.
5. Apply decline curve analysis and production performance modelling to estimate recoverable reserves.
6. Use material balance techniques to evaluate reservoir behaviour, drive mechanisms, and remaining reserves.
7. Interpret reservoir simulation results to improve recovery forecasts and reserves confidence.
8. Quantify geological, technical, operational, and commercial uncertainties using Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis.
9. Evaluate recovery factors and assess enhanced oil recovery (EOR) opportunities.
10. Integrate production forecasts, capital expenditure, operating expenditure, and fiscal assumptions into reserves economics.
11. Conduct reserves reconciliation and identify discrepancies between forecast and actual production.
12. Prepare technically robust reserves reports and support independent reserves audits.
13. Develop data-driven recommendations for field development optimization, investment planning, and petroleum asset value enhancement.

Target Audience

1. Reservoir engineers and senior reservoir engineering specialists.
2. Petroleum engineers and production optimization engineers.
3. Geologists, geophysicists, and petrophysical analysts.
4. Reserves and resources evaluation specialists.
5. Petroleum asset managers and field development planners.
6. Oil and gas economists, commercial analysts, and investment professionals.
7. Technical auditors, reserves consultants, and regulatory reporting specialists.
8. Exploration and production managers, technical directors, and upstream project decision-makers.

Course Modules

Module 1: Fundamentals of Petroleum Reserves and Resources Evaluation

• Definitions of petroleum reserves, contingent resources, and prospective resources.
• Distinction between discovered volumes, recoverable resources, and commercially recoverable reserves.
• Overview of the Petroleum Resources Management System (PRMS).
• Classification of proved, probable, and possible reserves.
• Principles of technical assurance, commercial maturity, and evaluation transparency.
• Case Study: Classifying a discovered offshore oil accumulation using geological evidence, production potential, project maturity, and commercial criteria.

Module 2: Petroleum Resources Management System and Reporting Standards

• Core principles and terminology of the PRMS framework.
• Application of reserves categories and uncertainty classifications.
• Commerciality requirements and development commitment assessment.
• Comparison of PRMS with other relevant reserves reporting frameworks.
• Preparation of reserves documentation for management, regulators, and investors.
• Case Study: Reviewing an upstream company's reserves statement and identifying classification inconsistencies and reporting gaps.

Module 3: Advanced Geological and Reservoir Characterization

• Structural geology and stratigraphic interpretation for reservoir evaluation.
• Integration of seismic interpretation, well logs, and core analysis.
• Reservoir architecture, depositional environments, and facies distribution.
• Petrophysical evaluation of porosity, permeability, and fluid saturation.
• Identification of compartmentalization, heterogeneity, and connectivity risks.
• Case Study: Estimating reservoir continuity and recoverable volumes in a faulted sandstone reservoir using integrated subsurface data.

Module 4: Advanced Volumetric Reserves Estimation

• Determination of gross rock volume and net reservoir thickness.
• Estimation of porosity, water saturation, and hydrocarbon pore volume.
• Calculation of stock tank oil initially in place (STOIIP).
• Estimation of gas initially in place (GIIP) and condensate volumes.
• Application of recovery factors to calculate technically recoverable volumes.
• Case Study: Comparing low, base, and high volumetric reserve estimates for an offshore field with uncertain fluid contacts and reservoir boundaries.

Module 5: Reservoir Fluid Properties and PVT Analysis

• Fundamentals of pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) analysis.
• Evaluation of oil formation volume factor and gas formation volume factor.
• Assessment of solution gas-oil ratio and reservoir fluid compressibility.
• Interpretation of bubble point, dew point, and phase behaviour.
• Application of fluid properties to reserves calculations and production forecasts.
• Case Study: Evaluating how revised PVT data affects the estimated recoverable oil and gas reserves of a volatile oil reservoir.

Module 6: Material Balance and Reservoir Performance Analysis

• Fundamentals of reservoir material balance equations.
• Application of material balance to oil and gas reservoirs.
• Evaluation of reservoir drive mechanisms and pressure depletion.
• Estimation of hydrocarbons initially in place using production and pressure data.
• Assessment of remaining reserves using pressure history and cumulative production.
• Case Study: Estimating remaining oil reserves in a mature field by reconciling pressure decline, water influx, and cumulative production.

Module 7: Decline Curve Analysis and Production Forecasting

• Fundamentals of exponential, hyperbolic, and harmonic decline models.
• Selection of appropriate production decline models.
• Analysis of oil, gas, and condensate production histories.
• Estimation of economic limits and remaining recoverable reserves.
• Forecast validation, production constraints, and uncertainty in decline behaviour.
• Case Study: Forecasting recoverable reserves for a mature producing field using historical well production data and alternative decline assumptions.

Module 8: Reservoir Simulation and Dynamic Reserves Evaluation

• Fundamentals of static and dynamic reservoir models.
• History matching and model calibration using production data.
• Evaluation of pressure distribution, fluid movement, and sweep efficiency.
• Forecasting recovery under alternative development scenarios.
• Use of simulation uncertainty cases in reserves classification and reporting.
• Case Study: Comparing remaining reserves from multiple history-matched simulation models for a waterflooded reservoir.

Module 9: Probabilistic Reserves Estimation and Uncertainty Quantification

• Deterministic versus probabilistic reserves estimation.
• Definition of P90, P50, and P10 uncertainty estimates.
• Application of Monte Carlo simulation to volumetric calculations.
• Sensitivity analysis of reservoir, fluid, and recovery parameters.
• Management of correlated uncertainties and aggregation of reserves.
• Case Study: Quantifying uncertainty in an undeveloped gas field using probability distributions for reservoir area, net pay, porosity, and recovery factor.

Module 10: Recovery Factor Estimation and Enhanced Oil Recovery

• Factors influencing primary, secondary, and tertiary recovery.
• Evaluation of waterflooding and gas injection performance.
• Screening criteria for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods.
• Assessment of chemical, thermal, and miscible gas injection techniques.
• Estimation of incremental reserves and recovery improvement potential.
• Case Study: Evaluating incremental recoverable reserves and technical feasibility for a polymer flooding pilot in a mature oil field.

Module 11: Unconventional Resources and Complex Reservoir Evaluation

• Reserves evaluation in shale oil and shale gas formations.
• Assessment of tight gas, coalbed methane, and low-permeability reservoirs.
• Application of type curves and production analogues.
• Evaluation of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing performance.
• Analysis of well spacing, decline behaviour, and ultimate recovery uncertainty.
• Case Study: Estimating technically and commercially recoverable shale gas volumes using production histories from analogue wells.

Module 12: Economic Evaluation and Commercial Reserves Determination

• Fundamentals of petroleum project economics and discounted cash flow analysis.
• Estimation of capital expenditure, operating costs, and abandonment liabilities.
• Application of economic limits to reserves determination.
• Evaluation of oil and gas price assumptions, royalties, taxes, and fiscal terms.
• Assessment of net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and commercial maturity.
• Case Study: Determining commercially recoverable reserves for a marginal oil field under alternative price, cost, and fiscal scenarios.

Module 13: Reserves Reconciliation, Auditing, and Technical Assurance

• Fundamentals of annual reserves reconciliation.
• Analysis of production depletion, extensions, discoveries, revisions, and acquisitions.
• Identification of differences between booked reserves and actual field performance.
• Preparation for independent reserves audits and technical peer reviews.
• Documentation of assumptions, evidence, limitations, and evaluation changes.
• Case Study: Investigating a significant year-on-year reserves reduction and identifying whether it resulted from production, revised reservoir interpretation, or changed economic assumptions.

Module 14: Digital Technologies and Data-Driven Reserves Evaluation

• Integration of subsurface, well, production, and economic databases.
• Application of advanced analytics and machine learning to reserves workflows.
• Use of digital oilfield platforms for production surveillance and forecasting.
• Data quality assurance, model validation, and automated reserves reconciliation.
• Governance, traceability, and responsible use of analytical tools in technical reporting.
• Case Study: Designing a data-driven reserves monitoring workflow that combines well production data, pressure measurements, and reservoir models to identify forecast deviations.

Module 15: Integrated Field Development Planning and Reserves Optimization

• Integration of geological models, reservoir engineering, and production strategies.
• Evaluation of infill drilling, workovers, and new development wells.
• Assessment of facility capacity, export constraints, and infrastructure availability.
• Scenario analysis for field redevelopment and reserves maturation.
• Preparation of integrated reserves recommendations for capital allocation and investment decisions.
• Case Study: Developing an integrated field optimization plan for a mature offshore asset, comparing infill drilling, water injection, facility debottlenecking, and well intervention options.

Training Methodology

• Interactive lectures and presentations.
• Group discussions and brainstorming sessions.
• Hands-on exercises using real-world datasets.
• Role-playing and scenario-based simulations.
• Analysis of case studies to bridge theory and practice.
• Peer-to-peer learning and networking.
• Expert-led Q&A sessions.
• Continuous feedback and personalized guidance.

Register as a group from 3 participants for a Discount

Send us an email: info@datastatresearch.org or call +254724527104 

Certification

Upon successful completion of this training, participants will be issued with a globally- recognized certificate.

Tailor-Made Course

 We also offer tailor-made courses based on your needs.

Key Notes

a. The participant must be conversant with English.

b. Upon completion of training the participant will be issued with an Authorized Training Certificate

c. Course duration is flexible and the contents can be modified to fit any number of days.

d. The course fee includes facilitation training materials, 2 coffee breaks, buffet lunch and A Certificate upon successful completion of Training.

e. One-year post-training support Consultation and Coaching provided after the course.

f. Payment should be done at least a week before commence of the training, to DATASTAT CONSULTANCY LTD account, as indicated in the invoice so as to enable us prepare better for you.