Hitting the Right Spot: New Research to Improve Energy Exploration in BC

Vancouver, BC – April 18, 2019 – A new report released by Geoscience BC today summarizes the results of a multi-year research project examining the complex network of tiny fractures and pores that store and transport gas and liquid hydrocarbons in fine-grained sediments, using samples and data from oil and gas production areas in northeastern British Columbia.

The advanced methods, developed by a research team at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and led by Professor Dr. Marc Bustin, will help the sector more accurately target hydrocarbons and to improve production rates by improving methods to characterize reservoirs.

Geoscience BC supported the multi-year project to develop new methods and refine existing methods to better understand where gas and liquid hydrocarbons occur in shales and how those hydrocarbons move along fractures and interconnected pores within the fine-grained rocks.

Bustin said: “The rapid growth of the unconventional shale oil and gas industry has outpaced our understanding of the processes at work to store and provide the path for gas and liquid hydrocarbons to move through the shale matrix. Characterizing these pore systems is important because they greatly influence hydrocarbon production.”

The five-year research project has culminated in a comprehensive new report titled Quantification of the Gas and Liquids in Place and Flow Characteristics of Shale and other Fine-Grained Facies in Western Canada that combines the work of several researchers and graduate students.

Geoscience BC Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer Carlos Salas said: "This Geoscience BC funded project helps to more effectively target oil and gas exploration, which in turn improves BC’s competitiveness.”  

Accessing Information

To view reports and maps for this project, visit the project page below or use our Earth Science Viewer online mapping application.

View 2013-001 project page View 2013-001 in Earth Science Viewer

 

About Geoscience BC

Geoscience BC generates independent, public geoscience research and data about British Columbia's minerals, energy and water resources. This advances knowledge, informs responsible development, encourages investment and stimulates innovation.

Our collaboration with the resource sectors, academia, communities, Indigenous groups and government develops and shares unbiased and credible earth science research and data. Geoscience BC is a not for profit society incorporated under the BC Societies Act.

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For additional information, please contact:
Richard Truman
Geoscience BC
604-662-4147
truman@geosciencebc.com