Publications

Integrated basin modelling reconstructs the geological evolution of a sedimentary basin. It can be applied. to test different conceptual models of geologic evolution, to eliminate inconsistent hypotheses, to reconstruct pressure and temperature histories? fluid flows, petroleum generation and expulsion, and to constrain field filling histories and volumetric estimates. Its contribution to petroleum exploration varies with the setting and depends on the quantity and quality of geological, geophysical and geochemical input data. Temispack is a deterministic 2-dimensional software package used for integrated basin modelling. Its development by the French Petroleum Institute (IFP) was funded by a consortium of companies, including BP, over the last five years. Due to our close involvement throughout the development of Temispack and our commitment to deliver new technology as rapidly as possible to our exploration teams, members of BP's Basin Modelling Group probably have more experience than anyone in applying the tool at the sharp end of exploration problems. Our portfolio of case histories is now widely spread across the globe, from the more familiar territory of the North Sea, Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico to emerging areas such as the Far East, Kazakhstan, Venezuela and Colombia. In the study presented here, from the Sakala-Timur PSC in Indonesia, three primary objectives of the modelling work will be addressed: failure analysis of previously• drilled, unsuccessful exploration wells, calibration of modelling parameters using local well control, and the assessment of exploration risks for prospects in the licence area.