Regional controls on reservoir properties in the Shu’aiba Formation of North Oman.
Henk H.J. Droste (Shell - JVR Centre for Carbonate Studies, SQU)

Henk Droste is Geoscience Advisor for the Joint Virtual Reality Centre for Carbonate Studies at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. He is also a member of the Carbonate Development Team with Shell Exploration and Production Technology in Rijswijk, The Netherlands. Henk previously worked for Petroleum Development Oman as a Sedimentologist in the Exploration Laboratory, Geologist/Seismic Interpreter in Exploration, Production Geologist, and as Team Leader of the Regional Studies and Geological Services Team. Henk also worked as a Carbonate Geologist with Shell Research in The Netherlands and as a Sedimentologist in the Regional Studies Team of Shell Expro in London. He holds an MSc in Geology from the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Integrated 3-D seismic analysis and sequence stratigraphy of the Lower Cretaceous for a large carbonate field in Abu Dhabi.
Lyndon A. Yose (ExxonMobil), Steve Bachtel (ExxonMobil), Andrew Gombos (ADCO), Jason Scott (ADCO), Po Tai (ExxonMobil), Christian J. Strohmenger (ADCO), Nat Stephens (ExxonMobil), Ismail A. Al-Hosani (ADCO), Imelda Johnson (ExxonMobil), Jim Schuelke (ExxonMobil), Peter Holterhoff (ExxonMobil), Khalid Al-Amari (ADCO), Amy Ruf (ExxonMobil) and Brian Coffey (ExxonMobil)

Lyndon Yose received an MS degree from the University of Wyoming and a PhD degree from Johns Hopkins University. He began his career with Exxon Production Research Company as a Carbonate Reservoir Specialist in 1992. Since that time, Lyndon has worked a number of carbonate reservoir systems in different basins around the world. From 1995 to 1998, he was on assignment with Imperial Oil (a subsidary of ExxonMobil) in Calgary, Alberta, where he was Team Lead on several integrated reservoir characterization and modeling projects. Lyndon is currently with the ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company and is Team Lead of a multidisciplinary carbonate research project.

Lower Thamama (Lower Lekhwair Formation) sequence stratigraphy and reservoir characterization (Lower Cretaceous, United Arab Emirates).
Abdullah I. Al-Mansoori (ADCO), Christian J. Strohmenger (ADCO) and Ahmed Ghani (ADCO)

Abdulla Al Mansoori graduated from Al Ain University, United Arab Emirates, with a BS in Geology in 1995. During this time, he also worked as a Core Store Supervisor for Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO).  Upon graduation, Abdulla was appointed to ADCO’s Petroleum Development Department (PDD) as a Geologist.  From 1995 to 1999, he carried out various assignments pertinent to well-site geological operations, covering vertical, deviated and horizontal wells, both in exploration and production. Abdulla was also involved in the joint IFP/ADCO/PDO Shu’aiba and Upper Thamama outcrop analog study.  In 1999, he joined ADCO’s Sahil Team and participated in various reservoir characterization studies of Cretaceous reservoirs. He is currently constructing a static model for a prominent Lower Cretaceous reservoir in one of ADCO’s major fields, based on a high-resolution sequence stratigraphy approach. Since 2002, Abdulla has organized geological field trips encompassing the entire stratigraphic column of the UAE and Oman.  This effort includes the preparation and compilation of detailed field guidebooks. Abdulla’s main interests are carbonate sedimentology, carbonate sequence stratigraphy, reservoir characterization, and regional surface geology.  He is a member of the AAPG, SPE, and ESG.

Salt movement, tectonic events and structural style, in the central Zagros fold and thrust belt, Iran.
Jean Letouzey (IFP) and Shahram Sherkati (NIOC)

Jean Letouzey has been with the Institut Français du Pétrole since 1971. He is presently Deputy Manager of the Geology and Geochemistry Department. Jean received his MSc in Geology and PhD in Geophysics from the University of Paris in 1969 and graduated in Geology and Geophysics from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Pétroles et Moteurs in 1971. He is a member of the AAPG and AFTP, and is particularly interested in basin studies and tectonics.

Using high-resolution sequence stratigraphy for field-scale characterization of Permo-Triassic Khuff carbonate reservoirs, Ghawar field, Saudi Arabia.
Ra’id K. Al-Dakhil (Saudi Aramco), Ghazi A. Al-Eid (Saudi Aramco), Aus A. Al-Tawil (Saudi Aramco), Rick R. Davis (Saudi Aramco) and Shoaib M. Rawasia (Digicon)

Ra’id Al-Dakhil received a BSc in Geology in 1996 from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran.  He then joined Saudi Aramco as a Reservoir Geologist in the Reservoir Characterization Department.  He has experience as an Operations Geologist and Field Geologist.  Ra’id is currently working on reservoir characterization and sequence stratigraphy of the Permian Khuff carbonates in the Gas Fields Characterization Division. His interests are carbonate sequence stratigraphy, and field work.  Ra’id is a member of the AAPG, SEPM, and DGS.

Beyond porosity-permeability relationships: determining pore network parameters for the Ghawar Arab-D using the Thomeer method.
Edward A. Clerke (Saudi Aramco)

Edward A. (Ed) Clerke is the Team Leader of the Hydrocarbon Pore Volume Unit with the Reserves Assessment Division/Reservoir Characterization Department of Saudi Aramco. Previously, he held positions as: Petrophysical Engineering Advisor for Pennzoil Exploration and Production Company and Senior Principal Petrophysicist with ARCO Exploration and Production Technology. In these positions, he was involved in exploration and development, petrophysical research and reservoir description projects of both clastic (consolidated, unconsolidated, shaly sand and turbidite) and carbonate reservoirs in most of the world’s petroleum basins. Ed received his doctorate in Physics from the University of Maryland in 1982. He then joined Shell and held positions at Shell Development Co., Shell Offshore Inc. and Shell Western Exploration and Production Inc until 1990. Ed has published articles in Log Analyst, SPE Production Engineering, Physical Review, Physica and the Journal of Physical Chemistry and received the Best Paper Award from the West Texas Geological Society in 1993. He holds five patents, four for borehole televiewer technology. Ed is a member of AAPG, SPE, SPWLA and Sigma Xi.

Integrated 3-D static reservoir modeling of a giant carbonate field in the Lower Cretaceous of Abu Dhabi.
Jason Scott (ADCO), Andrew Gombos (ADCO), Karri Suryanarayana (ADCO) and Khalid Al-Amari (ADCO)

Jason Scott is senior geologist seconded from BP to ADCO in 2000. He has a BSc in geology from London University and 14 years experience in the oil industry. Jason’s career has focused on development and production geology and he has worked in the UK, Yemen, Norway and the UAE. He is particularly interested in static model construction, geosteering non-conventional wells, and the interface of geoscience with reservoir engineering. He is a member of the Geological Society of the United Kingdom and the SPE.

Sweet gas exploration potential of the pre-Khuff reservoirs, western offshore Abu Dhabi.
Ahmed A.K. Taher (ADNOC) and Johan Witte (Shell)

Ahmed Taher is a Senior Geologist with the Strategy and Exploration Team of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). After graduating in 1982 with a BSc from the United Arab Emirates University, Ahmed joined ADNOC as a Well-site Geologist. He worked on the well site for three years and subsequently became an Exploration Geologist in 1986. During that period he produced over twenty in-house technical reports concerning the exploration potential of various stratigraphic horizons in Abu Dhabi. During 1997 and 1998, Ahmed acted as one of the ADNOC representatives in the multi-disciplinary Zakum Development Team. His professional interests are stratigraphic trap evaluation and basin modeling. He has published several technical papers and is a member of the Emirates Society of Geoscience.

3-D Pre-stack depth migration on a laptop: travel-time compression.
Tariq A. Al-Khalifah (KACST)

Tariq Alkhalifah is presently Director of the Astronomy and Geophysical Research Institute at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was awarded a BSc in Geophysics from the University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, in 1988, and an MSc in Geophysical Engineering in 1993, and a PhD in Geophysics in 1997, both from The Colorado School of Mines. Tariq received the J. Clarence Karcher Award from the SEG in 1998. He also received the Conrad Schlumberger Award from the EAGE in 2003. His current research interests include ray tracing, velocity inversion and imaging.

Geostatistical distribution of eolian facies using a modern analog as a modeling template, Permian Unayzah Formation, Tinat field, Saudi Arabia.
Christian J. Heine (Saudi Aramco), Jim Wilkins (Saudi Aramco), John Melvin (Saudi Aramco), Brian Wallick (Saudi Aramco) and John Cole (Saudi Aramco)

Christian (Chris) Heine joined Saudi Aramco as a Geologist in 1991 on loan from Mobil Oil. He received a BS degree from Penn-State (1978), an MSc in Geology from the University of Tennessee (1982), and an MSc in Petroleum Engineering from Tulane University (1991). Chris worked with Mobil Oil from 1982 to 1997 and was an Associate Professor at Tulane University from 1990 to 1991. He is a member of the AAPG and the Dhahran Geoscience Society. Chris has been the primary Geologist for the Unayzah reservoir development since 1991 starting with the Central Arabia trend super light oil increment and now with the gas program. Chris developed the eolian depositional model for the Unayzah reservoir in use today.