New insights on petroleum migration from the application of 4D basin modelling in oil and gas exploration

Basin modelling is a valuable tool for investigating the hydrocarbon system in the sub-surface, and is widely used as an aid in reducing exploration r isk. Application of the technology in oil and gas exploration imposes a rig orous, systematic approach to prospect evaluation and provides new insights on the processes of hydrocarbon migration, including flow rates, migration distances and charging histories. The ability to build models quickly and run multiple simulations, particularly where data are scarce, allows the ex plorationist to pose 'What if?' questions to investigate the sensitivity of the petroleum system to critical parameters, such as source rock propertie s. Reconstruction of 3D burial history, structural restoration, dynamic fau lt properties and seamless integration with seismic data are defined as som e of the important unknown factors in basin modelling and the main limitati ons to its more routine application in petroleum exploration. New developme nts should provide a balance between geological sophistication of the model and the time required to run simulations. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.