A 3D Basin Model for Hydrocarbon Potential Evaluation: Application to Congo Offshore

Abstract

3D basin modelling is now used by some oil companies for exploration purposes. The potentiality of this tool is not fully expressed but it seems that it should become the core of the basin evaluation process in a close future. In this paper, a 3D tool and the methodology of 3D basin modelling in a relatively mature area are presented. The methodology is based on a four-step process: 3D block building, gridding, backward modelling, and forward modelling. These processes are illustrated through a case study performed in the Congo offshore. The main results of this study show that migration is a real 3D process that cannot, in this specific case, be addressed by 2D basin modelling.