On November 17, Assistant Professor of Physics Chukwuemeka Patrick Abbey presented a research paper during a SAS seminar, titled: "Investigation of Abnormal Pore Pressure Variations by the Application of Seismic Inversion in Norne Field, Mid-Norwegian Margin Norway."
It addressed the threat of oil well rig blowouts.
Professor Abbey told his audience, "The term 'abnormal pressure' represents formation pore pressure below or above the hydrostatic formation pressure. Considering a field in this context, there is a high risk in drilling oil wells through its formations. The study revealed a 3D view of pore pressure variation within the study field that will help in reducing this risk in drilling infill exploration wells.
"This method is also cost-effective and provides an extensive and continuous range of pressure data beyond the well points compared to the direct measurement of pore pressure from well logs. Adopting this approach in formations that share similar drilling threats will be a panacea to save drilling. This will help in preventing rig blowout that could lead to loss of personnel and millions of dollars".
Dr. Chukwuemeka Abbey, who is a member of the Nigeria Institute of Physics (NIP), Society of Exploration Geophysics (SEG), and the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorations (NAPE), has presented papers in local and international conferences and has several peer-reviewed publications in Elsevier, Springer, and University-based journals indexed in Scopus and web of science.
Dr. Abbey, whose doctoral dissertation is titled: “Prediction, Determination and 3-d Modeling of Abnormal Pore Pressure Within the Offshore Niger-Delta and mid- Norwegian Margin,” can be reached through his profile: Chukwuemeka Patrick Abbey - American University of Nigeria (aun.edu.ng)