# US 2018/0023371 A1 · Computer supported exploration and production of heterogeneous distributed hydrocarbon sources in subsurface formations based on microbial prospecting > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0023371 A1 - Document ID: US20180023371A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/549,067 - Filed: 2016-02-09 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-12 - Assignees: Biodentify B.V. - Applicants: Biodentify B.V. - Inventors: Christianus Bernardus Maria TE STROET; Roy Christiaan MONTIJN; Evgeni LEVIN; Frank Henri Johan SCHUREN - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180023371A1 ## CPC - E21B 49/0875: {determining specific fluid parameters} - C12Q 1/64: Geomicrobiological testing, e.g. for petroleum - E21B 49/02: by mechanically taking samples of the soil - G06F 16/29: Geographical information databases - G06F 16/951: Indexing; Web crawling techniques - E21B 43/26: by forming crevices or fractures - G06F 2216/03: Data mining - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - C12Q: MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS (immunoassay G01N33/53); COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A computer supported method, computer system and computer program product for exploring and producing a subsurface heterogeneous hydrocarbon source and generating a predictive production map of an area under investigation, based on microbial prospecting. Microbial data representative of microbial activity attributable to hydrocarbon microseepage and hydrocarbon productivity data of a plurality of geographic locations are retrieved and correlated by the computer in a data correlation algorithm, providing a threshold hydrocarbon productivity quantity and a truncated set of the retrieved microbial data. The set identifies individual types of the microorganisms and corresponding individual weighting factors computed by the data correlation algorithm, for distinguishing prospective hydrocarbon productivity quantities from non-prospective hydrocarbon productivity quantities. An estimated subsurface hydrocarbon productivity quantity for a geographical location of the area under investigation is provided by count weighting retrieved microbial data of this location for microorganisms identified in the truncated set, applying the individual weighting factors. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer supported method of exploring and producing a subsurface heterogeneous hydrocarbon source in an area under investigation, based on microbial prospecting, comprising microbial data representing a type and count of a plurality of different microorganisms representative of microbial activity attributable to hydrocarbon microseepage, said method comprising the steps of: i) retrieving, by said computer, of a plurality of geographic locations of an area or play comprising a heterogeneous hydrocarbon source, said microbial data associated with a quantity indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity at a respective location; ii) correlating, by said computer, in a data correlation algorithm, said retrieved microbial data and quantities indicative of hydrocarbon productivity, providing a threshold hydrocarbon productivity quantity and a truncated set of said retrieved microbial data, said set identifying individual types of said microorganisms and corresponding individual weighting factors computed by said data correlation algorithm, for distinguishing prospective hydrocarbon productivity quantities from non-prospective hydrocarbon productivity quantities, iii) retrieving, by said computer, said microbial data of a further geographical location of an area under investigation; iv) calculating, by said computer, an estimated subsurface hydrocarbon productivity quantity for said further geographical location by count weighting retrieved microbial data of said further location for microorganisms identified in said truncated set, applying said individual weighting factors, and v) producing or having produced said hydrocarbon source at said further geographical location if said estimated hydrocarbon productivity quantity compared to said threshold hydrocarbon productivity quantity qualifies as prospective hydrocarbon productivity quantity. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of geographic locations comprises geographic locations of said area under investigation. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of geographic locations comprises geographic locations of at least one known heterogeneous hydrocarbon play. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of geographic locations comprises geographic locations of at least one known heterogeneous hydrocarbon play, said retrieving in step i) further comprises retrieving, by said computer, of at least one geographical location of said area under investigation, said microbial data and a quantity indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity at said location, and wherein said correlating in step ii) comprises correlating said retrieved microbial data and quantities indicative of hydrocarbon productivity of said at least one known play and said area under investigation. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said retrieving in step i) further comprises retrieving, by said computer, of at least one geographical location of said area under investigation, said microbial data and a quantity indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity at said location, said at least one geographical location of said area under investigation comprises at least one geographical location at which a quantity indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity at said location refers to absence or presence of hydrocarbon production based on at least one of: assumed hydrocarbon productivity data, known hydrocarbon productivity data, and measured hydrocarbon productivity data obtained from well drilling at said at least one location. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of geographic locations comprises geographic locations of at least one known heterogeneous hydrocarbon play, said at least one heterogeneous hydrocarbon play is selected based on at least one property in common with said area under investigation of a plurality of properties including: type of hydrocarbon source, biogenic and non-biogenic, geology, environment, ecology and climate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein steps i)-v) are repeated for another geographical location of said area under investigation in step iii), wherein said retrieving in step i) additionally comprises retrieving, by said computer, said microbial data and a measured quantity indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity of said further geographical location of said area under investigation having an estimated hydrocarbon productivity quantity qualifying as prospective hydrocarbon productivity quantity in accordance with step iv), and wherein step ii) is performed for all said microbial data and quantities indicative of hydrocarbon productivity retrieved in step i). ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said microbial data in step iii) are retrieved of a plurality of geographical grid positions of said area under investigation, and wherein for each of said plurality of grid positions in step iv) an estimated subsurface hydrocarbon productivity quantity is calculated by count weighting retrieved microbial data of a respective grid position for microorganisms identified in said truncated set, applying said individual weighting factors, and wherein said hydrocarbon source is produced or is having produced in step v) at a further geographical location comprised by a cluster of adjacent grid positions having estimated hydrocarbon productivity quantities qualifying as prospective hydrocarbon productivity quantities compared to said threshold hydrocarbon productivity quantity. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said subsurface heterogeneous hydrocarbon source comprises at least one of a shale gas or shale oil source, wherein producing or having produced said hydrocarbon source comprises drilling a well to said subsurface shale source from said further geographical location, providing fracturing fluid into said well establishing fractures in said source and extracting said shale gas or shale oil from said fractures. ### Claim 10 A computer supported method of providing a predictive production map of a subsurface heterogeneous hydrocarbon source in an area under investigation, based on microbial prospecting, comprising microbial data representing a type and count of a plurality of different microorganisms representative of microbial activity attributable to hydrocarbon microseepage, said predictive production map being indicative of predicted hydrocarbon productivity of said hydrocarbon source in said area under investigation, said method comprising the steps of: i) retrieving, by said computer, of a plurality of geographic locations of an area or play comprising a heterogeneous hydrocarbon source, said microbial data associated with a quantity indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity at a respective location; ii) correlating, by said computer, in a data correlation algorithm, said retrieved microbial data and quantities indicative of hydrocarbon productivity, providing a threshold hydrocarbon productivity quantity and a truncated set of said retrieved microbial data, said set identifying individual types of said microorganisms and corresponding individual weighting factors computed by said data correlation algorithm, for distinguishing prospective hydrocarbon productivity quantities from non-prospective hydrocarbon productivity quantities, iii) retrieving, by said computer, said microbial data of a plurality of geographical grid positions of said area under investigation; iv) calculating, by said computer, an estimated subsurface hydrocarbon productivity quantity for each of said plurality of grid positions by count weighting retrieved microbial data of a respective grid position for microorganisms identified in said truncated set, applying said individual weighting factors, and v) providing, by said computer, said predictive production map by presenting said estimated hydrocarbon productivity quantities in relation to said corresponding grid positions of said area under investigation, and indicating whether an estimated hydrocarbon productivity quantity compared to said threshold hydrocarbon productivity quantity qualifies as prospective hydrocarbon productivity quantity. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein said plurality of geographic locations comprises geographic locations of said area under investigation. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein said plurality of geographic locations comprises geographic locations of at least one known heterogeneous hydrocarbon play. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein said plurality of geographic locations comprises geographic locations of at least one known heterogeneous hydrocarbon play, said retrieving in step i) further comprises retrieving, by said computer, of at least one geographical location of said area under investigation, said microbial data and a quantity indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity at said location, and wherein said correlating in step ii) comprises correlating said retrieved microbial data and quantities indicative of hydrocarbon productivity of said at least one known play and said area under investigation. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein said retrieving in step i) further comprises retrieving, by said computer, of at least one geographical location of said area under investigation, said microbial data and a quantity indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity at said location, said at least one geographical location of said area under investigation comprises at least one geographical location at which a quantity indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity at said location refers to absence or presence of hydrocarbon production based on at least one of: assumed hydrocarbon productivity data, known hydrocarbon productivity data, and measured hydrocarbon productivity data obtained from well drilling at said at least one location. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein said plurality of geographic locations comprises geographic locations of at least one known heterogeneous hydrocarbon play, said at least one heterogeneous hydrocarbon play is selected based on at least one property in common with said area under investigation of a plurality of properties including: type of hydrocarbon source, biogenic and non-biogenic, geology, environment, ecology and climate. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein steps i)-v) are repeated to provide a refined predictive production map for said plurality of grid positions of said area under investigation, wherein said retrieving in step i) additionally comprises retrieving, by said computer, said microbial data and a measured quantity indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity of at least one grid position having an estimated hydrocarbon productivity quantity qualifying as prospective hydrocarbon productivity quantity in accordance with step iv), and wherein step ii) is performed for all said microbial data and quantities indicative of hydrocarbon productivity retrieved in step i). ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein said estimated hydrocarbon productivity quantities in relation to said corresponding grid positions of said area under investigation are graphically presented at an imaging device, such that estimated hydrocarbon productivity quantities within a predefined range are identically presented, such as by an identical graphically distinguishable marking comprising one of a colouring, hatching and shading. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein said subsurface heterogeneous hydrocarbon source comprises at least one of a shale gas or shale oil source. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein said area under investigation is a pre salt area. ### Claim 20 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein said microbial data are obtained from DNA analyses of soil samples taken at particular geographical position, and stored in a computer accessible database in association with respective hydrocarbon productivity quantities. ### Claim 21 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein said data correlation algorithm is one of a data regression algorithm, a data mining algorithm, a sparse approximation algorithm based on L1-regularization comprising kernel functions and robust parameter estimation by extensive cross validation. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) A system comprising at least one computer and data input/output equipment, said computer being communicatively connected or connectable to a database among others storing, of a plurality of geographic locations of an of an area or play comprising a heterogeneous hydrocarbon source, microbial data representing a type and count of a plurality of different microorganisms representative of microbial activity attributable to hydrocarbon microseepage and quantities indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity at a respective location, said at least one computer being arranged for performing said computer implemented steps of claim 1. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The system according to claim 22, wherein said database stores microbial data and quantities indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity of an area under investigation comprising a subsurface heterogeneous hydrocarbon source. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The system according to claim 22, wherein said database stores microbial data and quantities indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon productivity of at least one known heterogeneous hydrocarbon play. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) A computer program product downloadable from a communication network and/or stored on a computer-readable and/or processor-executable medium, said computer program product comprising program code instructions to cause a computer to carry out said computer implemented steps of claim 1. ### Claim 26 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said area under investigation is a pre salt area. ### Claim 27 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said microbial data are obtained from DNA analyses of soil samples taken at particular geographical position, and stored in a computer accessible database in association with respective hydrocarbon productivity quantities. ### Claim 28 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said data correlation algorithm is one of a data regression algorithm, a data mining algorithm, a sparse approximation algorithm based on L1-regularization comprising kernel functions and robust parameter estimation by extensive cross validation.