Devonian gas resources of the western Canada sedimentary basin / Запасы газа в девоне в осадочном бассейне Западной Канады

Part 1. Geological play analysis and resource assessment / Часть 1. Анализ геологических особенностей и оценка ресурсов

Part 2. Economic analysis / Часть 2. Экономический анализ

Appraisals of oil and gas resources existing in each of the major sedimentary basins of Canada are prepared on a regular basis by the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources Canada. These appraisals provide objective estimates of Canada’s oil and gas resources, and also serve as a basis for efficient resource management and planning for future supply. Priorities for resource appraisal are set by the Petroleum Resources Appraisal Panel (PRAP), a joint organization of the Geological Survey of Canada and Energy sectors of the Department.
While conventional crude oil has been the mainstay of Canada’s petroleum industry since the discovery at Leduc in 1946, the industry can be expected increasingly to shift investment to exploring for natural gas. Extensions to the continental gas transportation systems have opened new markets for Western Canadian natural gas at a time when reserves of conventional crude oil have been declining. Furthermore, natural gas is viewed as a preferred fuel for many applications because it is environmentally more acceptable than other fossil fuels. The PRAP, therefore, considers it a priority to estimate systematically both the amount of undiscovered natural gas likely to remain in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin and the economic conditions under which it may be discovered, developed and produced.
Part I of this study describes the petroleum geology of Devonian exploration plays, and provides an assessment of remaining natural gas potential. The geological analysis and resource assessment were undertaken by the Institute of Sedimentary and Petroleum Geology (ISPG), Geological Survey of Canada. The potential estimates have been prepared using statistical techniques developed by the ISPG over the past two decades. Resource estimates are expressed in probabilistic terms. <...>