Future research in CoRE will be focused in three categories. First, CoRE will continue to collaborate with Chevron to identify areas of uncertainty in subsurface interpretation and develop research projects that can address this uncertainty. Second, staff and students will need to focus their research efforts to improve scientific output and training. Third, CoRE can leverage off of our industry-academic relationship as well as relationships with other universities to balance our approach to the study of deepwater systems.
Currently, CoRE utilizes a structure-stratigraphy continuum to relate outcrops of deepwater systems to deepwater reservoirs that Chevron is producing from. This continuum will continue to fuel additional research questions for 2007 and beyond. Specifically, CoRE and Chevron scientists are committed to identifying uncertainty in the interpretation of deepwater reservoirs and defining research questions for continued field work in outcrops that CoRE is studying as well as in the definition of areas for future research (e.g. Annot Sandstone, France).
Aligning student research with that of CoRE is the most obvious way to improve CoRE’s research output as well as further the industry-academic partnership between CoRE and Chevron. Currently, our international students are researching in areas that are outside that of CoRE’s research interest (e.g. deltaics in the Niger Delta, and fluvial systems in the Gulf of Thailand). By the year end of 2007, a significant component of the student research will be aligned with the research goals of CoRE.
The economic significance of deepwater reservoirs has inspired a significant amount of research that employs [at least] five different but equally important approaches (see figure below): (1) subsurface studies, (2) flume studies, (3) modern seafloor studies, (4) outcrop studies, and (5) predictive modeling. Addressing scientific questions or developing unifying concepts should employ more than one approach and would ideally apply all approaches. Since its inception, CoRE has focused on using outcrops to address questions about deepwater systems. The industry-academic partnership between Chevron and CoRE is ideal for researching deepwater systems by applying a more balanced approach by employing subsurface (seismic) data sets to compliment our outcrop research program. Future research in 2007 will begin to develop this potential. In years beyond 2007, CoRE and Chevron should direct energy to leveraging from our relationships with experts in flume studies (e.g. Chris Paola at Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory, Minnesota), seafloor studies (e.g. Bruno Savoye, Breast France), and forward modeling (e.g. James Syvitski, University of Colorado; Michael Pyrcz, Chevron). Collaborating with scientists in these fields will provide even more balance in our approach and likely provide even more significant and applicable results to our research partner (Chevron).
