Reservoir Characterization for Development and Asset Decisions

This service is well suited for operators evaluating a new acquisition, asset teams diagnosing anomalous well performance, development teams preparing for an infill or spacing study, and investors or interest owners who need an independent geological assessment of an asset's technical basis.

Good reservoir characterization does not stop at the target formation. Understanding the formations above and below your target, the full petroleum system, is what gives the characterization real context. Where is the source? What are the seals? How do adjacent formations interact with your target? Those questions matter whether you are evaluating a single well or planning a multi-well program.

The core work typically includes:

• Log interpretation: formation evaluation across available well logs, identifying pay zones, reservoir quality, and key geological markers
• Petrophysical analysis: porosity, water saturation, and hydrocarbon pore volume calculations calibrated to available core and offset data
• Structural mapping: horizon interpretation and structure map construction to define the geometry of the target and surrounding formations
• Stratigraphic correlation: cross-section construction and formation correlation across the well control to define lateral continuity and variability
• Porosity and water saturation maps: spatial distribution of key reservoir properties across the study area
• Oil in place mapping: volumetric estimation of hydrocarbons in place as a foundation for development planning and geologic volumetric context
• Multi-formation analysis: characterization of formations above and below the primary target, providing petroleum system context and identifying potential secondary targets

The starting point is whatever data the client can provide. Pilot hole data is particularly valuable where available. The workflow adapts to the dataset, sparse or rich, the goal is to extract the most defensible interpretation the data supports.

A completed reservoir characterization engagement typically includes:

• Formation maps (structure, porosity, water saturation, oil in place) at relevant scales
• Stratigraphic cross sections showing formation correlation and lateral variability
• Petrophysical analysis summary with key pay parameters
• Integrated characterization report tying maps, cross sections, and petrophysical results into a coherent subsurface narrative
• Presentation-ready materials suitable for internal review, investor reporting, or data room preparation

Scope and deliverables are defined in the Statement of Work before work begins. Deliverable formats are aligned to client workflows and can include editable source files.

The service provides geological interpretation, integrated petrophysical review, and geologic volumetric context. It does not constitute a formal reserves certification, dynamic reservoir simulation, or standalone reservoir-engineering study.

Reservoir characterization is rarely an end in itself. The maps, cross sections, and petrophysical results it produces are the inputs that make field development planning and infill drilling studies technically defensible. Without a solid characterization foundation, development plans rest on assumptions rather than evidence.

For operators who need both, Bauer Subsurface Solutions can move from characterization through field development planning or infill drilling studies in a single integrated engagement, building the subsurface model and then using it to directly answer the development question at hand.

Eagle Ford and Austin Chalk reservoir characterization across South Texas, Cotton Valley and Haynesville work in East Texas and the Ark-La-Tex, and unconventional reservoir characterization experience in the Montney and Duvernay in Western Canada. Experience spans single-well evaluations and multi-well, multi-formation studies across both conventional and unconventional targets.

Reservoir characterization engagements are scoped and billed hourly or on a project basis depending on the size and complexity of the study. Scope, estimated effort, and deliverables are defined upfront in a proposal and Statement of Work. Work is performed remotely from Houston using IHS Kingdom as the primary interpretation platform, with deliverables exported to standard formats compatible with client workflows.

All data received during the engagement is treated as confidential. NDA available on request.