Mr. James E. Colliton
SENIOR ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT - PETROPHYSICS
Mr. Colliton is Experienced Petrophysicist with 42 years evaluating diverse clastic, carbonate and shale reservoirs for exploration, appraisal and development projects. Extensive skill set in major projects throughout the deepwater Atlantic Ocean Margin and deepwater Gulf of Mexico in the planning, execution and evaluation of formation evaluation programs including core analysis. Demonstrated success in the development of robust petrophysical models for reservoir characterization and asset evaluations; interpretation techniques integrating core analysis, logs and production performance; exploration petrophysics for “Missed Pay”; testifying as an Expert Witness; log quality control, and core program selection and analysis. Have strong technical, mentoring, interpersonal and team skills. Experienced with petrophysical software Geolog.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
COLLITON PETROPHYSICS LLC; Santa Barbara, California 2021 – Present
Senior Petrophysical Advisor
Started Colliton Petrophysics LLC to support International Reservoir Technologies, Inc. (IRT) in the petrophysical evaluation on a large multi-well project in the Persian Gulf. Referred by former ARCO supervisor to IRT.
- Compiled and integrated core analysis data to calibrate wireline log porosity, permeability and a saturation height
function based on rock types as part of an Upper Burgan reservoir evaluation.
KOSMOS ENERGY, LLC; Dallas, Texas 2011 – 2020
Senior Petrophysical Advisor
Recruited by Company Founders as the Senior Petrophysicist for all the company’s exploration and production and then promoted to Senior Petrophysical Advisor. As Kosmos grew assigned selected projects to newly hired Petrophysicists or consultants.
- Designed Kosmos network well database system and led team that consolidated logs, reports, core, biostrat,
geochem, petrophysical evaluations and other information into an accessible, easily searched system.
- Developed petrophysical model, data acquisition requirements and core analysis programs for a 50+ tcf gas
discovery in Mauritania and Senegal that was successfully used in the Tortue FLNG gas project Final Investment
Decision (FID).
- Increased production to over 100 mbopd in Ghana Jubilee Field as part of an integrated production team.
- Evaluated 6 new appraisal wells leading to submission and approval of the development plan for Ghana TEN
discovery.
- Provided assessment of reservoir quality risk for 10 successful new venture license applications in the deepwater
Atlantic Ocean margin from Ireland to South Africa and Suriname integrating logs, core, petrography and analog
data.
- Evaluated, planned and coordinated frontier exploration wildcats and appraisal wells drilled in Cameroon, Equatorial
Guinea, Ghana, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, Suriname and Western Sahara.
NEXEN PETROLEUM U.S.A. INC.; Plano, Texas 2006-2011
Petrophysics Manager
Referred by a colleague with a previous employer (Arco) who had joined Nexen. Reported to VP of Americas and Gulf of Mexico initially as a Senior Petrophysicist and advanced to Team Lead-Petrophysics and ultimately Petrophysics Manager.
- Assembled and managed a staff of 4 petrophysicists as Team Lead- Petrophysics and Petrophysics Manager to
support growing deepwater and shelf GoM independent operator. Integrated petrophysics into exploration, appraisal,
production and drilling to reduce project risk and improve the quality of commercial decisions. For example,
identified net pay in shelf field fault block that lead to high side economics case.
- Executed evaluations that lead to two new field discoveries within the deepwater, Eastern Gulf of Mexico, Jurassic
Norphlet exploration team - Appomattox (250+ mmbo and now producing 150k bopd) and Vicksburg. Generated
petrophysical parameters from a multi-mineral, probabilistic petrophysical evaluation to geologic and reservoir
models to aid commercial understanding and in selection of potential development options.
- Coordinated petrophysical technical discussions to study feasibility of a joint development project for the Nexen
operated Knotty Head deepwater discovery with partners and an offset operator. Completed capillary pressure
saturation-height modeling for reservoir model, and managed Schlumberger’s SmartDepth processing to reconcile
differences in LWD and wireline depths for better understanding of compartmentalization.
- Supervised a multi-discipline team in acquiring low contamination MDT fluid samples (<1% OBM) during formation
evaluation operations of a Nexen-operated, subsalt, deepwater well.
- Developed work programs and supervised the mentoring of 4 new grad engineers and geoscientists to aid in their
training and to expand petrophysical understanding across the organization.
ENCANA O & G (U.S.), INC. (Formerly Tom Brown & Matador Petroleum); Dallas, Texas 2002-2006
Senior Petrophysicist
Joined Matador Petroleum as the company’s only Petrophysicist and supervised consultants to the company after it was first acquired by Tom Brown and ultimately by EnCana.
- Developed methodology for net pay cutoffs to identify optimum completion zones in Bossier Sandstone and Cotton
Valley Lime reservoirs in East Texas. Presented results in an EnCana technical forum in Calgary.
- Designed and coordinated the coring operations and analysis for the first Barnett Shale core cut by EnCana. Led to
an increased understanding of gas content, mineralogy, TOC and rock mechanics. Expanded methodology for
evaluating the Barnett Shale in the Fort Worth Basin utilizing wireline logs, core/cuttings and geochemistry data.
Presented results to management and technical peers in an internal EnCana sponsored Gas Shale Technology
Exchange.
- Integrated petrophysics in all phases of EnCana’s operations including hostile operating environments up to 400
deg-F and 18,000 feet-RKB. Saved the company ~$200,000 in wireline logging costs by identifying invoice mistakes
and receiving compensation for lost rig time in first 7 months of 2006.
- Developed a Bossier Sand petrophysical model integrating rock specific information with special core analysis studies
of electrical properties. Derived a relationship between hydrocarbon pore volume and production performance to
aid in selecting perforations and well completions.
MUSTANG RESOURCES, LLC; Dallas, Texas 1999-2002
Petrophysicist
Co-founded with a former colleague a successful Company for generation of exploration “Missed Pay” opportunities and petrophysics consulting. Clients included independent, mid-size and major oil and gas companies such as Phillips, Arco, Enron, KNOC, Petro-Hunt, Weinman Geoscience and The Strickland Group. Two examples of particularly unique engagements include the following:
- Increased gas reserves by 40 bcf in the South Korean Donghae-1 gas field through a detailed petrophysical study
integrated with geology, geophysics and engineering.
- Appeared as an “Expert Witness” and received a favorable ruling before Texas Railroad Commission Examiners in
Rule 38 hearing (Texas Hugoton Field Brown Dolomite reservoir).
ARCO EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY; Dallas, Texas 1994-1999
Principal Petrophysicist
Recruited by Arco’s Reservoir Research and Technology group to provide reservoir description and characterization of Company operated assets and new business development opportunities.
- Generated over 50% of the opportunities being pursued by ARCO International during 15 months while seconded to
an integrated exploration team to identify large reserve opportunities worldwide as part of a “Missed Pay” team.
- Completed two field studies as part of integrated multi-disciplined reservoir evaluation teams to determine the
feasibility of implementing a CO2 EOR project in the Ashtart Field, Offshore Tunisia and a polymer flood in a 500 well
area of the Gudao Field, China.
- Integrated reservoir descriptions and petrophysical analysis in support of a successful new development China
venture, the Bohai Gulf QHD 32-6 Field. Employed the use of rock typing, generating a reservoir quality index curve
calibrated to production performance.
- Completed the detailed petrophysical study of 2 steamflood injection patterns in California’s Midway- Sunset Field.
Derived lithology curves for all wells to identify reservoir and non-reservoir lithofacies and integrated temperature
profiles to aid in understanding the effect of barriers and baffles to steam movement.
BRITISH GAS EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION; Houston, Texas 1989-1994
Project Geologist
Joined British Gas when they acquired Tenneco’s International Company.
- Planned, coordinated and implemented the initial development phase of the 1.0 tcf Miskar Gas Field offshore Tunisia.
Responsible for all field development reservoir descriptions integrating cores, mapping, cross-sections and net pay.
- Successfully appraised, the Warda Field, a 61 mmbo discovery in the Gulf of Suez as part of an
exploitation and exploration team. Completed the geological and petrophysical reservoir characterization for the
formulation of a development plan leading to the declaration of commerciality and formation of a joint venture
company.
TENNECO EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION, INC. AND TENNECO UNITED KINGDOM, INC.; U.S. and U.K. 1978-1989
Project Geological Engineer
Hired after graduation as a Geological Eng. with progression to Senior and Project Geological Eng. Transferred to London (1987).
- Developed the 100 mmbo Yowlumne Field in California and performed the first Tenneco computerized petrophysical
evaluation for a unitization equity determination and initiation of a waterflood.
EDUCATION AND PROFESIONAL AFFILIATIONS
B.S. Geological Engineering; University of Missouri-Rolla; Rolla, Missouri; 1978 (Graduated Magna Cum Laude)
Registered Professional Geoscientist in the State of Texas (License Number 6160), AAPG, SPWLA