Dustin Ward, PG

Experience

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  HENLEY-JOHNSTON & ASSOCIATES, INC.

  Jan 2006 - Jan 2007

  Laboratory Technician

  Assisted with geological and geomechanical investigations for public and private engineering projects. Describe soil and rock samples collected from DFW metro area commercial and residential projects. Sample description and log generation was performed in the lab and on-location.Conduct Atterburg limit tests for liquid and plastic limits on soil samplesPerform uni-axial, unconfined compression testing on core samplesCompile sample description logs and test results for final geo-technical reports Vis mindre

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  Weatherford

  Jan 2007 - Jan 2008

  Intern Research Assistant

  Generated Monte-Carlo simulations of cased-hole neutron logs modeling the log response over multiple lithotypes representing the geology of portions of the Piceance Basin. This work was completed in support of developing pulsed-neutron log correction algorithms intended to improve cased-hole logging products.

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  University of Colorado at Boulder

  Aug 2008 - Jan 2011

  Research Assistant/Teaching Assistant

  Investigated the influence of quartz deformation mechanisms on crustal seismic anisotropy as part of a master's thesis. Completed coursework and thesis requirements for a Masters of Science in Geology.Taught Structural Geology Lab sections and activities, led multiple field trips, tutored and mentored geoscience majors.Taught portions of a Rock Fabric Analysis field course, including field lectures, assisting students, logistics and administrative duties.Geology Tutor for University of Colorado Athletics Department.Secured the following extramural grants and scholarships:-AGEP PEAKS Grant-Sloan Scholarship-Spetzler CU Student Research Grant-Geological Society of America Student Research Grant-Shell Petroskills Course ScholarshipPresented thesis related research at:-The Geological Society of America Rocky Mountain Section Meeting in Rapid City, SD-American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco, CAContinued thesis related research post-graduation and published results in the Geophysical Journal International. Vis mindre

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  Chesapeake Energy

  Jan 2011 - Feb 2021

  Appalachia North Business Unit, 2020-2021Supervised a team of 9 Geoscientists responsible for appraisal projects and horizontal development of the Marcellus shale. Team accomplishments during my tenure were focused on adding reserves and building drill-able inventory, including:Redefining the upper Marcellus core and tier outlines resulting in 55 additional ‘core quality’ well locations and a 30-well, 2021 development plan across Bradford, Wyoming and Susquehanna CountiesUpdated analysis of tier-quality lower Marcellus acreage in Bradford, Tioga, and Lycoming Counties adding 45 economic well locations to bookable reserves and in-part, adding to the 2021 development scheduleSouth Texas Business Unit, 2019-2020Direct supervisor to 11 Geoscientists responsible for infill development of the Eagle Ford shale. Our team leveraged extended reach, multi-azimuth horizontal wells that allowed for economic development of legacy spaced DSUs.Managed team interactions through a COVID driven work-from-home transition. I was tasked with developing individual and team meetings intended to improve employee moral, strengthen team bonds, and ensure business deliveryMid-Continent Business Unit, 2017-2019Supervised a team of 10 geoscientists responsible for appraisal and development of non-conventional oil fields in the Anadarko Basin. Team objectives included horizontal appraisal of the Hunton fm. in Major and Blaine Co's, post-appraisal of uneconomic Chester horizontal tests, and active development of the Oswego formation in Kingfisher Co. Vis mindre Appalachia South Business Unit, 2016-2017Led a multi-disciplinary team tasked with preserving expiring acreage through focused development scheduling, that simultaneously limited exposure to mid-stream contract constraints. Success in this position led to my appointment as Geoscience Supervisor in multiple business units.Appalachia North Business Unit, 2013-2016Planned and executed 34 Marcellus shale wells in Bradford and Wyoming Counties, PA.Conducted a petrophysical and geomechanical evaluation of the upper Marcellus. Identified the ideal geographical and stratigraphic target. Drilled an initial test well which proved economic deliverability for 80 additional wells in Bradford and Wyoming Co's.Utica shale prospect evaluation in Bradford Co., PA. Collected of the company’s first Utica shale core in northeastern PA.Development team co-lead: Co-led a multi-disciplinary team responsible for development of operated units withing the Auburn and Overfield gathering systems within Bradford and Wyoming Counties. This team managed a single drilling rig and frac crew. Successful performance in this role resulted in my appointment to primary development team lead in Appalachia South.South Texas Business Unit, 2011-2013Planned and executed 65 Eagle Ford shale wells that generated ~50MBO of initial daily production, delineated core and tier areas, and strategically held acreage for future developmentDrilled and logged 5 vertical pilot wells in McMullen and LaSalle counties to refine structural, stratigraphic, and petrophysical models, improve geosteering/well bore placement, and delineate core and tier acreageManaged mud log service providers for 34 active rigs, including vendor relations, oversight of costs, quality, and rig assignments. Reduced overall vendor count, improved product quality, and decreased costs. Successful management of this program led to my appointment as development team co-lead in Appalachia North. Vis mindre

  • Geoscience Supervisor

    Nov 2017 - Feb 2021

  • Geologist

    Jan 2011 - Nov 2017
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  89 Energy

  Mar 2021 - now

  Direct Supervisor for 2 geoscientists responsible for operations planning and execution. Development Planning: Collaborate with Reservoir and Land counterparts to create unit-level development plans and individual well plans. It is my responsibility to ensure that operations are executed in a manner consistent with pre-drill planning. Induced Seismicity: Responsibilities include monitoring public and private seismic array data during completions operations and preparing ground motion summary reports for review with senior leadership and, when required, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The efforts of our team have improved relations with the OCC and allowed us to continue to safely advance completions operations.Geosteering Probability Model: Partnered with Impac Exploration Services to generate a geosteering probability model. This model uses 48 XRF derived elements to determine the probability that a given sample was collected from a given stratigraphic sub-member. The results have greatly improved the accuracy of geosteering interpretations. Black Marker Formation Appraisal: Building on the Black Marker formation evaluation project our team has drilled 7 horizontal wells effectively proving the economic viability of this target in 5 operated units to date. This program has extended the eastern boundary of the economic play fairway and added significant oil production and reserves value to the organization in a formation that was not considered in the initial valuation of the company. Well Planning: Planned and supervised the execution of 58 Woodford and Sycamore horizontals, and 7 Black Marker horizontals in structurally complex units located at the intersection of the Nemaha fault zone and the Arbuckle uplift (the Golden Trend). Our team has drilled several below AFE, extended reach laterals, including the longest lateral in Oklahoma which reached a TD of over 26,800‘ in 16 days with approximately 16,800’ of treatable lateral. Vis mindre Petrophysical Model: Generated a series of user-defined equations to match core measurements from multiple cores taken in the Hunton, Woodford, Sycamore, and Caney formations. The results were extrapolated across the asset, combined with well results, and used to create type-curve areas. These efforts directly informed a development and appraisal strategy.Geomechanical Model Extrapolation: I used a single-well SLB geomechanical model to perform a multi-linear regression that predicted mechanical properties from quad-combo logs. The results were extrapolated to wells across the asset and ground-truthed against legacy frac data. This project informed our understanding of legacy well performance and aided in tailoring field development plans.Field Development Planning: Generate unit-level, and well-level development plans. Operations Geology: Geologic support for all phases of drilling and completions operations for 13 horizontal wells.Templates, Standards, and Standard Operating Procedures: I was solely responsible for generating all geologic pre-drill document templates, geoprog templates, geosteering report templates, and post-appraisal templates. Additionally, I generated standard operating procedures for well planning and operations geology that allowed for scaling to additional employees supporting multiple drill rigs.Black Marker Formation Evaluation: De-risked operated units with Black Marker potential utilizing core, cuttings, well data, and reverse time migrated seismic data. The results of this project indicated Black Marker prospectivity in 9 operated units, and informed appraisal and development efforts.Targeting Study: Partnered with OVV and Revochem to compare produced-fluid oil geochemistry to cuttings-extracted oil geochemistry. The results indicate that comparable oil contributions were observed in all horizontal wells regardless of landing zone, and have significantly reduced drilling costs without degrading well performance. Vis mindre

  • Geoscience Manager

    Jan 2022 - now

  • Senior Geologist

    Mar 2021 - Jan 2022