http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/16974 2026-08-05T08:34:40Z 2026-08-05T08:34:40Z Zohaib Naseer, 01-286222-004 http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/21537 2026-07-28T04:19:29Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Evaluation of Structural Driven Geothermal Systems: A Comprehensive Geophysical Analysis in Thar Platform, Southern Indus Basin, Pakistan Zohaib Naseer, 01-286222-004 Geothermal energy resources are a renewable energy source that is an emerging field worldwide. These resources are economically viable and environmentally sustainable. Geothermal energy potential exists in Pakistan; however, these resources have not yet been fully tapped due to a lack of research interest and proper methodology. The current study aims to determine the potential of geothermal energy in the subsurface by utilizing 2D and 3D seismic and well data to explore the geothermal potential of the sandstone reservoir in the Southern Indus Basin of Pakistan. The study area, Sanghar Block, lies in the Thar Platform. The major subsurface structures present in this area are horst and graben, which are considered perfect structure for the trapping of geothermal energy. The detailed studies are performed on the Lower Goru Formation, which is considered as major reservoir in the study area. Effective evaluation of geothermal reservoir characteristics from well and seismic data plays a fundamental role in harnessing subsurface geothermal resources. Facies identification was achieved using borehole data through artificial intelligence techniques, indicating that the key facies present in the Lower Goru Formation are shale and sandstone. As the shale containing naturally radioactive lithology have a radioactive element like U, Th and K, which are also considered a source of heat. It has been considered based on present studies that the existence of radioactive elements such as U, K, and Th in these facies is a dynamic source of heat in the subsurface. Geothermal reservoir properties such as average porosity, the volume of shale, heat production, radiogenic heat production, and permeability were computed from well logs and seismic data. A DFFNN was utilized to demonstrate the variation of geothermal reservoir characteristics along the seismic transect. In the DFFNN data is split into 70 % for training and 30% for testing purposes. The models are optimizing by using multiple hidden layers which control the over and underfitting of geothermal and petrophysical model parameters. The major function of DFFNN is to boost the incorporation of well and seismic data for geothermal reservoir characterization by estimating rock characteristics gained from model based seismic inversion. DFFNN technique achieved excellent correlation values from 85-98% for geothermal and petrophysics properties by utilizing multiple attributes while in traditional techniques which often suffer from poor resolution and high ambiguities when estimating these properties. The current research is innovative because of its amalgamation of machine learning and statistical methods, which permits the evaluation of geothermal properties (average porosity, the volume of shale, heat production, radiogenic heat production, and permeability) on seismic sections that are typically insights in the studied interval. The results of subsurface geothermal reservoir characteristics average values derived from logs curve data: average porosity (15.90%), volume of shale (33.80%), heat production (0.933 µW/m3), radiogenic heat production (1.20 µW/m3), and permeability (16.37 mD) are relatively promising which signifies that the present study zone is promising for geothermal potential. The quality control of seismic to well ties is confirmed by generating the relationship between synthetic seismogram, real seismic and time to depth chart, while the validation of facies prediction is confirmed by using well reports. The geothermal analysis is compared with published and international values for the validation of results Based on the current results, it has been determined that the innovative methods have enhanced prediction accuracy and minimized the ambiguity in geothermal characteristics, and this study has a positive impact on Pakistan renewable policy as it provides an alternate source of fossil fuel and coal and promote renewable energy target. Key words: Geothermal Energy, Heat Production, Radiogenic Heat Production, Permeability, Machine Learning, Deep Feed Forward Neural Network. Supervised by Dr. Muhsan Ehsan

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Qadeer Ahmad, 01-286192-004 http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/21540 2026-07-28T05:06:30Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Hydrocarbon Exploration Risk Mitigation Through Mapping Petroleum Migration Pathways using Seismic and Geochemistry Data, Punjab Platform, Pakistan Qadeer Ahmad, 01-286192-004 The Punjab Platform in Pakistan's Central Indus sub-basin faces challenges in unlocking significant hydrocarbon reserves due to variability in source rock properties and uncertainty in mapping hydrocarbon migration pathways. In this study, seismic and geochemistry data were utilized for source rock characterization and hydrocarbon migration pathways mapping. Geochemistry techniques involving rock eval pyrolysis, organic petrography and basin modeling were performed for source rock evaluation and mapping of hydrocarbon migration pathways. The kerogen type was determined by using the Van Krevelen diagram (modified) and the hydrogen index (HI) versus oxygen index (OI) plot determines that the Cretaceous age (Chichali Formation) in Bahu-01, Nandpur- 01, and Zakria-01 wells has kerogen type III. Total organic content (TOC, wt.%) is measured using two unique approaches: direct laboratory analysis based on core data of 34 samples by organic geochemistry and an indirect technique employing stochastic poststack seismic inversion on 2D seismic data. Both techniques yielded TOC values, indicating fair to good source rock richness. Maturity estimation from organic petrography and seismic inversion reveals that the Bahu-01, Panjpir-01, and Nandpur-01 wells have average TOC values below 0.50, indicating immature source rock. However, the average TOC value for the Zakria-01 well is 0.63, confirming maturity and putting it in the oil window, with peak generation occurring during the Eocene age. 2D basin modeling results shows the Chichali Formation in the Sulaiman Foredeep area has a (%Ro) range of 1 to 1.5, representing source rock maturity in the late oil to wet gas window. In most western parts (Sulaiman Fold Belt), the %Ro ranges from 1 to 1.3, representing source rock maturity in the wet gas window. However, the eastern side (Punjab Platform), where three producing fields were present, shows the (%Ro) ranges from 0.4 to 0.48%. The 3D hydrocarbon generation map in Sulaiman Foredeep reveals that the entrance to the early oil window occurs between 65 and 50 Ma, with the main oil window occurring from 65 to 35 Ma. The central part of the study area enters the main all window between 50 and 25 Ma, with early oil windows between 15 to 20 Ma, and late oil windows between 10 Ma. The eastern part remained barren and did not contribute to the hydrocarbon's bulk generation potential. The study introduces novel lateral long path migration pathways in a region using an integrated approach including source rock richness, maturity, ID, 2D basin modeling and 3D hydrocarbon charge modeling. The DHI’s confirms the presence of hydrocarbon particularity gas and authenticates our work about the establishment ofvii migration pathways. It has addressed a previously unresolved issue and is contributing to successful hydrocarbon exploration. It will also help in the mitigation of risks associated with hydrocarbon exploration in other basins worldwide Supervised by Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Hajana

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Umar Manzoor, 01-286202-002 http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/18657 2024-11-28T08:23:01Z 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z

Seismic Driven Thin Reservoir Facie Classification Using Advanced Machine Learning Algorithms: A Research On Lower Ranikot Sandstone Reservoir, Kirthar Foldbelt, Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan Umar Manzoor, 01-286202-002 This study addresses the crucial challenge of characterizing thin gas sand reservoirs in the Lower Ranikot/Khadro Formation of Pakistan's Lower Indus Basin, a reservoir with varying thicknesses 4 to 7 m below seismic resolution. Previous studies have struggled to produce precise results due to reservoir heterogeneity, data limitations, and associated uncertainties. An optimized, integrated approach, combining seismic attributes, petrophysical properties, advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms, and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) addresses thin gas sand facies and pore pressure challenges comprehensively. Among several employed ML algorithms gradient boosting regressor (GBR) accurately predicted thin sands (>90%), reducing uncertainty in hydrocarbon-bearing sand distribution. A delicate ML approach has been broadly applied to analyze the potential and robustly interpret well-logs while addressing the associated challenges. Support vector machine (One-class-SVM) helps to reduce outliers with great certainty while the missing log's sonic and density are precisely predicted via GBR and extra tree regressor (ETR) with the highest R2 respectively. Likewise, random forest regressor (RFR) performed exceptionally well for water saturation modeling expressing the highest 0.93 correlation among ML and conventional results. Finally, the decision tree classifier (DTC) modeled reservoir facies with the best 91% accuracy and 0.935 F1 measures at the blind well. Additionally, an optimized workflow generates high-frequency acoustic impedance synthetics by utilizing a deep neural network (DNN) integrated with CWT components at the reservoir level vis-a-vis validating the results with existing geological facies to resolve thin beds without introducing noise. The shale layers of the formation are quite problematic and complex geological variations exhibit pore pressure discrepancy making drilling operations crucial. Among all conventional methods for pore pressure prediction, GBR integrated with CWT has provided very good results after validation. The study characterizes reservoirs below seismic resolution, enabling more efficient resource exploration and development. It outperforms previously done conventional approaches by delivering higher accuracy, reducing uncertainty, and unlocking valuable insights using advanced ML and CWT techniques. It offers broad applicability to other complex, thin-bed reservoirs worldwide, optimizing field development and maximizing hydrocarbon recovery. Supervised by Dr. Muhsan Ehsan

2024-01-01T00:00:00Z Muhammad Irfan, 02-283161-004 http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/16980 2024-02-22T11:39:26Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Overexploitation Of Groundwater And Its Impact On Quality Of Water In Winder Balochistan : An Environmental Geophysical Approach Muhammad Irfan, 02-283161-004 In Winder Town District Lasbela, Balochistan, groundwater is at a vulnerable stage due to overexploitation mainly for irrigation activities. It is situated 80 km in the north-west of Karachi city near the Makran Coast. The research was conducted through integrated geophysical and hydro-geochemical approach to map the subsurface groundwater and estimate the aquifer parameters. The study also highlighted the spatial variation for hydro-geophysical parameters integrated with hydrochemistry and hydrogeology to assess the overexploitation impact and groundwater quality of study area. There have been no integrated scientific studies conducted and documented for sustainable groundwater development of the area. Previous research on hydrogeochemistry of groundwater and data analysis were used for comparison and to develop temporal variation in the quality of water. The geophysical electrical resistivity method was selected; utilizing vertical electrical sounding (VES), and Schlumberger electrode arrangement to map the potential aquifer and other hydrogeological parameters. PASI 16-GLN earth resistivity meter was utilized to acquire 27 points, of vertical electrical sounding (VES). The maximum lateral spacing of current electrode has been kept at 300 meters (AB), to delineate electrical properties up to 150 meters’ depth. The resistance values acquired in the study area were multiplied with the Geometrical Factor (K) to estimate apparent resistivity. Finally, obtained field data from the geophysical survey was processed using computer inversion program IPI2Win developed by Moscow State University, Russia. The geophysical results delineate five layer of variable resistivity; layer 1 (1.5-3.5 m) resistivity ranges from 2-38 Ωm and an average value is 17.5 Ωm. This shows that the resistivity is higher toward the western side of the RCD highway due to dry and unsaturated sand dunes deposits. The lowervii resistivity pattern in east and the central part near the Winder River of the study area depict sandy clay and clay. In layer 2 (3.2-14.2 m) resistivity ranges from 6.32-42 Ωm and the average value is 23 Ωm. The range in the north-east of study area shows higher resistivity interpreted as sandy gravel whereas the south-west & north-west comprise sand deposits. The layer 3 (13-51 m) resistivity varies from 14-50.4 Ωm and the mean value is 29 Ωm. Layer 4 (50.4-114 m) resistivity ranges from 13.5-51.6 Ωm and an average value is 31.5 Ωm. Layer 5 resistivity value ranges from 14.1-51.4 Ωm and an average value is 27.35 Ωm. Layer 3,4 and 5 show higher resistivity in central and eastern region where as the western side shows low resistivity zones. The layer 4 and 5 are saturated and low resistivity depicts the brackish water condition toward the western side, the higher resistivity closure along the Winder River is delineated as the high potential of low TDS water zone. Due to over-pumping of groundwater in Winder Balochistan the water table declined from 15 to 45 meters. The freshwater hand pump near the coastal belt is abandoned and deeper water is more saline. In the vicinity of agriculture farm groundwater, TDS ranges from 1000-2800 ppm. The sample of groundwater from the tube well in the study area provides the spatial distribution of groundwater quality. The analysis of 94 groundwater samples were carried out for physiochemical parameters. Trace elements for the selected samples were also assessed for comparative analysis with published research of 2013. The hydrochemical analysis shows that the dominant hydro facies type is NaCl, Ca-Cl and MgSO4. The HEF-D plot, Gibbs diagram, Stiff plot, Piper diagram, Ionic ratio and statistical analysis of physiochemical analysis suggest that seawater intrusion plays a vital part in groundwater recharge due to aquifer overexploitation. The physiochemical analysis shows that the Na+>Ca2+>Mg2+>K+ (meq/l) for the cation and Cl->HCO3->SO42- (meq/l) for anions in groundwater of study area. The nitrate contamination >50 mg/l concentration was observed in the samples of Winder which can be the result of livestock activity, agriculture activity and some extent to domestic use of water. The results of the present study also compared with the previous research on groundwater which represents, decline in groundwater quality. The hydro-chemical parameters of previously published data show that composition was mainly controlled by the Mor and Pab ranges in north-eastern part of the study area. The average value of the present study for pH is 7.23, Na+ 331 mg/l, Cl- 522 mg/l, SO42- 307mg/l, 50% of sample shows high salinity hazard, the ionic ratio of HCO3-/Cl- is 0.43 and Na/Cl is 0.97 depict the impact of seawater intrusion in groundwater. The estimated irrigation water qualityviii parameter shows the average value of RSC is -7.6 (suitable), Na% 50.1, SAR 5.8 (suitable), MAR 50.6, PS 18 and PI 133.3 (good). The increase in the pH value of groundwater decreased the concentration of trace element of study area. The estimated average values are very close to permissible limit and maximum value in most of the samples exceeds the irrigation water quality standard and deteriorates the soil and crops of the area. The integrated geophysical and hydrochemical parameter maps can be utilized to categorize the low-high risk zone for agriculture activities and domestic use of water. The pumping of groundwater should be stopped from tube wells near to the coast such as UF, UG, UN, US, UD, UL, UR, UG, UT, UP, PS, KA, KZ, KT, KA and KQ. The study area is strategically very important regarding China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Urbanization and industrialization are increasing rapidly and directly stress groundwater production for agricultural activity eventually the impacts are estimated from the present study. The sustainable development of Winder is highly dependent on groundwater effective management, mitigation of seawater intrusion and government policies to exploit groundwater. Supervised by Dr. Salma Hamza

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z