Archive for October, 2009
CGGVeritas Deploys SeisMovie for Monitoring Heavy Oil Production
CGGVeritas has announced the successful completion of the acquisition phase of the first continuous land 3D SeisMovie™ project conducted for Shell Canada in the Peace River region, Alberta, Canada. The project is a joint technology trial with Shell Canada; data acquisition spanned 90 days of continuous operations and was completed with no HSE incidents.
SeisMovie is a patented reservoir monitoring technology that is particularly applicable to steam-assisted heavy oil production. On this project, multiple SeisMovie sources were permanently buried and continuously and simultaneously activated over a period of three months to collect up to 1 TB of raw data daily. After real-time, in-field automatic processing, a daily stack was produced. These data are currently being analyzed in a collaborative effort between Shell and CGGVeritas to extract a time-lapse reservoir signal.
Jean-Jacques Postel, Exec. VP, Land Acquisition Product Line, CGGVeritas, said: “SeisMovie is the only 4D seismic acquisition solution of its kind in the world. Its deployment enables companies to effectively monitor reservoir changes over long periods of time while minimizing human intervention and environmental impact. It is a safe, long-term solution for autonomous, real-time monitoring of reservoirs. SeisMovie offers our clients the ability to see and utilize time-lapse effects to better understand the evolution of reservoir production and ultimately enhance recovery rates.”
DocVerse Brings Real-time Sharing to Microsoft Apps
DocVerse announced the launch of its new downloadable plug-in for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel, which turns those applications into full-fledged, Web-based collaboration tools. The plug-in makes any .doc, .ppt or .xls file into a secure, Web-based document that can be shared and edited by multiple users anytime, anywhere.
DocVerse makes sharing Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents synonymous with saving them. Anytime a DocVerse user saves a document on their desktop, DocVerse automatically creates a Web-based version of it in the cloud, which is instantly shared with whomever the author has specified. All Web-based versions of a document receive a unique, secure, shareable URL that never changes and can be accessed by anyone the author invites to view it – whether they have downloaded the DocVerse plug-in or not. Users can view and comment on the most recent version of the document online using any Web browser, or via the DocVerse plug-in inside of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
Groups of DocVerse users are able to use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel to simultaneously edit the same document at the same time, whether online or offline. DocVerse tracks, manages and syncs all changes to merge them correctly into one updated version of the document – even if they save changes to the same document at the same exact time. For DocVerse users, that means no more e-mailing of attachments or repeatedly cutting and pasting changes manually to collaborate on documents with colleagues.
“This is huge step forward for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel, which turns those unconnected islands on 600 million desktops worldwide into connected, Web-enabled collaboration tools in a way that no product has ever done before,” said Shan Sinha, CEO of DocVerse. “And, best of all, you don’t need to learn anything new. DocVerse quickly and easily plugs into Word, PowerPoint and Excel, so you can keep working with those applications exactly the same way you always have; it just makes them better.”
NVIDIA and VSG Accelerate Oil & Gas Exploration
NVIDIA and Visualization Sciences Group (VSG), developer of 3D solutions for the oil and gas industry, announced the newest release of the Open Inventor 3D Graphics Toolkit will employ the NVIDIA® CompleX™ scene-scaling acceleration engine, enabling the visualization and manipulation of huge data sets required for energy exploration.
Open Inventor 8.1 by VSG integrates the CompleX engine, enabling advanced 3D applications to fully scale across the multiple graphics processing units (GPUs) powering NVIDIA Quadro® Plex visual computing systems. This technology turns a single workstation into a visual supercomputer, providing engineers and scientists an immersive, ultra-high resolution experience capable of handling extremely large visual scenes, such as those used in seismic interpretation and reservoir modeling.
“This innovative package makes it possible to manipulate and access massive scenes in a practical, efficient way,” said Jean Bernard Cazeaux, CEO of VSG. “An application powered by Open Inventor 8.1 with CompleX running on a Quadro Plex system delivers a smoother, faster frame rate, and offers a much more interactive experience for engineers and geophysicists when viewing a seismic dataset of 100 million triangles. Without it, the performance would be unbearably slow.”
“The value of NVIDIA application acceleration engines integrated into software like Open Inventor and powered by Quadro professional solutions is incredibly significant to the oil and gas industry,” said Jeff Brown, general manager, NVIDIA Professional Solutions Group. “Geophysicists can perform large-scale visualization faster and with greater precision—meaning they can discover new energy reserves more rapidly and cost effectively than ever before.”
Open Inventor is an object-oriented, cross-platform, 3D graphics toolkit for developing interactive 3D graphics applications using C++, .NET or Java. The easy-to-use application programming interface, extensible architecture and large set of advanced components provide developers with a high-level platform for rapid prototyping and development of 3D graphics applications.
NVIDIA application acceleration engines like CompleX, which are available at no charge, are highly optimized software modules enabling developers to supercharge their products with high-performance capabilities. When combined with NVIDIA Quadro solutions, they unleash advanced creative and investigative possibilities for professionals. Quadro Plex solutions deliver breakthrough levels of productivity and capability, giving geophysicists, scientists, engineers and other technical professionals the visual supercomputing power they need to tackle today’s biggest challenges.
GE Pipeline Integrity Services for Qatargas LNG Pipeline Network
The PII Pipeline Solutions business unit of GE Oil & Gas has been awarded a multi-million-dollar, six-year contract to supply Qatargas Operating Co. Ltd. with advanced pipeline integrity management services to enhance the monitoring and maintenance of the company’s liquified natural gas (LNG) network.
Based in Ras Laffan City in Qatar, Qatargas has nine prominent shareholders: Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil, Total, Mitsui, Marubeni, ConocoPhillips, Shell, Idemitsu and Cosmo Oil.
Under the agreement, GE Oil & Gas will build and deploy a custom pipeline integrity management system (PIMS) for Qatargas that will also provide manuals and procedures covering in-line inspection, software automation and engineering assessments.
“Qatargas operates world-class LNG facilities in Qatar, and our goal is to be the world’s premier LNG company,” said Sheikh Ahmed Al Thani, Chief Operating Officer, Engineering & Ventures, Qatargas. “A critical success factor in achieving that goal is the continued assurance of availability and safe operation of our pipeline networks used to transport gas and condensate from our offshore production sites to our onshore treatment facilities.”
While Qatargas already has a strong pipeline integrity management program in place, the company continually works to adopt industry best practices, including the implementation of GE’s comprehensive PIMS program, Al Thani said.
Much of GE’s advance work will be performed by GE Oil & Gas’ pipeline technology centers for excellence in Cramlington, UK (for pipeline integrity management and integrity engineering services as well as in-line inspection tool preparation) and in Mission, Kansas (for software management), while a dedicated project and account management team will be established in Qatar to help ensure the successful implementation.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to continue our long-term relationship with Qatargas, which has an outstanding record of achievement in the area of pipeline integrity and maintenance,” said John Bucci, General Manager, PII Pipeline Solutions, GE Oil & Gas, noting that the business has provided inspection services to Qatargas since 1998.
While the earlier inspections covered two LNG pipelines, the new integrity management contract will cover additional offshore product lines that will rely significantly on PII Pipeline Solutions’ extensive “wet gas” experience. Separate to the pipeline services contract, GE Oil & Gas’ global services business previously signed an 18-year customer service agreement to support Qatargas operations.
Halliburton Acquires Geo-Logic Systems
Halliburton has acquired Geo-Logic Systems LLC, provider of advanced structural interpretation, analysis and restoration software for complex geologic environments.
Geo-Logic Systems’ software validates complex geologic interpretations by determining their physical possibility using its structural restoration and balancing capabilities. The software assists in analyzing and modeling fault seal characteristics, burial histories, and determining hydrocarbon migration pathways and accumulation zones, thereby enabling Halliburton’s customers to construct more accurate geologic models.
“The industry faces increasingly difficult exploration and drilling scenarios,” said Paul Koeller, VP Software and Asset Solutions, Halliburton. “The integration of Geo-Logic Systems offers geoscientists advanced modeling solutions to address the technical challenges of exploring in complex petroleum regimes such as overthrust belts and the pre-, syn- (including sub-salt) and post-rift portions of extensional basins. In these complicated, poorly imaged plays risk reduction is of paramount importance.”
SMT Announces Release of KINGDOM 8.5
At the annual SEG meeting in Houston, SMT announced the release of KINGDOM 8.5, which includes the introduction of KINGDOM GeoModeling, the first modular extension of SMT’s KINGDOM Advanced product line announced earlier this year. KINGDOM GeoModeling allows organizations to conduct integrated interpretation and 3D geocellular modeling in a single product. Integrating these two workflows enables interpreters and modelers to share the same workspace during prospect evaluation. This process improvement increases productivity and reduces the time needed to generate and evaluate prospects in more detail and with greater accuracy.
Commenting on the announcement, Stan Abele, VP of Product Management at SMT, said: “KINGDOM GeoModeling is another example of SMT’s ongoing focus to bring advanced workflows to every desktop. With SMT’s new GeoModeling, generalist interpreters can now do what was previously the domain of only specialists – interpreters can create sealed earth models, conduct volumetric analyses and estimate reserves.”
KINGDOM GeoModeling incorporates patented 3D gridding technology from JewelSuite, a powerful, easy to use, Windows-based reservoir modeling software package. Unlike older gridding technologies, the second-generation JewelSuite 3D gridding capability allows complex structural environments to be modeled without compromising the integrity and accuracy of the original structural interpretation. With the incorporation of JewelSuite gridding technology into KINGDOM GeoModeling, SMT now offers best of breed in both interpretation and 3D geocellular modeling in a single, fully integrated product.
“Using the JewelSuite software, our consulting teams – including Gaffney, Cline & Associates, RDS, Epic Consulting and GMI – will be better able to provide the most effective integrated solutions for the most complex reservoirs and development options,” said Nathan Meehan, VP Reservoir Technology, Baker Hughes.
KINGDOM 8.5 has numerous enhancements:
- KINGDOM Data Management 8.5 – Replaces the current OpenKINGDOM Domain product. Maintains the historical features of OpenKINGDOM while providing a platform for new functionality.
- Ability to transfer data between KINGDOM projects – Users can easily select data and create project subsets, combine data from multiple projects, and run QC scripts against KINGDOM projects to check for erroneous results and correct them directly in the interface.
- Ability to save and restore maps and create and apply display templates for all vertical sections.
- Improvements in the auto tracker and usability enhancements that make the interface more workflow oriented.
KINGDOM 8.5 is expected to be available in December 2009. Customers who have purchased OpenKINGDOM Domain will receive KINGDOM Data Management as part of their standard maintenance.
Halliburton Releases New 3D Visualization Tool
Landmark, a brand of Halliburton, has launched GeoGraphix® Discovery™ 3D software, the new Microsoft Windows-based offering incorporating state-of-the-art interactive visualization tools from Microsoft’s Xbox® gaming console and the 64-bit capabilities and performance of the new Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. Using this new member of the GeoGraphix product family, Discovery 3D software users will have an immersive, game-like experience when developing geologic interpretations.
GeoGraphix Discovery 3D software is one of the first oil and gas solutions leveraging the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system as well as the latest DirectX® graphics technology, combined with Microsoft Xbox gaming technology. The resulting product vastly improves the way geoscientists interact with and manipulate 3D subsurface models, allowing for faster, more accurate interpretations and decisions.
Chris Usher, senior director of Landmark Software and Services, said: “Discovery 3D software is the result of the partnership combining Landmark’s geoscience expertise and Microsoft’s rich and pervasive technology platform. Landmark is again leading in innovation by introducing an E&P visualization product that applies the latest in 3D graphics and gaming technology, giving geoscientists a seamless and productive way to interact with 3D models. Discovery 3D software also provides up-and-coming generations of geoscientists a familiar environment to work in, making it quick and easy for them to adopt this technology. This familiar experience is completed by the Windows PC platform for Discovery 3D software, making high-performance 3D visualization and interpretation tools accessible and affordable to companies of all sizes.”
“We are delighted with the Halliburton partnership,” said Ali Ferling, PhD, managing director, Worldwide Oil and Gas Industries, Microsoft. “Discovery 3D software is a great example and just the tip of the iceberg in a series of breakthrough innovations our companies will deliver to the oil and gas industry in the coming months and years. Halliburton’s commitment to the Windows 7 operating system and DirectX graphics is a great recognition of the enterprise-class capabilities and technology delivered by our latest operating system, as well as a confirmation of the great momentum of Microsoft’s offerings and partnerships in the oil and gas industry worldwide.”
When combined with the Discovery software integrated platform framework, resulting workflows provide a novel interaction with all of the well information, geologic interpretations, structural and geo-referenced layers in three dimensions. Geologic interpretations developed using the GeoGraphix Discovery workflow, and visualized in real time through Discovery 3D software, translate to an enhanced, more complete understanding of the geologist’s work, and they ultimately improve models in a real-world, 3D earth model domain.
Shell Realizes Value from Landmark R5000 Software Upgrade
Landmark, a brand of Halliburton, announced it had completed the first of several critical deployments in Shell’s global rollout of R5000 versions of Landmark software.
“With R5000, we offer many innovations, including improving multi-user collaboration through OpenWorks® software; adding new workflows, such as pre-stack seismic data interpretation; and streamlining existing workflows,” said Paul Koeller, VP Halliburton Software and Asset Solutions. “Shell’s rollout of R5000 is one of the largest and most ambitious global deployments of R5000. It has been a privilege to be involved in the partnership and to share in their success.”
Additional benefits of R5000 include the simplification in management of cartographic and seismic data along with the ability to integrate proprietary subsurface applications with vendor applications using a standard data format. A standard global approach was taken when rolling out this project, including common architecture, hardware, software applications and workflows to achieve cost savings in IT infrastructure.
Shell began its production upgrade to the new R5000 versions of Landmark software in the company’s Americas Region in April 2009. Today, all of Shell’s asset teams in the US and Brazil have been upgraded to the R5000 versions of Landmark’s software. Once complete, the R5000 deployment within Shell will encompass 28 sites worldwide, including locations in Canada, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
TerraSpark Unveils SDK for Insight Earth
TerraSpark Geosciences has launched its Software Development Kit (SDK) for Insight Earth® as a means of providing the oil and gas community with an innovative tool for developing customized extensions and plug-ins to the Insight Earth 3D visualization and interpretation suite.
“This SDK augments TerraSpark’s core 3D visualization and interpretation platform with powerful software development technologies that provide a nonrestrictive, fully open development architecture that will benefit customers, third-party developers and ultimately the exploration community as a whole,” said Geoffrey Dorn, PhD, President of TerraSpark. The Insight Earth SDK is included at no additional cost with the license for Insight Earth Base.
Insight Earth users can leverage the new SDK’s high performance, multi-threaded, easy to use C++ plug-in architecture to extend Insight Earth’s capabilities by integrating existing proprietary algorithms and creating customized, high performance volume attributes or custom volumetric algorithms and calculations.
The Insight Earth SDK further enhances the integrated workflows made possible by interoperability with OpenSpirit® software and OpenSpirit-enabled applications. The OpenSpirit connection enables a seamless exchange of data and cursor locations, thus simplifying the process of mobilizing data volumes and allowing interpreters to spend less time managing software requirements and more time achieving business results.
This SDK will also permit developers to harness the massively parallel processing power of graphics processing units (GPUs) to accelerate non-graphics computation for large volume data sets. According to Jon Marbach, Director of Software Architecture and Engineering, TerraSpark will include SDK samples in the next version release.
“We are currently working to include functionality for APIs such as CUDA™ and OpenCL™ with the next version of the SDK,” said Marbach. “This will help developers in the oil and gas industry gain even greater competitive strength through the use of the most advanced processing technologies available.”
The Insight Earth SDK also allows developers to add support for proprietary volume file formats, thus enhancing Insight Earth’s data interchange capabilities. Future versions of this SDK will support custom processes that operate on Faults, Horizons and other data types supported by Insight Earth’s interpretation capabilities.
AGR, Codify Launch Envision JV for Multi-Touch Computers
AGR Petroleum Services has joined forces with Codify to develop new ways of using multi-touch computers to revolutionize the energy industry. The working group, called Envision, has been set up in response to a major lack of software applications for the latest multi-touch computers that respond to natural hand movements without a need for a keyboard or mouse.
Ian Burdis, VP of well management at AGR, said: “This is incredibly new and exciting technology and we really want to push the boundaries with it. It’s much more than a gadget coffee table – it has the potential to transform our activity. We believe that multi-touch computers will have the same impact the Internet had 15 years ago and totally change the way we work.”
A key focus of the group, which also plans to work closely with students from Robert Gordon University’s IDEAS Research Institute, will be to develop a new tool that will allow engineering teams to step away from a computer screen and instead take a high-tech, hands-on approach to interacting with information and data. It is anticipated the technology will provide a real alternative to expensive visualization rooms that engineers currently use during planning stages of projects.
The Envision Working Group is coordinated by AGR’s VP of Information Technology, Chris Ferrier, and Codify’s Managing Director, Mark Griffiths, with support from AGR’s subsurface and well management engineers and IT experts as well as input from Codify’s programmers.
They will be creating bespoke software applications that will provide a cost-effective solution to visualization rooms while ensuring engineers have all of the necessary information at their fingertips – literally. The technology is expected to become a key tool for AGR’s own engineers with a view to rolling it out to the marketplace at a later date.
Mark Cook, AGR’s Director of Reservoir Management in the UK, said: “Multi-touch computers have huge implications for our subsurface reservoir study work. Having the ability to use advanced visualization technology at our own office will greatly improve the way our teams work, integrate data and share knowledge.”
The development process is already under way with the first software application expected to undergo trials by Spring 2010.
Burdis added: “We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of new techniques and embracing new technology. Developing tailor-made applications for multi-touch computers offers huge potential for us to significantly raise the bar in all areas of our activity. We are very excited about the prospect of working with Codify again and look forward to seeing the outcomes of our collaboration.”
Mark Griffiths, Managing Director of Codify, said: “It’s fantastic that AGR has recognized the value that this new technology can bring to the energy sector, and we look forward to developing software options with them. We have worked closely with the company for almost five years and have helped develop a number of applications for them in that time. This latest project will enable us to draw on our extensive understanding of their activity to produce applications that could significantly improve collaborative projects within the oil and gas industry.”
PetroComputing 