EMGS Taps Sonardyne For Deepwater Positioning Technology

Technology that aims to improve the accuracy of hydrocarbon sensing equipment in deepwater has received an investment boost from Electromagnetic Geoservices (EMGS).

As explained in a news release, the Ranger 2 Gyro-iUSBL system, developed by Sonardyne International Ltd., combines acoustic positioning and inertial navigation technologies. The system will be fitted to one of EMGS’ electromagnetic sources, which operate in water depths down to 4,000 m (13,123 ft) in conjunction with electromagnetic receivers.

The aim is to detect the presence of hydrocarbons through more than 3 km (2 miles) of rock, the release said.

The purchase was announced during the 2017 EAGE Conference & Exhibition in Paris.

“Precise subsea positioning of the source towfish, antenna and each seafloor receiver is critical to the success of CSEM [controlled-source electromagnetic surveying],” EMGS said in the release. “It leads to more accurate mapping of deeper reservoirs and helps to reduce the risk of drilling dry wells.”

These operatonal requirements are addressed by Sonardyne’s iUSBL positioning technique, the company added, with its acoustic transceiver called Gyro-iUSBL. It is fitted on the towed source pointing backward to continuously measure the positions of small acoustic transponders attached along the length of the dipole antenna, the company explained. From this information, the precise shape of the antenna can be determined as it moves through the water.

IHS Markit, Baker Hughes, CMG Form Technology Alliance

Business information provider IHS Markit said June 14 it will form a technology alliance with Baker Hughes Inc. and software company CMG aimed at delivering a new level of geoscience analytics and engineering solutions to E&P customers.

The partnership will give E&Ps a new choice for their integrated workflows by leveraging software for geological characterization, reservoir modeling, production data analysis and reservoir flow simulation.

According to IHS Markit, an immediate benefit to customers is the development of collaborative geoscience, reservoir modeling and simulation workflows that use IHS Markit Kingdom, Baker Hughes JewelSuite reservoir modeling software and CMG’s suite of simulation software. The goal: to deliver new levels of insight and efficiency for integrated geoscience analytics.

Norway Wants Oil Companies To Use EOR Technology To Boost Output

Norway wants oil companies to look into using specialized technology to pump more crude and natural gas, the country’s petroleum regulator said June 15, potentially producing billions of extra barrels as well as tax revenues.

EOR, such as injection of polymers or carbon dioxide into reservoirs, could help to produce an additional 320 MMcm to 860 MMcm of oil equivalents from the 27 largest fields offshore Norway, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) said.

“We will try to use all the instruments we have to convince the companies to test [EOR] and to do pilot projects,” Ingrid Soelvberg, the agency’s director for development and operations, told Reuters.

She said companies would be obliged to use the EOR process if there were significant profits at stake. “We as a regulator can include conditions also for the use of EOR when approving development plans.”

Norway’s crude oil production has halved from a peak of 181 MMcm in 2000 to 94 MMcm in 2016.

The regulator has already asked the partners in the giant Johan Sverdrup Field offshore Norway to carry out a pilot project that would inject water mixed with polymers to aid recovery when the field starts production in 2019.

“Traditionally EOR was regarded as tail production technology, but we think that the earlier the better, also in this particular case [of Johan Sverdrup],” NPD assistant director Arvid Oesthus said.

The partners in the field are Statoil, Lundin, Aker BP, Petoro and Maersk Oil, a unit of A.P. Moller-Maersk.

Statoil was not immediately available to comment on the cost impact for production from Johan Sverdrup, but the company has previously said that the break-even costs for the first development phase were below $25/bbl.

—Staff & Reuters Reports