It enables operators to access information and lessons learned on technology deployment and promotes engagement with the supply chain, the OGTC and other providers to address UKCS technology needs.
The objective is to provide a clear picture of existing technologies available to industry and which can be used today, and identify the research and development opportunities of technologies for tomorrow.
NCS Exploration – Recent Advances in Exploration Technology, Fornebu, May 21-22
According to OGA, seismic and exploration technologies fulfil a range of operators’ objectives, in particular, they:
- allow for exploration in frontier areas and deeper/ more complex prospects
- de-risk more complex discoveries for their cost-effective development
- extend/optimise hydrocarbon recovery from legacy fields
Leading operators are directly involved in the development of technologies for seismic and exploration, often considering this a source of competitive advantage.
Industry insights
- Combining high-resolution 3D broadband and the latest inversion techniques enable to better illuminate and de-risk UKCS targets (e.g. Pre-Zechstein, and injectites)
- Ocean bottom nodes are useful for sub-basalt imaging and near-infrastructure shoots (e.g. 4D), however, this technology is still expensive
- Majority of these technologies are provided by the supply chain and the primary drive should be to ensure more widespread usage of what is available
- Key areas of technology developments aimed at reducing the cost and footprint of survey equipment (low cost, and permanent ocean bottom acquisition
- In addition, Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to deliver a significant reduction in seismic analysis cycle-time (potentially allowing real-time, simultaneous modelling)
- Combination of different types of surveys to improve subsurface imaging is not widespread on the UKCS, and this may be an opportunity further enabled by AI
Existing technologies.
Emerging technologies.
