“Once the project is finished, we go on holiday and you can think of ways to integrate the data into your exploration workflows.” This is what Malgorzata Kusak said to a packed room during the first day of the DIGEX 2022 Conference in Stavanger today.
Malgorzata referred to the project she is still managing on behalf of Norwegian Oil and Gas (NOROG), the Released Wells Initiative. This big undertaking, which entailed the analysis of more than 700,000 cutting samples from 1933 exploration wells drilled across the Norwegian Continental Shelf, is nearing the end of its program that started in 2019.
And companies have already demonstrated the value of the data that are available through the DISKOS portal. For instance, Tore Klausen from M Vest Energy showed – whilst performing a live demo in Glex – how the data helped narrow down uncertainties in the placement of stratigraphic boundaries in the overburden of prospects in the Aasta Hansteen area.
With two CCS licences being awarded this week, there is also another reminder of the potential the Released Wells Initiative has for carbon capture and storage projects given the importance of the overburden in projects of that kind.
From “Never” to “Next year”
As should be expected at a conference dedicated to digitalization for the geoscience community, a number of talks centred around mapping of prospects or seismic using more automated techniques.
An interesting topic was raised in this regard by Jens Grimsgaard from Equinor when he presented about the DELI platform his company is using to automate and fine-tune seismic interpretation. He re-iterated the need for user-friendliness and genuine added value of tools being produced in order to convince people to start using them. “People can get fed up with the launch of so many new workflows,” he said.
The question “When will the first well be drilled based on identification by machines alone?” was met with a wide range of answers from the experts during the subsequent panel discussion: from “Never” to “Next year”.
Rock ‘n’ Log
The most interactive presentation of the day was given by Beate Louise Stølen Olsen from Equinor (see photo above). Following a short introduction of the App she and her small team developed in order to facilitate core viewing without the actual core being present, she demonstrated the use on a set of beautiful Johan Sverdrup cores.
One of the main benefits of the so-called Rock ‘n’ Log App is that the core photographs can be combined on the fly with CT scans of the whole core, thin sections and plug data. Especially in the light of the Covid pandemic, the launch of this application could not have come at a better time.
Tomorrow promises to be another interesting day! See the DIGEX Program for more information.
HENK KOMBRINK
