Shell and Baker Hughes have announced a software license and joint development agreement to produce a high end platform for geological and reservoir modelling. The new platform will bring enhanced evaluation and visualisation capabilities to Shell allowing geoscience and petroleum engineering experts to better plan and manage the extraction of oil and gas resources, realising their full potential.
鈥淗igh-quality modelling of complex reservoirs is a major factor in creating additional value in our industry,鈥� said Arjen Dorland, Shell鈥檚 EVP for Technical and Competitive IT. 鈥淸This] announcement underlines Shell鈥檚 commitment to developing innovative technologies that give us and our partners a competitive edge.鈥�
Optimised for tight/shale gas and liquids rich shale reservoirs
The system will be optimised for resource modelling and production in tight/shale gas and liquids rich shale reservoirs, and is based on the Baker Hughes JewelEarth鈩� software platform, which has a strong track record of delivering integrated, data-driven workflows for optimising these types of plays.
The world is now thought to have around 230 years of recoverable gas resources at current production levels 鈥� of which roughly half is tight gas, shale gas, and coalbed methane. Shell is producing these gas resources in locations including the US, China and Australia.
Complementing existing seismic data software
The new platform will complement Shell鈥檚 existing applications, including GeoSigns, Shell鈥檚 proprietary software used to visualise and interpret seismic data, and will form part of an integrated working environment for Shell鈥檚 exploration and modelling experts.
鈥淭he JewelEarth platform can handle multiple solutions 鈥� from basin to wellbore scale 鈥� using one generic data source,鈥� said Mario Ruscev, Chief Technology Officer at Baker Hughes. 鈥淭his capability will provide an innovative modelling and optimisation platform for the fast-growing Shell user community鈥�.
Adapted from press release by