16
add modeling capabilities, particularly for areas of com-
plex geology, and of IES Interactive Exploration Systems
Inc., the developer of PetroMod* petroleum systems
modeling software, in 2008.
The Schlumberger Advantage
No one software system can provide all the tools that an
explorationist will choose to use. A systemmust therefore
permit non-core programs to be added as easily and as
practically as possible. The Petrel system does this
through the Ocean* software development framework,
which enables the development of specific plug-in mod-
ules to extend the system for regional or play-specific
exploration problems.
The advantage of the Ocean framework lies in its abil-
ity to add the best science to the system no matter where
it exists or who owns it. Over the past few years, a vast
number of modules have been added by customers, third
parties, and even competitors. Some modules are shared,
and can be downloaded from the Ocean Store, while
others are proprietary. The Ocean framework also enables
the rapid integration of new functions from companies
acquired by Schlumberger.
Petrel workflows can scale down from the petroleum
basin all the way to the individual prospect. The software
can load and manipulate staggering amounts of data—
taking less than two minutes to load all of the available
exploration seismic data from offshore Norway, for exam-
ple. This is because Petrel is native to the Microsoft
®
platform and can leverage its benefits and breakthroughs
in addition to those performance enhancements engi-
neered through the architecture of the code itself.
WesternGeco is one of the most prolific users of the
Ocean development library, with Petrel and Omega soft-
ware now combined into a standard environment. For
many years, WesternGeco science was provided only as a
service—but through this software combination the same
science can now be shared with customers. As a measure
of success, the rapid rate of adoption by Schlumberger
customers of the combined system shows the degree of
untapped potential that exists in today’s complex explo-
ration processing and interpretation workflows.
In practice, WesternGeco multiclient datasets can now
be made available to customers in Petrel formats. Using
the Petrel exploration system, customers can interpret
the data, searching for the right combination of trap,
reservoir, charge, and seal while constructing a 3D model
of the potential reservoir. Through this and other
Reservoir Characterization Group technologies,
Schlumberger offers a process to systematically evaluate
exploration risk while remaining linked to the quality of
data and interpretation in a unique and rigorous way.
With the exploration challenge of the future clearly
defined by the need to add more than 50 million barrels
of oil per day to the world supply by 2035, the key advan-
tage of Schlumberger is our unique integration of the
required science, technologies, and expertise in one
Product Group aligned with the workflow needs of the
E&P industry. Many viewpoints focused on one vision is
an advantage that reduces risk and uncertainty to meet
the energy challenges of today and tomorrow.
Many Viewpoints, One Vision
Schlumberger is the leading provider of technology for
oil and gas exploration through the services and products
of the Reservoir Characterization Group, one of the three
groups that form the company’s complete technology
portfolio. By integrating technologies from geophysical
services through well testing, the Reservoir
Characterization Group unites the many disciplines
needed to help achieve exploration success.
