Resoptima announced November 17 2022 a joint project with the support of the Research Council of Norway. The partnership includes Norwegian operators Aker BP and Sval Energi and the independent research institute NORCE. The foundation for the project is Resoptima’s suite of reservoir modeling and reservoir management technologies, and the goal is to develop innovative solutions specifically to help reduce CO2 emissions associated with oil and gas asset development and production activities.
Drilling activities are necessary for the discovery, appraisal, development and sustained production of oil and gas fields around the world, and these activities involve large amounts of energy to drive the perforation and completion of wells extending many kilometers into the ground. Once a field is producing, it often requires the injection of water to sweep out the oil, which again necessitates the drilling of injector wells, and the pumping at very high pressures of large amounts of fluids. This in turn requires significant power generation close to the field. Water is also a concern during production, sooner or later the oil being produced is mixed with some of the water that underlies the oil, or with water injected for pressure support. This water reduces the economic value of the production activity, and requires energy-consuming systems to separate it from the oil at the surface and clean it prior to disposal. Minimizing the water associated with production is again a way of reducing the need for power-generation at the surface. Resoptima technologies can help model and therefore anticipate the mixing of water in the oil, allowing the operator to adjust the production systems to control the amounts.
The main goal of this project is therefore to establish algorithms to enhance oil production while minimizing CO2 emissions. This will be achieved primarily by:
- Optimizing the selection and location of additional wells with a goal to reduce both the number and length of the wells
- Modelling reservoir drainage to optimize water injection for the least volumes necessary for a maximal impact
- Reducing water production by further improving the anticipation and mitigation of this problem
By optimizing and controlling these activities that rely on carbon-intensive power generation, the CO2 footprint of oil & gas production will be significantly reduced, while contributing to a better operation of wells both in production and injection modes.
While the project is taking place in Norway with Norwegian partners, the scope of the project is relevant to all oil and gas operations worldwide, and once validated by all parties, the new software solution will be added to the commercial portfolio of Resoptima for licensing on a global basis. It will certainly interest Resoptima’s existing customers in Norway, the UK, Portugal, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Australia, the USA and other geographies.
The initiative is grounded in Resoptima’s long-standing thought leadership and unique software solutions for the management of subsurface and dynamic uncertainties through its ensemble-based modeling system. Resoptima scientists and specialists have published over 25 peer-reviewed articles in recent years, and take part in many industry conferences, workshops and symposiums as speakers recognized for the quality of their contributions. Resoptima will coordinate this pioneering project with scientific input from NORCE. Aker BP and Sval Energi will contribute with data, expertise, and the pilot testing of the technologies.
“Oil and gas will remain an important component in the energy mix for years to come,” said Resoptima CEO Atila Mellilo. “It is therefore very important to develop technologies that contribute to the de-carbonization of oil and gas production, ensuring that development and production activities are taking place in the most sustainable way, with the lowest possible emission levels.”
The JIP was launched in November 2022 and is expected to last 2 to 3 years. The new optimization algorithms will be added to the commercial technology portfolio of Resoptima as modules on the IRMA platform.
Left to right: Truls OLSEN-SKÅRE (Sval Energi), Atila MELLILO (Resoptima) and Morten HEIR (Aker BP) at the Oslo offices of Aker BP.
See the launch Press Release here
*OPLE – Optimize Production for Less Emissions