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Petroleum Exploration and Production

Solutions for Petroleum Exploration and Production

Seismic analysis

Improve oil and gas exploration and recovery—with computing performance two to seven times greater than traditional systems.

  • Gain the capacity to perform larger, more complex, time-sensitive analysis.
  • Speed finding, developing and lifting.
  • Identify promising acreage and improve drill success.

Interpretation

Gain access to industry-leading seismic interpretation, simulation and analysis applications.

  • Employ specialized software and clustered implementation to enable scalable, flexible, collaborative visualization from the high-end to the desktop.
  • Analyze more opportunities faster.

Reservoir simulation

Gain the tools to help build better and more accurate reservoir models:

  • Increase efficiency with virtual real-time data capture and analysis.
  • Employ parametric studies and compute-intensive algorithms that yield higher fidelity, lower-risk results.

IBM deep computing can help you locate and optimize hydrocarbon reserves faster by making better decisions with lower risks. We offer solutions to help improve your competitive position in exploration, reservoir management, and visualization with:

  • Improved cycle time for prospect evaluation.
  • Better field development.
  • Optimized operations.
  • Enhanced data management.
  • Multi-discipline collaboration.

IBM and Repsol announce their use of the IBM BladeCenter QS22 supercomputer to search oil fields at greater depths

IBM and Repsol announced their use of the BladeCenter QS22 supercomputer, powered by the IBM PowerXCell(TM) 8i processor, to search oil fields at greater depths up to six-times faster than conventional technology currently deployed by the oil and gas industry.

Initial coverage has been extremely positive and includes coverage on national wire services Bloomberg and Cox News as well as a television segment on Fox Business News channel.
A few highlights include:

  • Repsol YPF SA, Spain's largest oil company, is using chips that International Business Machines Corp. designed for video-game consoles to find oil in deep water as much as six times faster. "Seventy-five percent of reserves are underwater and there are significant barriers because it is very hard to predict rock structures", said Srini Chari, an analyst with New York-based Cabot Partners, a research firm. The IBM technology lets companies survey regions that weren't accessible before, he said. (Bloomberg)
  • The technology is attractive to energy companies as the search for oil gets more aggressive, said Tom McClure, who leads the IBM operation that sells high-performance computers to the petroleum industry. "Because there's these trillions of dollars of oil sitting there waiting for the first guy to come get 'em, there's a race to develop these imaging techniques," McClure said. "You're going to see the amount of computational capacity in the industry go up dramatically in the next few years." Repsol wanted to be one of the first to have the technology and approached IBM as it was exploring nongaming applications for Cell, he said. (Austin American Statesman via Cox News Service wire)
  • The Cell, the super hot processor designed in Rochester for video game consoles is the key, according to the Spanish oil seeker. "The IBM PowerXCell 8i, originally developed for next-generation gaming consoles, is a critical component to the development of a new class of seismic technology enabling Repsol to locate oil reserves buried some 30,000 feet (10,000 feet of water and then 20,000 more feet of seabed) below the Gulf of Mexico's surface." (Rochester Post Bulletin)

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