planta petrolifera oceano
Big Data VR/AR

Repsol: Optimization of oil field processes

Excalibur is a tool developed by Repsol that uses statistical and mathematical techniques to analyse the data needed to reduce the risk of error and optimize the process of detecting and extracting oil fields.

With oil field geology becoming ever more complex, the oil industry has to tread very carefully. In a sector where drilling a dry well can cost millions of Euros, investment decisions are always made in a context of uncertainty because what is happening in the subsoil is impossible to predict. That’s why new technologies like Excalibur are essential. The problems are so complex that without them they could not be addressed.

CLIENT
Repsol
Industry
Manufacturing
Services
Augmented Reality
Technology
Wave Engine
Excalibur uses powerful technologies that use mathematical techniques to reduce the inherent uncertainty of all new oil fields. The tool developed by Plain Concepts generates 3D geological models to simulate an oil field. Using these models, it is possible to naturally visualize the results of the analysis by combining geological data and analogous reservoir information.
mar playa
fondo marino oceano
01

Challenge

This technological development is particularly useful in the oil fields under more uncertainty, the untapped ones, which represent the biggest challenge for the industry because there is hardly any information about them.

Excalibur makes up for this lack of data with an analogical search prototype that compares the new oil field with similar known fields. Using this reference, it calculates the petrophysical properties of the virgin reservoir and its probabilistic distribution, which serve as the skeleton for reproducing the 3D model.

repsol catalogo
ordenador portatil mapa
02

Results

The result is a 3D model formed by layers representing the different properties of the oil field: rock type, geological structure, permeability or porosity; determining variables when it comes to deciding how to produce the crude oil , where to drill and which have a decisive influence on the economic costs. The system also incorporates the knowledge accumulated by the company and the industry in different areas, making it easier for experts to obtain more precise solutions.
xbox repsol
03

Highlights

Thanks to the development with Wave Engine we have provided the client with a more creative, intuitive and friendly graphic interface. Excalibur uses the natural Kinect interface, which allows researchers to control and interact with the machine without the need for external devices: they can move and zoom in and out of several 3D models with their hands.

The company's specialists can connect to the Advanced Simulation Laboratory from anywhere in the world, which encourages teamwork, speeds up the process, and above all, improves the quality of forecasts.

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