June: Exploration Technology: New tools for Sherlock

As explorationists strive to find new reserves, service and supply companies are developing new technologies to make their jobs a little easier.

Rhonda Duey, Exploration Editor, can be reached via e-mail at rduey@hartenergy.com.

As an editor at an esteemed (hopefully) trade publication, I frequently get invited to attend meetings and interview folks who have a new idea to pitch to the industry. Sometimes these ideas entice me; other times I am not able approach the new idea with the same degree of enthusiasm that the host companies emanate. But in the past 2 days I’ve talked to two different companies that have something pretty cool to share.

EMGS is not exactly a new company, but it and its competitors are certainly getting some attention. These companies offer controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) exploration services. The next best thing since 3-D seismic? Some might agree with that statement.

CSEM is not a seismic technology; it’s more closely related to resistivity logging, which is why EMGS refers to its technique as "seabed logging." Applying the concept of a resistivity log on a larger scale, CSEM can investigate a reservoir and find potential oil and gas reserves in a way that the best seismic cannot.

EMGS has recently opened an office in Houston and spent a week in April inviting potential customers and the media in for a visit. When I was there the two meeting rooms were full of high-level oil company types getting educated in the use of the technology. This has to be heartening for the companies that offer this technology – anything that even smacks of a direct hydrocarbon indicator has been slapped with a "black box" tag in the past, and it’s nice to see potential customers moving past that stigma to at least ask questions about the technology.

In fact, the company has recently announced that it’s launching a second ship, the MV Atlantic Guardian, to respond to increasing demand.

Nobody is expecting this to replace seismic. It does tend to image the reservoir boundaries better but doesn’t offer the same structural detail. But in areas where seismic information is inconclusive, CSEM data often provide the level of confidence needed to go ahead with a drilling decision. According to EMGS President Terje Eidesmo, the tool is currently being used to add value early in the exploration process. But eventually he suspects that the industry will find uses for the technology at different stages in the development process, both earlier, before a drilling commitment has been made, and later, during brownfield development.

For more information, visit www.emgs.no.

For more information, visit www.sgi.com.