Stratum, Rocktype and Glex announce strategic partnership to increase interdisciplinary subsurface understanding and boost value creation on the NCS and beyond

Bergen 14 February 2022:

The partnership will unite rock characterisation domain expertise with gaming visualisation technology and cloud-based analytics capabilities to deliver an integrated data-science platform for core and cuttings data visualisation, machine learning and analytics. Together, the partners will provide support to subscribing companies aiming to increase subsurface understanding by exploiting rock and petrophysics data in an interdisciplinary context, while providing the highest level of digital and visualisation competencies and capabilities.

Stratum Reservoir (“Stratum”), the leading provider of core, cuttings and fluid analysis for the oil and gas industry and QEMSCAN® automated petrography specialists Rocktype Ltd (“Rocktype”) are long-standing partners, with extensive experience of delivering a wide range of digital rock data to a wide range of operators. They are key data providers within the collaborative Released Wells Initiative (“RWI”) project. The RWI project is a digital asset of 700,000 analysed cuttings samples from more than 1,930 exploration wells.

Over the last three years, Glex AS (“Glex”), along with front-runner project partners M Vest Energy and Lime Petroleum, has developed a cuttings module, fully integrated into their collaboration and analytics platform, ‘Glex Energy’. The module enables end-users to access, analyse and plot the RWI data in the context of their proprietary prospect repositories and other relevant exploration assets. By providing access to this data in a cloud-based environment, the module has enabled machine learning and advanced analytics capabilities which have already been utilised for multiple projects.

The announced strategic partnership will bring unique and industry leading domain expertise on core, cutting and in-depth “RWI knowledge” together, facilitated by an established, working digital platform with interfaces derived from cutting-edge, advanced gaming technology.


Interdisciplinary approach

The multi-well cuttings and core analysis datasets consist of lithological, mineralogical and geochemical data, traditionally utilised by specialists within the field of sedimentology and reservoir quality analysis. In the Glex Energy platform, these data are combined with complementary datasets such as metadata, drilling parameters, well logs and prospects. Glex Energy leverages actionable intelligence to bring context and in-depth knowledge to the interpretation and subsurface evaluation of the integrated datasets enhancing interdisciplinary knowledge sharing for cross-functional teams.


Dr. Brit Thyberg, Chief Commercial Officer at Glex AS, says:

The extensive RWI cuttings dataset is just the start of this strategic partnership. Incorporation of actionable intelligence in a digital platform is unique, generic and it is applicable to any projects and domains world-wide. Digital cuttings dataset opens in many respects “an unknown landscape,” providing opportunities to utilise cuttings information of not only reservoir sections, but also potential source rocks and unlocking the complexity of the overburden. Our ultimate goal is to facilitate and accelerate value creation by increasing subsurface understanding through integration of in-depth domain-specific knowledge with well and/or field specific quantitative data, unlocking the huge potential of fully digitised cuttings data, incorporated with a high quality core and fluid analysis database.

 

Dr. John Cummings, Manager; Sedimentology and Petrography at Stratum Reservoir, says:

We have quickly established a strong integration-focused team of experienced sedimentologists, geologists and mineralogists at Stratum Reservoir. This strategic partnership is genuinely exciting as it opens up new possibilities in the visualisation and real-time manipulation of cuttings-derived data, which is a crucial leap forward in the drive for digitisation, and also potentially, standardisation within our industry. The exploitation of gaming technology is a truly novel approach, which enables our partner’s data science expertise and our sedimentological knowledge to be integrated fully on a digitised platform with unique capabilities and interactive user-interfaces.

 

Dr. Jenny Omma, Geological Director at Rocktype, says:

We are facilitating an innovative way to integrate rock analysis data in wider subsurface workflows, enabling complex datasets to be worked on by multi-disciplinary teams. With this partnership we want to present the data in an easy-to-use, intuitive way, lowering the threshold for extracting insights from these data for subsurface teams. Our interdisciplinary approach is crucial, giving us more credible and representative results to our daily use of cuttings data for evaluations and interpretations, advanced analytics and machine learning projects.

 

Jan Meltveit, Operation Manager at Stratum Reservoir, says:

Stratum and Rocktype have extensive experience generating reliable and standardized multi-well datasets of cuttings and core samples through our participation in the RWI project. This data provides an advanced analytical platform for customized visualization of data specific to an individual operator’s interests.  Given cuttings and legacy core already exist in operators’ repositories, this additional information presents a high value opportunity with material benefits.  Our history of producing repeatable dependable datasets continues to set us apart as a provider of the highest quality analytics.

 

About Stratum:

Stratum Reservoir helps organisations de-risk energy resource investment decisions. Our global team of experts are leaders in reservoir characterization, laboratory services, and equipment designed to deliver scientific insights about the rocks and fluids prevalent in all natural resources. Our unique analyses and interpretations are essential in helping our clients confidently assess resource potential, and understand the fundamental elements and physics governing an asset’s economic viability. We have intimate knowledge of the most prolific hydrocarbon basins and operate regional labs in various locations around the world.

About Rocktype:

Rocktype provides quantitative data collection and analysis for the oil and gas industry and academia. We specialise in the use of QEMSCAN® automated petrography to characterise a wide range of lithologies and sample types. Rocktype value repeatable data collection, rigorous numerical analysis and transparent science. We work closely with top scientists in the field to ensure that our techniques are cutting edge and robust. At Rocktype we ensure high quality results through a rigorous research and development program and quality assurance procedure. We perform every step of the QEMSCAN® workflow in-house, from sample preparation to data interpretation, which enables us to both keep tight controls on quality and innovate rapidly.

About Glex:

Glex AS is a software company that develops advanced analysis and collaboration tools for anyone working on industrial energy decisions, whether exploring or producing hydrocarbons, seabed minerals or exploiting offshore wind or potential reservoirs for carbon storage. Our SaaS ‘Glex Energy’ has been in development since 2017, and is used by several paying energy companies today. The team consists of industry professionals with extensive experience and unique domain expertise, combined with data-science competence and software developers with a background in the gaming and visualisation industry.

 

Contact:

Enquiries: contact@glex.no

Brit Thyberg, CCO Glex AS, e-mail: brit@glex.no

Jørgen Engen Napstad, CEO Glex AS, e-mail: jorgen@glex.no

Jenny Omma, Geological Director, Rocktype, e-mail: jenny.omma@rocktype.com

Jan Meltveit, Operations Manager Stratum, e-mail: jan.meltveit@stratumreservoir.com

Ragnar Melhus, Managing Director Stratum, e-mail: ragnar.melhus@stratumreservoir.com