British Shell seeks to boost offshore oil production, as the largest producer of crude in the US Gulf of Mexico.
Shell will use AI-based technology from Spark Cognition for big data analytics in its deep sea exploration and production operations.
The two companies said that the new process could shorten the exploration period to less than 9 days, instead of 9 months. It aims to improve operational efficiency and speed, increase production and success in exploration, according to information seen by the specialized energy platform, quoting Reuters.
The Spark Cognition’s artificial intelligence algorithms will process and analyze large amounts of seismic data in the search for new oil deposits by Shell.
Innovative ways to explore for offshore oil
The two companies say the technology will generate images below the surface using fewer seismic data scans than usual, helping preserve the sea depths.
And seismic technology sends sound waves to explore underground areas.
They added that fewer seismic surveys would speed up exploration workflows and would save costs in high-performance computing.
“We are committed to finding new and innovative ways to reinvent the ways we explore work,” said Gabriel Guerra, Shell’s vice president of innovation and performance, in a statement.
“AI in seismic imaging can positively disrupt exploration, with broad and far-reaching implications,” said Bruce Porter, Spark Cognition’s chief science officer.
The role and extent of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is changing the face of the oil and gas industry, bringing new possibilities to a sector previously thought to be slow-moving.
According to a recent Ernst & Young survey, 92% of oil and gas companies around the world are investing in artificial intelligence, or plan to do so in the next 5 years, according to information monitored by the specialized energy platform, quoting the Journal of Petroleum. Technology” (Journal of Petroleum Technology).
The impact of AI is evident, with 50% of oil and gas executives using it to solve challenges across their organizations.
By embracing AI, companies in the industry are transforming operations from optimizing exploration and drilling to streamlining production and logistics.
With advances in machine learning, big data analytics, and automation, the oil and gas sector is seeing remarkable advances in efficiency, safety, and environmental sustainability.
Despite the pivotal role of artificial intelligence in the future of oil and gas operations and production, its adoption must keep pace with the speed at which it is being developed and implemented.
Environmental damage repair in Nigeria
In another context, Shell, Eni and other oil companies must pay $ 12 billion to repair environmental damage in the oil-rich Niger Delta in Nigeria.
More than 6 decades of oil pumping have left Bayelsa State “in the grip of a human and environmental catastrophe of unimaginable proportions,” according to a committee set up by the local government – in a report published on Tuesday (May 16, 2023).
And it said that the extraction of crude oil is “the most obvious cause of this disaster” in the state that is home to more than two million people, according to information seen by the specialized energy platform, quoting Bloomberg Agency.
According to the report, the major oil companies that extracted crude in Bayelsa and the state-owned Nigerian National Oil Company should invest $12 billion to restore damaged areas, create new jobs, provide drinking water, and treat health problems.
For their part, the oil companies confirmed that external interference – by thieves and vandals – is responsible for the vast majority of leaks from their facilities, not equipment failure.
However, the report said, companies have failed to “properly invest in, maintain, manage and protect pipelines” that are causing leaks at a rate “unparalleled compared to other major oil producing countries”.
He added that there are “strong reasons to believe that official statistics massively and systematically exaggerate the number of leaks due to vandalism, while underestimating those attributed to other causes.”
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