Arctic Directory: Schlumberger opens heavy-oil technology center

On Dec. 3, Schlumberger inaugurated a new oilfield technology center in Calgary, Alberta, that will focus on efficient heavy oil recovery in Alberta and Alaska.

The company said the state-of-the-art center will work directly with oilfield technical teams and regional research facilities in Alaska and Alberta to help customers increase heavy oil production, reduce technical risk and minimize environmental footprint.

The Heavy Oil Regional Technology Center, or RTC, will provide a working environment where clients can work hand-in-hand with Schlumberger geoscientists and petroleum engineers to solve “key technical challenges associated with heavy oil recovery. These research projects include, but are not limited to, innovative geological and geophysical services, advanced well placement strategies, new formation evaluation and characterization techniques, and novel integrated completions and monitoring programs,” Schlumberger said.

“The Heavy Oil RTC will act as a focal point for scientific and technological advancement in Canada by communicating regional customer needs to the worldwide research and development organization of Schlumberger,” said Ken Havlinek, Schlumberger’s RTC manager. “Client-specific problems can be fast-tracked to the right global experts, and solutions developed within a framework of local, integrated knowledge of heavy oil exploration and production processes.”

The heavy-oil center features a 3-D visualization center, a high-performance computing cluster, a multi-use conference center, and an interactive collaboration space designed to accommodate locally based scientists and engineers as well as short- and long-term visiting experts and clients.

This is the seventh Schlumberger RTC to open and the second to focus on heavy oil. Schlumberger RTCs specialize in addressing key issues in the worldwide drilling and production industry such as unconventional gas, gas condensates, carbonates and sub-basalt imaging.

For more information visit www.heavyoilinfo.com.