Schlumberger has reported the release of the Petrel* 2011 E&P platform, which introduces the Studio* E&P knowledge environment, new productivity capabilities and key technology advances such as the ability to treat 3D seismic from any coordinate system and a flexible and interactive well section window.

The innovative data and knowledge awareness capability offered by Studio Find is a natural extension to the Studio Knowledge database for Petrel. Like Google®, geoscientists and engineers can search, browse and select data from within Petrel—in the context of their project. The Favorites feature enables geoscientists and engineers to create their own personal collection of often-used processes. The Studio Annotate function supports attaching any information—images, URLs or text notes—to highlight important features for current or future team members. The rigor of the database coupled with the intuitive data awareness of Studio Find provides users with a productive working environment.

"We see three key requirements in a modern software system—integration, extensibility and productivity. At the heart of Petrel is the shared earth model, which enables users across the spectrum of E&P disciplines to integrate information and expertise into a robust reservoir representation," said Tony Bowman, president, Schlumberger Information Solutions (SIS). "These potent integration and productivity capabilities, combined with the extensibility of the Ocean* development framework, offer our clients a much clearer understanding of uncertainty that facilitates smarter investment choices."

Petrel 2011 introduces a number of key technology advances. A patented coordinate conversion method enables dynamic positioning of seismic data. Petrel is the first software to treat 3D seismic data from any coordinate system with full accuracy. The highly flexible and interactive well section window supports multi-disciplinary workflows and interaction with dynamic simulation information. New and improved interpretation tools include automatic fault tracking, 3D seismic flattening and additional modes for detailed interpretation. The new Prestack Seismic Interpretation plug-in for Petrel, developed by WesternGeco, supports visualization and interpretation on gathers to interactively process and stack data, bridging interpretation and processing workflows.

For the reservoir engineer, Petrel 2011 features faster history matching, as well as easier deck and case management. The new pre- and post- environment provides access to fast and scalable simulation in the INTERSECT* next-generation reservoir simulator.

"In preparation for this release, we conducted a number of studies with users to better understand their behavior and requirements," said Stephanie Gottlib-Zeh, vice president, Software Products, SIS. "This helped us streamline many core tasks. For example, by introducing optimized toolbars we have dramatically reduced the interpreter's effort, both in mouse clicks and hand movements."

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