LRQA is a real partner and not just a software company, which is a key reason we use their IP platform.
Senior Petrophysical Advisor, Apache Corporation
The challenge
How to share and analyse subsurface data company-wide
In 2011, Apache Corporation (Apache) embarked on a programme to standardise its subsurface data workflows. It wanted to easily and reliably share up-to-date data and analysis results globally, as well as rationalise the range of software applications it employed.
To achieve that, Apache needed a petrophysical platform with the wide functionality and scalability to meet the demands of its large, multi-disciplinary user base. That geoscience solution also had to be open and extensible, able to link to the company’s existing E&P data sources and analysis tools.
Our response
Consistent data, effective analysis – module by module
Already experienced LRQA IP users, Apache's geoscientists worked with LRQA to implement IP across the business. LRQA's consultancy services were on hand to customise the IP platform to meet Apache's needs.
An early result was the corporate folder system that synchronises data and analysis results like standard curve mnemonics, curve-sets and alias tables. More recently, LRQA delivered a custom web service integration to link IP with Petrel Studio.
Apache has gradually extended IP with new modules. Helping quantify and drill shale prospects is one example, with IP's Geosteering and Unconventional Resources Toolkit between 2011 and 2013. The 3D Petrophysics and Mineral Solver modules delivered further formation evaluation horsepower in following years.
The benefits
Reliable intelligence at their fingertips
Apache now relies on IP's corporate folder system to share geoscience data and results across the company. For unconventional plays, Apache uses IP to process hundreds of wells simultaneously to generate OOIP and OGIP resource maps. LRQA's integration work also means the latest IP interpretations can be synchronized automatically with Apache's in-house ProSource and Petrel applications.
These standardised workflows support collaboration between regional teams, helping derive greater value from subsurface information and enhancing decisionmaking. Most recently, Apache deployed LRQA IC to store all its core data. Pre-integrated with IP, IC gives even greater data management capability by connecting sources including WellView, Avocet, and the Raw Well Data Portal.
With over 150 licenses globally, IP is now Apache's established tool of choice for petrophysicists, geologists and reservoir engineers. LRQA and Apache continue to work closely, with a map locating every single piece of subsurface data the company holds currently under development.