DHAHRAN, 26 January — Saudi Arabian Oil Company's EXPEC Computer Center (ECC) has installed new state-of-the art system that doubles the facility's already existing supercomputing capacity and better supports the expanded exploration and field development activities of the company.
The project, which enables Saudi Aramco to meet projected growth in oil and natural gas demand, includes new IBM computers in two separate upgrades — one for seismic processing and the other for reservoir simulation.
The upgrading makes the ECC one of the most powerful supercomputing geoscience facility in the oil industry. This facility will enhance Saudi Aramco's capability to carry out supercomputer-aided exploration and production programs.
The new computers provide a major boost in the ECC's capacity to process seismic data and improve the resolution of reservoir-simulation models. These models describe the elusive parameters of oil and gas fields by identifying exploratory drill or "wildcat" wells and how to effectively increase the production.
Ahmad A. Metwalli, acting general manager of ECC, said: "By using advanced processing of three-dimensional seismic surveys, the cost of this computing power are minimal compared to the savings realized in making more informed decisions about drilling and exploration." It is one of the best examples of economic leverage in the oil industry, he said.
The new technology is expected to pay off in optimizing rates of new-well drilling, improved management of mature reservoirs, lower facilities-planning costs, increased ultimate oil recovery and new hydrocarbon reserves, ECC officials said. (SH)
