ExxonMobil employees Steve Derenthal and Michael Deal visit the Houston-based center that houses ExxonMobil’s high-performance computing system.
physical characteristics of rocks and geologic structures in the subsurface. In the past, the oil and gas industry could only utilize a portion of the sound wave data in 3-D seismic processing technology because processing techniques could not handle the complexity and quantity of data. FWI enables us to better leverage data from a seismic survey to produce high-definition images of the subsurface that could make development and production more efficient and less costly. In doing so, we can help make oil and gas resources easier to identify and target in exploration, development and production programs, which ultimately helps us reduce our impact on the environment. Specifically, FWI enables us to evaluate data with more certainty — and in a time frame that is practical for business applications — whether or not the rock that is surveyed has potential to contain hydrocarbons.
computing to find and develop the most challenging resource opportunities in the world.
to say that as a result of these and other such research and development initiatives, ExxonMobil was named one of the “Top Global 100 Innovators” by Thomson Reuters in 2015 for our leadership performance in overall patent volume, patent- grant success rates, global reach and invention influence. Our scientists and engineers are presently working to develop technologies designed to produce energy in an increasingly safe, economical and environmentally responsible manner. Two examples are full wavefield inversion and advanced drilling technologies, both of which are enabled by high-performance computing. A supercomputer is a high-performance computer that executes at or near the current maximum operational rate for computers. Supercomputers play an important role in the field of computational science and are used in various fields, including quantum mechanics, climate research and oil and gas exploration. ExxonMobil uses high-performance
With advanced algorithms and high-performance computing, we are able to process extremely large volumes of data from multiple sources to identify key trends and relationships to determine which decisions will yield the most positive out- come. By leveraging our computational sciences expertise to combine software, engineering and geoscience skills, we are able to deliver the advanced technical capabilities needed to execute technical computations on an unprecedented scale to analyze models, perform simulations and assess opportunities. Full wavefield inversion Full wavefield inversion (FWI), a key component of ExxonMobil’s EMprise seismic capability, uses supercomputing technology to provide geoscientists unparalleled insights into the
Full wavefield inversion technology animation
ExxonMobil’s research and development initiatives exxonmobil.com/citizenship
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