FAQ

Q: Is Rocksource a competitor to EM acquisition companies such as emgs, Ohm and AGO (Schlumberger)?

A: No, Rocksource does not carry out the acquisition of EM data. This is normally done by service companies. The better services these companies provide, the better results Rocksource can achieve. As an oil and gas company, Rocksource wants to work with several providers of EM data, using different technological approaches, and in different settings both onshore and offshore.

Q: What distinguishes Rocksource’s technology from that of the service companies?

A: To answer this, it is important to understand the EM value chain. A suitable comparison can be made to seismic data. An oil company will need to use a service company to acquire the seismic data. Depending on the capability of the oil company, they may decide to outsource the processing or do it themselves. The final interpretation and analyses that forms the basis for decision making is carried out within the oil company. Rocksource believes that a similar approach relates to the use of EM data. We depend on service companies to deliver top quality EM data. At the same time we believe that optimal use of EM data requires detailed understanding of the subsurface in the relevant area, and integration with traditional seismic interpretation of prospects. This understanding is built up over time and an oil company can use anything from months to years to mature a prospect into a decision phase on whether or not to drill.

Q: Why is it so important to use an advanced integrated approach?

A: The key issue using EM technology in exploration is to reduce risk. The ability to identify potential for getting false-positive (EM response related to something else than hydrocarbons) and false-negative (EM data fails to identify a HC-filled reservoir) results is important to provide for reliable decisions. Furthermore, in many settings a simple approach to dealing with EM data will not yield interpretable results. This is the case when other resistive bodies occur near the hydrocarbon reservoir (causes a masking effect). Other complicating factors are shallow water settings, deep targets, changing bathymetry, varying overburden resistivity and more.

Q: How important is the EM technology?

A: EM technology addresses a main weakness associated with seismic data. Whereas seismic data can successfully define a structure, it is not reliable as a fluid indicator. Seismic energy reacts to variations in rock density and velocity. EM energy reacts to variations in resistivity. This is why resistivity logs provide a main input to identifying hydrocarbon zones when drilling wells. EM data thus provides what is close to a direct hydrocarbon indicator. The combination of seismic data and EM data thus allows both identification of a suitable structure and to tell something about the fluids that the structure contains. Rocksource believes that the EM technology will change the way exploration is being done and lead to significantly higher chances of making discoveries.

Q: How sure can Rocksource be that the technology works?

A: Rocksource has tested the technology on several different data sets from different basins in the world. The results have been verified with numerous wells and seismic data. The results have been accurate in all cases. We know it works!