West Virginia Universitys Department of Geology and Geography in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences has received a software donation from Schlumberger Information Solutions, a world leader in geophysical and subsurface technology development.
The gift-in-kind is valued at more than $180,000.
The donation of two Petrel software seats (licenses) was made in support of WVU Professor Tom Wilsons research on a Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society grant to analyze subsurface fracture networks and conduct flow simulations in the National Petroleum Reserve Teapot Dome field in Wyoming.
Alan Brown, a WVU geology alumnus and Schlumberger employee, helped secure the donation.
This software donation allows our students and faculty to work with state-of-the-art technology and strongly supports our teaching and research missions. I am very grateful to our donor,said Dean Mary Ellen Mazey.
The software will be used initially as part of an academic, government and industry collaborative study to evaluate the role fractures play in oil production from the Teapot Dome field. Wilson teamed up with Brown to pursue joint research interests in this study.
Earlier research efforts at the Teapot Dome field by Wilson were funded through the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, which has long-standing research interests in the area of fracture controls on production history.
The joint study will help in the design and implementation of long-term enhanced oil recovery and carbon sequestration efforts at the Teapot Dome field.
The donation is a powerful package of geophysical and subsurface investigation tools. It works with the Windows operating system and, unlike other software tools, is fully integrated into a single software platform. Because of its versatility, Wilson believes that the software will be beneficial to many students and faculty within the Department of Geology and Geography.
Schlumberger is also committed to running a two-day workshop for students this fall in the Department of Geology and Geographys newly-renovated quarters in Brooks Hall.
I cant overemphasize what a relief it is to see these kinds of advances in the integration of various software tools,Wilson said.Petrel brings the analytical efforts of the geophysicist, geologist, well log analyst and petroleum engineer together on a single software platform.
Schlumberger, based in Houston, Texas, is among the worlds leading oilfield services companies, supplying technology, information solutions and integrated project management that optimize reservoir performance for customers working in the oil and gas industry.
The company has previously supported student research efforts in the Department of Geology and Geography with scholarships of $1,500 in 2002 and $5,000 in 2003.
The gift was made through the WVU Foundation, a private non-profit corporation that generates and provides support for the University and its non-profit affiliates.
For more information, contact Wilson at 304-293-5603, ext. 4316 or Tom.Wilson@mail.wvu.edu .