January 12, 2007 Hydro Announces Innovation Award For 'Virtual Geology'
Using digital technology and detailed surface information to
see deep underground in the hunt for oil captured the Hydro Innovation Award for
2006. The award has been established by Hydro to stimulate innovation, best
practice sharing and motivation in the company.
A team from Hydro's Oil & Energy business area won the
Innovation Award for 2006 with its entry, "Virtual Geological Reality: Making
business out of onshore geology." The team members were John Thurmond, David
Hunt, Tore Løseth, Paul Gillespie and Ole J. Martinsen from Hydro's
Research Center in Bergen.
The group used surface studies, global positioning technology,
satellite imagery and other high-tech tools to create a digital model of oil
reservoirs deep underground.
The model helps identify more specifically where oil might be
by studying surface geology and extrapolating where oil might be found by
following the formations underground. The resulting model can be viewed using
Hydro's proven CAVE virtual reality tool, which allows users to view 3D
replications of underground formations.
The benefit of this new approach is lowering exploration and
production risk and costs. The new workflow and technique means that field
training and courses become more applied, and expensive field time can be saved,
and costly mistakes can be prevented.
"Innovation is a fundamental part of how we do business," said
executive vice-president Hilde Merete Aasheim, head of leadership and culture in
Hydro, at the Innovation Award ceremony, which took place in connection with
Hydro's top leader summit meeting in Molde, Norway on Thursday.
In all, five teams competing for the award presented their
ideas at the Summit – three from the Oil & Energy business area and
two from Aluminium Products. The finalists were chosen from more than 70
nominees throughout Hydro's businesses.
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