Well technology for exploration

Exploration evaluation technologies provide a good understanding of the potential and the risks of a new prospect. But the only way to make a hydrocarbon discovery is to drill a well. Deep water rig costs can be very high, so the focus in the industry is to develop well engineering technologies that help us to drill faster and more cost-effectively.

Drilling and completion

Advances in the technology used in drilling and completion (the steps taken to bring a well into production) also enable explorers to target reservoirs that were previously uneconomic to develop. The use of surface blowout preventers (BOP) enables us to drill deepwater wells faster and with smaller rigs, reducing costs significantly. Other technological advances include underbalanced drilling, expandable tubulars, and through-bit logging. New reservoir fracturing techniques enable us to produce hydrocarbons at profitable rates from tight rocks.

Further exploration opportunities

New tools, such as Smart Field technologies, increase the efficiency of recovery in newly discovered fields, which were previously not commercially viable, and this leads to further exploration opportunities in similar fields. Each prospect offers various development options, and we investigate the commercial potential of these before exploration starts. This integrated thinking takes in the whole exploration and production life cycle of the field. Our global experts help our team and their partners around the world to optimize project value.