IBM, Gazprom Neft – NTTS and Russian State Gubkin Oil and Gas University, Moscow, Russia, have reported they have signed an agreement to expand their cooperation. Among other things, the partners will implement concepts and IT solutions that will help Gazprom Neft – NTTS develop and operate oil and gas fields more efficiently. The agreement was signed by Dmitry Volokhov, CEO of Gazprom Neft – NTTS, Viktor Martynov, Chancellor of Russian State Oil and Gas University, and Kirill Korniliev, CEO of IBM Russia and CIS.

As part of the agreement, IBM will develop specialized IT solutions to improve the performance of geologists, geophysicists and oil engineers in charge of oil and gas field development and operation by enabling integrated intelligent management of oil and gas field development and operation (the "electronic oilfield"), as well as creating a centralized storage and processing environment for geological, geophysical and field data and a knowledge management system. The solutions, based on IBM’s Chemical & Petroleum Industry Information Framework (IIF), will also help increase the amount of prospected and explored resources, improve their recoverability, accelerate well completion, mitigate risks and reduce production costs.

Intelligent field development and operation management requires a collaboration environment, a unified field data storage and processing space and a system for real-time monitoring, optimization and forecasting of fields’ and individual wells’ behavior. The partners confirmed their interest in creating a range of up-to-date infrastructural and information solutions and introducing them to Gazprom Neft – NTTS’s research programs. The parties also agreed to keep working together on a number of Gazprom Neft – NTTS projects, such as the Electronic Oilfield, geological, geophysical and field data storage, etc.

“Implementation of the Agreement will bring a new level of work to create a unified system of information management for Gazprom Neft – NTTS, and will give an opportunity to significantly increase the speed and optimize processing of geological and geophysical, commercial and technological data from Gazprom Neft deposits, will expand the project and the research capacity of Gazpromneft Science and Technology Center and provide its information security,” said Dmitry Volokhov, CEO of Gazprom Neft – NTTS.

The first project will involve creation of a high-performance collaboration environment (a virtual workspace) for geologists. Their work will now be organized on a qualitatively new level: they will be able to build hydrodynamic 3D/4D models together and efficiently interpret seismic study data using cloud computing technologies, distributed resource access, and model calculation and interpretation on IBM supercomputers located at Gubkin Oil and Gas University.

“This is the first time an integrated platform is built in Russia to improve oil and gas facilities construction performance,” comments Mikhail Strugov, head of oil and gas department at IBM Russia and CIS. “The memorandum brings together industry leaders’ scientific, technological and engineering resources, thus contributing to the development of an industry that is strategic for the Russian economy.”

Russian State Oil and Gas University and Gazprom Neft – NTTS boast unique expertise encompassing both theoretical and practical aspects of oil and gas production. IBM has created intellectual digital oil production management, oil field maintenance and geological modeling systems for major international oil and gas companies all over the world. By joining forces, they create a synergy which, combined with the best innovative technologies and methodologies in the Russian oil industry, will help build a unique hydrocarbon production management model.