Maersk Oil deploys new nano scanner to analyze Qatar offshore oilfields

Maersk Oil is investing in new scanning technologies to give the company’s oil and gas industry scientists and experts operating in Qatar new insights into the complexities of the Gulf nation’s offshore oilfields.

Maersk Oil, a Danish shipping and energy firm, has installed the first nanoCT scanner in the Middle East at Qatar’s Al Shaheen oilfield, which will give the company a nanometer-scale look into the special geology of one of the world’s most challenging offshore fields. The new scanning technology represents the culmination of 10 years of research.

High-resolution 3-D images of Al Shaheen’s reservoir rocks will give Maersk Oil Qatar scientists and engineers a deeper understanding of the oilfield’s reserves and help them make more accurate predictions on how those oil reservoirs will behave.

The nanoCT scanner was developed by Maersk Oil Qatar in conjunction with researchers at the Australian National University. The goal was to create a scanner with enough resolution at the nano level to demonstrate how oil flows in reservoir rocks. The technology has the potential to revolutionize how the oil industry explores new fields.

Maersk Oil Qatar Managing Director Lewis Affleck said the new technology has given the company a new understanding the Al Shaheen field.

“The development of a new nanoCT scanner is a world-class technology solution that further strengthens our applied research and technology development efforts and our commitment to safely and efficiently unlocking the Al Shaheen oilfield and delivering the greatest value to Qatar,” Affleck said.