Roxar is on the verge of launching a 64-bit Linux-based version of its Irap RMS reservoir modeling software. This will enable customers to run the package on much less expensive hardware, including PCs, while also providing them with the robustness of Unix-based versions, says Mark Bashforth, managing director of Roxar Software Solutions.
“Our vision is not just to sell licenses but to build technology partnerships with our customers,” Bashforth says. “We want to have local staff on the ground to help customers solve their problems.” One instance is China, where the company has some 15 staff at its Beijing office. In January Roxar signed a multi-million dollar deal to supply Irap RMS to PetroChina, the main unit of China National Petroleum Corp. It will also provide training for several hundred PetroChina staff.
The Asia Pacific region is an important area. Late last year the company opened an office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in addition to its existing branches in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Perth, Australia. In Russia, Roxar strengthened its position this February, signing an agreement to supply Irap RMS and Tempest reservoir simulation software to TNK-BP. Its first delivery to this customer was in 1997.
A flowsim simulation grid with fault model was created in Roxar�s Irap reservoir modeling software.
Other clients in Russia and the CIS include Lukoil, with which Roxar signed a multi-million dollar deal last November, Bashneft, Sibneft, Tatneft, Rosneft, and Zarubejneft. It also plays a major role in educating petroleum geologists through a partnership with I M Gubkin State University for Oil and Gas.
Last year the company opened regional offices in Tyumen and Kazakhstan. Its Russian headquarters is in Moscow, where it has 30 staff members. “Russia is a market our products are particularly suited to,” says Bashforth. “We can help customers manage the whole value chain from seismic to production.”
Andreas Hatloy, vice president of technology adds, “The sheer size of the fields in Russia means that you need to have tools that can scale to handle reservoir and flow simulation models that often contain thousands of wells. Our RMS and Tempest products are tailored to cater to these unique challenges.”
Irap RMS, the company’s flagship product, comprises 10 fully integrated software modules including mapping, reservoir modeling, flow simulation, well planning, and workflow management tools. Tempest is a robust, fast, memory-efficient simulation tool, able to provide powerful 2D and 3D visualization capabilities.
