Bits to Barrels: Computational Challenges in the Energy Industry

The energy sector has been one of the largest consumers of high performance computing right from the early days. However, we have always been, and currently still are in a situation where the problems we are attempting to solve outpace the capabilities of current generation hardware and software systems. In response to these challenges, mid 2012 Shell’s Computational Center of Expertise was initiated at the Shell Technology Centre in Bangalore, India. The main driver behind this R&D Center of Expertise is to aggressively leverage the continued exponential growth of computing hardware capabilities and to develop advanced numerical simulation and data processing capabilities that will benefit upstream (oil and gas production), downstream (product development) and future energy businesses. The focus is on novel modeling and simulation methodologies enabled by state-of-the-art computing technology, and data mining and processing solutions meeting the requirements of ever increasing data volumes (the “big data” challenge).



 About Dr. Vianney Koelman:

 Vianney Koelman joined Shell R&D in the Netherlands in 1989 with a PhD in physics from Eindhoven University of Technology. His early work focused on novel computational technologies such as micro-hydrodynamic simulations and subsurface resistivity inversions. This was followed by a career in Upstream Operating Units in Petroleum Engineering and Hydrocarbon Recovery. He worked in a variety of Technical Leadership roles such as Head Reservoir Management, Brent, and Chief Petrophysicist Europe and Africa. In 2008 Vianney Koelman established a global Fiber-Optic Sensing research group. In 2010 he got appointed as one of Shell's Chief Scientists, and in 2012 also as Shell's Vice President Computational Technology. In the latter role he is tasked to establish a Computational Centre of Expertise in Bangalore serving the global Shell Group.