New IBM Linux Supercomputer to help speed discovery of oil
IBM announced late last week that a major seismic acquisition, processing, and
reservoir imaging firm has selected a powerful IBM Linux supercomputer to
substantially increase its ability to assist oil companies in their search for new oil
reserves hidden deep beneath the earth's surface. The supercomputer will power
WesternGeco's sophisticated seismic imaging system and will be comprised of a
cluster of 256 IBM eServer systems, all running Linux.BM today announced that a major seismic acquisition, processing, and reservoir imaging firm has selected a powerful IBM Linux
supercomputer to substantially increase its ability to assist oil companies in their search for new oil reserves hidden deep beneath the earth's
surface. The supercomputer will power WesternGeco's sophisticated seismic imaging system and will be comprised of a cluster of 256 IBM
eServer systems, all running Linux.
With the high cost of oil exploration, particularly the drilling effort, dry holes are not an option. That is why more companies are turning to
sophisticated methods of seismic imaging that allow scientists to create detailed 3D maps of hidden oil and gas reservoirs before drilling
starts.
"The use of IBM systems running Linux has greatly expanded our ability to provide oil companies with detailed images, or to assist oil
companies in imaging potential drill sites," said Trevor Gatus, data processing manager of WesternGeco's Houston Land Processing Center.
"With excellent performance, we are now able to more fully utilize our most technically demanding imaging routines to assist oil companies
with their oil exploration efforts."
WesternGeco is not alone in its use of seismic imaging. As evidence of the technology's growing popularity, in 1989 only five percent of wells
drilled in the Gulf of Mexico were based on seismic imaging. By 1996, that figure swelled to nearly 80 percent. Today, seismic imaging
precedes virtually all drilling expeditions.
xSeries-based Linux clusters are highly scalable from 4 to 1024 processors and can be fully adapted to meet the high performance needs of
the petroleum market. Linked by a fast network, the clusters can be easily managed from a single point of control and can act as either a
single machine or a multiple node system. The cluster at WesternGeco is comprised of 256 eServer xSeries 330 systems, each powered by
two 933 MHz Intel Pentium III processors.
"Even with the best techniques available, oil is difficult to find," said Dave Turek, vice president, Linux emerging technologies, IBM.
"Petroleum companies need to do everything they can to stack the odds in their favor when making million-dollar decisions on where to drill."
"Through the use of high-performance Linux clusters, companies like WesternGeco can image more area in less time."
