Disruptive tracer technology based on synthetic DNA to map subterranean resources

Información del proyecto

WELLGENETICS

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: 815491

DOI

10.3030/815491

Proyecto cerrado

Fecha de la firma de la CE 7 Mayo 2018

Fecha de inicio 1 Mayo 2018

Fecha de finalización 31 Agosto 2018

Financiado con arreglo a

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Coste total

€ 71 429,00

Aportación de la UE

€ 50 000,00

Coordinado por

WELL GENETICS AS
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - WELLGENETICS (Disruptive tracer technology based on synthetic DNA to map subterranean resources)

Período documentado: 2018-05-01 hasta 2018-08-31

Resumen del contexto y de los objetivos generales del proyecto

Underground oil/gas reservoirs are connected in extensive and branched networks. To maximize fuel extraction and minimize drilling costs, oil and gas operators need to understand underground reservoirs connectivity and fluid dynamics. Tracers, either chemical or radioactive, are valuable and widely used tools to map these reservoirs. However, the amount of tracking that can be performed is limited by the number of unique tracers available: We have ~100 unique signatures, clearly insufficient number for complex reservoirs with >200 stages. Besides, these tracers are usually hazardous, need to be carefully manipulated by training operators, and are only detected at high amounts.
To answer this need we, at Well Genetics, have developed TRACEDNA, a synthetic tracer composed of short strands of DNA, the storing molecule of living organisms, which allows for billions of unique combinations. Besides supporting unlimited underground mapping, TraceDNA is innocuous and non-toxic neither for the environment nor for the operator, easy to manipulate, detected at very low levels and the most cost-effective tracer in the market.

Trabajo realizado desde el comienzo del proyecto hasta el final del período abarcado por el informe y los principales resultados hasta la fecha

We have performed a study to confirm viability of TraceDNA i) technically, we designed the validation field trials with top oil companies and detailed the work plan for Phase 2 project, ii) commercially, we carried out a detailed analysis of oil/gas markets and updated our business plan, and iii) financially, we confirmed project’s profitability and prepared a Phase 2 budget.

Avances que van más allá del estado de la técnica e impacto potencial esperado (incluida la repercusión socioeconómica y las implicaciones sociales más amplias del proyecto hasta la fecha)

TraceDNA is a versatile and cost-effective tool aiming to revolutionize underground mapping, with multiple benefits at every level. Oil companies will optimize oil recovery and decrease overall costs for oil extraction. Society will benefit from a more stable and affordable oil price and a decrease in environmental pollution due to excessive drilling. Our company will grow in terms of personnel (53 new positions in 5 years at the market) and revenues (€125 million on those 5 years).

image-1.png