OptaSense and Weatherford Partner to Deliver Integrated Well Surveillance Solutions

Farnborough, 28 April, 2015: OptaSense, a QinetiQ company, and Weatherford International plc have partnered in a strategic alliance to deliver integrated optical sensing solutions designed to optimize well planning, construction and production across the asset lifecycle.

The partnership combines OmniWell™ in-well optical production and reservoir monitoring systems from Weatherford with optical Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) technology from OptaSense, including DAS-VSP™ vertical seismic profiling (VSP), DAS-HFP™ hydraulic fracture monitoring and DAS-Flow™ production flow monitoring.  These capabilities will provide customers with robust and actionable information that improves reservoir management and ultimate recovery.

Weatherford’s sensing technology includes pressure and temperature gauges, distributed temperature sensing, array temperature sensing, flow measurement, and seismic sensors.

Magnus McEwen-King, Managing Director of OptaSense, said: “When Weatherford sensing technology is combined with DAS technology from OptaSense, the solution will deliver enhanced data acquisition and monitoring of seismic activity, well construction, completion and fracture operations, and production flow. In addition to acquiring accurate data in real time, OptaSense DAS technology can also reduce data acquisition costs by eliminating the need for well intervention.”

OptaSense’s innovative DAS technology offering complements Weatherford’s proven high reliability in-well technology. Together, these technologies provide a more complete, integrated, well surveillance solution. It will include multi-point and distributed VSP acquisition, production flow monitoring and hydraulic fracture monitoring, enhanced with microseismic imaging—which are critical in optimizing well performance.  The solution will also add value to customers with existing optical systems who are interested in DAS acoustic monitoring.

Weatherford and OptaSense have established a leading position in providing optical reservoir monitoring systems around the globe, installing and/or monitoring optical sensing solutions for more than 1,000 wells.

Both companies will continue to offer their respective products and services independently but together they will bring forward an integrated solution that delivers long term value to the customer.