ChevronTexaco and the University of Southern California are to establish the Center for Interactive Smart Oilfield Technologies (CiSoft). The Center will develop advanced technologies to improve exploration and production efficiency.
Nikias
Max Nikias, dean of Engineering said, “Through this partnership, ChevronTexaco and USC hope to create an exceptional learning environment for engineering students while accelerating the development of advanced oil field technologies.”
Funding
ChevronTexaco will provide funding for the center, which will draw upon expertise and resources within the USC School of Engineering’s Information Sciences Institute, the Integrated Media System Center and the Petroleum Engineering Program. CiSoft will target the operation of instrumented, intelligent oil and gas fields. ChevronTexaco employees will directly participate in the program and the company will provide real-world drilling and production data from around the world.
Paul
CTC CTO Don Paul added, “The USC School of Engineering has earned distinction for its work in information and communications technology, advanced visualization and petroleum engineering. Adding energy to the strong relationships the school has with the defense and entertainment industries will make this a unique environment for developing new technologies for real-time engineering and operations.”
i-field
CiSoft will form an integral component of ChevronTexaco’s i-field program, which is focused on the integration of field automation, reservoir simulation technologies, emerging well technologies, and real-time reservoir management. CiSoft’s co-executive directors will be Mike Hauser, i-field program manager at ChevronTexaco Exploration and Production Technology Company, and Iraj Ershaghi, USC professor of chemical engineering and director of the Petroleum Engineering Program.