A case study demonstrating how STRYDE's nodal seismic systems enabled Polaris Natural Resources to conduct an efficient and cost-effective seismic survey for oil and gas exploration in Namibia.
Seismic acquisition contractor: Polaris Natural Resources
On behalf of: An Upstream Exploration and Production Company (ReconAfrica)
Industry: Oil and gas
Location: Frontier Basin in Namibia
Environment type: Vegetated flat savanna land, utilising existing roads and trails where feasible
To explore the petroleum potential of a Frontier Basin in Namibia utilising 2D seismic survey methods to understand existing positive drilling results and pinpoint future drilling locations
Survey type: 2D survey, dense shot, and receiver points
Deployment method: By foot
Survey layout:
Source used: Single impulse thumper trucks (Polaris’ proprietary Explorer low impact source technology)
Sampling frequency: 2ms
Seismic trace density: 240,000 seismic traces per kilometer
"I believe the use of STRYDE’s low cost, nimble and environmentally friendly nodes, coupled with our proprietary thumper source technology that has been designed to minimise environmental impact was key to the success of assuring this survey was sanctioned, and the acquisition of this critical subsurface dataset was achieved in the most efficient way possible. At Polaris, we are extremely conscious about the impact our work has on the environment, the local economy, and the local people, and I am proud to say that the technology used in this survey enabled the project timeline to be accelerated, without compromising data quality and therefore minimised disruption to the local communities and environment."
There were a number of challenges that the acquisition contractor faced in the lead up to the seismic acquisition...
It was critical to use seismic equipment that was proven to reduce the environmental impact of the survey to obtain a permit to work
Demonstration of how environmental footprint would be managed during the survey planning, preparation, and execution
The survey was conducted in a remote location, in a complex terrain causing logistical challenges
There was a requirement to utilise local content to attain a level of socio-economic progressiveness
The window of opportunity for shooting the survey was weather dependent, resulting in the survey having to be shot within a tight timeframe
As this was a frontier, unexplored basin, the Upstream Exploration and Production company required a solution that was low cost, without compromising the quality of the output dataset
STRYDE’s Nimble System™ was deployed to Polaris in Namibia and consisted of 9,000 STRYDE Nodes™, 3 Nests and server units, the STRYDE nodal operating system (STRYDE’s charge, harvest, and node management system), backpacks, planting devices, and nodal holders (magazine strips and trays), navigator tablets, initialisation devices™ and field support personnel
The 2D survey is now complete and the high-density 2D seismic dataset has been harvested and sent for processing and interpretation.
The data gathered during this acquisition will enable the Upstream Exploration and Production Company operating in Namibia to understand the results achieved from two successful wells and pinpoint the exact location for effective drilling operations to commence.
The seismic imaging system provided by STRYDE unlocked significant cost savings related to the number of people required, equipment needed, logistics, vehicles, and project time when compared to competitor Nodal systems
Utilising the world’s smallest and lightest nodes, the team were able to carry 90 nodes per person by foot, resulting in being able to deploy and retrieve thousands of nodes per day and shoot the survey in a much more efficient manner, which reduced the project timeline significantly
Efficient acquisition of high-resolution, deep structure data that provided the insights required to make informed drilling decisions and to help plan future surveys
When the parameters of the survey were changed by the Exploration and Production Company, an additional 3,500 STRYDE’s Nodes™ were rapidly deployed and delivered on-site to mitigate delays in the project timeline
The nodes' miniature size and lightweight traits allows for up to 90 nodes to be transported and handled by one person on foot, minimising the need for line clearing and land disruption
The unique characteristics of the Nimble nodal system™ reduces the number of people and vehicles required to deploy and retrieve the nodes on site, in turn, reducing the acquisition contractor’s exposure to risk
"We went back to STRYDE with an emergency situation requiring another 3,500 nodes to become more efficient. On Friday August 13th, 2021, we agreed the contract and STRYDE had those nodes in Windhoek on August 26th and we deployed them on August 31st. This resulted in a 100% increase in production, and we finished the program on a strong note."