Allied-Horizontal Wireline Services and GE Oil & Gas Release Next Generation Imaging Technology

HOUSTON and FARNBOROUGH, England, Aug. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied-Horizontal Wireline Services (Allied-Horizontal) and GE Oil & Gas announced today that Allied-Horizontal has added the new Resistivity Micro Imager (RMI) tool, manufactured by GE Oil & Gas, to its suite of reservoir answer products designed to meet the downhole formation evaluation needs of its customers.

The ability to measure and visualize fine details of the wellbore enables Allied-Horizontal customers to view and analyze geological features in order to more thoroughly understand complex reservoir structures. The tool reveals orientation and direction of faults, fractures and structural dips, enhancing the completion design for increased production and future well planning.

The RMI tool features a vertical resolution of 120 samples per foot, providing clear images of downhole geological features. The compact 4.5 inch outside diameter tool incorporates an array of 144 electrodes on six independent caliper arms, featuring adjustable force for consistent sensor contact with the borehole wall, for sensing fine resistive delineations, thus clearly revealing features such as faults, folds, fractures, dipping beds and secondary porosity distribution in a graphical 2-D or 3-D representation of the wellbore.  The finely detailed images provide structural and stratigraphic information to identify permeability barriers and anisotropy.  Borehole size and volume are computed from the calipers, while an integrated navigation module provides deviation and orientation data.  Incorporating the latest electronic technology, a wide dynamic range and excellent signal-to-noise ratio enables detailed images to be acquired in both low and high resistivity formations, even in environments where the contrast between mud and formation resistivity is high.

Post data analysis utilizes sophisticated algorithms to interpret the direction and angle of any dipping beds and fractures with a high degree of accuracy. Induced fractures and breakouts that are the result of the drilling process can be identified in order to evaluate oriented stresses within the formation and the fracturing ability of the matrix, allowing the operator to employ the best completion methods to maximize resource recovery.

The new RMI tool is available exclusively to Allied-Horizontal customers throughout the U.S.

Industry Testimonials

The RMI tool has undergone extensive testing in a wide variety of formations providing significant feedback from operators in the field.  Cort Peavy, Business Development Director for Task Fronterra Geoscience said: "As the importance of borehole imaging grows, Task Fronterra welcomes improvements in wireline technology such as the advanced RMI service that allows us to provide more comprehensive image analysis and geological interpretation services to help our customers optimize oil and gas production and recovery. "

Additionally Teri Birdsall, Chief Geophysicist for Citation Oil & Gas Corp. said: "The area in Oklahoma we work has thrust faults, high angle reverse faults, norm faults and is highly fractured. Allied-Horizontal's imaging tool provides, with clarity, the data we need to map and monetize our properties."

A major E&P operator's Geological & Reservoir Engineering borehole imaging specialist has approved the use of Allied-Horizontal Wireline's RMI tool in water-base mud systems.

Management Comments

Mr. Jim Junker, Business Leader for GE Downhole Technology said: "We are excited to provide state-of-the-art downhole technology solutions that enable our industry partners, and the RMI tool is a great example. Allied-Horizontal Wireline continues to be a key development partner for our Formation Evaluation suite of technologies with several additional launches currently planned."

Mr. Larry Albert, Vice-Chairman of Allied-Horizontal Wireline Services said: "We are pleased to be the exclusive US provider of the new RMI tool from GE, this tool provides yet another valuable service we deliver to the industry to assist in developing cost efficient completion designs and maximizing recovery from every well. Having tested the tool, and received positive feedback from major E&P operators, we are confident the tool will perform and provide extensive data that will be invaluable to our clients as they make decisions in selecting both the best completion methods to employ and future well placements."

About Allied-Horizontal Wireline Services

Allied-Horizontal Wireline Services is the leading independent logging and perforating provider in the United States.  Headquartered in Houston, Texas and with operations in every key oil & gas basin across the country, we are committed to collaborating with our customers to develop industry leading reservoir exploitation solutions.  For more information, visit our website at www.alliedhorizontal.com.

About GE Oil & Gas

GE Oil & Gas works on the things that matter in the oil and gas industry. In collaboration with our customers, we push the boundaries of technology to bring energy to the world. From extraction to transportation to end use, we address today's toughest challenges in order to fuel the future. Follow GE Oil & Gas on Twitter @GEOilandGas.

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SOURCE Allied-Horizontal Wireline Services