CoreAll receives NOK 12.15 million from NFR

With groundbreaking innovation in core drilling, CoreAll AS has developed the world’s first instrumented core drilling system. The company recently received NOK 12.15 million from the Research Council of Norway for its eXRES Demo project.

The project, which is also one of Energy Transition Norway’s cluster projects, aims to revolutionize drilling processes for the oil and gas industry while creating new opportunities in carbon capture, geothermal energy, and seabed minerals.

Giving the geologist eyes

CoreAll’s innovative core drilling technology provides geologists with real-time insights into the reservoir while drilling.

It’s like we’re giving the geologist eyes, explains CEO in CoreAll, Per Erik Berger.

– With our tool, the geologist can determine whether they have reached the reservoir and whether hydrocarbons are present, thus allowing them to make more informed decisions on whether to continue drilling or start coring.

The technology provides real-time Logging While Coring data and also provides an option to core and drill with the same down hole system, making it the first solution of its kind.

Traditionally, core drilling requires frequent tripping in and out of the wellbore to change between coring equipment and drilling equipment, typically two trips in and out of the well per core sample. This process can take an entire day per trip and cost up to $2 million per core sample.

CoreAll’s solution features a convertible drill bit with a core opening in the front and internal cutters in the back, which can be opened for coring or closed for drilling. The activation of the internal cutters is done by downlink from the surface in less than 10 minutes, saving valuable time and significantly reducing costs:

– Our recent analyses of a planned offshore well in Norway show that our technology can reduce operation time from 377 to 228 hours, resulting in savings of $5.6 million per well, explains Berger.

This highlights the significant impact the technology can have, not only on the oil and gas industry but also on the green transition.

Technology for tomorrow

Although initially developed for the oil and gas industry, CoreAll has identified several applications for the green shift:

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): To inject CO2 into underground reservoirs, operators need to ensure the reservoir is sealed and does not leak. Additionally, they must determine the optimal injection rate to prevent reservoir collapse.

Geothermal energy: In geothermal projects, where water is pumped down one well and up another in a loop to harness underground heat, CoreAll’s technology can help assess natural fractures in the rock that are critical to the flow properties and the amount of heat that can be absorbed.

Seabed minerals: The technology can be used for deep-sea exploration in critical mineral extraction.

The eXRES Demo project – a crucial step forward

With the recent support from Norwegian Research Council for the eXRES Demo project, CoreAll is developing an external resistivity sensor that uses electromagnetic wave technology to measure the formation resistivity in the surrounding formation rather than just inside the core.

This is a significant improvement over current technology, which measures resistivity inside the core sample. The project is already well advanced, with field prototypes being built.

The funding from the Research Council of Norway will support the critical testing and qualification program of the equipment.

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