Scientists at Perm Polytechnic University (PPU) in the West Urals have partnered with colleagues from Germany’s Köln University of Applied Sciences in a project aimed at developing new software that would enable improved resource management in oil and gas production, Naked Science reported. The developers were quoted by the source as claiming “the product has no rivals in Russia or internationally.”

“We are working on what can be referred to as digital twins for waterfloods at an oil field, a measure that will help use water resources more wisely and minimize or fully prevent the pollution of a local geological environment. By smartening up water consumption an oil producer could cut electricity consumption substantially while keeping production at levels required,” Dr. Larisa Rudakova of PPU’s Environmental Protection Chair said in a comment on the project. Prof. Rudakova leads the Russian side of the joint effort.

The emerging software system will facilitate control of artificial waterfloods, a process used to boost production rates from crude oil reservoirs.

Unlike the existing competition, the system also enables technical audit of production equipment. For example, with the software early-stage corrosion in pipes could be identified way in advance.