Why “dry” oil wells aren’t really empty

Oil wells often dry up far earlier than predicted, leaving companies baffled about the “missing” reserves. A Penn State team tackled this puzzle by harnessing PSC’s Bridges-2 supercomputer, adding a time dimension and amplitude analysis to traditional seismic data. Their findings revealed hidden rock structures blocking oil flow, meaning reserves weren’t gone—they were trapped.

​Oil wells often dry up far earlier than predicted, leaving companies baffled about the “missing” reserves. A Penn State team tackled this puzzle by harnessing PSC’s Bridges-2 supercomputer, adding a time dimension and amplitude analysis to traditional seismic data. Their findings revealed hidden rock structures blocking oil flow, meaning reserves weren’t gone—they were trapped. Oil wells often dry up far earlier than predicted, leaving companies baffled about the “missing” reserves. A Penn State team tackled this puzzle by harnessing PSC’s Bridges-2 supercomputer, adding a time dimension and amplitude analysis to traditional seismic data. Their findings revealed hidden rock structures blocking oil flow, meaning reserves weren’t gone—they were trapped. 

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