“Go With the Flow” in the MDPI Energies Journal

In 2021, Studio X launched “Go With the Flow”, an agent-based modeling exploration and production tool. “Go With the Flow” began as a Xeek challenge for data scientists, and the winning submission was built upon and enhanced to make the tool a reality.

The tool has been in beta for a few months now, and we’re excited to share that Xeek Program Director Nate Suurmeyer and the “Go With the Flow” Challenge Winners and authors— Bastian Steffens, Quentin Corlay, Jessica Noglows, Dan Arnold, and Vasily Demyanov — have published their work in the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) Energies Journal. 

The article explains that “Go With the Flow” is a screening tool for secondary hydrocarbon migration that utilizes agent-based modeling. The tool works quickly, and accounts for geological uncertainty, so it’s a helpful aid for petroleum geoscientists to use before using petroleum system modeling software for a more accurate evaluation of migration scenarios. When users upload seismic volume as a SEGY file, they can select parameters and the tool will display a GIF detailing how fluids like hydrocarbons, water, and CO₂ move kilometers below the surface — all within minutes. 

The MDPI article, titled “Can Agents Model Hydrocarbon Migration for Petroleum System Analysis? A Fast Screening Tool to De-Risk Hydrocarbon Prospects,” illustrates how agents can mimic the movement of hydrocarbon molecules by focusing on buoyancy and capillary forces. It also uses a synthetic case study to support the use of agent modeling in geological parameter uncertainty. 

Studio X is excited to share this incredible work with the energy industry, and we’re just getting started. We intend to release more tools like “Go With the Flow” in the future as we continue to transform the way we work in exploration. Visit x.studio to see how you can be involved in our initiatives. 

To read the full MDPI article, download it here.