Licensing opportunity
Scientists funded through the UK Natural Environment Research Council’s Ocean Margins LINK programme have used satellite technology, digital mapping and seismic surveys, to develop computer models that reveal the structure, composition and evolution of the boundary between continents and oceans. Study of these boundaries shows how continental basins form, accumulating sediments that eventually provide ideal conditions for oil and gas to collect.
Conventional techniques used to locate oil and gas reserves in the Atlantic Ocean margins are unable to see through the thick layers of basalt left by volcanic activity millions of years ago. The project team developed the Integrated Seismic Imaging and Modelling of Margins (iSIMM) system, and from that created a commercial model.
In another project, researchers found that some of the same techniques applied in oil exploration can be used to detect the use of illegal steroids in horse racing and athletics. A technique called hydropyrolysis, which breaks down samples for analyses in a very selective manner can both be used to reconstruct the history of a particular petroleum basin to determine whether it’s worth drilling and to detect the illicit use of steroids.
Work is now going on to find commercial applications for the research.
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