We can study both petroleum and rock types under various pressures and temperatures and compare the results with theoretical models. It would hardly have been feasible to ask the Research Council to provide NOK 100 million to sink a well in the North Sea for purely scientific purposes, but now we get the samples and data we need free of charge. The huge quantities of seismic data on the continental shelf give us a detailed 3-dimensional distribution of rock types which is an excellent basis for increasing our understanding of sedimentary processes and plate tectonics. This is an example of how applied research can be highly beneficial to what we otherwise refer to as basic research. When Statoil chose to award us with its first prize for research in 1991, we were thrilled that the company had recognised the importance of this field of research.
Petroleum occurs in the pores between sand grains and porous sandstones are excellent reservoirs.
In an anticlinal structure such as this, petroleum is trapped by impermeable cap rock and gas will rise above the denser oil. Not attractive enough I am often asked why I decided to continue as a university researcher rather than taking up a position in the oil industry. I do not think my colleagues in the oil industry are asked quite as often why they did not go into research. The universities have a real problem here, but research in industry is also under threat. Researchers often find it more tempting to move into administrative positions with better pay and more prestige and influence.