European Petrophysics Consortium (EPC)
The EPC provides ESO with appropriate staff and facilities to enable and integrate all aspects of the acquisition, management and distribution of petrophysical measurements on core and downhole petrophysical measurements resulting from MSP operations. EPC is responsible for maintaining and developing petrophysical shore-based support facilities and training as required by the scientific community and as mandated by the IODP ECORD Member memorandum and IODP Principles.
The EPC structure has been set up to cover MSP activities ranging from in-situ logging to on-site and off-site physical properties measurements that cannot be deferred, such as those analysed on a Multi-Sensor Track (MST). This structure is based on a network of institutions throughout Europe with extensive experience in scientific drilling, either in the ocean with the past Ocean Drilling Program (ODP), or on land.
The leading universities are Leicester (U.K.), Aachen and Potsdam (Germany) and Geosciences Montpellier (France). This structure offers scientific and technical support to IODP in view of the highly variable environments and scientific contexts drilled by MSPs, and adapts to the periodic drilling and logging activities. The involvement of a network of academic institutions reduces repetitive and costly mobilization and demobilization of equipment and infrastructure. It also has the flexibility to provide logging operations in the limited space available in many MSPs, potential drilling in unstable geological settings, and in many cases access to small diameter boreholes (slimhole).
Read more about EPC in "Integrating Petrophysics in the IODP through the development of the European Petrophysics Consortium (EPC) by Tim Brewer, Philippe Pezard and Renate Pechnig (pdf).
