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Rockwash

Rockwash

Digitalising and analysing rock cuttings

Rockwash

Founded in 2010, Rockwash leads the world in digitalising and analysing rock cuttings (chips) from international drilling operations. Rooted in the oil & gas sector, we revolutionised sample preparation with our automated, patented rock-washing method and conveyance apparatus. This significant advancement in speed and consistency has ignited interest in extracting valuable geological information from neglected rock cuttings stored worldwide.

In 2019, the Norwegian government adopted Rockwash's cuttings digitalisation process, awarding us the Released Wells Initiative project. We digitalised around 716,000 samples from over 1,900 wells—every cuttings sample from all wells drilled on the Norwegian continental shelf—the world's first national cuttings digitalisation project. This landmark sets a global precedent for other nations to unlock geological data from their rock archives.

High-quality, consistent cuttings digitalisation is crucial, feeding into Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence applications for rock data. Rockwash is the key provider of such "normalised" data, essential for advancing future digital geoscience applications.
Partnering with Geotek, Rockwash is embarking on enhanced cuttings/chips measurements and digitalisation. Our goal is to accelerate delivery speed and broaden measurement scope, providing advanced data types and projects for our clients.
Rockwash and Geotek will deploy integrated capabilities for cuttings/chips and core samples directly to client sites via mobile containerised laboratories. Our on-site services in the energy and mining sectors enable localised rock digitalisation, offering significant logistical benefits to our international clients.

Headquartered in Llandudno, North Wales, UK, Rockwash has provided services to clients in over 50 countries worldwide.

Contacts:
Rockwash Geodata Ltd.
The Old Wine Warehouse, Ferndale Road
Llandudno Junction, North Wales, LL31 9NT
United Kingdom


Dr Mike Snape

Managing Director

Company director with 35+ years’ experience in the energy sector.  Mike has a proven track record of founding and developing laboratory and technical services companies in the UK and overseas.

A geologist and palynologist by background, Mike worked offshore for Gearhart Geodata in the North Sea and in the Middle East and then in Aberdeen for Gearhart Geoconsultants between 1987-88. 

He moved to Robertson Research in North Wales in 1989, who kindly sponsored his post-graduate research at Sheffield University.  After completing his PhD in 1992, Mike returned to Robertson Research where he opened and managed international offices for the company in both Houston (USA) and Calgary (Canada) in the late 1990s.  

In the year 2000, Mike co-founded Solintec Serviços de Petroleo Ltda. (SSP) with local partner Dr Christina Eckerd in Brazil. After the acquisition of SSP by Norwegian company ResLab in 2002, Mike worked in a “business growth” capacity for ResLab in Trondheim, until the subsequent sale of ResLab to Weatherford Labs (USA) in 2007.

Mike founded Rockwash in 2010 as a start-up company, inventing the first Rockwash machine with Sheffield University friend & colleague, Dr Rae Jones. A patent was achieved, both method and apparatus, in 2012. 

While having a primary role as the Managing Director at Rockwash since 2010, Mike maintains a keen hands-on interest in developing a wider market for Rockwash services, in terms of both further geographic reach with key international partners/associates and also with regards additional technical innovations in the laboratory and in the field.