Noralis

What Noralis does

Noralis designs and manufactures solid-state Measurement While Drilling (MWD) instrumentation for the oil and gas directional drilling market, replacing legacy 3-module MWD architectures with a single-chassis integrated design. Its core product is the Noralis Directional Module (NDM), a downhole tool packing 27 sensors (18 accelerometers, 3 magnetometers, 3 shock sensors, 2 temperature sensors, 1 gyro) into a single chassis rated for 165°C operating temperature (175°C survival), meeting ISCWSA MWD Rev4 error model standards. On the surface side, the Noralis Pressure Decoder (NPD) and NPD2 are compact USB-powered decoders (7x3x3 inches) that decode MWD pulse signals with proprietary RAID (Redundant Array of Intuitive Decoders) technology. The NISE integrated software platform combines tool programming, decoding, survey corrections, remote operations, and data graphing; the Noralis HUB provides cloud-based tool tracking, telemetry, and lifecycle management.

The company monetizes through one-time hardware sales of NDM and NPD units, pay-as-you-go usage billing for decoding and data services, and recurring daily fees on NISE software and Noralis HUB cloud storage. Customers are segmented between Oil & Gas Drilling Operators and MWD Service Companies, with the latter forming the primary channel — Noralis reported 40%+ share of US land rig decoding and 20% NDM penetration as of March 2021, with 1,000+ NPDs and 750+ NDMs cumulatively sold by July 2022 and over 1,000,000 downhole circulating hours logged by October 2022. Distribution is direct via sales offices in Houston, Austin/Cedar Park (US) and Cheltenham (UK), supplemented by trade show presence at OTC, ADIPEC, SPE, and IADD forums. The company has been owned by Pelican Energy Partners since July 2020 as part of the Gordon Technologies platform.

Name

Noralis

Legal name

Noralis Inc.

Website

https://noralis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Noralis is a private oilfield equipment company that designs and manufactures solid-state MEMS-based Measurement While Drilling (MWD) tools, surface decoders, and cloud software, serving oil and gas drilling operators and MWD service companies primarily in the US land market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Measurement While Drilling (MWD) Equipment

NAICS

Mining and Oil and Gas Field Machinery Manufacturing (33313), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Directional Drilling & MWD/LWD Services (EUALABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ruggedized/Harsh-Environment Electronics Manufacturing (IP-rated, shock/vibration, wide-temp) (IMAGAGAF)

Keywords

• MWD technology solutions
• Directional drilling tools
• Downhole sensors
• Pressure decoders
• Drilling electronics

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. NDM Hardware Sales: Sale of Noralis Directional Module (NDM) - integrated downhole MWD tool replacing traditional 3-axis tools with 27+ sensors at approximately 50% cost of competitors
2. NPD/NPD2 Pressure Decoder Sales: Sale of surface pressure decoding equipment - NPD and NPD2 units for decoding MWD signals, with pay-as-you-go options available
3. NISE Software Platform: Integrated software environment with features including gamma logging, short collar corrections, and remote operations; daily rate charged for .las file production and real-time plots
4. Noralis HUB Cloud Services: Cloud-based data storage and management platform with real-time job access; small daily fee for real-time data upload and storage
5. Pay-as-you-go Options: Flexible payment model allowing customers to use equipment at lower upfront cost with usage-based billing for decoding, short collar corrections, and gamma logging

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Noralis designs and manufactures integrated Measurement While Drilling (MWD) hardware and software for the oil and gas directional drilling industry. Its flagship Noralis Directional Module (NDM) is a solid-state downhole tool that consolidates 27+ sensors, processor, and power management into a single chassis, replacing traditional 3-module MWD solutions at roughly 50% of the cost. The product suite also includes NPD/NPD2 surface pressure decoders, the NISE software platform for tool programming and survey corrections, and the Noralis HUB cloud platform for tool lifecycle management.

Product overview

Noralis offers a modular MWD (Measurement While Drilling) technology platform consisting of integrated hardware and software components. The core portfolio includes the NDM (Noralis Directional Module) downhole sensor and NPD/NPD2 surface pressure decoders, which work in conjunction with the NISE integrated software environment for tool control, decoding, and survey corrections. The Noralis HUB cloud platform provides centralized tool tracking and data management across deployments. Additional capabilities include environmental logging, real-time shock/vibration telemetry, gamma logging, short collar corrections, and calibration verification features. The product line emphasizes solid-state electronics, USB connectivity, and cost-effective alternatives to traditional MWD systems, with all components designed for interoperability within the Noralis ecosystem while maintaining compatibility with third-party MWD equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Noralis Directional Module (NDM) A fully integrated solid-state downhole Measurement While Drilling tool that replaces traditional 3-module solutions (sensor, processor, power supply, strongback) with a single chassis containing 27 sensors, 32-bit processor, and 32MB memory. Designed for high-temperature (165°C operating / 175°C survival) and high-vibration drilling environments, with accuracy meeting ISCWSA MWD Rev4 standards. Sold to oil and gas drilling operators and MWD service companies.
• Noralis Pressure Decoder (NPD) USB-powered surface pressure decoder (7" x 3" x 3", intrinsically safe) that decodes MWD tool signals from mud pressure fluctuations. Capable of 400 Hz sample rate, RAID (Redundant Array of Intuitive Decoders) decoding technology, and compatible with third-party MWD tools using M-ARY encoding schemes. Sold as a standalone surface unit at 75% lower cost than the nearest competitor.
• NPD2 (Noralis Pressure Decoder 2) Dual transducer pressure decoder that pairs with NPD1 via USB to create a fast data rate system. Enables direction of signal determination and isolates pump noise without dampening the MWD tool signal, boosting decoding success in fast-pulse drilling operations. Sold to MWD service companies and drilling operators.
• Noralis Integrated Software Environment (NISE) Unified MWD software platform combining tool programming, decoding, remote operations, survey correction algorithms, real-time data graphing, and memory analysis into a single application with cloud connectivity. Includes features such as gamma logging, short collar corrections, real-time calibration verification, and remote MWD/LWD logging. Charged on a daily rate basis for .las file production and real-time plots.
• Noralis HUB Cloud-based web portal for tracking MWD tools from production to end-of-life, automatically pulling memory files, temperature/shock/vibration data, and configuration files. Enables team-based access control, remote job monitoring, real-time rig locations (interactive, color-coded by high shock and vibration), and tool lifecycle prediction. Charged via a small daily fee for real-time data upload and storage.
• Noralis Tool Interface Cable (NTI) USB-powered single cable solution for direct PC interaction with NDM tools, supporting memory download, tool programming, surface pulse testing, and firmware updates. Available in field (75') and office (15') configurations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% of active US rigs use Noralis Decoding technology
• +5 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Superior QCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2021Noralis and Superior QC presented a joint technical paper at the SPE Annual Technical Conference in Dubai on Real-Time Wellbore Placement Improvement with High-Fidelity Trajectory Estimation and Dual-Sensor MWD Packages.
• Darcy PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDarcy Partners is a group dedicated to finding transformative technologies in Oil & Gas. Noralis was invited to present and showcase technologies to oil companies across US/Canada drilling regions (Houston, Midland, Calgary). Noralis demonstrated highest adoption rate and largest market share gains among profiled companies.
• IADD (International Association of Directional Drilling)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNoralis has been invited to present at multiple IADD forums including 'Pushing the Limits' and 'Extending the Lateral' forums, discussing MWD speed and technical capabilities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Weatherford International: Major oilfield services and equipment provider with downhole instrumentation, MWD/LWD, and drilling automation capabilities; competes across US land and international markets with bundled service models.
• Schlumberger (Sperry Drilling): World's largest oilfield services company with the Sperry Drilling division delivering integrated directional drilling, MWD/LWD, and rotary steerable services; broader portfolio but directly addresses the same drilling telemetry and survey-accuracy workflows.
• Baker Hughes: Diversified oilfield services and equipment company with significant MWD/LWD and drilling services exposure; competes broadly with Noralis via integrated drilling packages and digital offerings such as the DrillOps platform.
• Halliburton (Sperry Drilling — note: prior brand; Halliburton Directional Drilling): Major oilfield services incumbent with comprehensive MWD/LWD and directional drilling offerings; competes across the full rig lifecycle and bundles MWD with bit, drilling fluids, and rotary steerable systems.

Direct peers

• Gyrodata: Independently owned directional drilling and MWD/gyro-while-drilling service provider competing for similar US land and international E&P customers; both target the cost-and-accuracy pain points Noralis addresses with MEMS solid-state tooling.
• Scientific Drilling International: Provides MWD, directional drilling, and gyro-while-drilling services with proprietary downhole instrumentation; competes with Noralis for US land MWD service company contracts and operator rig telemetry budgets.
• Hunting PLC (Hunting Energy Services): Manufactures downhole tools, instrumentation, and MWD/LWD-related equipment for directional drilling operators; comparable in serving the same US land MWD supply chain with overlapping distributor and service-company relationships.

Emerging players

• Ranger Energy Services: US-focused oilfield services provider with high-spec rental tools and ancillary wellsite services; overlaps with Noralis's customer base of US land operators and MWD service companies, though with a broader mechanical-rental focus.
• Cardinal Directional Drilling Services: Smaller directional drilling and MWD service provider focused on US shale basins; competes for the same drilling contractor and operator relationships but at smaller scale and narrower geographic reach.

Regional players

• Target Oilfield Services: Saudi Arabia-focused oilfield services company providing MWD/LWD and directional drilling services; comparable technology stack and customer profile to Noralis but operating primarily in the Middle East region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCG1Ifm17KHonzsIhkEDOLMg
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/Noralis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/noralis

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Noralis