PROGRAM'S BACKGROUND

Dynamic reservoir models are important when investigating reservoir behavior, optimizing reservoir performance, designing complex wells, estimating uncertainties and providing the basis for risk management. New developments, such as unstructured gridding, combined with new simulation techniques eliminate most of the drawbacks of conventional simulation methods and make predictions more reliable. The participants will learn about various algorithms, concepts and possible uses of reservoir simulators.

This program is designed for petroleum engineers and geoscientists who have been involved in constructing reservoir models and conducting reservoir simulation studies for field development studies as well as project screening purposes. The program is designed to equip the participants with a firm understanding of the fundamental principles of reservoir simulation and to provide a good level of experience on some practical applications. On the latter, a number of examples will be discussed during the class to ensure that participants can develop a robust understanding of the power of the techniques introduced.

This program deals with various algorithms, concepts and the possible uses of reservoir simulators in creating dynamic reservoir models. These are used to investigate reservoir behavior, optimize reservoir performance, design complex wells, estimate uncertainties and form the basis for risk assessment. New developments combined with new simulation techniques so as to eliminate most of the drawbacks of conventional simulation methods and make predictions more reliable are also dealt with.

PROGRAM'S OBJECTIVES

This Program’s Attendees Will Be More Able To:

›       Apply the principles of reservoir engineering to numerical modeling

›       Set up, run, and analyze the results for single well, pattern and full-field models

›       Prepare fluid and rock property data in the manner required for simulation studies

›       Identify and eliminate causes of numerical problems

›       Perform a history match

›       Use the matched model to predict future performance under a variety of assumptions

›       Learn about artefacts and the benefits of reservoir simulation

›       Be introduced to different gridding technologies, their advantages and disadvantages

›       Know when reservoir models are fit-for-purpose and when to expect instabilities

›       How to perform data quality checks on input data and resulting simulation model

›       Identify different history matching approaches

›       Know about black-oil vs. compositional simulation

›       Acquire formulation details in dual porosity / dual permeability models and their consequences

PROGRAM'S ATTENDEES

›       Petroleum Engineers

›       Geoscientists

›       Drilling Engineers

›       Petro Physicists

›       Petroleum Engineers

›       Petroleum Geologists

PROGRAM'S OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION OF MULTI-PHASE, MULTI-COMPONENT RESERVOIR SIMULATION FLOW EQUATIONS

›       Compositional balance

›       Black-oil simulation

›       Single-phase flow equations

ROCK AND FLUID PROPERTIES FOR BLACK OIL SIMULATION

›       Data required for model construction

›       Sensitivity of results to data accuracy

›       Assignment of property distributions to the simulator

›       Establishing initial pressure and saturation distributions

INTRODUCTION TO FINITE-DIFFERENCE CALCULUS

›       Approximation of derivatives by finite differences

›       Using calculus of differences

›       Using Taylor series

›       Simple applications

GRID TYPES & BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

›       Block-centered grids

›       Mesh-centered grids

›       Boundary conditions

›       Polar grids

›       Curvilinear grid systems

›       Singularities

SOLUTION TECHNIQUES

›       Systematic iterative methods

›       Direct Solvers

SOLUTION OF ELLIPTIC EQUATIONS (INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOW)

›       Continuity equation

›       Discretization for 1D, 2D, 3D geometries

›       Transmissibility concept

›       Construction of the coefficient matrix

SOLUTION OF PARABOLIC EQUATIONS (COMPRESSIBLE FLOW)

›       Explicit finite-difference schemes

›       Implicit finite-difference schemes

›       Truncation error analysis

›       Consistency analysis

›       Stability analysis

›       Alternating direction implicit procedure

›       Strongly implicit procedure

›       Generalized Newton-Raphson procedure

TREATMENT OF WELLS & WELL MANAGEMENT IN MULTI-LAYER RESERVOIRS

›       Treatment of wells and well management

›       Multi-layer well models

›       Mobility weighting

›       Material balance checks

›       Fully-implicit formulation

›       Semi-implicit formulation

WELL MANAGEMENT: DESIGNING & CONTROLLING PRODUCTION PARAMETERS

›       Overall design of a well-management routine

›       Logic structure

›       Logic sequence

›       Individual well behavior

›       Operations conditions

›       Data requirement

›       Upgridding and upscaling

SOLUTION TECHNIQUES AT THE PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION LEVEL

›       Simultaneous solution approach

›       Implicit pressure explicit saturation approach

ADVANCED SOLUTION ALGORITHMS FOR SYSTEMS OF ALGEBRAIC EQUATIONS

›       Conjugate gradient method

›       Generalized Newton-Raphson method

›       History Matching and Forecasting Future Performance

›       Objectives of modeling historical reservoir performance

›       Strategy and plans for history matching

›       Manual and automatic history matching

›       Planning the prediction cases to be run

›       Evaluating and monitoring the predicted performance

SIMULATING SPECIAL PROCESSES

›       Compositional simulation

›       Miscible displacement

›       Chemical and polymer flooding

›       Steam stimulation and steam drive

›       In situ combustion

›       Special data requirement

›       Simulation of fractured reservoirs - numerical model, matrix-fracture exchange

›       Recovery processes

SPECIAL TOPICS

›       Variable bubble point formulation

›       Cubic equation of states for compositional simulation

›       Automatic time step size selector

›       Limiting numerical dispersion

›       Grid orientation effects

›       Grid reordering

›       Relationships between classical reservoir analysis tools and reservoir simulation

›       Interpolation and table-look-up techniques

SUMMARY OF RESERVOIR SIMULATION

›       A review of the critical components of reservoir simulation

›       Examples of challenging problems in reservoir simulation

›       Current trends in reservoir simulation

›       Closing remarks

ADDITIONAL DETAILS