Tag: Reservoir Simulation

Reservoir Engineering

Key Concepts and Methodologies for Effective Reservoir Simulation

 

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Here are the key concepts and methodologies which a reservoir engineer should understand to simulate a reservoir effectively, according to Emeritus Professor Val Pinczewski of the University of New South Wales.

  • The internal structure of reservoir simulators – single, two and three phase reservoir simulators, black oil and modified black oil simulators, compositional simulators.
  • Limitations of numerical solution methods – truncation errors, numerical dispersion and stability, grid orientation effects.
  • Rock properties and saturation functions – design of effective SCAL programs and reservoir wettability, two and three-point saturation end-point scaling, rock-typing and hydraulic flow units, Leverett J-Function and Corey based models for relative permeability and capillary pressure, averaging saturation dependent property data, limitation of three-phase relative permeability and capillary pressure models.
  • Upscaling and relative permeability pseudo-functions – dynamic pseudo-functions, vertical equilibrium, and viscous dominated pseudo-functions.
  • Grid selection – advantages and disadvantages of structured, unstructured and hybrid gridding systems, corner-point geometry grids, PEBI grids, locally orthogonal grids, vertical heterogeneity and layering, guidelines for grid design.
  • Model initialization – Capillary-gravity equilibrium, initialization with zero capillary pressure, initialization using an average capillary pressure curve, initialization using the Leverett J-Function and a reference capillary pressure curve, initialization using Eclipse SWATINIT method. Effect of different options for run-time capillary pressure.
  • Aquifer modeling and history matching – unsteady-state water influx, Hurst and van Everdingen model, Carter-Tracy and Fetkovich models, material balance and aquifer history matching, guides for effective aquifer model history matching.
  • Well models and gas condensate reservoir modeling – condensate blockage and the two-phase pseudo-pressure method, implementation of the method in commercial reservoir simulators, gas condensate inflow relationships, PVT and fluid flow relationships for gas-oil relative permeability ratios, gas relative permeability ratio as a function of gas-oil relative permeability ratio, high velocity effects, positive and negative coupling, velocity dependent relative permeability and capillary number, guidelines for running gas condensate reservoir simulations using commercial reservoir simulators.

These are the topics Professor Val Pinczewski will discuss in the 5-day Advanced Reservoir Simulation course to be held on June 24-28, 2019 in Singapore.

Course Instructors

About Dr. Val Pinczewski

Val Pinczewski is Emeritus Professor in the School of Petroleum Engineering at the University of New South Wales. He established Australia’s first fully accredited degree program in Petroleum Engineering at the University of New South Wales in 1985. He conducts research in the areas of improved oil and gas recovery and in flow through porous media.

He was a founding member of the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre and managed its improved oil and gas recovery programs. In collaboration with colleagues at the Australian National University, he established a large interdisciplinary research group which is pioneering the use of high-resolution X-ray tomography to study the microstructure and transport properties of naturally occurring porous rocks of specific interest to the petroleum industry. The research was supported by a large consortium of the world’s leading petroleum companies and has produced a spin-out company based on this emerging technology.

He is a technical consultant to Westpac’s Institutional Bank where he assesses field development plans for major oil and gas developments throughout Australia and SE-Asia. He was involved in the development of NSW State Government industry guidelines for fracking and well integrity for Coal Seam Gas developments in the state.

Prior to joining the University of New South Wales, he worked for Esso Australia as a reservoir engineer both in Australia and abroad where he was responsible for conducting reservoir simulation studies and conducting and interpreting oil and gas well tests. He is an active consultant to industry in these areas.

He holds BE and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of New South Wales and is the author of numerous technical publications in the areas of improved oil and gas recovery, reservoir simulation and image-based core analysis.

Note: Professor Val Pinczewski will conduct a 5-day course Advanced Reservoir Simulation course on June 24-28, 2019 in Singapore.