Landmark Graphics Corporation

Object Reservoir, Inc.

Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Steven Ward

Michael Loyd Brewer

Stephen R Kennon

Dominic Camilleri

Gerrick Bivins

Scott A Canann

Srinath Madasu

Keshava Prasad Rangarajan

Amit Kumar

Genbao Shi

Terry Wayne Wong

Frank Joseph Eaton

Mehran Hassanpour

Steven James Drinovsky

Kok-Thye Lim

ZhiXiang Jiang

Angeles Casas

Xiaoyuan Yang

Zhixiang Jiang

Terry Wong

A neural network trainer trains neural networks to estimate secondary data at locations throughout a geological formation where secondary data is unknown. The neural networks are trained to estimate secondary data using locations in the geological formation as input. Subsequently, the secondary data is deleted from memory using the trained neural network as a proxy representation to reduce memory footprint and allow for estimation of secondary data at locations where it is unknown.

Geological property modeling with neural network representations

Hybrid 3D geocellular grids are generated to represent a subset of a natural fracture network ('NFN') directly in the simulation, while the remainder of the NFN is approximated by a multi-continuum formulation. The resulting output is a 3D geocellular grid that possesses a higher level of mesh resolution in those areas surrounding the first fracture subsets, and lower mesh resolution in the areas of the second fracture subset.

Hybrid 3D geocellular representation of selected natural fracture network subsets

A system and method for controlling a gas supply to provide gas lift for a production wellbore makes use of Bayesian optimization. A computing device controls a gas supply to inject gas into one or more wellbores. The computing device receives reservoir data associated with a subterranean reservoir to be penetrated by the wellbores and can simulate production using the reservoir data and using a physics-based or machine learning or hybrid physics-based machine learning model for the subterranean reservoir. The production simulation can provide production data. A Bayesian optimization of an objective function of the production data subject to any gas injection constraints can be performed to produce gas lift parameters. The gas lift parameters can be applied to the gas supply to control the injection of gas into the wellbore or wellbores.

Wellbore gas lift optimization

One example herein involves a method that includes identifying, based on a received reservoir specification: a set fractures including 2.5 dimensional (2.5D)-permitting fractures; and other fractures. The method further includes generating an intermediate reservoir model including an extrusion mesh which models the 2.5D-permitting fractures in a three-dimensional (3D) space. In response to determining that cells in the mesh should be refined in a direction within the 3D space, the method anisotropically refines cells in the mesh corresponding to the other fractures. The method also includes resolving a fracture network within the intermediate reservoir model using the refined cells and then generating a reservoir earth model using the fracture network.

Reservoir mesh creation using extended anisotropic, geometry-adaptive refinement of polyhedra

The disclosed embodiments include a method, apparatus, and computer program product for generating multiple correlated meshes around complex and discrete fractures for the purpose of reservoir simulation. In an initial two-stage process, a 2.5-dimensional mesher algorithm, may be used in conjunction with an extended anisotropic geometry-adaptive refinement algorithm to produce, from a structured grid Earth Model, a refined reservoir model. Fractures may be modeled as a volumetric mesh that is independent of the refined reservoir model. Thereafter, the two independent, overlapping meshes are combined by forming matrix-matrix, fracture-fracture, and matrix-fracture connections to form a single model to allow rapid simulation of an extremely complex fracture network with sufficiently accurate results.

Simulating fractured reservoirs using multiple meshes

A unified geological data representation is generated based on multiple disconnected geological data representations and provided to a computing device. The unified geological data representation is generated based on combining respective grid structures for each disconnected geological data representation. The unified geological data representation is processed by the computing device to generate multiple output collections of geological realization data, each output collection corresponding to a respective one of the disconnected geological data representations. One or more respective virtual models are generated for representation of the generated output collections of geological realization data, and provided for display.

Simulating a geological region with multiple realizations

The disclosed embodiments include a method, apparatus, and computer program product for generating hybrid computational meshes around complex and discrete fractures for the purpose of reservoir simulation. For example, one disclosed embodiment includes a method that comprises receiving a set of 3D fracture surfaces with geometry that has been discretized in a 2D manifold by a collection of polygons. The method defines a family of non-intersecting 2D slicing surfaces for slicing the set of 3D fracture surfaces. The method then uses the intersection of the 2D slicing surface with the 2D manifolds defining the fracture surfaces to create a set of 2D fractures on each slicing surface. Following a series of steps, the method generates three-dimensional shells connecting a set of stadia corresponding to each fracture on each 2D slicing surface to a corresponding set of stadia on a neighboring 2D slicing surface for creating a three-dimensional model.

Lofting algorithm for discrete network meshing

The disclosed embodiments include a method, apparatus, and computer program product for generating hybrid computational meshes around complex and discrete fractures for the purpose of reservoir simulation. For example, one embodiment is a computer-implemented method for modeling three-dimensional (3D) geological fractures. The method includes the steps of receiving a set of fractures with geometry that has been discretized in a two-dimensional plane by a collection of line segments. The method generates closed loops around all the line segments associated with a fracture using a set of stadia and further generates shape elements within the closed loops. A constrained mesh around the closed loops of the set of fracture is generated to fill in a remainder space of the two-dimensional plane. The cell elements in the two-dimensional plane can then be extruded in a third dimension to form a three-dimensional model usable for performing reservoir simulations.

2.5D stadia meshing

A system and method inserts fracture networks into an existing Earth Model that exists as a structured grid and physical property values. The fracture network is in the form of a surface mesh (manifold or non-manifold) in a three-dimensional ('3D') space. The structured grid of the Earth Model is then anisotropically refined to resolve the fractures and to provide appropriate cell grading in the near-fracture region. The generated Earth Model may be utilized in a variety of applications, including for example, a reservoir simulation.

Anisotropic geometry-adaptive refinement for reservoir mesh creation

The disclosed embodiments include a method, apparatus, and computer program product for modeling three dimensional objects, such as, but not limited to, fractures, for the purpose of reservoir simulation. For example, one disclosed embodiment includes a method that receives a set of 3D fractures with geometry that has been discretized by 2D surfaces by a collection of polygonal facets, generates a set of 3D stadia at specified radii around each facet in the collection of polygonal facet, generates closed 3D stadia surfaces around intersecting facets, discretizes all 3D stadia surfaces using various shape cells, generates 3D cells within each of the closed 3D stadia surfaces, and assigns each cell reservoir properties suitable for a numeric simulation program, such as, but not limited to, Nexus&#xae; Reservoir Simulation Software.

3D stadia algorithm for discrete network meshing

A method and system for generating an unstructured automatic mesh and executing computational algorithms using a finite element numerical approach is disclosed. The method is to model a hydrocarbon reservoir, wells, and completions as a single system, accounting for static information and transient behavior of wells, hydraulic fractures and reservoirs in a single model.

Method and system for modeling and predicting hydraulic fracture performance in hydrocarbon reservoirs

The disclosure is directed to a computer-implemented method of representing fluid flow in a physical fluid reservoir. The method includes generating a mesh representation of the physical fluid reservoir having a plurality of mesh elements. Each of the plurality of mesh elements is representative of a regional portion of the fluid reservoir. The method further includes generating a matrix-based representation of fluid flow comprising matrix elements associated with a mesh element and selectively weighting the matrix elements based on fluid flow direction in the regional portion of the fluid reservoir represented by the mesh element associated with the matrix element.

Method and system for representing reservoir systems

A method and system are disclosed for high-resolution modeling of a well bore in a reservoir. An embodiment of the present disclosure comprises the steps of constructing a first unstructured mesh having a plurality of n-dimensional simplices corresponding to a first modeled system (space), defining a surface bounding a second modeled space, identifying a subset of the plurality of n-dimensional simplices of the first mesh that are intersected by the surface, and modifying the subset of simplices so as to adapt the first mesh such that it comprises a second mesh and a third mesh, wherein the second mesh comprises a set of simplices located entirely interior to the surface and wherein the third mesh comprises another set of simplices located entirely exterior to said surface.

Method and system for high-resolution modeling of a well bore in a hydrocarbon reservoir

Methods and systems for adapting an unstructured mesh to a modeled space. In one embodiment, a surface is defined in the modeled space, intersections of the surface with the elements of the mesh are determined, and new elements within the intersected elements are defined such that one or more of the faces of the new elements are substantially coincident with the surface. For each element which is intersected by the surface, a plurality of points at which the edges of the element are intersected is determined. For each point of intersection, a new node is located at that point and two new elements which incorporate the new node are created. This process is performed for each of the points of intersection so that the intersected element is subdivided into an new elements which include faces that lie substantially on the modeled surface.

Method for modeling an arbitrary well path in a hydrocarbon reservoir using adaptive meshing

A method for simulating a physical system using finite element techniques, wherein two or more distinct models corresponding to distinct regions within the modeled system are solved, each with a corresponding evaluator. Nodes which lie on the boundaries between the models may have different values corresponding to the different models. When a particular model is solved, the evaluator for that model is used to obtain the appropriate values for each of these common nodes. In one embodiment, a first model is defined, then a region corresponding to a particular feature within the system is carved out of it. A finite element model corresponding to the feature is then inserted into the region. The finite elements may be adapted to share nodes on the boundaries between them.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Steven Ward