Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION TO PETREL.......................................................................................................... 2
Exercise Overview:.................................................................................................................... 2
Exercise Data............................................................................................................................ 2
A) STARTING PETREL............................................................................................................... 2
Comments................................................................................................................................. 3
B) PETREL INTERFACE.............................................................................................................. 3
Menu Bar / Tool Bar................................................................................................................... 3
Petrel Explorer........................................................................................................................... 3
Process Diagram....................................................................................................................... 4
Display Window......................................................................................................................... 4
C) DATA INFORMATION.............................................................................................................. 4
Editing Well Tops....................................................................................................................... 4
Checking Statistics.................................................................................................................... 5
D) VISUALIZATION..................................................................................................................... 5
Settings - Color, line width, operations, etc................................................................................5
Defining a Cross Section (General Intersection)........................................................................7
Defining a Vertical Well Section................................................................................................. 8

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Introduction to Petrel
The goal of this exercise is to introduce you to the Petrel program, its interface, file structures and
visualization tools. A set of exercises has been prepared to guide you through some basic
functionalities in Petrel such as visualizations, settings, and the general user interface. Feel free to
play with the demo data project as you wish

Exercise Overview:
A)

Starting Petrel

B)

Petrel Interface

C)

Data Information

D)

Visualization

Each section is meant to introduce you to a critical part of running the Petrel program. This
knowledge will allow you to feel comfortable using Petrel to work the other exercises in this course
and using Petrel on your job.

Exercise Data
You will be working in a Student directory that has been assigned to you, and all projects and other
data that you create, should be saved under this directory. This directory is found under the Petrel
Class directory (see figure below). The data used in this exercise exists in a Petrel project that has
already been prepared for you. That project is named Gullfaks_Demo and is found in the Projects
directory, also under the Petrel Class directory.

A) Starting Petrel
Starting the Petrel Program differs from company to company. During this course you will run Petrel
by using a bitlock, and open the program by using the procedure described below.

1.

Start the Petrel Program by double-clicking on the Petrel icon

2.

If a bitlock is being used, then an introduction window to Petrel will first erupt before the
Petrel program window pops up.

3.

Open the Gullfaks_Demo project. Do this by clicking on File > Open Project and selecting the
Gullfaks_Demo.pet file from the Projects directory.

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4.

Copy the project: Save it to your student directory by first selecting File > Save as. Select the
Student directory as the directory where to save the project, and give it a new name, for
instance Ex-1. Press Save.

Comments
If you are not using a bitlock, then the first thing you will see when opening Petrel, is a Net License
Modules window asking you which module package you want to run. At your shop you may have
several levels of licenses. You will want to use the license having the functionality you need for the
work you are to do.

B) Petrel Interface
The Petrel program window is separated into three main areas. These are the Petrel Explorer in the
top left corner, Process Diagram in the bottom left corner, and display window and tool bar on the
right side. At the top of the Petrel Program window is a standard tool bar. To the right there is a tool
bar as well, called the Function bar. The available tools in the function bar depend on the selected
process.
Petrel Explorer: Contains all the data, sorted in different tabs. All data that are not linked to any 3D
grid will be stored under the Input tab. Examples are wells and well tops, interpreted lines,
polygons, functions, well sections, 2D grids and more. All data linked to a 3D grid will be stored
together with the 3D grid information under the Models tab. Examples are generated faults, gridded
horizons, 3D properties, zones, etc.
Process Diagram: Contains a list of all available processes in Petrel. They are sorted in the order
they should be used, and the first processes will have to be executed before you get access to
processes down the list. Example: You must create a 3D grid before you can insert horizons into it,
and you must create zones before you can insert layers into it.

Menu Bar / Tool Bar

Like most PC software, the menu bar has the standard File, Edit, View, etc. pull-down menus as
well as some standard tools for open new project, save project, and more found in the tool bar just
below the menu bar. In Petrel the tool bar also contains display tools. In addition there are icons in
a second tool bar, to the right in the Petrel project window, with additional Petrel related
functionality. The latter tool bar is called the Function bar, and the tools available depend on which
process has been selected in the Process Diagram.

Exercise Steps
1.

Click on each of the items in the top tool bar to see what is available. You may want to
experiment with some of the more interesting options.

2.

Slowly run your mouse over the icons in the second tool bar. Text will appear describing the
function of each icon.

3.

Click on the What's This

icon and then click on one of the other icons. A more detailed
description of its functionality will appear.

Petrel Explorer
The Petrel Explorer (top left corner) works just like the windows explorer on any PC. File folders
can be opened and closed by clicking on the plus and minus signs. You will notice the tabs at the
bottom of the Petrel Explorer. These move you from one major group of files to another. You will
spend most of your time in the Input and Model tabs.

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Exercise Steps
1.

Click on the Input tab.

2.

Expand one of the folders so its contents are displayed.

3.

Right click on several of the folders to see what options are available. Select settings from
the list of options. A window pops up providing several functions available for that folder

4.

Right click on a file and select settings. Note what is available for the file.

5.

Click on the Models tab at the bottom of the Petrel Explorer and browse the files under that
tab. Experiment with other options by right clicking on different items.

Process Diagram
The process diagram lists in processing order the major activities commonly performed in Petrel.
During any one project you will not typically visit all these activities.

Exercise Steps
1.

Click on several of the listed functions. Note how the icons in the tool bar to the right of the
display window change. One or two of the icons in the upper tool bar will also change. You
will also note that the function's name is highlighted. This means that that function is active.

2.

Double click on a function to see the Dialog for that function. These dialogs vary in
complexity depending upon the function. Browse through the tabs of this dialog. Look at the
dialogs for other processes.

Display Window
The display window is where all graphic activity takes place. A variety of windows can be displayed
in this area, examples are 3D and 2D windows, Well Section window (for Well Correlation),
Interpretation window (for seismic interpretation), Map/Intersection windows (for plotting), and
more.

Exercise Steps
1.

Click on Window menu in the top tool bar. A list of available display window types is displayed
at the top of the list. At the bottom of the list are the currently active display windows.

C) Data Information
One of the most important aspects of building any model is understanding the data and checking
the quality of the files built from that data. There are many ways to review data in Petrel. Most of
them are visual, however, some are textual and very useful. These include listing a files contents,
using the editor to view the top picks, and file statistics.

Editing Well Tops

1.

Petrel has an editor for use with Well tops.

2.

Right click on the Well Tops folder under the Input tab of the Petrel Explorer and select Editor.
A window pops up containing all the information available on the well tops.

3.

Browse through this data and experiment with changes to the file. Do NOT save your
changes, Cancel out of this window when you are through.

4.

Parts of, or all the information can be selected and then copied and pasted directly into Excel.
Copy the desired rows or cells by first selecting the items and then clicking on the Copy
icon.

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Checking Statistics
Whether importing files, building new files, or reviewing someone else's project, you should check
the statistics of important files and avoid those embarrassing surprises.
1.

Under the Import tab of the Petrel Explorer, Select one of the surfaces and go to its Settings
dialog (right-click on the file and select Settings).

2.

Go to the Statistics tab and check the range and character (positive or negative) of its Zvalues. Note, Petrel always works with sub-sea values being negative (deeper values are
smaller numbers). This is also the case when working with data in the time domain; Z-values
representing time values below MSL, are negative.

3.

Check other file's statistics.

4.

Check the statistics on a file folder. What information is provided? Try the Well Tops folder.

D) Visualization
There are many types of display windows. Some are used often and others only once in a while.
These exercises provide a brief introduction to some of the more commonly used display tools.
They also walk you through some of the less intuitive parts of those displays. In this way you should
be more comfortable using those displays in later exercises and on the job.

Exercise Steps
1.

Open a 3D display window and display a file from the Petrel Input tab by toggling on the
checkbox next to it

2.

Click on the Viewing Mode (v)

icon (top of function bar) and move your mouse over the
display. A hand should appear for your cursor. This means you can manipulate the display.

a.
b.
c.
3.

Left click and move the mouse

Hold the shift or control key down, left click, and move the mouse
Hold both the shift and control keys down, left click, and move the mouse.

Hit the escape key and note how your cursor changes to an arrow. This change could be
achieved by clicking on the Set Select/Pick Mode

a.

icon (close to top of function bar).

Click on an item in the display, using the arrow. Note the information that is displayed
to the bottom right of the window.

4.

Open a 2D window and display the same file(s) as were displayed in the 3D window. Note that
objects do not display simultaneously in different windows. Object to be displayed must be
selected for each window.

5.

Place the 2D window beside the 3D window. Do this by clicking on the Window button in the
top tool bar and selecting Tile Vertical.

Settings - Color, line width, operations, etc.

Every object, both in the Input and the Models tab, has a Settings window associated with them.
You can always enter the Settings by either double-clicking or right-clicking and selecting Settings.
In the settings window you can define the display settings, such as line thickness, colors, contour
increment, do operations, change the name, etc.

Exercise Steps
1.

Open just the 3D window and clear it of all items, and place the Top Tarbert surface in the
window.

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2.

Enter the Settings for the Top Tarbert surface by right-clicking on the surface and selecting
Settings

3.

Go to the Style tab and note that you can define the contour increment here and set the line
width. Also, you can display the surface with a constant color or a color as a function of depth.

4.

Go to the Colors tab. Here you can define the colors to be used.

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Defining a Cross Section (General Intersection)

A general intersection is a plane cutting through the data in a display. Data can be displayed on this
plane and the plane can be used to restrict the display of data in the view on one side or the other
of the plane. Use the Exercise Steps below as a reference throughout this course when you need to
generate a General Intersection.

Exercise Steps
1.

De-select all your data and display only the Top Tarbert surface

2.

Right-click on the folder containing the surfaces and select Insert General Intersection. A
plane will be inserted running north-south through your model. You can change the color and
the transparency of the plane by entering the settings for it (right-click and select Settings)

3.

There is a 'player' associated with this plane, found in the bottom of the Petrel window
whenever the general intersection is being displayed.

a.

The blue box

, Toggle Visualization on Plane, is the 'magic' button that must be
active (bold) when defining what to be displayed on the plane itself (not in 3D)

b.

Then there are 6 icons used for playing through the model with a given increment. The
increment is in 'project units' (i.e. the units specified to be the units for the current
project, either feet or meters, defined under Project Settings > Info)

c.

There are four icons for aligning the plane in the vertical or horizontal direction.

d.

Read about the blue rectangle by first pressing the What's This
clicking on the Align camera with plane
icon.

e.

The scissors are used to clip the displayed items either in front of the plane or behind
the plane

f.

The three 'snappers' can be used to position the plane into a wanted position

4.

Orienting the Plane: Use the Align East to West

5.

Select the Manipulate Plane

plane along the axis.

a.

icon and then

or the Align Plane Vertically

tool.

icon from the Function Bar, click on the plane and drag the

To move the plane in any direction, hold the Ctrl-key at the same time as you are
moving the plane. Note that the axis of rotation is positioned depending on where you
point at the plane when you start the movement. The movement might be easier if you
constrain the plane to be vertical, you can do that by selecting the Align Plane
Vertically
tool. If you have toggled on either 'Align North-South' or 'Align East-West'
then you will not be able to move the plane in any other direction.

6.

Clip behind the plane by pressing Clip behind Plane

7.

Displaying data on the plane:

tool.

a.

Click on the Blue Button

. Note that many of the previous white boxes under the
Input tab (and also under the Models tab when you have data there also) turn blue.

b.

Click on the blue box in front of all the surfaces: Base Cretaceous, Top Tarbert, Top
Ness and Top Etive.

c.

To change the line thickness of the displayed surfaces on the plane, go to the Settings
window for the general intersection and change the surface width under the Input
Settings tab.

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d.

Note that there is a Ghost limit option under the Input Settings tab: This is used for
instance when displaying interpreted lines from seismic on a plane. Since the
interpreted lines may not coincide with the general intersection plane, a ghost limit can
be specified to show an area around the plane.

8.

Drag the plane through the model

(remember that you need to have
the Manipulate Plane icon active to
move it). You can also play through
the model by using the player
option to the lower left (Step plane
forwards/backwards, Play plane
forwards/backwards, Stop).

9.

Snapping the plane to a desired

position: Click on the Snap
Intersection Plane to 2 Points
tool and click on two points on the
Top Tarbert surface to snap the
plane through these two points.

Defining a Vertical Well

Section
A vertical section can be generated through any well path or along a user-defined polygon (line).

Exercise Steps
1.

Right-click on one of the wells and select Create Vertical Well Intersection

2.

Use the blue button in the lower left corner to display items on the well intersection, as
described in the section above; Toggle on the blue button, several items in the Petrel Explorer
turn blue, any blue item can be displayed on the well intersection.

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