Introduction to RE through Petrel

This is a quick exercise going through the creation of a very simplified ECLIPSE model in Petrel RE,
consisting of a cubic grid with a producer well in the center. A constant pressure boundary condition is
set on the borders by the implementation of an aquifer, and its influence is analyzed through three
ECLIPSE simulations. Throughout all steps it is expected that a parallel to real field cases are made, in
order to teach Reservoir Engineering through a practical workflow.

1. Setting unit system in our new project

We will start from a new project in Petrel. Take a few minutes to

familiarize yourself with the interface in case you need to. We will
now set the unit projects to metric. To do so, click on Project on
the menu bar and then Project Settings. Now click on the tab Units
and coordinates. Make sure the Unit system is set to Metric.

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2. Creating the simple grid

Our grid will be created from the Make simple grid process,
which can be found under Utilities in the Process pane.
Double-click it and, on the first tab, Input data, fill in the
following parameters:

Top: -1524
Bottom: -1578
 With that, we just specified the top and bottom limits
of our grid. Now click the next pane, Geometry and fill
in the following values:

XMax: 330
YMax: 330
Xinc: 30
Yinc: 30

This will provide our areal limits (going from 0 to 330

meters on both X and Y), and divide it into 11x11 grid
blocks (or 12x12 nodes). Hit Ok and a new model with
a grid inside named 3D Grid will be stored in the
Models pane.

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3. Creating the vertical subdivision
In order to make the vertical subdivision (layering), we need to go through three steps:

a. Create boundary
surfaces
On the Models pane, expand
New model and 3D grid. Right-
click Skeleton and select
Convert to surface. These will
be stored in a folder under the
Input pane.

b. Creating the horizons

In the Processes pane, under Structural modeling, double-click the process Make horizons to open its

dialog window. Click the Append item in table button twice to add two lines which will create the
horizons. Highlight the surface Top under the Input pane by clicking its name once, and then drop it in
the Make Horizons process by clicking the blue arrow icon in line 1 under the Input #1 column. Do the
same with the Base surface for line 2. Hit Ok after your process window looks like the following:

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This will add new items, horizons, to the Models pane.

c. Layering
With the horizons defined, we
can now do layering by activating
the Layering process under
Structural modeling in the
Processes pane. Change the
number of layers to 6 and keep all
the other settings default. Hit Ok
when done.

4. Creating petrophysical properties

We will populate our model with simple petrophysical properties: porosity of 20%, areal permeabilities
of 200 mD and vertical permeability corresponding to 10% of areal permeability.
We will create them via the Calculator. To
open it, navigate to the Models pane and,
under 3D Grid, right-click Properties and
choose Calculator.

Choose Porosity under Attach new to

template, and type the following
equation in the empty field next to the
blue arrow icon:

PORO = 0.2

Hit Enter when you are done. Now change the template to
Permeability and enter the equation:

PERM = 200

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Hit Enter once again when done. Finally, change the
template to Permeability Z and type in the equation:

PERMZ = 0.1*PERM

And after hitting Enter, notice how all the properties are
stored under Properties inside 3D grid (Models pane).

With that, our static model is complete, and we can now

work on the other inputs.

5. Creating the well

We will now create our centered, vertical well. Click on Insert, which can
be found in the menu bar, and select New well folder.

New well folders are stored in the Input pane. Click on Insert again, but
now choose New well. Create a well with the following parameters:
 Name: Producer
Well symbol: (3) Oil
Well head X: 165
Well head Y: 165
Specify vertical trace: checked
Top MD: 0
Bottom MD: 1700

The well will be stored under our well folder in the Input pane. Next, we
can work on our fluid model and saturation functions. We will not add
completions to the well. This means that, by default, Petrel will consider
that it is completed (perforated) in all layers.

6. Creating a fluid model

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We create the fluid model by accessing the
Make fluid model process, which can be
found under Simulation in the Processes
pane. First we click the Use defaults button
and select Heavy oil + gas.
Next, we will supply a series of initial conditions. To do so, we switch to the Initial conditions tab and fill
in the following data:

Name: No GOC
Pressure (bar): 207
Datum depth (m): -1493
Gas-oil contact (m): -1493
Oil-gas PC (bar): 0
Water contact (m): -1554
Water-oil Pc (bar): 0

Hit Ok when done. Notice that we defined our GOC

outside of the model boundaries and the WOC inside
it. The fluid models are stored in a Fluids folder inside
the Input pane. Try to visualize this data in a Function

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window.

7. Creating rock physics functions

Activate the dialog for Make rock physics functions
under Simulation in the Processes pane. Click the
button for Use defaults and choose Sand. Hit Apply.
 Next, toggle the first dropdown menu (which should now
read Saturation Function) and choose Rock Compaction
Function. Click the Use defaults button again and pick
Consolidated sandstone.

Hit Ok when done. The new functions are stored in the

Input pane under a Rock physics functions folder. You
should inspect these in a Function window.

8. Creating the aquifer

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We will model an aquifer as a constant pressure at the
side boundaries of our system.

Double-click the Make aquifer process found under

Simulation in the Processes pane.

First we need to create a polygon surrounding our entire

model, so we click the button Start new set of polygons

(deactivate old) which can be found on the right

sidebar. Then, click outside of the model on three
corners of the square, and finish by clicking the Close

selected polygon(s) button . The created polygon is

stored in the Input pane as Polygons 1, and can be
renamed it by highlighting its name and pressing F2.
Give it the name Aquifer boundary.

Back to the Make aquifer dialog; change the Aquifer

model to Constant pressure/head water. Now, select
the Connections tab and drop in the Aquifer boundary
polygon you just created.
 Switch to the Properties tab and change the following
parameters, leaving the others as default:

Pressure: 200
Datum: -1551
Fluid model: Heavy oil + gas (drop it in using the blue arrow from
the input pane)

Hit Ok when done. The aquifer is stored under our grid in the
Models pane.

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9. Creating development strategies
Next, we create the flow controls for our single well. Two strategies should be created, both based on a
constant oil rate control, however one will be limited by a BHP.

Double-click the Make simulation

strategy process under Simulation in
the Processes pane. Click the Use
defaults button and select Prediction
depletion strategy. Name the new
strategy ORAT.

We will simulate one year in total.

Switch the final date (2030-01-01) to
2011-01-01 by highlighting it and
pressing F2.

Select the Group rate production

control (Field) rule, and under the Oil
rate (sm3/d) field, insert a value of 50. Notice that since this group consists of only one well, this
corresponds to a well control. Also note that the BHP limit is set to 1 bar under the Well pressure
production control (Wells Folder) rule. Leave all the other settings default and press Apply.
 Now, for the BHP strategy, toggle the
radio button on top back to Create
new development strategy. Change
the name to ORAT + BHP. Select the
Well pressure production control
rule and change the Bottom hole
pressure (bar) limit to 138. Hit Ok.

The development strategies should

be stored in the Input pane under the
Development strategies folder.
Notice that we now have all the
necessary information to create our
simulation cases.

10. Defining the simulation cases

At this point, save your project in
case have not done so yet, by going
to the File menu and choosing Save

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project.

Double click the Define simulation

case process found under
Simulation in the Processes pane.
Give the case the name ORAT.
Inspect the Grid tab but do not make
any changes yet.

Switch to the Functions tab. We will

now drop in the relative
permeability, fluid and rock
compaction inputs we created
earlier. First, select Sand from the
input pane and drop it in via the blue
arrow as the Rel perms item.

Click the next item, Black oil fluid model, and drop in the initial condition No GOC from the input pane.
Next, choose the final item, Rock compaction, and drop in the Consolidated sandstone function, also

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from the Input pane.

Switch to the Strategies tab. Click the Append item in table button once and drop in the ORAT
development strategy. Click Apply. Now Export and Run the case by clicking the appropriate buttons,
Petrel will automatically load the results.
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Before we check on the results, we will create
two additional simulation cases. Still on the
Define simulation case dialog, toggle the upper
radio button to Create new and give it the name
ORAT_BHP. Change to the Strategies tab and
replace the ORAT strategy by ORAT + BHP.
Apply the changes, then Export and Run the
case.

We will create a final case building from

ORAT_BHP. Again, on the same Define
simulation case dialog, toggle the upper radio
button to Create new and give the case the
name ORAT_BHP_AQUIFER. Switch to the Grid
pane. Click the Append item in table button

and, on the row inserted, choose Aquifer,

which is the last item on the drop-down list.

Drop in Aquifer from the Models pane via the blue arrow. Apply the changes and then Export and Run
the case. After the case runs, close the dialog window.
 11. Visualizing the results
Open a new function window by selecting Window from the menu bar and clicking on New function
window. Different results are stored in the Results pane, and cases organized in the Cases pane. Try
activating the checkboxes to analyze different results such as Field Pressure and Field Oil Production
Rate.

As a final discussion, consider the effect of the aquifer as an energy provider to the system.

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