Petrel RE:

Simulating Hydraulic Fractures with Tartan Grids

James Li, SIS

I. Setup project unit system

I-1. Start Petrel program or start a new project (File\New project);

I-2. Open the project settings window (Project\Project Settings);

I-3. Select the Coordinates and units tab, select Unit system to be Field, then click OK:
II. Create a simple Tartan 3D grid

II-1. On the Processes tab, open the Utilities category and then double click on the Make
simple grid process:
II-2. In the Make simple grid window, enter myGrid as the new grid name, Enter the values
on the Input tab and Geometry tab as shown below:
II-3. On the Tartan grid tab, check the Make tartan grid check box. On the I direction tab,
insert five rows with the insert button ( ) and select Logarithmic, Central option and enter
the data as shown below. On the J direction tab, enter the data as shown.
II-4. Click Apply and OK buttons. A mash with 5 logarithmic distributed patterns in the x-
direction and uniform cells in the y-direction is created. Each logarithmic pattern spans 400 ft
with the inner most cells to be 0.1 ft thick, which can be used to represent a hydraulic fracture
plane in a simulation model.

Note: The inner most cell in a Petrel generated Tartan mash may not be the smallest (thinnest)
one, as shown below.

To view the mash, open a 3D or 2D window and select Skeleton/Top:

II-5. On the Models tab, open New model and myGrid (clicking the + icon), right click on
Skeleton and select Convert to surface menu, and three surfaces are created on the Input
tab:
II-6. On Processes tab, open the Corner point gridding category and double click on Make
horizons process.

II-7. In Make horizons window. Click the Insert button ( ) and add three rows in the
table, select the Top surface on the Input tab, then click the first blue arrow ( ) in the
Input #1 column to drop the surface in the table; select the Mid surface on the Input tab, then
click the second blue arrow in the Input #1 column to drop the surface in the table; select the
Base surface on the Input tab, then click the third blue arrow in the Input #1 column to drop
the surface in the table. Then click Apply and OK to exit.
II-8. On Processes tab, open Corner point gridding category and double click on Layering
process, change Number of layers to 2 for both zones. Click Apply and OK to exit.
III. Create a 3D permeability property

III-1. In order to easily set the permeability values for the hydraulic fracture planes (inner
most cells for each logarithmic pattern), a cell width property will be created first. On the
Processes tab, open the Property modeling category and double click the Geometrical
modeling process:

III-2. In the Geometrical modeling window, select the Cell width Method, then click Apply
and OK.
III-3. On the Models tab, open the Properties folder, a Cell X dimension property is created,
rename the property to be dx:

III-4. On the Models tab, right click on Properties and select the Calculator menu:
III-5. On the Calculator window, select Permeability as the template under Attach new to
template, then enter perm=0.001 in the text box, then click the ENTER button. This assigns
the permeability values of 0.001 for all cells in the 3D grid.

Type perm=If( dx=0.1, 10000 , perm) and click ENTER button again. This assigns the
permeability values of 10,000 for all the hydraulic fracture plane cells.

III-6. Open a new 3D window (Window/New 3D window), open the Properties folder on the
Models tab and select the radio button on the left side of perm, the perm property is shown
in the 3D window. Click on the Show/hide grid lines icon (the third icon on the function bar
on the right hand side) to show grid lines:
III-7. Right click on perm property and select Color table menu, click the Max and Min
buttons to scale color table. Right click on perm property and select Create 1D filters menu,
move the Min pointer up a little to view hydraulic planes.
IV. Add a simple horizontal well
IV-1. Select the Insert/New well menu to bring up the Create new well window, enter values
and options as shown below. Click OK button to exit.

IV-2. On the Input tab, right click on H1 well and select Spreadsheet menu:
IV-3. In the well trace spreadsheet window, use the insert button ( ) to add a row in the
table, then enter the values as shown below. Click OK button, a simple horizontal H1 well is
created (Use the J icon on the function bar to show only a slice of the grid).
V. Create PVT property
V-1. On the Processes tab, open Simulation category and double click on the Make fluid
model process:
V-2. In the Make fluid model window, click on the Use presets button and select Dry gas:
V-3. Enter the following values on the Initial conditions tab (keep values on other tabs
unchanged). Click Apply and OK to exit.
V-4. The newly created PVT property is stored in the Fluids folder on the Input tab, the
properties can be plotted on a function window (use Window/New function window to open a
new function window):
VI. Create rock physics functions
VI-1. On the Processes tab, open Simulation category and double click on the Make rock
physics functions process:
VI-2. In the Make rock physics functions window, click on the Use presets button and
select Shaly sand, then click Apply:
VI-3. Switch the Function type to Rock compaction function, then click the Use presets
button and select Consolidated sandstone, then click Apply and OK to exit.
VI-4. The newly created rock physics functions are stored in the Rock physics functions
folder on the Input tab, the properties can be plotted on a function window (remove
previously plotted PVT properties by un-checking those properties):
VII. Create a simple development strategy

VII-1. On the Processes tab, open Simulation category and double click on the Make
development strategy process:
VII-2. On the Input tab, select the Wells folder name. In the Make development strategy
window, use the blue arrow icon ( ) to drop the Wells folder in the Wells folder tree on
the left hand side. Change the end date from 2031-01-01 to 2021-01-01:

VII-3. In the Make development strategy window, click the Add rules icon ( ) to bring
up the Add rules window, then select the Well pressure production control rule (either
double click on the rule or use the Add rule button), then close the rule window.
VII-4. In the Make development strategy window, select the H1 well in Wells folder, use
the blue arrow icon in the Parameter values column to drop the well in the Wells row.
Switch the Control mode to Bottom hole pressure and then enter a value of 500 for the
Bottom hole pressure [psi] row. Click Apply and OK to exit.

VII-5. Use File/Save project to save the new project with a name to a folder of your choice.
VIII. Define and run a simulation case

VIII-1. On the Processes tab, open Simulation category and double click on the Define
simulation case process:
VIII-2. In the Define simulation case window:
1. Enter Case1 as case name (no spaces are allowed in the case name);
2. Select ECLIPSE 100 as Simulator;
3. Select Single porosity as Type;
4. Un-check Porosity [PORO] check boxes, and enter values as shown below;
5. On the Models tab, select perm property, use the blue arrow in the Input column to
drop the perm property on the three permeability rows.
VIII-3. In the Define simulation case window, switch to the Functions tab. Select Shaly
sand in the Rock physics functions folder on the Input tab and then use the blue arrow
under Rel perms to drop the property in:

VIII-4. Switch to the Rock compaction item. Select Consolidated sandstone in the Rock
physics functions folder on the Input tab and then use the blue arrow under Compaction to
drop the property in:
VIII-5. Switch to the Black oil fluid model (PVT) item. Select Initial condition 1 in the
Fluids folder on the Input tab and then use the blue arrow under Initial condition to drop the
PVT property in:

VIII-6. In the Define simulation case window, switch to the Strategies tab. Use the insert
button ( ) to add a row in the table, then select Development strategy 1 in the
Development strategies folder on the Input tab and then use the blue arrow under
Development Strategy to drop the property in:
VIII-7. Click the Export button to export the simulation case, if any error messages are
shown, fix the problems accordingly.

VIII-8. Click the Run button to run the simulation case, if any error messages are shown, fix
the problems accordingly. After the case is successfully run, there should be no error numbers
reported in the following ECLIPSE simulator window:
IX. View summary results
IX-1. Use Window/New function window to open a new function window.
IX-2. On Cases tab, check the Case1 check box.
IX-3. On Results tab, check Field in the Identifier folder.
IX-4. Open the Dynamic results data folder and the Cumulatives folder, then check the
Gas production cumulative check box to plot the curve.
X. View dynamic 3D results
X-1. Use Window/New 3D window to open a new 3D window.
X-2. On Cases tab, check the Case1 radio button.
X-3. On Results tab, open the Dynamic folder and check the Pressure radio button.
X-4. Right click on Pressure and select Color table menu to scale the color table:

X-5. Use the time step combo box (lower left corner) or the play buttons to view pressure
changes vs. time:
XI. Comparison with a case with no hydraulic fractures
XI-1. Bring up the Define simulation case process and create a new case as below:

XI-2. Run the Case_No_HF case and then show the Gas production cumulative comparison:
XI-3. Show the Pressure distribution at the end of the simulation.