Analytical upgridding based on pressure profile preservation for reservoir simulation models.
90% of the dynamic performance with 10% of the effort.
Reproduce fine scale model behavior at a fraction of the size, translating into flow simulations up to 100 times faster.
Optimize your vertical upscaling design: automatic determination of the optimum number of layers and the best grouping, eliminating empirical decisions.
Preserve dynamic heterogeneity: the coarsened model reproduces the pressure profile of the fine scale model, retaining the dynamic behavior that actually matters for simulation.
Drastically reduce simulation time: substantially smaller simulation models with no compromise on result accuracy.
CONNECT-Upgrid is a native Petrel® plug-in that automates two of the most critical decisions in the reservoir modeling workflow: defining the optimum number of layers and the best layer design (combination) to build the simulation grid.
Traditionally, reducing geological layers down to simulation scale is a decision based on the engineer's experience and machine time constraints, with no guarantee that the dynamically relevant heterogeneity is preserved. Methods such as proportional upgridding, natively available in Petrel, combine layers without considering their petrophysical properties, indistinguishably grouping layers with completely different pressure profiles and degrading the dynamic performance of the coarsened model.
CONNECT-Upgrid replaces this approach with an analytical methodology grounded in the preservation of the pressure profile of the fine scale model within the coarse scale model. Layers with similar pressure distributions are combined first, while layers with distinct profiles are isolated, ensuring that the coarsened model faithfully reproduces the dynamic behavior of the original model.
The plug-in is developed in partnership with Kelkar & Associates Inc., based in Tulsa, USA.
The CONNECT-Upgrid methodology uses pressure profile, a dynamic variable, as the criterion for layer grouping, an approach proven superior to purely static methods based solely on property variation. Core capabilities include:
Analytical layer grouping: For each pair of adjacent layers that are candidates for combination, the algorithm computes an error function derived from Darcy's equation, comparing the pressure profile of the original layers with the pressure profile resulting from the combined layer. Layers are merged progressively in a way that minimizes the difference between fine and coarse scale pressure profiles.
Dual criterion for the optimum number of layers: The module provides two complementary indicators to support the choice of the optimum number of layers:
Design Factor (DF): ranges between 0 and 1. Higher values indicate an effective design in separating distinct layers; lower values indicate the design behaves closer to a proportional layering method.
Error per Layer (EPL): when this curve starts to climb, the reservoir is being over homogenized.
The recommended choice combines the point of maximum DF before the EPL trend begins to rise.
Preserved heterogeneity curve: A complementary plot showing the percentage of heterogeneity conserved as a function of the number of layers retained, allowing the user to visualize the direct impact of grouping.
Quality Control with pseudo properties: For each layer design candidate, the module generates 3D properties projected back onto the fine scale model, enabling direct visual comparison (cross sections, histograms, well panels) between the original model and the grouping scenario before the coarse grid is actually built.
Automatic simulation grid generation: he plug-in is capable of automatically creating a new pillar grid using either the optimum number of layers recommended by the algorithm or the number of layers selected by the user, eliminating manual steps of structural grid reconstruction.
The algorithm is analytical and requires no fine scale flow simulation, making it computationally efficient even for large geocellular models.
A consolidated tool in the E&P market, used by multiple operators worldwide in reservoir modeling projects and flow simulation studies.
Commercial licensing via SLB Ocean Store, with direct technical support from the engineering teams at DeepSoft and Kelkar & Associates.