SPE 164420

Petrel Workflow for Adjusting Geomodel Properties for Simulation

David R. Hoffman, Tatweer Petroleum
Copyright 2013, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Middle East Oil and Gas Show and Conference held in Manama, Bahrain, 1013 March 2013.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to
reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.


Abstract
During the initialization phase of a simulation modeling project, one of the most critical problems to overcome is the
inevitable disconnect between the geomodel properties and reservoir performance in completion intervals. These
disconnects can be the result of incorrect perforations, simple data errors, and/or poor reservoir characteristics.
Poor reservoir characteristics, in turn, can be the result of sparse or clustered well control, erroneous petrophysical
interpretations, or improper model property distribution. A simple Petrel-based workflow is described which can be
used to automatically modify geomodel properties in model cells associated with completion intervals. Using the
modified model properties, the numerical simulation model can be initialized and the simulation engineer can work
on other early-modeling issues, while the modified property can be used to isolate property modeling errors for
further evaluation and correction in the geomodel
.
The workflow makes the basic assumption that if an interval has been perforated at any time in the well history,
then that portion of the reservoir is assumed to meet minimum reservoir criteria for pay. Using the historical well
events, a pseudo-log is created and used to generate a Petrel model property. This property is then used to
evaluate and/or modify reservoir properties in completion zones. If a completed zone has reservoir properties
which do not meet pay cut-off criteria, that interval is modified by the workflow so that it passes the pay cut-off
without changing other parts of the geomodel. In the Awali Field model tested, the modified cells constituted less
than 1% of the total model volume and the modified geomodel eliminates non-connection errors in the simulation
model (however, the reservoir quality issues still exist). Using property filters, the modified cells can then be used
to by the geomodeler to isolate the problem areas of the model for further evaluation and correction. Although this
methodology is presented using Petrel as the geomodeling platform, the same approach could be easily adapted
to most geocellular modeling applications.

Introduction
The use of 3D geocellular models has become both commonplace and necessary to conduct numerical simulation
of reservoir performance. Although most geoscientists and engineers agree that the process of numerical
simulation is iterative, the feedback loop between reservoir engineers and geoscientists is often times less than
perfect. One of the most common problems experienced in the early stages of a simulation project is the
disconnection between actual production and perforated intervals in the geocellular model. Producing zones which
are not connected in the model can be caused by several problems (or a combination of problems), such as:

Incorrect Perforations
Production Allocation Problems
Poor Reservoir Characterization

Each of these problems must be evaluated and solved before an accurate numerical simulation will be meaningful.
The first two issues can be solved through careful, though tedious, checking of completion and workover records
and historical production data. The problem of poor reservoir characterization brings into question the fundamental
geological and petrophysical assumptions which were used to generate the geomodel in the first place. These
problems are often the most time-consuming and difficult to resolve, as they can result from a lack of sufficient
2 SPE 164420
local well log control, problems with individual or local petrophysical interpretations, and/or incorrect statistical
distribution of model properties.

Regardless of source of the problem(s), delaying the initial steps in the numerical simulation can be very
detrimental to the overall simulation project effort. Ideally, then, it would be very beneficial to have a method which
would allow modification of geomodel properties, but only in zones associated with confirmed production zones.
The workflow presented here provides that methodology, and results in a simulation-ready geomodel where
connection problems have been greatly reduced or eliminated altogether.

Assumptions and Limitations
The underlying and fundamental assumption employed in this workflow is that any completed interval in a well
which has been confirmed productive (including water-producing intervals) should meet minimum reservoir-quality
requirements. While there are several geocellular modeling and data management applications available, the
workflow process presented in this paper assume the use of Schlumbergers Petrel modeling software and
Landmark OpenWorks for data management.

Workflow
The workflow consists of six basic processes, not all of which will be required in all cases depending on the data
source available, or the stage in the overall geomodel construction:

Export of completion data from database
Reformatting of data for Petrel
Loading of production log data to Petrel
Upscaling of production logs
Creation of pseudo properties
Modification of geomodel properties

Export of Completion Data Even if completion intervals are present in the geomodel, it is sometimes easier to
start with the raw data directly from the database. Using Landmark OpenWorks, raw completion data are exported
using the Well Data Export utilities included in OpenWorks. Regardless of the source of the data, the goal is to
generate an ASCII-format text file which contains all the completions for each well in the field. The format of this
file can vary, but in this example has a format as shown in Figure 1.


Figure 1 - Format of exported completion data

In this example, the output data includes the well name, UWI, measured depth of the top and base of the
perforated interval, the type of well event (perforation, squeeze, etc.), the event data and event sequence, and the
perforated interval or zone.

SPE 164420 3
Reformatting of Data for Petrel This workflow requires that the raw completion interval data be converted into
pseudo-logs for each well, where completions are designated with values of 1 and the remainder of the well is
designated with 0 values (i.e. binary curves). Because there is no commercial software which can easily reformat
the data, the author developed a simple Visual Basic application which is used to do the reformatting. Figure 2
shows the user interface and summarizes the features and options of this program.

CUSTOM UTILITY TO RE-FORMAT COMPLETION DATA
PROGRAM FEATURES:
Input & Output File Name Selection
Standard file selection dialogs
Output Filename & Extension
Allows removal of header lines
Preview of Input Data File
UNIX-DOS Conversion Option
Input File Format Options
Custom formatting of data columns

Figure 2 - Reformatting completion data for Petrel

Once the data have been reformatted using the utility, pseudo-logs will have been created for each well, although
for convenience all the logs are included in a single multiplexed file to facilitate loading to Petrel. Figure 3 shows
the reformatted data ready to be loaded to Petrel:

4 SPE 164420
After processing the input data file using
the custom utility, all completions are
exported to a multiplexed set of data which
are in standard Petrel completion log
format. The log is a simple, binary
switch with 1 representing a perforation
and 0 indicating no perforation.
ORIGINAL INPUT DATA
COMPLETIONS CONVERTED TO
COMPLETION LOGS

Figure 3 - Data reformatted as production logs, and ready to be loaded to Petrel


Loading Production Logs to Petrel Now that the pseudo production logs have been generated they are loaded
to the Petrel project database. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the basic operation of Petrel with
regards to data loading, but Figure 4 illustrates the basic steps in Petrel which are used to load production logs

SPE 164420 5
IMPORTING COMPLETION LOGS TO PETREL
The completion logs are imported
by selecting the Import (on
selection) option from the context
menu on the Wells folder, then
selecting the Multiple well logs
option from the import dialog.
On the Input Data tab of the import dialog, set the column and file
format to match the input file format. If necessary, Units or Other
settings are modified on the Coordinates and Units tab.

Figure 4 - Loading completion interval data to Petrel as production logs


Upscale Production Logs The next step in the workflow is very important, as the completion information (as
production logs) must now be upscaled into the model so that model cells which are directly associated with
completions will have a unique value. As before, it is assumed that the reader is familiar with this process, but
Figure 5 shows the basic steps in this process.

6 SPE 164420
UPSCALING COMPLETION LOGS
Since the completion logs consist of 0 and
1 values, use the Maximum method for
scale-up averaging. Any model cell
intersecting a completion interval will be
assigned a value of 1
Before the completion data can be
used, the completed intervals
(represented by 1 on the
completion log) must be upscaled
into the Petrel model as a new
model property using the Scale Up
Well Logs process in Petrel.

Figure 5 - Upscaling completion data into the geomodel from production logs

Creating Pseudo-Properties in Geomodel Now that the model cells which intersect completed intervals have
been designated, the next steps in the workflow populate the model with reservoir-quality values for each property
to be modified, but only in completed intervals (the remainder of the model is filled with 0 values). Using the
Petrel property calculator (Figure 6), the entire model volume is filled with default values in completed intervals and
0 for all other model cells.

SPE 164420 7
CREATING PSEUDO-PROPERTIES
The conditional statement in the property
calculator sets the model property to the
chosen default in cells intersecting
completions and 0 values for the remainder
of the model volume.
Pseudo-properties are created in
the model using the Petrel
property calculator. A
conditional statement is used to
populate the model with default
property values for completed
zones, and values of 0 where
there are no completions

Figure 6 - Using the property calculator to create pseudo-properties


It is important to choose the default values for each property carefully, as these values can later be used to filter
the model for further quality control and evluation. In this example, for instance, the default value of porosity for a
completed interval is 0.1234. This value was chosen as it is extremely unlikely to occur in reality, but will still be
considered minimum reservoir quality in this particular reservoir. As discussed in the example later in this paper,
the default values can be used as a filter to identify portions of the model where artificial modifications have been
made.

Modification of Model Properties In the final workflow step, the Petrel property calculator is used to modify the
actual model properties. A logic statement compares each cell and replaces the actual property with the pseudo-
property if the pseudo-property is greater than the actual property. Since the pseudo-property can only exceed the
actual property in completed intervals (and only if the pseudo-property is larger), all the remaining model volume
will be unchanged. Figure 7 is an illustration of this process.

8 SPE 164420
In most cases, the remodeled property will be visually
indistinguishable from the original property. Remodeled
cells will generally comprise less than 1% of the total model
volume, as only cells intersecting completion intervals with
values below reservoir quality minimum will be changed
FINAL REMODELED PROPERTY

Figure 7 - Final remodeled property


Application of Methodology
Using this workflow to temporarily modify basic model properties can speed and simplify model initialization. The
improved reservoir properties should eliminate many simple problems where reservoir properties are marginal,
where wells do not have valid petrophysical data or logs, and out-of-zone completions. Of course, this method
does not actually correct problems, but in many cases can be used to isolate parts of the model which need further
review, or provide a means to correct model problems where conventional modeling approaches cannot be used.
The following examples illustrate the practical application of the workflow.

Example 1 Filtering Model to Isolate Possible Problems
In the first example (Figure 8), the model is filtered to show only the areas where corrections to the model property
were needed to meet minimum reservoir criteria. Using the property settings, the model is filtered by setting the
filter maximum and minimum values equal to the default value for the pseudo-property. When the filter is applied
and visualized in a 3D window, these areas can then be evaluated to determine what corrective action is needed to
permanently fix the initial problem.

As discussed earlier, default values should be chosen to represent minimum reservoir quality, while retaining a
unique numerical sequence which is unlikely to occur in nature. In the example, the default value for porosity is
0.1234. Since the minimum reservoir-quality porosity is 0.10, the default will slightly exceed the minimum cut-off
value while still being unlikely as valid log data. Similar values for water saturation (e.g. 0.5678), clay volume
(0.4567), or NTG (0.9876) could be used, depending on the actual reservoir cut-off values for reservoir quality.
SPE 164420 9

APPLICATION OF WORKFLOW
EXAMPLE OF MODEL FILTERING FOR QC
Setting the property filter MIN and MAX values
to the pseudo-property default value will allow
display of only those portions of the model
which have been modified. This allows much
easier QC of areas of the model where
completion and production data are
inconsistent with petrophysical data

Figure 8 - Filtering to determine portions of the model for review and correction


Example 2 Adjusting Models for Missing or Insufficient Petrophysical Data
Many older fields have wells which have been completed and produced, but do not have sufficient well log data to
use in a conventional petrophysical interpretation. Although sophisticated methods using neural networks and
similar approaches are available to estimate log data in these older wells, we can use this workflow to remodel
areas of the property model where log data do not provide accurate property distribution. While this is not a
substitute for a comprehensive petrophysical evaluation, this workflow provides the simulation engineer with a
quick means of initializing a model.

In this example (Figure 9), older wells have been completed and produced in a reservoir, but do not have modern
log data to incorporate into the field-wide property distribution. As a result, the statistical distribution of the property
in the vicinity of these wells yields values which do not meet minimum reservoir cut-off criteria. Although the
property modeling is statistically valid, and honors all the actual well data, there is no simple way to account for the
lack of well log control for these wells.

10 SPE 164420
In this example, two wells
are completed in a reservoir,
but have no valid porosity
logs (old wells).
Although both wells
penetrate cells that are
close to reservoir quality,
they do not meet the
minimum cut-off value (in
this case, 10%)
Property modeling is
statistically valid, but the lack
of well control at the
completed wells does not
adjust local properties for
likely reservoir quality (based
on completions and
production history
ORIGINAL POROSITY PROPERTY
APPLICATION OF WORKFLOW
EXAMPLE OF SIMPLE PROPERTY REMODELING

Figure 9 - Model corrections for missing or invalid log data using simple property remodeling

The first attempt to correct for this situation is to use the simple property remodeling workflow. As shown in Figure
10, the resulting model has been adjusted in such a way that the cells penetrated by the completed wells now meet
the minimum reservoir quality criteria.
SPE 164420 11
REMODELED POROSITY PROPERTY
After remodeling the
porosity property, the cells
associated with the
completed intervals have
been increased to the
default value (which meets
reservoir minimum cut-off
value)
Lack of well control in this
case may require that a
manual local adjustment to
the reservoir quality be
made, or possibly a pseudo-
log approach could be used
to remodel local properties
near the well
APPLICATION OF WORKFLOW
EXAMPLE OF SIMPLE PROPERTY REMODELING

Figure 10 - Resulting model using simple property remodeling method


Example 3 Adjusting Models Using a Pseudo-Log Approach
While the simple property remodeling method discussed above will eliminate connection errors when a simulation
model is initialized (in most cases), as the simulation engineer starts comparing model volume with produced
volumes, additional problems will arise in areas of the model where there is insufficient volume to produce the
actual produced volumes associated with a completion.

Figure 11 illustrates a situation where several wells (all older wells lacking modern petrophysical log data) are
located in a portion of the model with very poor reservoir quality, as defined by the actual log data from surrounding
well control. Although these wells have produced significant volumes of hydrocarbons, the simulation model will
produce errors due to the very low model volume in that region.


12 SPE 164420
ORIGINAL POROSITY PROPERTY
Creating pseudo-logs for
perforated intervals can help
remodel properties in areas
surrounding completions if
indicated by production
history
In this example, three wells
have completions in the
zone, but no valid log data.
A workflow can be used to
remodel properties in the
region surrounding the wells
for a more realistic depiction
of local reservoir properties
APPLICATION OF WORKFLOW
EXAMPLE OF PSEUDO-LOG REMODELING

Figure 11 - Using pseudo-log remodeling; initial property conditions


The first step in this approach is to apply the simple property remodeling workflow as discussed in the previous
example. As before, the model properties intersected by the wells will be improved (Figure 12), but because the
overall reservoir quality is so low in that region of the model there will undoubtedly be problems with the numerical
simulation. To correct the surrounding areas of the model requires an additional workflow.
SPE 164420 13
REMODELED POROSITY PROPERTY
Using the workflow
described, the model
properties can be modified in
the cells penetrated by the
completed wells.
unfortunately, production
data indicates that the local
reservoir volume is
insufficient to match
produced volumes.
Another workflow is needed
to modify the properties
locally
APPLICATION OF WORKFLOW
EXAMPLE OF PSEUDO-LOG REMODELING

Figure 12 - Property adjusted using simple remodeling method


To modify the local model properties in the region near the productive wells, it is necessary to create pseudo-logs
from the model for the specific wells which need to be modified. The first step in this process is to generate
synthetic logs for the remodeled property using the Petrel Make Logs process. Figure 13 shows the basic steps in
the creation of the synthetic logs from the remodeled property.
14 SPE 164420
WORKFLOW
Create Remodeled Property Log
Upscale Remodeled Property Log
Re-Run Petrophysical Modeling
Right-click on the WELLS folder, open
Settings dialog, select Make Logs tab, select
property to create a log from, and click the
Make Logs button
APPLICATION OF WORKFLOW
EXAMPLE OF PSEUDO-LOG REMODELING

Figure 13 - Creating remodeled property pseudo-logs

Next, the synthetic logs are upscaled into the model on a selective basis. The Petrel well log scale-up process has
the option to scale-up logs into an existing property, but the user must be very careful to not to delete the already
scaled-up cells from wells with valid petrophysical data. In this example, the three wells are selectively upscaled
into the existing property (Figure 14).
SPE 164420 15
WORKFLOW
Create Remodeled Property Log
Upscale Remodeled Property Log
Re-Run Petrophysical Modeling
Open the Scale Up Well Logs process, select
the property to be edited, select the individual
wells to upscale, and change settings to leave
existing upscaled cells unchanged
IMPORTANT!
Change these settings to
avoid deleting all the real
upscaled cells in the model!
APPLICATION OF WORKFLOW
EXAMPLE OF PSEUDO-LOG REMODELING

Figure 14 - Upscaling the pseudo-property log from the remodeled property


The final step in the process is to re-run the petrophysical modeling for the entire model. Since only selected wells
have been upscaled (using the remodeled property pseudo-logs), the model will be adjusted in the vicinity of the
newly-upscaled wells, leaving the remainder of the model relatively unchanged. This will produce a final result
which will more closely represent model properties by incorporating a combination of actual petrophysical data with
pseudo-data justified with historical production data. The final model (Figure 15) shows the local modification to
the property using the pseudo-log approach.
16 SPE 164420

FINAL POROSITY PROPERTY
Using the pseudo-log
workflow described, the
remodeled properties have
been used to locally modify a
portion of the model
it is important to
remember, however, that
these are pseudo-properties,
and are ONLY to be used
when adjusting simulation
models where all other data
are lacking!
APPLICATION OF WORKFLOW
EXAMPLE OF PSEUDO-LOG REMODELING

Figure 15 - Final property model using the pseudo-log remodeling workflow

Conclusions
Based on the assumption that completion intervals should have at least minimum reservoir properties, the workflow
presented utilizes completion data to directly modify geomodel properties in zones with confirmed production. This
is a very rapid and simple method which can at least temporarily eliminate the majority of initialization errors for
numerical simulation. The resulting modifications can also be used to isolate areas of the geomodel for further
quality control and correction, or to correct local model properties to adjust the model volumes to better match
volumes indicated by historical production. However, the workflow does not actually correct problems, it simply
postpones them until more rigorous reservoir characterization and petrophysical corrections can be made.

Acknowledgement
The author would like to thank Tatweer Petroleum for permission to publish and present this material, and for the
suggestions and critiques from Tatweer Subsurface Department staff members for improvements to the workflow
and this manuscript.