New Software Release

Product overview

The INTERSECT high-resolution reservoir simulator goes beyond the capabilities offered by current-generation simulators. The result is improved accuracy and efficiency in field development planning and risk mitigation - even for the most complex fields.

The INTERSECT simulator enables engineers to accurately and quickly model

• Complex geological structures
• Highly heterogeneous formations
• Challenging wells and completion configurations
• Advanced production controls for reservoir coupling and flexible field management.

Petrel Reservoir Engineering (RE) constitutes the user environment for all Schlumberger reservoir simulation solutions, and you can run the INTERSECT simulator from Petrel RE.

Release updates

Physics

• Surfactant is used in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) schemes to lower interfacial tension and increase oil recovery. INTERSECT 2019.1 introduces a new surfactant model that considers the extra microemulsion phase and advanced surfactant physics. It enables users to accurately model the surfactant and polymer recovery processes.
• The combination of polymer and low salinity injection in the same simulation model is now allowed.

Fidelity

• Dual porosity and dual permeability simulation for Depogrid is now supported. This enables the accurate representation of structural and stratigraphic complexity in the simulation of naturally fractured reservoirs.

Performance

• Includes automated hybrid parallel as an option, which allows users to request a recommended number of threads for hybrid parallel runs. This option analyzes the INTERSECT simulation case and selects a number of processes and a number of threads that are likely to improve performance.
• The SWIFT pre-conditioner has been improved to accelerate linear convergence. This reduces overall run time, especially in large-scale thermal simulation cases.

Field Management

• Enables the generation of streamlines at run time when required. Streamline geometry and properties are output for visualization. Injector-producer patterns are established based on streamlines and dynamic pattern properties are available, which include rates and volumes in patterns as well as injection efficiency. Streamline tracing has been implemented to support parallel execution on large models. This facilitates the understanding of reservoir connectivity and fluid flow patterns for large, heterogeneous reservoirs. Workflow support is provided in Petrel 2019.1 in define simulation case process to request streamline generation and summary results.
• Simulation Run Time supports one-click launch of simulation cases where multiple reservoirs are coupled. This release schedules the simulation runs for individual reservoirs and automatically sets up the communication across the reservoirs.

  Usability

• Complementary to the automated local grid refinement (LGR) process in the Petrel platform, INTERSECT 2019.1 allows the definition of LGR on pillar grids in the IXF file directly. Grid in EGRID format containing the LGRs can be exported and visualized in the Petrel platform. Properties such as well connection factors, cell properties and cell-to-cell connections are automatically updated. This facilitates flexible grid management workflows such as global refinement (as AUTOREF in ECLIPSE).
• A new simplified region mapping schema was introduced in INTERSECT 2018.2 with tabular format that offered improved usability while supporting existing functionalities. This simplified region mapping schema is now made default in INTERSECT 2019.1 and Petrel 2019.1.

Suitable for

The INTERSECT simulator brings benefits to reservoir engineers performing numerical simulation using high resolution models and complex field operating conditions. The INTERSECT simulator also brings value and benefits for production and completion engineers working with advanced completion simulations as well as complex hydraulic fracture scenarios. Reservoir geomechanics engineers can also use the INTERSECT simulator when dealing with cases like reservoir integrity analysis and permeability changes, which is possible through the integration of the INTERSECT simulator and the VISAGE simulator.