New Software Release

Product overview

The INTERSECT reservoir simulator sets a new standard for reservoir simulation that 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 constitutes the user environment for all Schlumberger reservoir simulation solutions, and you can run the INTERSECT simulator from Petrel Reservoir Engineering.

Learn more about INTERSECT

Release highlights

The release of INTERSECT 2021.4 delivers many key features in performance, physics, field management, usability, and more. These features include the alkali chemical EOR model, diffusion and mechanical dispersion, support for numerical aquifers in Depogrid, and single precision mode in the GPU linear solver, among many other improvements in physics and CO2 storage, fidelity, field management, and usability.

INTERSECT 2021.4 key developments

Performance

• The GPU linear solver can now use single precision by setting the LinearSolverPrecision field on the GPUMgr node. With this setting, the amount of memory required is reduced, which will enable a larger model to run on a specific graphics card. The reduction in the total memory accessed during calculations usually results in improved performance of the simulation.

Physics and CO2 Storage

• A new alkali model has been added, enabling the simulation of the popular alkali-surfactant-polymer (ASP) enhanced oil recovery workflow.
  
  
• Two new features of mass transport, molecular diffusion and mechanical dispersion, have been added. They are compatible with both thermal and compositional fluid models. Current implementation of molecular diffusion includes intraphase diffusion in oil and gas phases.
  
  
• The solid phase model has been extended for use with black oil simulation. It is compatible with the chemical reaction framework and can be used to model solids such as salts, scales, and organic depositions in the reservoir and in the near-wellbore region.
  
  
• Two new methods of phase labeling have been added. They are recommended for cases with single-phase components such as CO2 and H2S at low temperatures. The first method uses an approximate saturation pressure to determine the phase, and the second a combination of this new method and the previously existing critical temperature evaluation.
  Additionally, Li factor phase labeling can now be extended to well flashes, for consistency throughout the simulation. They were previously limited to reservoir and separator flashes.
  
  
• A new option for nonlinear interpolation of liquid-vapor K-values is implemented in thermal simulation. It achieves precise results even with a coarse table of K-values with pressure and temperature.
  
  
• Chemical reactions compatibility has been extended from FULLY_IMPLICIT to also support IMPES, AIM_IMPES, IMPSAT, and AIM_IMPSAT solution methods.

Fidelity

• Support for numerical aquifers for Depogrid in both single porosity and dual porosity has been added.
  
  
• A workflow to save and restore transmissibility values at chosen time points is now available. New properties can be created to store transmissibility at various time steps and later swapped using transmissibility property edit nodes. 

Field Management

• The ModifyExpressionAction node has been extended and can now perform linear transforms for numerical expressions as well as logical expressions.
  
  
• New read-only fields have been added to the Well and Completion nodes: FirstOpenTime, LatestOpenTime, FirstClosureTime, LatestClosureTime, CurrentFlowingTime, TotalFlowingTime. They are intended for use in Field Management logic to model operational scenarios such as well ramp-up, maintenance planning, and timing-based well productivity decline. They can also be used in expressions for reporting purposes.

Usability

• Reservoir-related nodes can now be specified using a tabular IXF format, in the same way as Field Management-related nodes. This enables more compact and readable input files.
  
  
• Output for the near-critical oil-gas relative permeability mixing factors, used for interpolating oil and gas relative permeabilities near the critical point, can now be requested.

Users

The INTERSECT simulator brings value to reservoir engineers performing numerical simulation using high-resolution models and complex field operating conditions. The INTERSECT simulator also brings benefits for production and completion engineers working with advanced completion simulations and complex hydraulic fracture scenarios. Reservoir geomechanics engineers also can 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 VISAGE finite-element geomechanics simulator.