New Software Release

Product overview

The INTERSECT high-resolution reservoir simulator sets a new standard in 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. Users can run the INTERSECT simulator from Petrel Reservoir Engineering.

Learn more about INTERSECT

Release highlights

The release of INTERSECT 2022.3 delivers many key features in performance, physics, CO2 storage capabilities, field management, usability, and more. These features include the general availability of the multiscale sequential fully implicit method, variable API support and memory optimization in GPU, and salinity-dependent solubility for isothermal CO2 storage, among many others.

INTERSECT 2022.3 key developments

Performance

• Multiscale sequential fully implicit method has now achieved general availability status. The sequential formulation is a framework that enables fit-for-purpose solvers to be applied individually to pressure and saturation and presents a great opportunity to design tailor engines to serve specific workflows. The first example achieves performant black-oil simulations with the use of a multiscale pressure solver.
  
  
• Variable API utilizing the IX_ORIGINAL method is now supported on GPU, enabling full GPU simulation for this class of model and all benefits therein.
  
  
• GPU memory utilization has been improved. On a set of representative models, up to 25% reduction was observed, with an average of 15%. This optimization will allow larger models to run on GPU.
  
  
• Automatic definition of number of threads for GPU runs: ECLRUN may now use the --auto-hybrid and --gpu options in combination to set a sensible number of CPU threads. If this configuration option has not been set, then the number will default to eight threads.
  
   

Physics and CO2 Storage

•  Isothermal component solubility in water (CSIW) has been extended to consider the effect of salinity on the CO2 solubility calculations via solubility tables. This will improve the modeling of CO2 trapping, and ultimately, enable more accurate forecast of CO2 sequestration processes. The effect of brine components as well as CO2 in the aqueous phase is considered in key property computes such as fugacity, density, viscosity, and flash in a fully implicit way to ensure maximum stability and performance.
  
  
• The water weakening model has been extended with the rebound behavior during compaction. Chalk reservoirs can be modelled with the grid cell transmissibility multipliers response to the pressure increase. Well-to-cell connection factors are also affected and use pressures in regions around the well.
  
   

Innovation

• Machine learning can now be used to efficiently compute the saturation pressure for compositional mixtures. Previously this was an expensive computation, but in the new workflow, training data is generated using the exhaustive flash calculations and a regressor is deployed using the integrated TensorFlow framework. 
  
   

Field Management

• PIPESIM Engine Services launch mechanism for coupled network simulations: This release sees the introduction of a more modern API for communication between INTERSECT Field Management and the PIPESIM steady-state multiphase flow simulator engine and is required to run coupled network simulations with version 2021.2 or later of the PIPESIM simulator engine. This is now simplified with support for this launch mechanism using ECLRUN's one-click launch facility.
  
  
• The IXF2CSV functionality has been extended to cover additional reservoir nodes (separator conditions, timestepping, convergence) and field management nodes (lists, groups, well historical data, PID and cyclic well control, field management settings, most network nodes, and Python scripts information).
  
  
• The CSVControl node in Field management has been extended to allow special treatment of fields such as HistoricalData in the Well node, Composition in the FluidSourceExternal node, etc. This new functionality can be used to update the composition of Injection gas with time and to update observed data for HM simulations easily using CSV files.
  

Usability

• Documentation of Python functionality has been expanded with a new Custom Scripting chapter in the user guide. This new chapter includes an overview of Python and its syntax, additional query fields, and enriched custom scripting application examples.
  
  
• Specifying regions for property edits has been simplified for the nodes ConnectionSetPropertyEdit, FaultPropertyEdit, RegionBoundaryPropertyEdit, CellPropertyEdit with Boxes, and RegionFamily: If the user does not specify all I, J, and K values, these will be assumed to be the minimum or maximum values of the missing box coordinate.
  
  
• A new RockMgrDebug node has been introduced to output extra information to assess rock physics. Under this parent node, EndPointScalingDebug writes out the scaled and unscaled relative permeability and capillary pressure end point curves for individual grid blocks.
  
  
• Reports of oil, gas, water, and liquid productivity indices at the well and completion levels can now be requested in the PRT file. These properties are reported in the Well Production data and the Well Injection data tables.
  
  
• Two new properties for component oil (WCOPR) and gas (WCGPR) production rates at well level have been added as summary vectors.

Users

The INTERSECT simulator brings value to reservoir engineers who perform 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.