System and method for performing oilfield simulation operations
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsAndrew John Howell, Scott Trevor Raphael, Richard Ian Torrens
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a system for modeling an oilfield, which has process facilities and wellsite operatively connected, each wellsite having a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation for extracting fluid from an underground reservoir. The system includes multiple wellsite simulators, each modeling a portion of the wellsite, at least one non-wellsite simulator, each modeling a portion of a non-wellsite region of the oilfield; and at least one coupling positioned among the wellsite simulators and the non-wellsite simulator. The coupling selectively links the wellsite simulators and the non-wellsite simulator according to a pre-defined configuration for selective communication.
Claims18
A system for modeling an oilfield having at least one process facility and at least one wellsite operatively connected thereto, each of the at least one wellsite having a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation for extracting fluid from an underground reservoir therein, comprising:
- a computer processor;
- a wellbore simulator, a surface network simulator, and a reservoir simulator executing on the computer processor and configured to model at least a portion of the at least one wellsite of the oilfield, wherein the wellbore simulator, the surface network simulator, and the reservoir simulator are collectively referred to as wellsite simulators;
- a fast productivity index (PI) coupling established between the reservoir simulator and the wellbore simulator to impose a hydraulic response between them;
- a process simulator and an economic simulator executing on the computer processor and collectively referred to as non-wellsite simulators;
- a plurality of general node couplings established between the process simulator, the economics simulator, and the surface network simulator,
- wherein the oilfield is modeled by communicating between the wellsite simulators and the non-wellsite simulators using at least the plurality of general node couplings and by:
- querying, using the fast PI coupling, the reservoir simulator for a well linear inflow performance relationship (IPR) curve at a current operating point;
- passing, using the fast PI coupling, the well linear IPR curve as a boundary condition to the surface network simulator to calculate a network pressure and a flow rate;
- and
- setting, using the fast PI coupling, the flow rate calculated by the surface network simulator in the reservoir simulator,
- and
- wherein the economics simulator models costs of the oilfield at every time step of modeling at least the portion of the at least one wellsite and the at least one process facility using the wellsite and non-wellsite simulators.
A method of simulating operations of an oilfield having at least one process facility and at least one wellsite operatively connected thereto, each of the at least one wellsite having a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation for extracting fluid from an underground reservoir therein, the method comprising:
- selecting a wellbore simulator, a surface network simulator, and a reservoir simulator to model at least a portion of the at least one wellsite of the oilfield, wherein the wellbore simulator, the surface network simulator, and the reservoir simulator are collectively referred to as wellsite simulators;
- establishing a fast productivity index (PI) coupling between the reservoir simulator and the wellbore simulator to impose a hydraulic response between them;
- selecting a process simulator and an economic simulator that are collectively referred to as non-wellsite simulators;
- establishing a plurality of general node couplings between the process simulator, the economics simulator, and the surface network simulator;
- and
- simulating the oilfield by communicating among the wellsite simulators and the non-wellsite simulators using at least the plurality of general node couplings and by:
- querying, using the fast PI coupling, the reservoir simulator for a well linear inflow performance relationship (IPR) curve at a operating point;
- passing, using the fast PI coupling, the well linear IPR curve as a boundary condition to the surface network simulator to calculate a network pressure and a flow rate;
- and
- setting, using the fast PI coupling, the flow rate calculated by the surface network simulator in the reservoir simulator,
- and
- wherein the economics simulator models costs of the oilfield at every time step of modeling at least the portion of the at least one wellsite and the at least one process facility using the wellsite and non-wellsite simulators.
A non-transitory computer readable medium, embodying instructions executable by a computer to perform method steps for simulating operations of an oilfield, the oilfield having at least one process facility and at least one wellsite operatively connected thereto, each of the at least one wellsite having a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation for extracting fluid from an underground reservoir therein, the instructions comprising functionality to:
- select a wellbore simulator, a surface network simulator, and a reservoir simulator to model at least a portion of the at least one wellsite of the oilfield that are collectively referred to as wellsite simulators;
- establish a fast productivity index (PI) coupling between the reservoir simulator and the wellbore simulator to impose a hydraulic response between them;
- select a process simulator and an economic simulator that are collectively referred to as non-wellsite simulators;
- establish a plurality of general node couplings between the process simulator, the economics simulator, and the surface network simulator;
- and
- simulate the oilfield by communicating among the wellsite simulators and the non-wellsite simulators using at least the plurality of general node couplings and by:
- querying, using the fast PI coupling, the reservoir simulator for a well linear inflow performance relationship (IPR) curve at a current operating point;
- passing, using the fast PI coupling, the well linear IPR curve as a boundary condition to the surface network simulator to calculate a network pressure and a flow rate;
- and
- setting, using the fast PI coupling, the flow rate calculated by the surface network simulator in the reservoir simulator,
- wherein the economics simulator models costs of the oilfield at every time step of modeling at least the portion of the at least one wellsite and the at least one process facility using the wellsite and non-wellsite simulators.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.