Method and system for creating and using a subsurface model in hydrocarbon operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11041976-B2
Application number	US-201815955931-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2018
Priority date	May 30, 2017
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

A method and system are described for creating and using a subsurface model. In this method, selected subregion are morphed to adjacent subregions to create a morphed surface and solid elements are created based on the selected subregion and the morphed surfaces. The resulting subsurface model may be used in simulations and hydrocarbon operations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for performing hydrocarbon operations comprising:
obtaining a subsurface model associated with a subsurface region, wherein the subsurface model comprises a plurality of horizons, wherein one of the plurality of horizons is a parent horizon and one of the plurality of horizons is an adjacent horizon;
partitioning the parent horizon in the subsurface model based on a fault network associated with the subsurface model into a plurality of subregions;
partitioning the adjacent horizon in the subsurface model based on the fault network associated with the subsurface model into a plurality of subregions;
for each of the subregions in the parent horizon,
(i) selecting a subregion of the plurality of subregions;
(ii) creating a parent mesh on the selected subregion of the parent horizon, wherein the parent mesh includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of elements;
(iii) morphing the parent mesh in the selected subregion to the adjacent subregion of the adjacent horizon to create a morphed mesh of the adjacent horizon; wherein morphing the parent mesh from the parent horizon of the selected subregion is constrained by boundaries of the adjacent subregion, wherein the morphed mesh includes a plurality of morphed nodes and a plurality of morphed elements and a total number of the plurality of nodes equals to a total number of the plurality of morphed nodes and a total number of the plurality of elements equals to a total number of the plurality of the morphed elements; and
(iv) creating a plurality of solid elements based on the parent mesh and the morphed mesh in the selected subregion, wherein each solid element fills a volume between the parent mesh and the morphed mesh for a portion of the selected subregion; and

outputting a geomechanical model based on the created meshes and plurality of solid elements.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the subregions in the parent horizon includes a plurality of surfaces that define the boundaries of the subregion, each of the subregions in the adjacent horizon includes a plurality of surfaces that define the boundaries of the subregion, and further comprising defining contact pairs for surfaces in the fault network based on a twisted pair constraint.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising dividing the surfaces of the subregions associated with the fault network into alternating master surfaces and slave surfaces along the respective boundaries of the fault network.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the created mesh for the selected subregion is a two-dimensional mesh.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning properties to one or more solid elements.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the properties comprise one or more of temperature history, stress history, pore pressure history, permeability, porosity and any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising simulating hydrocarbon operations within the geomechanical model to create simulation results.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising managing hydrocarbon operations based on the simulation results.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein hydrocarbon operations comprises adjusting the fluid injection or fluid removal process based on the simulation results.

10. A system for generating a subsurface model associated with a subsurface region, comprising:
a processor;
an input device in communication with the processor and configured to receive input data associated with a subsurface region;
memory in communication with the processor, the memory having a set of instructions, wherein the set of instructions, when executed, are configured to:
obtain a subsurface model associated with a subsurface region, wherein the subsurface model comprises a plurality of horizons, wherein one of the plurality of horizons is a parent horizon and one of the plurality of horizons is an adjacent horizon;
partition the parent horizon in the subsurface model based on a fault network associated with the subsurface model into a plurality of subregions;
partition the adjacent horizon in the subsurface model based on the fault network associated with the subsurface model into a plurality of subregions;
for each of the subregions in the parent horizon,
select a subregion of the plurality of subregions;
create a parent mesh on the selected subregion of the parent horizon, wherein the parent mesh includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of elements;
morph the parent mesh in the selected subregion to the adjacent subregion of the adjacent horizon to create a morphed mesh of the adjacent horizon; wherein morphing the parent mesh from the parent horizon of the selected subregion is constrained by boundaries of the adjacent subregion, wherein the morphed mesh includes a plurality of morphed nodes and a plurality of morphed elements and a total number of the plurality of nodes equals to a total number of the plurality of morphed nodes and a total number of the plurality of elements equals to a total number of the plurality of the morphed elements; and
create a plurality of solid elements based on the parent mesh and the morphed mesh in the selected subregion, wherein each solid element fills a volume between the parent mesh and the morphed mesh for a portion of the selected subregion; and

store a geomechanical model based on the created meshes and plurality of solid elements in memory or display the geomechanical model on a monitor.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein each of the subregions in the parent horizon includes a plurality of surfaces that define the boundaries of the subregion, each of the subregions in the adjacent horizon includes a plurality of surfaces that define the boundaries of the subregion, and wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the processor, are further configured to: define contact pairs for surfaces in the fault network based on a twisted pair constraint.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the processor, are further configured to: divide the surfaces of the subregions associated with the fault network into alternating master surfaces and slave surfaces along the respective boundaries of the fault network.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the processor, are further configured to: create a two-dimensional mesh for the selected subregion.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the processor, are further configured to: assign properties to one or more solid elements.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the processor, are further configured to: assign one or more of temperature history, stress history, pore pressure history, permeability, porosity and any combination thereof to the one or more solid elements.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the processor, are further configured to: simulate hydrocarbon operations within the geomechanical model to create simulation results.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the processor, are further configured to: provide a notification associated with managing hydrocarbon operations based on the simulation results.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the processor, are further configured to: provide a notification associated with an adjustment of fluid injection or fluid removal process based on the simulation results.

Assignees

• Hsu Sheng Yuan
• Searles Kevin H
• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Hsu Sheng-Yuan
• Searles Kevin H

Classifications

• G01V99/005 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01V20/00 Primary

  Geomodelling in general · CPC title