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3-D
Computer Modeling of Petroleum Systems
KACEWICZ, MAREK
Reduction of risk related to source, trap, charge, and reservoir is one of
the most important challenges in exploration today. One simple and expensive
approach to reducing risk is by increasing our knowledge through drilling more
wells. A second, much more efficient method is to run multiple computer
simulations to highlight the most realistic scenarios of petroleum system
evolution. In the ideal situation, these simulations would be performed in 3-D
to capture spatial relationships between different elements of the system. With
recent advances in technology (such as increasing data storage capacity,
parallel computing, easy access to the internet, 3-D visualization, virtual
reality), 3-D modeling of petroleum systems has become a reality. However, the
question remains whether the exploration community is ready to use 3-D
techniques in its day-to-day activities. This paper discusses the aforementioned
problem and shows how 3-D
modeling of petroleum systems helped reduce
exploration risk in a number of real world examples.