Surface Based Modeling: Integration of Field Data, Flume Experiments and Numerical Modeling in Geosciences

Cantelli, Alessandro ¹; Sylvester, Zoltan ¹; Pirmez, Carlos ¹
(1)Shell, Houston, TX.

Integration between disciplines is often translated in the integration of the tools that different disciplines use in order to achieve results. Here we present results of an innovative approach to implement reservoir static modeling; integrating the disciplines of Geology, Engineering and Physics, and tools and data involving the analyses of outcrops, seismic data, flume experiments and numerical modeling. This approach is illustrated with an application to model reservoirs formed by deposition within submarine channels. The modeling technique is the resultants of the direct application of the key processes governing the evolution of and resulting complex stratigraphic architecture of these systems. In particular experimental and numerical modeling is used to understand the flow fields that govern erosion and deposition within and outside the channels, outcrop and seismic are used to guide the final architecture and property distribution. The final product of this multidisciplinary approach is a modeling tool, CCT (Channel Centerline Trajectory) that is capable of rapidly build detailed static model scenarios for deepwater reservoirs.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90135©2011 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Milan, Italy, 23-26 October 2011.