Print this page3-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.