Seamless end-to-end workflow

The Petrel E&P software platform combines transparent data flows with an easy-to-learn graphical user interface—Petrel Reservoir Geomechanics—that supports the VISAGE simulator configuration and results visualization. This enables the powerful functionality of the VISAGE simulator to be combined seamlessly with other interpretation, modeling, and engineering workflows within the Petrel platform. 

With the Petrel platform-enabled workflow, you can include multiple data types to create new 3D geomechanics property and stress models, or add geomechanics data to augment existing reservoir subsurface models. This seamless combination within the Petrel platform ensures that the geomechanics model is consistent and integrated with geophysics, geology, petrophysics, and reservoir data.

Powerful numerical simulations

The initial structural and properties model, created using Petrel Geomechanics, is submitted to the numerical VISAGE simulator, and controlled from within the same familiar Petrel environment.

The VISAGE simulator can also be fully coupled to the ECLIPSE industry-reference reservoir simulator or next-generation INTERSECT high-resolution reservoir simulator. In one-way coupling, the reservoir simulator models the flow of fluids in the reservoir and calculates the pressure, temperature, and saturation changes that result.

The VISAGE simulator uses these calculations to perform 3D static or 4D flow-, pressure-, and temperature-coupled calculations for rock stresses, deformations, and failure. Two-way coupling between the reservoir and VISAGE simulators allows permeability updating of the reservoir model at any selected time steps, as well as updating of mechanical properties in the geomechanics model to account for effects such as changing saturations and water softening.

For large models with many millions of cells or those coupled to a reservoir simulation, users are also able to perform parallel geomechanics simulation runs using local or remote clusters. The entire process—for single machines or multicore clusters—is managed by the Petrel platform, permitting the same seamless workflow to be maintained from project start to end. 

Complex and highly heterogeneous models

The VISAGE simulator is able to model hundreds of faults, hundreds of thousands of discrete fractures, and highly heterogeneous models, meaning that the same high degree of complexity that exists in the geological model can be maintained throughout the geomechanics analyses.

Reservoir geomechanics across field life cycle

The VISAGE simulator provides powerful 3D and 4D geomechanics simulation across the entire field life cycle. This allows geoscientists and engineers to assess and mitigate potential geomechanics problems affecting well and completions, stimulation, production, injection, and field management.