Variable discretization method for flow simulation on complex geological models
US9626466B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 12, 2011 |
| Grant date | Apr 18, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 12, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2111/10
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A variable discretization method for general multiphase flow simulation in a producing hydrocarbon reservoir. For subsurface regions for which a regular or Voronoi computational mesh is suitable, a finite difference/finite volume method (“FDM”) is used to discretize numerical solution of the differential equations governing fluid flow (101). For subsurface regions with more complex geometries, a finite element method (“FEM”) is used. The invention combines FDM and FEM in a single computational framework (102). Mathematical coupling at interfaces between different discretization regions is accomplished by decomposing individual phase velocity into an averaged component and a correction term. The averaged velocity component may be determined from pressure and averaged capillary pressure and other properties based on the discretization method employed, while the velocity correction term may be computed using a multipoint flux approximation type method, which may be reduced to two-point flux approximation for simple grid and permeability fields.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.