Bruno Michel and Philippe Verney, Total, presented the results of a multi-company exchange of reservoir data using v1.0 of the new RESQML data exchange standard on April 20, 2011 at the bi-annual 2011 SPE Digital Energy Conference.
After intense collaboration among operators, service companies and software vendors (all members of the Energistics RESQML Special Interest Group), RESQML version 1.0 was published in January 2011.
RESQML is designed to support:
- Interaction with real-time roduction and drilling domains;
- Transfer of giga-cell reservoir simulation models, which are currently in use in some areas of the world, and with static reservoir models, which may be significantly larger;
- Loss-less data transfer for complex grids, especially for non-standard connectivity;
- Retention of the geologic and geophysical metadata associated with 3D grids;
- Data exchange for flexible and iterative multi-vendor subsurface workflows across geology, geophysics and engineering.
This case study illustrates how different components of a shared earth model can be exchanged between major commercial applications. Additionally, based on the Alwyn North Field dataset, a typical validation loop involving operator in-house and vendor applications has been demonstrated. The objective is to transfer in-house interpretration results (e.g., horizons and faults) as RESQML features to diverse structural, stratigraphic and reservoir vendor applications, then re-import the RESQML features (modelled horizon and faults, reservoir grid geometry) obtained by these applications into the in-house application to ensure, at each step, overall consistency with the original interpretation.
The full case study is described in SPE 143846.
Results from this case study and additional testing will result in v1.1, suitable for commercial implementation, by mid-2011.
In addition to Bruno Michel and Philippe Verney, credit and appreciation for this case study is extended to: Francis Morandini, Total; Jean Francois Rainaud, IFP; Laurent Deny and Jean Claude Dulac, Paradigm, Tony Fitzpatrick, Schlumberger, Rob Eastick, CMG; and, Lisa Towery, BP.