Petrel Tutorial Access

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Performance Optimization

Petrel loves RAM and hates old graphics cards. petrel tutorial

  • Go to File > Preferences > Graphics.
  • Set Visual Quality to Faster (not Nicest).
  • Hide seismic when working on wells (Seismic > Toggle Visibility).

Phase 6: Volume Calculation and Export

Once properties are populated, the model becomes quantitative. Using the Volume Calculation tool, users compute:

  • Bulk rock volume (from cell dimensions)
  • Net-to-gross (fraction of reservoir facies)
  • Pore volume (bulk volume × porosity × net-to-gross)
  • Hydrocarbon pore volume (pore volume × (1 – water saturation))

For a tutorial, results should be tabulated per zone. Finally, the model can be exported for reservoir simulation: Petrel’s Export function sends grid, properties, and saturation functions to Eclipse or INTERSECT formats. Additionally, exporting key horizons as surfaces (e.g., top reservoir) to Google Earth via KML files is a powerful visualization tool. Petrel is a specialized software used primarily in

Prerequisites

  • Petrel installed (Schlumberger Petrel platform).
  • Project data: well logs (LAS), seismic volumes (SEG-Y), horizons (ASCII/GOCAD) or GRID files, and a simple well tops table.
  • Basic familiarity with geology terms (well, horizon, seismic, grid).

Phase 4: Structural Modeling

The heart of Petrel is the Structural Modeling process flow. This transforms interpreted horizons and faults into a volumetric mesh—the 3D grid. The workflow proceeds as:

  1. Fault Modeling – Convert fault sticks into 3D fault surfaces.
  2. Pillar Gridding – Define a grid boundary, I/J dimensions, and pillar geometry (vertical or listric). The key decision here is cell size: too coarse loses heterogeneity, too fine inflates simulation time. For a tutorial model of 10×10 km, 200×200×50 cells is a reasonable start.
  3. Horizon Modeling – Insert interpreted horizons as layers within the grid. Petrel uses a make horizons process that honors fault offsets and thickness variations.
  4. Layering – Subdivide the stratigraphic intervals into zones. Users choose between proportional (constant number of layers between horizons) or follow-the-layer (maintaining constant thickness) methods.

At the end of this phase, the user has a 3D grid where every cell has XYZ coordinates and is assigned to a zone (e.g., reservoir, seal, aquifer). Performance Optimization Petrel loves RAM and hates old

Common Pitfalls and Best Practices

A tutorial is incomplete without troubleshooting advice. Novice users frequently encounter:

  • Mismatched datums – Wells at sea level, seismic in two-way time? Use Petrel’s Well Tie and Seismic Well Calibration to convert.
  • Collapsed cells – Negative layer thickness due to horizons crossing. Fix by smoothing horizons or adjusting pillar geometry.
  • Slow performance – Excessive grid cells. Reduce I/J resolution or use Coarsening before property modeling.
  • Uncertainty neglect – Single “best-guess” model. Petrel allows Multiple Realizations for Monte Carlo simulation—essential for risk assessment.

Part 1: The Philosophy of Petrel (Before You Click a Single Button)

To master Petrel, you must understand its data structure. Petrel is a shared earth model—meaning all data sits within a common 3D grid.

3.2 Horizon Interpretation

Horizons follow seismic reflectors.

  1. Similarly, create a New Horizon.
  2. Pick the peak or trough of a strong reflector.
  3. Use Auto-Tracking: Select Seismic > Auto-track. Define a seed point and a search gate (e.g., ±50 ms). Let Petrel run.

Common Mistake: Auto-tracking jumps across faults. You must manually edit the horizon picks. Use the Edit Picks tool to delete obviously wrong picks (e.g., cycle skips).