COPYRIGHT 1987-2013 COMPUTER MODELLING GROUP LTD. 13.IM.

M2
WHATS NEW IN IMEX
THREE-PHASE, BLACK-OIL
RESERVOIR SIMULATOR
VERSION 2013
IMPORTANT CHANGES IN IMEX 2013 AND IMEX 2012.10
SIMULATOR CHANGES
Initialization Regions Separate from PVT Regions
Initialization regions may be specified using the *NREGIONS and *ITYPE keywords.
Previous versions of IMEX linked PVT regions to initialization regions. Thus one PVT
region was required for each initialization region. This is no longer required. Older data
sets are unaffected.
Rock Compaction Table Reassignment in Recurrent Data
The *CTYPE value (compaction table number) of gridblocks can now be reassigned in
recurrent data. This allows the user to realistically model processes where permeability
modification vs. pressure behavior is added later in a run. Hydraulically fracturing and
introducing fracture conductivity vs. pressure behavior in a new well partway through a
simulation is an example of this. Please see the manual as some restrictions apply to the
use of this feature in recurrent data.
Solver Technology
Improved Parallel Performance
Improvements to the implementation of parallelization in IMEX have allowed the Simulator to
run more efficiently on larger number of threads on Shared Memory Processors.
Separate Graphics/Restart SR2 files (*RESTART_SR2 or Command Line -
restart_sr2)
We have changed the default behavior when writing out SR2 graphics and restart data
and have added a keyword and a command-line option to control if graphics and restart
information in the sr2 files are combined or separated, for both input and output.
The new default *RESTART_SR2 *SEPARATE (-restart_sr2 separate) separates
graphics and restart data. *RESTART_SR2 *MAIN (-restart_sr2 main) combines
graphics and restart data.
Combined or separated SR2 files must be kept consistent between initial and restart runs.
The new IMEX default is to use the *SEPARATE option as this option requires less disk
space and take less CPU time for output due to writing the graphics data in single precision
while writing restart data in double precision. The *MAIN option needs to write both
graphics and restart data in double precision to maintain restarting accuracy. Please see the
*RESTART_SR2 keyword in the IO Control Section for details on file naming conventions.
Other New Keywords
Pressure vs. Depth Table (*PREST)
During non-equilibrium initialization, it is possible to assign block pressures using a table
of reservoir pressures vs. depth for each initialization region. Previous versions of IMEX
required the user to enter the entire pressure array. This option simplifies non-equilibrium
initialization.
WHATS NEW IN IMEX 2013 1
Output of Well PI Based on an Approximation of the Wells Drainage Pressure (*OUTSRF
*WELL *PDRAIN, *PDRAIN-METHOD)
Specification of *OUTSRF *WELL *PDRAIN initiates a more involved calculation of a wells
productivity index based on a flexible approximation of well drainage area/pressure.
*PDRAIN-METHOD controls how the approximate drainage pressure is calculated.
Change the Minimum Oil Saturation Initially Placed in Each Block when Using API-Tracking
Option (*APIMINSO)
Using the API-Tracking Option, it was possible for the model not to initialize blocks with a
small amount of oil (to prevent formulation issues) when using the *DEPTH_AVE option.
This issue has been eliminated in this release. In addition the initial minimum oil is now
controllable using the *APIMINSO keyword in the Initialization Section. *APIMINSO is set to
1.00e-04 by default.
New Restarting Features (*RESTART *RESDATE/*RESTART *RESTIME)
It is now possible to specify a restart at a specific date or time in addition to a timestep
number. The *RESDATE date and *RESTIME time keyword can be used in addition
to *RESTART num
Template Data Set Changes
Added mxflu006.dat to demonstrate *PREST table input
Added mxsmo060.dat to demonstrate initialization regions
Added mxsmo061.dat to demonstrate *CTYPE in recurrent data
Added mxwwm055.dat to demonstrate *DRILLT
Added mxwwm056.dat to demonstrate gas lift triggers
Added mxwwm057.dat to demonstrate new Sector triggers
Added mxwwm058.dat to demonstrate *AVRGTIME in triggers
Added mxwwm059.dat to demonstrate *OPERATE-HIST
Added mxwwm060.dat to demonstrate *WCUTBACK in *OPERATE
Added mxwwm061.dat to demonstrate *PDRAIN well PI output option
Data Incompatibilities with Previous Versions of IMEX
None.
WELL MANAGEMENT CHANGES
*OPERATE-HIST, *ALTER-HIST
The *OPERATE-HIST keyword signals that a wells operating constraints entered using
the *OPERATE keyword are historically observed rates and allows the well to operate
under history matching mode. Under history matching mode, it is possible to specify the
reservoir fluid rate using the sub-keyword *RSV. This converts the STC fluid rates
entered on the *OPERATE keywords to reservoir fluid volumes. The reservoir volume
(based on current reservoir conditions) is produced. *ALTER-HIST allows the
modification of the historically observed flow rates.
WHATS NEW IN IMEX 2013 2
*OPERATE *WCUTBACK
A new type of well operating constraint has been introduced. The *WCUTBACK sub-
keyword of *OPERATE specifies that a well will run on a reduced rate target of a
specified control phase whenever it violates a well ratio constraint (example GOR, WOR
etc.) or maximum/minimum well block pressure constraint.
*WTINCR, *GCONPINCR, *GCONIINCR
*WTINCR allows the modification of any previously specified well constraint by applying
an incremental value to that constraint. *GCONPINCR and *GCONIINCR allow the same
incremental modification for production and injection groups.
*AVRGTIME in Triggers
The *AVRGTIME sub-keyword of *TRIGGER can be used to specify the time period over
which a moving average of a quantity (such as rate) is calculated.
Gas lift Triggers
The *ON_WELL and *ON_GROUP triggers now include gas lift based triggers.
*Sector Trigger Enhancements
The *ON_SECTOR keyword allows test conditions to be applied to a sector. Minimum
and maximum sector pressure and sector saturations have been added to *ON_SECTOR
test quantities
*PDRAIN-METHOD
The *PDRAIN-METHOD keyword allows the user to choose how the approximate
drainage area is to be calculated when *OUTSRF *WELL *PDRAIN output is selected.
GRID CHANGES
*TRANSMULT
The *TRANSMULT keyword allows the specification of the action to take when
encountering successive transmissibility multipliers. *REPLACE (the default) allows the
current multiplier to be replaced by the new multiplier. *ACCUMULATE allows the current
multiplier to be multiplied by the value just read in. *TRANSMULT may be altered in
recurrent data to change the default *REPLACE option to *ACCUMULATE.
Inter Region Transmissibility Multipliers
*INTER_REGION_TM specifies the inter region transmissibility multiplier between two
adjacent regions defined by the *TRANS_MULT_REGION keyword. This option can be
used to reduce or eliminate flow between two regions.
*CRNCON_NODE
A NODE based corner-point grid option has been implemented in CMG simulators. Builder
can be used to convert existing corner point grids to NODE based grids. Alternatively the
keyword *CRNCON_NODE or the command line option -crncon_node allows the user to
have the simulator internally convert an existing corner point grid to its NODE based
counterpart. This option may speed up the grid generation part of a simulation considerably
at the cost of extra memory. NODE based grids have been found to be very efficient for
grids with a large number of refined cells (for example: hydraulically fractured wells modeled
using the LS-LR-DK technique).
WHATS NEW IN IMEX 2013 3
Bugs Fixed
All of the problems below have been corrected in IMEX 2013.10 since the release of
IMEX 2012.10
Corrected a problem with Fine Integration when unusual ordering or the corner
point grid was encountered.
Corrected an error in the HFP model where negative skin could cause the
dynamically calculated well PI to become negative.
Corrected a problem with restarts and SWINIT when used with the
BLOCK_CENTER initialization option.
Corrected a problem where compaction tables could extrapolate pressure
dependent permeabilitys to a value which was so low that an existing connection
between blocks was eliminated, resulting in a run error. Permeability multipliers
are now limited to the lowest value in each table.
Corrected a problem with DEPTH_AVE initialization and endpoint scaling which
could result in small oil saturations in the gas zone when there should be none
(GASZONE NOOIL) or small oil saturations in the water zone when there should
be none.
Corrected a problem in calculating the average density of a well layer when the
total mobility of that layer equals 0.0.
Units in Seawater scaling table (SCLDPS) are incorrectly described in the User
Manual. The units of scale deposited per water production should be entered in
lb/STB when using FIELD units, not lb/FT3.
The Well Echo of scale deposited per Perf-Length (Scale/Perf-Length) undergoes
unit conversion from SI units for the first layer only. Every other layer is output in
SI units.
The Seawater Scale option was incompatible with compaction tables. Well
productivity was not being recalculated when scale reduced well permeability.
The SCALING-STARS option would not properly determine SOIRG unless it was
input in an array.
SOIRG input without the SCALING-STARS keyword did not automatically turn on
the SCALING-STARS option.
Using the API-Tracking Option, it was possible for the model not to initialize blocks
with a small amount of oil (to prevent formulation problems). This has been
corrected when using the DEPTH_AVE option. The initial minimum oil is
additionally controllable using the APIMINSO keyword in the Initialization Section.
APIMINSO is set to 1.00e-04 by default.
Well Rates were not written out to the SR2 by default, instead they were calculated
from the cumulative volumes. Occasionally this would result in small differences
between rates from the simulator log files and from RESULT Graph. Well Rates
are now written out by default.
WHATS NEW IN IMEX 2013 4
*OUTSRF *WELL *WELLPI documentation was missing from the manual.
*OUTSRF *WELLRATES documentation was missing from the manual.
There was a possibility that output to SR2 would be incorrect when TRANSI/J/K or
PERMI/J/K modification in recurrent data changed parallel domain ordering during
a run. The workaround was to run not using the jacpar command-line switch,
instead using the doms command-line switch. This only effects grid output, the
simulation was correct.
Corrected a problem with FLUX-SECTORS when recurrent refinements were
added.
Corrected a misleading error printout problem in FLUX_SECTORS when
FLUX_SECTORNAMES is not followed by FLUX_ISECTOR.
Renamed sub-keyword TARGET under GCONP/I for group control to GTARGET
A bug using *PMAINT *PMTARG with the modified SI units for input data (*INUNIT
*MODSI) in IMEX was corrected. IMEX interpreted the pressure as kPa rather
than kg/cm2.
A bug where The Grid Module fails to make a connection through badly formed but
pinched-out blocks was corrected.
Improvements to the detection of overlapping refinement and an accurate
message were implemented.
Improvements for hybrid grid connection for corner point grids were implemented.
WHATS NEW IN IMEX 2013 5