With faster and more accurate simulations, the invention can help oil engineers identify geomechanical problems associated with reservoirs in advance, reducing costs associated with structural failures and the environmental impact of leaks.
Text: Nayara Campos | Images: GTEP PUC-Rio
Researchers from the Petroleum and Energy Technology Group (GTEP) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) have developed an advanced solution for the geomechanical analysis of oil reservoirs, designed to meet the complex challenges of the oil industry. Called the Olympus Suite, the invention is made up of three interconnected pieces of software: Gaia, Hermes and Chronos.
Practical applications of the technology
The Olympus Suite was created to help oil engineers manage geomechanical problems associated with reservoirs. According to Sergio Fontoura, Professor in the Civil Engineering Department at PUC-Rio, former ISRM vice-president for South America and ISRM Fellow, “these oil reservoirs, formed by porous rocks saturated with hydrocarbons – oil and/or gas -, face significant challenges during their productive life, such as subsidence of the seabed, compaction of the reservoir, and loss of structural integrity,” he explains. These problems can lead to serious environmental and economic consequences, such as oil spills and damage to the integrity of the wells.
According to the researcher, geomechanical analysis of reservoirs is capable of predicting and preventing problems in oil wells, but it is a complex procedure that requires computer software based on numerical methods to carry out the analysis, which is precisely the role of the Olympus Suite.
The technology developed by PUC-Rio stands out for its simplified usability and the robustness of its hydromechanical coupling scheme, with patents filed in Brazil and the United States. The software suite is based on an innovative approach that combines precise coupling between fluid flow and rock deformation with efficiency in processing time.
The Hermes software performs the hydromechanical coupling between the IMEX/CMG reservoir simulator and the Chronos finite element program (in-house) which, in turn, is optimized to run on NVIDIA GPUs. According to Nelson Inoue, Senior Researcher at GTEP/PUC-Rio, “the hydromechanical coupling scheme implemented in the Olympus Suite is very accurate, as it presents results close to fully coupled. Geomechanical analyses of reservoirs that took weeks a few years ago can now be simulated in a few hours or even a few minutes,” he says.
Gaia Workflow flowchart for geomechanical analysis of reservoirs
The workflow of the Olympus Suite, called Gaia, is structured in three main stages:
- Gaia: an intuitive interface for pre-processing, integrating with the GOCAD geological modeling software.
- Hermes: performs the hydro-mechanical coupling, managing the exchange of data between the reservoir simulator and the finite element program.
- Chronos: the stress analysis module (finite elements) uses parallel processing on GPUs to reduce processing time.
Impact and benefits of the invention for the oil sector
The implementation of the Olympus Suite can offer significant advantages for the oil industry. Among them, the researchers highlight the possibility of predicting and identifying geomechanical problems, allowing corrective action before they become critical. This early action reduces the costs associated with structural failures and leaks, saving millions of dollars. Ensuring greater efficiency with faster and more accurate simulations, the technology optimizes time and resources in geomechanical analysis.
With more than 30 years of experience in research, development and innovation, PUC-Rio’s Energy and Petroleum Technology Group was a finalist for the ANP (National Petroleum Agency) Technological Innovation Award in 2015 and an NVIDIA CUDA Research Center in 2014 and 2015. For ten years, research into the development of the Olympus Suite was funded by Petrobras, via a Cooperation Agreement.
With the help of the PUC-Rio Innovation Agency (AGI/PUC-Rio), the invention has a patent with the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) and is part of PUC-Rio’s portfolio of patents available for licensing by the industrial sector.
Find out more about how to connect and license technology: https://www.agi.puc-rio.br/empresas
See other technologies available for licensing at the PUC-Rio Technology Showcase: https://www.agi.puc-rio.br/vitrine-tecnologica/