Our mission is to constantly advance the state of reservoir modeling technologies, quickly transfer this knowledge to our members, train future leaders in this field, and where appropriate collaborate with member organizations on joint research.
Reservoir simulation is the art, science and engineering of modeling flow and transport processes in porous media, including oil and gas reservoirs and aquifers. It is a core competency and a primary tool for making reservoir management decisions. Reservoir simulation includes the development and implementation of efficient numerical techniques for accurate solution of the equations governing multi-component, multiphase flow in natural porous media. Reservoir simulation includes detailed modeling of wellbore flow, accurate representation of advanced wells, and integration of the reservoir model with production facilities. Reservoir simulation is also used to quantify the uncertainty associated with performance predictions. It is also expanding to include history matching and optimization of the entire system in the presence of uncertainty.
We work in virtually all aspects of reservoir simulation, and our research program is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of the industry, the wider community, and the interests of students.
Our current and past research includes work in the following areas:
- Thermal-compositional formulations
- Design and implementation of general-purpose research simulators
- Generation of flexible and unstructured grids
- Discretization and upscaling of heterogeneous , geometrically complex models
- Discrete fracture modeling
- Multiscale methods for flow and transport in heterogeneous media
- Scalable linear and nonlinear solvers
- Accurate modeling of subsurface CO2 sequestration processes
- Unstable miscible and immiscible flows
- Coupled fluid flow and geomechanics
- Modeling of multiphase flow in wellbores and production facilities
- Accurate modeling of near wellbore flow behaviors
- Coupled simulation of advanced wells and reservoirs
- History matching and optimization of reservoir performance
- Uncertainty quantification methods
We review our research for member companies each year in a workshop at Stanford University and provide members with quick access to the results of our work. We actively seek to collaborate with member companies on specific projects.
Our Reservoir Simulation Research program (SUPRI-B) is dedicated not only to the research and development of techniques that enhance the value of the reservoir simulation technology, but also to the education of future leaders in this field and the broader energy industry. The SUPRI-B program is integrated with our Smart Fields consortium. We also benefit from other research programs within and outside the Department of Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford University. The SUPRI-B group typically have twenty students and five research associates or post-doctoral fellows. Professors Khalid Aziz , Louis Durlofsky and Hamdi Tchelepi co-direct the SUPRI-B program.