SBIR-STTR Award

New computational capabilities and software design approaches present an opportunity to simplify and enhance current methods used to create and view geophysical reservoir simulations. Although current technology can be used to solve complex problems, significant investment is required to become proficient in simulator use. This learning hurdle is a barrier to increased usage and application to new problem areas. This project will develop cross-platform, object-oriented, three-dimensional software that allows the analyst to interactively describe a reservoir and all associated data. The program will then prepare input files for reservoir simulators (initially TOUGH2 and TETRAD). After analyses are complete, the program will read the output files and display information through time. Phase I will develop an operational computer program that demonstrates the ability to interactively specify the information necessary to perform a reservoir simulation. A subset of features will be implemented to generate input files for simulation with TOUGH2 and TETRAD. The subset of features implemented will be sufficient to demonstrate the viability of a geometric model database for use with multiple reservoir simulation codes.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
Computer simulation of geophysical reservoirs and environmental remediation is increasingly important to the Nation’s energy and environment. This software will allow existing simulators to be accessed by a larger user base

The utility of current geothermal reservoir simulators is difficult because they were developed before interactive user interfaces were common. Although the simulators can solve complex problems, it takes a significant investment to become proficient in simulator use. New computational capabilities and software design approaches present an opportunity to simplify and enhance cur-rent methods used to create and view reservoir simulations. This project will de-velop an interactive, cross-platform, pre- and post-processor that can be used to create reservoir models and display simulation results through time. The program will help users create the input files needed for the existing TOUGH2, TETRAD, and STAR simulation programs. After the calculations are complete, the computer program will allow the user to rapidly access and visualize the results. In Phase I, an operational program prototype was developed to demonstrate the viability of using a geometric model database to support multiple reservoir simulation codes. The three-dimensional display allows the user to interact with the model during creation. A subset of features was implemented to generate input files for simulation with the TOUGH2 and TETRAD codes. Phase II will result in a commercial pre- and post-processor computer program for use with the TOUGH-2, TETRAD, and STAR reservoir simulators. The Phase II project will add all the features needed for comprehensive reservoir simulation, including a high level geometric representation to support interactive visualization of the data.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
Computer simulation of reservoirs and environmental remediation is increasingly important to the Nation, both with regard to energy and the environment. This software should allow existing simulators to be accessible to a larger user base.