PETREL2ANSYS: ACCESSIBLE SOFTWARE FOR SIMULATION OF CRUSTAL STRESS FIELDS USING CONSTRAINTS PROVIDED BY MULTIPLE 3D MODELS THAT EMPLOY DIFFERENT TYPES OF GRIDS

Crustal stresses play an important role in both exploration and development in the oil and gas industry. However, it is difficult to simulate crustal stress distributions accurately, due to the incompatibilities that exist among different software packages. In this study, a series of algorithms is developed and integrated into the Petrel2ANSYS software platform. In order to carry out two-way conversions between the 3D attribute models that employ corner-point grids used in Petrel and the 3D finite-element grids used in ANSYS. Furthermore, a new method of simulating stress characteristics and analyzing stress fields using the finite-element method based on multiple complex, finely resolved 3D models is also proposed. The traditional finite-element simulation-based approach focus on describing the anisotropy within a rock body or sedimentary facies. Here, the single grid cell-based approach focuses to a greater degree on combining the rock mechanics described by 3D corner-point grid models with the finely resolved material characteristics of 3D finite-element models. Different models that use structured and unstructured grids are verified in Petrel2ANSYS to assess the feasibility of the method. In addition, with minor modifications, platforms based on the algorithms presented here can be extended to other models constructed by other software packages.