USE OF COMPUTER GRAPHICS: THE WEST KINGFISH POST DEVELOPMENT RESERVOIR SIMULATION STUDY

Abstract

The West Kingfish Field in the Gippsland Basin, offshore Victoria, has been developed from the West King-fish platform by Esso Australia Ltd (operator) and BHP Petroleum.

The structure is an essentially separate, largely stratigraphic accumulation that forms the western flank of the Kingfish feature. A total of 19 development wells were drilled from the West Kingfish platform between October 1982 and May 1984. Information provided by these wells was used in a West Kingfish post-development geologic study and a reservoir simulation study.

As a result of these studies the estimated recoverable oil volume has been increased 55 per cent to 27.0 stock tank gigalitres (170 million stock tank barrels). The studies also formed the technical basis for obtaining new oil classification of the P-1.1 reservoir which is the only sand body that has been found in the Gurnard Formation in the Kingfish area.

The simulation study was accomplished with an extremely high level of efficiency due to the extensive and effective use of computer graphics technology in model construction, history matching and predictions.

Computer graphics technology has also been used very effectively in presenting the simulation study results in an understandable way to audiences with various backgrounds. A portable microcomputer has been used to store hundreds of graphic displays which are projected with a large screen video projector.

Presentations using this new display technology have been well received and have been very successful in conveying the results of a complex reservoir simulation study and in identifying future field development opportunities to audiences with various backgrounds.