Abstract
A three-dimensional basin simulator was developed to reproduce long-term processes of oil field formation. The simulator treats one-dimensional compaction of sediments, chemical kinetics of petroleum generation and maturation of organic matters, three-dimensional two-phase fluid flow, and three-dimensional conductive/convective heat flow. This paper describes details of numerical treatments of geological processes, physical properties of fluids, solids, and solid/fluid systems, and methods to solve coupled and highly nonlinear equations.
Evolution of an imaginary sedimentary basin was simulated both by three-dimensional model and by two-dimensional cross-sectional one using the developed simulator for comparison. Calculated results of a two-dimensional model differed from those at equivalent cross-section of a three-dimensional one mainly because patterns of fluid flow were strongly governed by spatial distribution of lithologies. Thus, it is suggested that three-dimensional analyses are necessary in general for basin modelling.
