Is Parallel Computing Ready for Reservoir Simulation? A Critical Analysis of the State of the Art

Abstract

Abstract Recently the lure of scalable distributed memory parallel computing with hundreds or even thousands of inexpensive, but powerful, RISC-based processors has resulted in a significant effort in the development of software for petroleum engineering and seismic applications. Unfortunately, few if any applications have found their way into a production environment from the reservoir engineering perspective. Several hurdles remain to be overcome if parallel computing is to become commonplace as a tool for applications. This article addresses three areas of concern for a reservoir simulation: load balancing, data structures, and linear equation solutions. Examples from real reservoir simulations and possible solutions for several situations are discussed.