Reservoir modeling with publicly available software

Numerical reservoir models are extensively used to determine in-place hydrocarbon resources and recoverable reserves. Geostatistical techniques are being increasingly used to construct such numerical models. The second edition of the GSLIB software together with other publicly available software provides the tools needed to construct realistic models of large and complex reservoirs. This paper describes how to model lithofacies, porosity and permeability in sedimentary formations, particularly petroleum reservoirs, with publicly available software. Programs for postprocessing tasks such as scale up and management of multiple realizations are also presented. The relative merits of expensive commercial software are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.