Hierarchical geocellular facies modelling of a turbidite reservoir analogue from the Eocene of the Ainsa basin, NE Spain

Abstract

Geocellular models of analogues can provide with insights into modelling strategies for the subsurface, therefore a model of the outcropping Ainsa turbidite system, deposited in slope setting, was built. The modelling began with a structural reconstruction mostly from outcrop data to remove structural relief. The facies modelling workflow consisted of three nested stages, each corresponding to a different scale. (a) The first scale addressed the deterministic reconstruction of surfaces that bound sedimentary bodies. (b) The second scale related to the modelling of the interfingering at the gradational boundaries of sedimentary bodies. (c) The third scale reproduced the internal heterogeneity within the sandstone-dominated bodies. Flow simulation revealed differences in recovery efficiency depending upon the scales of modelling considered.