The JewelGrid system

The patented JewelGrid system solves many of these problems, making it ideal for modeling 3D space. The JewelGrid system combines the advantages of irregular grids, which are flexible in shape, with the advantages of regular IJK grids, which are easy to manipulate and use for flow calculations and results in a JewelGrid.

A JewelGrid accounts for the local geometry of each cell in the grid, and it can store a large number of properties for any given position in 3D space, including some of the most common reservoir properties such as rock porosity, temperature, or pressure.

Compared with a regular I, J, K grid, where each cell is described by eight corner points, the JewelGrid system allows a cell to have any number of corner points. This makes it possible to use both regular grid cells with eight corner points as well as tetrahedral cells with four corner points.

The main innovation has to do with the way a JewelGrid handles a stack of cells. For a stack of cells with an identical I, J index, only one cell is created. The K value is then stored inside this single cell with only a single depth value at the edges of the cell. This method allows for a large reduction in data storage space.

The orthogonal nature of the JewelGrid is well suited to reservoir modeling, and improves the geometric representation of geological features, reservoir simulation results, and drilling target positioning.