Petrel TIPS&TRICKS from SCM

Knowledge Worth Sharing

CreatingaNewPetrelProject
Whenauserstartsanewproject(i.e.abrandnewproject,notaprojectcopiedfromanotherperson),therearea
fewtasksthatmustbeperformedbeforeanydataloadingbegins.Sometimes(dependingonthecompany),data
ispreloadedfromadatabase,butoftentheprojectis"blank"andtheusermustbeginfromanewPetrelproject.
Whenthishappens,thefollowingitemsmaybeneeded:

BecomingfamiliarwithPetrelfiles
GettingaPetrellicense
PetrelMainWindow
Createanewproject
ProjectSettings
SystemSettings
OtherSettings

Petrel Files
Petrelprojectsalwayshaveatleastone.petfileandone.ptdfoldertodefineandcontainthefilesfortheproject.
The.petfile(afilewithasuffixof.pet)controlstheprojectandcontainsinformationwhichallowsPetreltofindthe
neededdatainthe.ptdfolder.The.petfileandthe.ptdfoldermusthavetheexactsamenametotheleftofthe
period.The.ptdfoldercontainshundredsorthousandsoffileswithmeaningless(excepttoPetrel)names.Always
choosethe.petfilewhenaccessingaproject.

Asecondfiletypeis.bak.Thisisabackupofthe.petfilecreatedbyPetrel.Petrelnormallycreatesthisfilewhenyou
saveyourproject.Iftheprojectiscorrupted(forwhateverreason),deletethe.petfileandrenamethe.bakfileto
.petandhopefullyyouwon'thavelosttoomuchdataandtime.AgoodhabittohaveistosaveyourentirePetrel
projecttoadifferentnameperiodically(everyday,week,etc.yourchoice)sothatiftheprojectiscompletely
corrupted,youhaveabackup.

ThefinalPetrelfiletypeis.lock.ThisfileiscreatedwhensomeonehasaPetrelprojectopen.Itsexistencedoesn't
allowanyoneelsetoaccessthePetrelproject.TwousersofthesamePetrelprojectwillalmostguaranteethatthe
projectiscorrupted.

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

ThefollowingpictureshowstwoPetrelprojects:

AGFInputData_DPM3and
HGFCompletedModel

TheprojectAGFInputData_DPM3isopenbecausea.lockfileexists.

PetrelLicense
EveryuseraccessingPetrelmusthavealicensefortheprogram.Alicensemaycontainaccesstoalloronlypartsof
Petrel.WhenPetrelstarts,thefollowingwindowappearswiththefollowingmainparts:
1.
2.
3.
4.

TheLicensePackagename
Thenumberofavailablelicenses
Thenumberoftotallicensesforthispackage
Thepackageoptions

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

ToaccessaPetrellicense,choosealicensepackagethathastheoptionsneeded.Alsomakesurealicenseis
availableforthatpackage.Ifnoneareavailable,seeifanotherlicensepackagehastheneededoptions.Highlight
thepackagenameandclickOK.Forexample,ifyouaregoingtodoSeismicInterpretation,makesurethelicense
includesthatoption.MostcompanieshavefewerlicensesforSeismicInterpretationthangenerallicenses.Ifyou
arentgoingtodoSeismicInterpretation,chooseanotherlicensesooneofyourcolleaguescaninterpretseismic.

PetrelMainWindow
ThePetrelwindowstartsoffwithnoprojectloaded.Differentpartsofthewindowperformdifferenttasks.The
mainpartsare:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

TitleBar
MenuBar
ToolBar
FunctionBar
PetrelExplorer(bothUpperandLower)
StatusBar
ObjectInformationArea
Visualization/GraphicsWindows

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

1. TheTitleBarcontains:
a. ThePetrelversion
b. TheactivePetrelproject
c. Theactiveprocess
d. Theactivegraphicswindow

2. TheMenuBarcontainspulldownmenus:
e. Filefilemanipulation;opening,closing,etc.
f. Editfileediting
g. ViewwhatcanbeseeninthePetrelwindow
h. Insertcreationofnewfoldersandobjects
i. ProjectsettingsrelatedtothePetrelprojectandsimulators
j. ToolsstartingsimulatorsandgeneralPetreltools
k. Windowcreationandmanipulationofgraphicwindows
l. HelpHelpforthePetrelapplication

3. TheToolBarcontainsiconsfor:
m. Filemanipulation
n. Graphicoptions

4. TheFunctionBarcontainsiconsfor:
o. Theactiveprocess(sometimesmorethanonecolumnoficonsisneededbecausetherearesomany)
p. Theactivegraphicswindow

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.


5. ThePetrelExplorerisbrokenupintotwoparts:
q. TheUpperPetrelExplorercontainstheInput,Models,ResultsandCompletionstabs
r. TheLowerPetrelExplorercontainstheProcesses,Cases,WorkflowsandWindowstabs

6. StatusBarWheneveraprocesstakesmuchtime,informationaboutcompletionstatusisputhere

7. ObjectInformationContainsinformationaboutanobjectpickedwiththecursorinthegraphicsarea

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

8. Visualization/GraphicsAreaContainsallpicturewindowsandreportwindows

CreateaNewProject
Creatinganewprojectmaybedifferentdependingonthecompanyandenvironment.Somecompanieshavea
systemwheredataisautomaticallyextractedfromadatabaseandloadedintoPetrel.Othershaveasystemwhere
theprojectenvironmentissetupandthedataisprovidedbyOpenSpirit.

Inothercases,theusermuststarttheprojecthimselforherself.WhenPetrelbegins,noprojectisloaded;
everythingis"blank".Thefigurebelowillustratesanew,blankPetrelproject.

Othermethodsforgettinganew,blankprojectwhenPetrelisalreadyrunningare:
GototheToolbaratthetopleftofPetrelandclickontheNewProjecticon(orCTRLN)

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

GototheMenubaratthetopleftofPetrelandclickonFile>NewProject.

IfthecurrentPetrelprojecthasbeenmodified,PetrelaskswhetherornottoSavethecurrentprojectbefore
openingtheblankone.ClickYestosavetheprojectandopenanewblankone,Notodisregardanychangessince
thelastsaveandopenanewblankoneorCanceltoremaininthecurrentproject.

ProjectSettings
ThefirstmenutheusershouldopenisfromtheMenubaratthetopofPetrel:Project>ProjectSettings.

TheSettingsdialogappears:

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

Infotab
UndertheInfotab,generalprojectinformationmaybeentered.

CoordinatesandUnitstab
UndertheCoordinatesandunitstab,muchrequiredprojectinformationisentered.

ClickontheCoordinates...buttontochooseaCoordinateReferenceSystem(CRS).TheCRSmaybenullifno
referenceisdesired.PriortoPetrel2010,aCRSwasn'tusedatall.TheCRSselectionwindowappears(left):

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.


Atfirst(ifnopreviousCRShasbeenchosen),themapatthetopisblankandnoCRS(atthebottom)ishighlighted.
WhenaCRSischosen,thenameoftheCRSishighlightedandtheareaitcoversislocatedonthemap(right):

WhenyouclickOK,thenameisplacedinthepreviouslyemptyboxtotherightoftheCoordinates...buttononthe
Settingsmenu.

1. Next,checktoseethatunitsarecorrect.GototheCoordinatesandUnitstab

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.


2. TheoptionsunderUnitsystem:are
Metric(X,Y,Z)areallinmeters
Field(X,Y,Z)areallinfeet
FieldUTM(X,Y)areinmetersand(Z)isinfeet

3. Tocustomizetheunits,checktheboxinfrontofCustomize.Thisallowsyoutochangetheunitsofvarious
items.

4. ChoosingtochangetheAreaunit:yieldsavarietyofdifferentunits.

5. TheVolumeunit:hasanumberofdifferentunitstochoosefrom:

Miscsettings1tab
6. Next,changetotheMiscsettings1tab
7. ThemostimportantvariabletosethereistheAutosaveevery:switch.
Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

10

Ifitisnotchecked,Petrelwillnotaskyouifyouwanttosavetheproject.Ifitischecked,Petrelwillaskyou(inthis
caseevery15minutes)ifyouwanttosavetheproject.

IfyouclickNo,noSavewillbeperformed.IfyouclickYes,anIncrementalSave(onlythoseitemschangedsincethe
lastSave)willbeperformed.Remember,thatifPetrelcrashes,allworkdonesincethelastSavewillbelost.

Manypeopleliketousethisfunctionasithassavedthemfromlosingdatawhileothersdon'tliketousethis
functionasitcanbeveryannoying.Itisuptoyou.

IfyoudochoosetoAutosave,werecommendthatyouDONOTuseSilentautosave.Thisdoesn'taskyouifyou
wanttoSave,itjustSaves.Thiscansaveerrorsyoudon'twanttosaveortestsyouaretrying.Youcanoverwrite
gooddatawithbaddatausingSilentautosave.

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

11

Miscsettings2tab
8. ClickontheMiscsettings2tab

Normally,nothingissethereatthestartofaproject.ThistabdoescontaintheGlobalsurfacefilterinformation.In
otherPetrelwindows,ifyouclicktouseafilter,thiswindowwillpopupandyoucanentertheclosedlinefiletouse
infiltering.Sometimes,thiswindowpopsuponanothertab.YouneedtoknowtocometothisMiscsettings2tab
tosetthefilter.

ClickingontheOKorApplybuttonwillsaveallthesettingstotheinteractivePetrelproject.YoumustSaveyour
projecttosaveittodisk.

SavetheProjectas
Tosavetheprojectthefirsttime(ortosaveacopywithadifferentname),fromtheMenuBaratthetopofPetrel,
usetheFile>Saveprojectasoption:

9. Navigatetothecorrectfolder
10. Typeinanamefortheproject
11. ClickSave

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

12


Anewprojectfolder(thenamefollowedby.ptd)andanewdriverfile(thenamefollowedby.pet)will
appearinthefolder.
SystemSettings
ThenextmenutheusershouldopenisalsofromtheMenubaratthetopofPetrel:Tools>SystemSettings.

Inthismenu,youcansethowyouwantPetreltolookfortheproject.TheSettingsdialogappears:

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

13

Effectstab
Thisisthemaintabtochangeinformation.TheToolbarsstyle:optionsare:

a. ImagesonlyTheiconshaveonlypicturesandnotext
b. ImagesandshortcutsTheiconshavepicturesandmanyalsohavethekeyboardshortcuttoperformthe
samefunction.
c. ImagesandverbosetextTheiconshavepicturesandthe"tooltips"usedtoidentifytheicon.

Manyusersusethefirstoption(Imagesonly)andsecondoption(Imagesandshortcuts).Veryfew,ifany,usethe
thirdoption(Imagesandverbosetest)asthismakestheiconsverylargeandnotmanycanbeseenonthescreenat
onetime.Onfunctionbarswithfewicons,thisisnotabigproblem.Forsomeprocesses,thefunctionbarscontain
over30icons.Thisthirdoptioncannowbeabigproblem.

Otherusefuloptionsare:
d. Disablespinanimation
e. Renamenodedirectly(mouse)
Disablespinanimationturnsofftheabilityto"spincontinuously"animageina3Dwindow.Formanynewusers,it
isoftenaproblemtostopthespinwhenitisnotwantedsotheyusethisoption.Moreexperiencedusersgetused
tostoppingthespinandoftendon'tusethisoption.

Renamenodedirectly(mouse)allowsausertousea"slowdoubleclick"tochangeanameinthePetrelExplorer
similartoWindowsExplorer.Ifthisoptionisnotchecked,theonlyplacestochangeanobject'snameare1)inthe
Infotabofthatobject'sSettingsdialogand2)usingtheF2key(similartoWindowsExplorer).

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

14

ClickingOKorApplysetstheparameters.

OtherSettings
AfewothersettingsarealsousefultothePetreluser.Theyare:
1. Makeiconslargerorsmaller
2. DrawStyle
IfyouarehavingdifficultyseeingtheiconsinPetrel,youcanmakethemlarger:

1. Makeiconslargerorsmaller
a. RightclickonanopenspaceintheblueareaneartheMenuandToolbars
b. ChooseCustomize.

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

15

c. TheiconsontheMenu,ToolandFunctionbarsaresmall

d. ClicktheboxinfrontofLargeIconsonToolbars

e. Theiconsarenowmuchlarger.Unchecktheboxtoreturntothesmallericons

Whenprojectsareverylargeandalotisdisplayedina3Dwindow,sometimesmovingthegraphicscanbe
cumbersomeandthemovementisntsmoothanymore.Whenthishappens,tryselectingmovelowresfromthe
DrawStylemenutogettolowerresolution:

2. DrawStyle
a. RightclickonanopenspaceinthePetrelGraphicsarea

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

16

b. ChooseDrawStyle.

c. WhentheDrawStylemenuappears,choosemovelowres

d. Movethegraphicsasneeded.Whenyouarereadytoreturntonormalviewing,rightclickonanopen
area,chooseDrawStyle,andpickmovesameasstill.Drawingnowshouldhavereturnedtonormal.

Petrel is a mark of Schlumberger

4801 Woodway Drive, Suite 150W Houston, TX 77056 www.scminc.com info@scminc.com

2011 SCM E&P Solutions, Inc.

17