SENSITIVITY OF STEAMFLOOD MODEL RESULTS TO GRID AND TIMESTEP SIZES.

Numerical simulation of complex processes in oil reservoirs has become a standard tool. The grid size and timestep sensitivity of a simulator are of prime concern in reaching the correct conclusions in any study. This study presents an analysis of the sensitivity to timestep and grid size of a one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) compositional multiphase steamflood model used to simulate a heavy-oil reservoir. The behavior of primary variables before breakthrough in the 1D and 2D cases is presented for clearer understanding of steamflooding heavy-oil reservoirs. The peculiar features exhibited by primary variables of the production and injection blocks for the 1D reservoir plus timestep and grid-size effects on primary variables for 2D cases studied are discussed.