Building a Robust Groundwater Model for 3D Visualization through the Modelling of Geology using Petrel

Department of Water, Western Australia

Due to the continually growing demand, optimizing groundwater use is a high management priority for the Department. Groundwater modelling assists this process through better understanding of the groundwater system, resulting in more accurate calculations of sustainable yields, and drawdown scenario prediction.

This project was developed to test a process for exporting a complex 3D geological model from Petrel (static modelling software) to MODFLOW (dynamic groundwater modelling software). The South West Aquifer Modelling System (SWAMS) model has been used to simulate changes in groundwater abstraction and climate as well as tracking the resultant impact at ecologically and socially significant sites. MODFLOW is limited in its ability to model complex geology, thus uncertainty in the geological model has not been fully addressed.

“The Department engaged Modelling Matters’ principal geomodeller Paul Champ whose significant experience in Petrel was beneficial in developing a conceptual 3D geological model for the southern Perth Basin confined aquifers. As a result of this project, the modelling has been proven effective in the development and visualization of geology in the southern Perth Basin. The high-resolution visualization in 3D has also enabled a number of inconsistencies in the model to be identified, which has subsequently improved the geomodel across the entire southern Perth Basin”.

Travis Cattlin - Senior Hydrogeologist, Department of Water, Western Australia