A Comparative Study of Solvers and Preconditioners for an SPE CO2 Storage Benchmark Reservoir Simulation Model

Temizel C., KARCIOĞLU G., Behzadan A., Çetin C., Pamukçu Y. Z.

Geosciences (Switzerland), vol.15, no.5, 2025 (ESCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 15 Issue: 5
  • Publication Date: 2025
  • Doi Number: 10.3390/geosciences15050169
  • Journal Name: Geosciences (Switzerland)
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Keywords: biconjugate gradient stabilized method, CO2 injection, CO2 storage, linear solvers, loose generalized minimum residual method, MRST, reservoir simulations
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study analyzes and evaluates the performance of various solvers and preconditioners for reservoir simulations of CO2 injection and long-term storage using the model 11B of SPE CSP (Society of Petroleum Engineers, 11th Comparative Solution Project) and the MATLAB Reservoir Simulation Toolbox (MRST). The SPE CSP 11 model serves as a benchmark for testing numerical methods for solving partial differential equations (PDEs) in reservoir simulations. The research focuses on the Biconjugate Gradient Stabilized (BiCGSTAB) and Loose Generalized Minimum Residual (LGMRES) solver methods, as well as multiple preconditioning techniques designed to improve convergence rates and reduce computational effort for CO2 storage. Extensive simulations were performed to compare the performance of different solver-preconditioner combinations under varying reservoir conditions, leveraging MRST’s flexible simulation capabilities. Key performance metrics, including iteration counts and computational time, were analyzed for the project. The results reveal trade-offs between computational efficiency and solution accuracy, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of each approach. This study offers practical guidance for reservoir engineers and researchers seeking to analyze and optimize simulation workflows within MRST by identifying the strengths and limitations of specific solver-preconditioner combinations for complex linear systems.