The EXPEC Advanced Research Center (EXPEC-ARC) has been granted a patent (U.S. Pat. 7,526,418) for its invention of a “Highly Parallel, Implicit Compositional Simulator for Multi-Million-Cell Models.” It is the first patent to be granted for Saudi Aramco's industry-leading reservoir simulation technology: Parallel Oil, Water and Gas Enhanced Reservoir Simulator (POWERS), according to a latest report carried by Saudi Aramco's web-site. A four-member team of EXPEC-ARC has devised GigaPOWERS patented technology. “This patent recognizes just one of EXPEC ARC's many initiatives that have built the pathway for Saudi Aramco's cornerstone technology, GigaPOWERS™,” said Amin H. Nasser, senior vice president of Exploration and Producing. `To simulate the giant reservoirs of the Middle East, hundreds of millions — and even billions — of cells are necessary to build the reservoir models and illustrate changes over time. Finding a way to harness enough computing power, or to link enough computing resources together to communicate with each other, has been the perpetual challenge throughout the industry. --MORE
