Empirically evaluating virtual reality’s effect on reservoir engineering tasks

To help determine in what ways virtual reality (VR) technologies may benefit reservoir engineering workflows, we conducted a usability study on a prototype VR tool for performing reservoir model analysis tasks. By leveraging the strengths of VR technologies, this tool’s aim is to help advance reservoir analysis workflows beyond conventional methods by improving how one understands, analyzes, and interacts with reservoir model visualizations. To evaluate our tool’s VR approach to this, the study presented herein was conducted with reservoir engineering experts who used the VR tool to perform three common reservoir model analysis tasks: the spatial filtering of model cells using movable planes, the cross-comparison of multiple models, and well path planning. Our study found that accomplishing these tasks with the VR tool was generally regarded as easier, quicker, more effective, and more intuitive than traditional model analysis software while maintaining a feeling of low task workload on average. Overall, participants provided positive feedback regarding their experience with using VR to perform reservoir engineering work tasks, and in general, it was found to improve multi-model cross-analysis and rough object manipulation in 3D. This indicates the potential for VR to be better than conventional means for some work tasks and participants also expressed they could see it best utilized as an addition to current software in their reservoir model analysis workflows. There were, however, some concerns voiced when considering the full adoption of VR into their work that would be best first addressed before this took place.