ASCII File Transfer Between GeoFrame

Applications and Petrel

Until more sophisticated data flows are designed and implemented, data transfer
to and from Petrel in GeoFrame can be accomplished via ASCII files. In this
chapter, we will investigate some of the more common types of data transfer
which are available in the short term.
We’ll start with showing you how to export various types of data into ASCII files
from GeoFrame, IESX, Charisma, and CPS-3, as well as how to import them into
Petrel. For example,

 Fault cuts (fault sticks) from IESX and Charisma

 Horizon interpretation from IESX and Charisma
 Fault polygons from IESX and Charisma
 Well data and markers from GeoFrame
 Grids of a Fault Framework from CPS-3

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 Horizon grids and fault polygons from CPS-3
Moving fault cuts from IESX to Petrel
In IESX, the interpreted location of the intersection of a fault surface with a single
seismic line is called a fault cut. In Charisma, fault cuts are called fault segments.
In Petrel, they are called fault sticks.

1. From the IESX Session Manager, under Applications, select Data Manager
2. In the Data Manager catalog, under Interpretation, click on Export
 select domain and survey(s)

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3. Click on Select/Define format and choose the “fault_gf.ifdf” or “faultm_gf.ifdf”
format, depending on feet or meters. Click OK.
4. Click Fault button “on” at the top of the dialog under “Select export items”.
5. Click the Faults tab in the Surfaces panel and select the faults to export.
6. Provide an output file name and click Apply.

Importing into Petrel:

1. Click the Input Tab under the data organization hierarchy window.
2. Click the Insert New Folder icon along the top.
3. Double-click on the new folder and change its name as desired.
4. Right-click on the new folder and select Import (on Selection)
5. Find and select the ASCII file for import
6. Pick “IESX fault sticks (ASCII) (*.*)” for File Type
7. Note the sample format at the bottom.
8. Verify the sample format against your ASCII file in a text editor. Make sure you stretch
out the screen as long as possible to reduce confusing wraparounds.
9. Click Open to open the ASCII input file
10. Set the domain, then click OK or OK for All for multiple file input.
Moving fault cuts (segments) from Charisma to
Petrel
1. Go to SegLoad
2. Use “Standard” format.
3. Select the faults to export

Importing into Petrel:

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Use the same procedure as for the IESX fault cuts, except set the File Type to
“Charisma fault sticks” instead.
Moving horizon interpretation from IESX to Petrel
Horizon interpretation is exported from IESX is a similar fashion as the fault cuts.

1. From the IESX Session Manager, under Applications, select Data Manager
2. In the Data Manager catalog, under Interpretation, click on Export
 select domain and survey (Petrel recommends 1 per file)

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3. Click on Select/Define format and choose the “3d_ci7m_gf.ifdf” format, or
“2d_ci7m_gf.ifdf” for 2D interpretation, or the similar one for feet, instead of
meters. Click Ok.
4. Make sure that the Select export items panel had “horizons” toggled on.
5. Click the Horizons tab in the Surfaces panel and select the horizon whose
interpretation is to be exported.
6. Select an inline or cross-line decimation, if desired under the Output
increment panel in the upper right, if desired.
7. Provide an output file name and click Apply.

Importing into Petrel:

1. Tab under the data organization hierarchy window.

2. Click the Insert New Folder icon along the top.
3. Double-click on the new folder and change its name as desired.
4. Right-click on the new folder and select Import (on Selection)
5. Find and select the ASCII file for import
6. Pick “IESX 3D Seismic Lines (ASCII) (*.*)” for File Type
7. Note the sample format at the bottom.
8. Verify the sample format against your ASCII file in a text editor. Make sure you stretch
out the screen as long as possible to reduce confusing wraparounds.
9. Click Open to open the ASCII input file
10. Set the domain, then click OK or OK for All for multiple file input.
Moving horizon interpretation from Charisma to
Petrel
1. Select Gridload/Export for 3D, or SegLoad for 2D
2. Choose format “Charisma Row/Col” or “...Col/Row” for 3D, and
“Standard” for 2D.
3. Decimate, if desired.

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Importing into Petrel:

Use the same dialogs as for IESX interpretation except specify File Type =
“Charisma Lines” instead.
Moving Fault Polygons from Charisma to Petrel
1. In Gridload, select all polygons associated with a grid.
2. Choose format “Irap X, Y, Z” for export.

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Importing into Petrel:

1. Create folder, if one does not exist.

2. Highlight folder.
3. Right-click on Import(on selection)
4. Pick Type of File = “Irap classic lines (ASCII)”, which has no header, only X,Y, and Z
values.
5. Find/select the ASCII file and click OPEN
6. Change the Category to Fault Polygon or Fault Lines, as required.
7. Set domain.
8. Click OK or OK for All
Moving Fault Polygons from IESX to Petrel
In the same manner as you used for exporting interpretation, use the “fbm_gf.ifdf”
format, or the equivalent one for feet. It you will be using these fault polygons to
create fault surfaces in Petrel, the recommendation is to include polygons from at
least two horizons.

Importing into Petrel:

Use the same procedure as Charisma above, except set Type of File = “IESX

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Fault Polygons (ASCII)”.
Moving Well Locations from GeoFrame to Petrel
The easiest way to export well locations is from the Wells and Boreholes Data
Manager. Our goal is to create an ASCII file that looks like:

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Use the following procedure:
1. Open Wells and Boreholes Data Manager
2. Display appropriate attributes of the borehole in an appropriate order such
as: Name of well, Surface X, Surface Y, KB, Bottom Depth
3. Display and highlight all boreholes then click on the printer icon.
4. Type in new file name and select column delimiter SPACE, then click OK.

Importing into Petrel:

1. To import into Petrel, Select File > Import. In the Import File dialog, select
Well heads for the Files of types, then select the file name.
2. In the Import Well Heads, type in the correct column for Name, X-
Coordinate, Y-Coordinate and Kelly Bushing. Check off the Bottom Depth
small box. This will enable you to type in the column for the Bottom
Depth.
 3. Ensure that the location and depth units are consistent between the file
unit and project unit, then click OK.

Moving Well Paths from GeoFrame to Petrel

Importing Well Deviation Surveys into Petrel can be done well by well, or in
groups with multiple boreholes in one file.
There are many ASCII formats that can be used in loading deviation surveys in

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Petrel; however, GeoFrame cannot provide all possible formats automatically,
and manual editing is required to accommodate many of them.
Here, we will present steps to create the simplest ASCII file which requires the
least amount of editing. Only a single one-line header is required to be added.
Our goal is to create an ASCII file that looks like the following:

The steps to create such file are:

1. Open General Data Manager..
2. Expand the project level to display Well Deviation Survey and Well Deviation
Arrays.
3. Include MD, DEVI, AZIM arrays in the ASCII file by clicking each array in the
order of MD, DEVI, AZIM. This is to ensure that the arrays will be populated in
that order.
NOTE: It is extremely important to keep in mind that the arrays must be in the
same order for all wells. If Well A has MD = column 1, DEVI = column 2, and
AZIM = column 3 then Well B also must have MD, DEVI and AZIM in the
same order.
There are two combinations of arrays that GeoFrame can provide which are
readable by Petrel. The first one is the combination of MD, DEVI (or INCL)
and AZIM. The second one is the combination of TVD, DX and DY.
4. Click on the list array icon (6th icon from the top).
5. Select the destination and type in the file name. Toggle on File Only.
6. Click RUN.
7. Highlight the arrays one by one in the same order as the previous one.
8. Click on the list arrays icon (6th icon from the top). Select the same file name
you created previously. Notice that by default, the concatenate option is
selected. That means the second dev survey will be added on the bottom of

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the previous data in the same file.
9. Click RUN.
10. Now edit the file by adding a one-line header of the well name (see figure).

Importing into Petrel:

Note that there are many ways to do this. The example below is used for our
specific training file named “gfaks_allwelldevs_for_Petrel”.

1. Right-click on the Wells folder.

2. Set File Type = “Multiple Well Paths/Deviations (ASCII)”.
3. Find/select the ASCII input file. Click OPEN.
4. Click OffShore, then OK
5. Click “Use md, inclination, and azimuth”.
6. Set incl = 2; set azim = 8; set md = 7
7. Set Name Line Prefix = “Well Name:”.
8. Set Data Line Format = “N N N N N N N N” (8 of them)
9. Click OK.
Moving Well Tops (or Markers) from GeoFrame to
Petrel
The simplest way to export Well Tops from GeoFrame for use by Petrel is to use
the Well Marker Data Manager. There are two formats readable by Petrel, but
only one ASCII format can be easily exported from GeoFrame.
Our goal will be to create an ASCII file which looks like:

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This format is called the Petrel Well Tops (Old Format) in Petrel 2002SE. The
following steps will create such a file:
1. In the Well Markers Data Manager, display the required attributes such as
Borehole Name, Type, Name and MD.
NOTE:
The type of the markers must be followed by the marker names. This is the
assumption made by Petrel when loading the well top data.
2. Highlight all well markers that you want to export.
3. Click on the print list icon (5th icon from the left).
4. Select SPACE for column delimiter and create a new file name.
5. Click RUN.
6. IMPORTANT: EDIT THE WELL TOPS ASCII FILE:
Use TextEditor to change Strat_Marker to HORIZON. Change Fault_Marker
to FAULT. If you encounter that some markers have different marker type,
then you need to map it to one of Petrel marker types (TRUNCATED, POINT
or END).
Importing into Petrel:

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There are many ways to do this. The example below is specfically for the training
file “welltops.ascii”.
1. Click File/Import File.
2. Find/select the ASCII input file and set File Type = “Petrel Well Tops (Old
Format)”.
3. Check off the small square for Measured depth. This will enable you to type in
the MD column number. Set MD = 6.
4. Set Well point type = 3, then set Well name = 5. Well point type established
the horizon name.
5. Set Number of Header Lines = 3, then click OK.
6. Click on the Units tab and set the units properly
7. Then click OK to load.
Moving Well Logs from GeoFrame to Petrel
The easiest way of exporting well log data in GeoFrame for use in Petrel is to use
LAS format. The GeoFrame Data Save module provides two options of exporting
LAS files in Depth Index
1. The LAS file for a single borehole (LAS 2.0, Depth Index)
2. The LAS Depth Index, multi borehole and producer.
We will use the latter, as that is the most effective way in exporting LAS files for
all wells in the project at one go.

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Choosing LAS 2.0 for multiple boreholes will output a number of LAS files
according to the number of the selected boreholes with borehole names attached
to the file names.
1. Open Data Save module in GeoFrame.
2. Select ASCII in the Format options, and select LAS2.0, Depth Index, multi
borehole and producer.
3. Type in just .LAS for the new file name. If your borehole names are WellA
and WellB, the output file names will be _WellA_.LAS and _WellB_.LAS.

EDITING THE CONTROL FILE TO ONLY INCLUDE SPECIFIC CURVES:

Data Save module will use a pre-defined control file in exporting an ASCII file. By
default, selecting LAS 2.0 for multiple borehole will output all log curves
contained in a borehole. In many occasions, you may want to export only a few of
them. For example, if the boreholes in your GeoFrame project have GR, PERM,
PHIE, SW, ILD, ILM etc..., then all of these curves would normally be saved in the
LAS files. If you want to export only GR, PERM, PHIE and SW; the following
modification would be done to the control file (InTouch content ID: 3027702)
4. In a GeoFrame xterm, copy the control file from the baseline to your local
GeoFrame work area:
 5. > cp $GF_PATH/wu_ascii/las_multi_file.ctl
$HOME/geoframe37_sun/wu_ascii
6. > cd $HOME/geoframe37_sun/wu_ascii
7. > vi las_multi_file.ctl
8. > /gas_DICollection ArrayCollection (hit return and this will take you to the
section we will edit).
9. Comment out the first two occurances of the lines starting with Attributes
and Values, ie. insert // at the beginning of each of those two lines.
10. Uncomment the second two occurances of the lines starting with
Attributes and Values, ie. delete the //.
11. In the uncommented line for Values, delete the codes which are already
there, GR,RHOB,CALI, and insert the codes you want to save in the LAS
file. Do not put any spaces in the list of codes and don't forget the comma
at the end of the list.
12. A control file which would save out GR, PERM, PHIE, SW would look like
this:
gas_DICollection ArrayCollection
(
DIType = {"Array"},

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// Attributes = {"Axis_Extent_1_Id", "Index_Measurement" "Producer_Symbol"},
// Values = {"0", "StandardDepthIndex", LASProducerLoop.CurIndexStr},
Attributes = {"Base_Code", "Axis_Extent_1_Id", "Index_Measurement",
"Producer_Symbol"}, // limit selection by Code
Values = {"GR,PERM,PHIE,SW< endlob>< endlob>0", "StandardDepthIndex",
LASProducerLoop.CurIndexStr},
SortBy = {"Base_Code"}, // default sort order is ascending

13. Select this control file to use with Data Save and run.

Importing into Petrel:

1. Click on File/Import or right-click on the Wells folder and select Import (on
selection).
2. Choose the “Well Logs (ASCII)” File Type.
3. Select the input files
NOTE:
 All selected input files must include the same type of curves. If none of the
input files have the same curves, loading must be done for each individual
file.
4. Ensure the input files match the Wells. If you find the file name does not
match the well, click on the Well Trace cell and select the appropriate well
name.
5. In the Import Well Logs, check the Input Data and select appropriate options.
Toggle on the Skip undef values.
6. In the Units tab, ensure that the unit in the file is appropriate with the project
unit.

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Moving FW3D horizon grids via CPS-3 to Petrel
Exporting any grid to an ASCII file from CPS-3 is a simple operation, no matter
what the origin of the grid. The grid does not have to be in the CPS-3 DSL , but
can alternatively be in GeoFrame. As long as the grid is visible in the CPS-3 file
selection dialog, it can be exported to an ASCII file.
In both GF3.8 and GF4.0, grids created by Framework 3D can be seen from the
file selection dialog in CPS-3. The main reason for this is that CPS-3 is one of the

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prime quality control tools available for FW3D output. To export any grid from
CPS-3 as an ASCII file in CPS-3 format, use the following procedure:

1. From the Main Menu, select File/Export/ASCII/Grid

2. Navigate to the proper directory (folder) where the output file is to be written.
3. Provide a name for the output file or select a file to overwrite. The default is to
append a file type of .grd to the output file. Then click OK.
4. In the next dialog which appears, select the grid set which is to be exported.
5. Click on Assign Input/Output Parameters and set File Type = “CPS-3”, Fortran
Format = “Computed”, Append Mode = “Replace”, Numeric value for missing
Z = “1.0E30”, then click OK.
6. Click OK in the Output Grid File dialog.

“Versions” of the FW3D Horizon grids

If the horizon grids computed in FW3D were placed in a Structural Framework

and truncated there, then you must decide which version of the grid you want to
export.
Here, we see several versions of the Ness, Rannoch, and Tarbert horizons. The
original, untruncated version of these grids are “Ness”, “Rannoch”, and “Tarbert”.
The blanked versions (containing empty holes where the grid overlapped with the
truncating grid) are, for example, “Ness_first_EM_blnk”. “first_Em” is the
Framework name. The “limt” suffix in the name indicated the “limited” version, in
which the area of overlap in the truncated grid is replaced with the grid values of
the truncating grid, such that the truncated and truncating grid are coincident
there.

Importing into Petrel:

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1. After creating a folder, if necessary, right click on the folder and select “Import
(on Selection)
2. Find/select the ASCII input file.
3. Choose File Type = “CPS-3 grid (GeoFrame) (ASCII)” and click OPEN. This
file type is for files created in GF3.8 and later.
4. Set the Domain and Units properly and click O
Moving FW3D fault grids via CPS-3 to Petrel

Any grid, fault or otherwise is easily exorted to an ASCII file from CPS-3, as we
saw in the horizon grid example above.
Therefore, the procedure to export a fault grid requires exactly the same steps as
in the horizon grid example above.
However, if the intent is to export the latest faults which reside in a particular fault
framework, then we must make sure that we write out the current truncated
version of the grid, if it exists.

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“Latest Version” of Fault Framework Grids

Grids in a fault framework may or may not be truncated against other grids,
depending on the truncation rules. When exporting ASCII versions of the
complete fault framework, it is important to export the correct version (truncated
or not truncated) fir each grid.
The easiest way to get a correct listing of the latest (truncated or not trucated)
fault framework is to inspect the CPS-3 file selection dialog for grids, sorting it by
name, as in the example below:

We note that most of the grids above have two versions, an original version, and
a truncated version. The truncated versions of these grids contain the Framework
name and the extension “_trnc”. When selecting the “latest” grids to export,
choose the “_trnc” version, if there is one, otherwise, use the original version.
Importing into Petrel:

1. After creating a folder, if necessary, right click on the folder and select “Import
(on Selection)
2. Find/select the ASCII input file.
3. Choose File Type = “CPS-3 grid (ASCII)” and click OPEN. This file type is for
files created in pre-GF3.8 releases. The faults in our training data are of this
type.
4. Set the Domain and Units properly and click OK

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Moving FW3D fault polygons via CPS-3 to Petrel

Fault polygon sets are easily exported to ASCII files in CPS-3, no matter what
their origin. In general, the procedure is as follows:

1. From the Main Menu, select File/Export/ASCII/Fault

2. Navigate to the proper directory (folder) where the output file is to be written.
3. Provide a name for the output file or select a file to overwrite. The default is to
append a file type of .flt to the output file. Then click OK.

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4. In the next dialog which appears, select the fault set which is to be exported.
5. Click on Assign Input/Output Parameters and set File Type = “CPS-3”,
Record Type = “XY”, Format = “Ordered Input/Output”, Append Mode =
“Replace”, Numeric value for missing Z = “1.0E30”, then click OK.
6. Click OK in the Output Grid File dialog.

Fault/Grid Associations

It is always important to make sure that the fault polygon set you are exporting is
associated with the correct horizon grid which may also have been exported. If
this is not important in your context, you can forget about it. If it is, then make sure
that if you are exporting a fault polygon set to be used in conjunction with a
specific horizon grid, you verify that it is the correct one. You can do this in CPS-3,
in general, by selecting a grid to contour. As you select this grid, its associated
fault polygon will automatically show up in the selected fault field.
If you are using grids and fault polygons which are generated by FW3D, then
their naming convention will tell you which is associated with which. For example,
a grid created by Horizon Modeling named “Rannoch” can have three fault sets
associated with it - “Rannoch_clines”, the centerlines, “Rannoch_fpolys”, the
fault polygons, and “Rannoch_traces”, the fault traces. The only difference
between the traces and the polygons is that the traces have are organized by
upthrown/downthrown traces, and the polygons are closed polygons formed by
the upthrown and downthrown traces.
Further, if the horizon grids were processed in a Structural Framework, i.e.,
truncated, then similar naming conventions identify the fault polygon sets which
are associated with the “_blnk” and “_limt” grids. For example,
“Rannoch_traces_first_EM_blnk” are the fault traces associated with the blanked
Rannoch grid in the first_EM Fault framework, and
“Rannoch_fpolys_first_EM_limt” are the polygons associated with the limited
Rannoch grid in the same framework.

Importing into Petrel:

1. After creating a folder, if necessary, right click on the folder and select “Import
(on Selection)
2. Find/select the ASCII input file.
3. Choose File Type = “CPS-3 lines (ASCII)” and click OPEN.
4. Change Category to “Fault Polygon” for “_fpoly” sets, or to “Fault Lines” for
“_traces” sets.
5. Set the Domain and Units properly and click OK or OK for All

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Status of Other Data Communication Methods
Between GeoFrame Applications and Petrel
Open Spirit
At this writing the Open Spirit link supports only Well Data from GeoFrame to
Petrel. The next release of Petrel may offer Open Spirit support for grids, scatter
sets, and other data types.

Rescue
At present, Petrel exports Rescue Files which can be imported by some
simulators, as well as FloGrid. FloGrid import of Petrel 3D models in this way
seems to work fine except for complex fault types, such as thrust faults or
horizontally truncating bifurcations, for which problems have been recently
demonstrated. Date of this report is Mar 10, 2003.

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