page_title: Geologic modelling
section_title: Fluid saturation
hierarchical_section_title: Geologic modelling / Geologic modelling components / Fluid saturation
caption_attribution_description: English: Three-dimensional finite difference grid used in MODFLOW
context_page_description: Geologic modelling, geological modelling or geomodelling is the applied science of creating computerized representations of portions of the Earth's crust based on geophysical and geological observations made on and below the Earth surface. A geomodel is the numerical equivalent of a three-dimensional geological map complemented by a description of physical quantities in the domain of interest.
  Geomodelling is related to the concept of Shared Earth Model;
  which is a multidisciplinary, interoperable and updatable knowledge base about the subsurface.
  Geomodelling is commonly used for managing natural resources, identifying natural hazards, and quantifying geological processes, with main applications to oil and gas fields, groundwater aquifers and ore deposits. For example, in the oil and gas industry, realistic geologic models are required as input to reservoir simulator programs, which predict the behavior of the rocks under various hydrocarbon recovery scenarios. A reservoir can only be developed and produced once; therefore, making a mistake by selecting a site with poor conditions for development is tragic and wasteful.
context_section_description: Most rock is completely saturated with groundwater.  Sometimes, under the right conditions, some of the pore space in the rock is occupied by other liquids or gases.  In the energy industry, oil and natural gas are the fluids most commonly being modelled.  The preferred methods for calculating hydrocarbon saturations in a geologic model incorporate an estimate of pore throat size, the densities of the fluids, and the height of the cell above the water contact, since these factors exert the strongest influence on capillary action, which ultimately controls fluid saturations.
caption: A 3D finite difference grid used in MODFLOW for simulating groundwater flow in an aquifer.
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