Comparative analysis of surface infrastructure models for an oil field in the Pannonian Basin: Evaluation of Aspen HYSYS and GAP software

The Integrated Production Model (IPM) acts as a digital twin of the actual field, representing reservoir behavior, all wells and their equipment, as well as the entire surface infrastructure. This model allows for changes in parameters within the virtual environment, enabling the simulation of various scenarios to determine how these changes affect the entire system. Consequently, it is possible to select the most optimal scenario and validate its impacts. The development of the surface infrastructure model represents the final step in integrated production modeling, and this study focuses on creating a surface infrastructure model of an oil field in the Pannonian Basin using two software tools: Aspen HYSYS and Petroleum Experts - GAP. The goal is to compare the results obtained and identify the advantages and limitations of these software solutions. This analysis offers valuable insights into the capabilities of each program in simulating and optimizing oil operations. Engineers use a range of computational strategies and mathematical models to design and operate processing facilities. Aspen HYSYS is a widely recognized tool in the oil and gas industry for process simulation, allowing engineers to model various operational scenarios in detail and assess their impact on system performance. Aspen HYSYS is used for modeling the entire production process, including oil and gas processing, refining, and chemical plants, while GAP specializes in integrated asset modeling (IAM), modeling wells, flowlines, risers, and surface facilities, optimizing the entire production system from the reservoir to the processing plant. This paper first provides the theoretical background relevant to the research topic, including the basic concepts of process simulation in Aspen HYSYS and GAP. Following that, the research methodology is presented, including the steps of simulation and analysis. Finally, the simulation results are discussed, and conclusions are drawn regarding the applicability of both software tools for modeling surface infrastructure in oil fields.