Common ECLIPSE Errors¶
This document catalogs common ECLIPSE deck errors and their solutions. Essential reference for CLARISSA's debugging capabilities (ORSA Phase 1).
Syntax Errors¶
Missing Terminator¶
Error:
@-- ERROR AT LINE 125
@-- KEYWORD 'WELSPECS' REQUIRES RECORD TERMINATION
Cause: Missing / at end of record or keyword.
Wrong:
WELSPECS
PROD1 G1 50 50 8500 OIL
Correct:
WELSPECS
PROD1 G1 50 50 8500 OIL /
/
Unexpected End of File¶
Error:
@-- ERROR AT LINE 1523
@-- UNEXPECTED END OF FILE IN KEYWORD 'SCHEDULE'
Cause: Missing END keyword or unclosed record.
Solution: Add END at end of SCHEDULE section:
TSTEP
365 /
END
Invalid Keyword Spelling¶
Error:
@-- ERROR AT LINE 45
@-- KEYWORD 'WELSPEC' NOT RECOGNIZED
Cause: Typo in keyword name.
Common Typos: | Wrong | Correct | |-------|---------| | WELSPEC | WELSPECS | | COMDAT | COMPDAT | | WCONPRD | WCONPROD | | PVTDO | PVDO | | DIMNS | DIMENS |
Wrong Number of Values¶
Error:
@-- ERROR AT LINE 234
@-- KEYWORD 'DIMENS' EXPECTS 3 VALUES, FOUND 2
Wrong:
DIMENS
100 100 /
Correct:
DIMENS
100 100 20 /
Grid Errors¶
Negative Cell Volume¶
Error:
@-- WARNING: CELL (45, 23, 5) HAS NEGATIVE VOLUME
@-- CHECK CORNER POINT GEOMETRY
Causes: 1. Inverted corners in ZCORN 2. Crossing pillars in COORD 3. Inconsistent grid include files
Solutions: 1. Check ZCORN ordering (should increase with depth) 2. Verify COORD pillar definitions 3. Visualize grid in external tool (ResInsight)
Cells with Zero Pore Volume¶
Error:
@-- WARNING: 234 CELLS HAVE ZERO PORE VOLUME
@-- THESE CELLS WILL BE DEACTIVATED
Causes: 1. PORO = 0 for some cells 2. NTG = 0 for some cells 3. Very thin cells (DZ โ 0)
Solutions:
-- Set minimum pore volume
MINPV
1.0 / -- Minimum 1 rb per cell
-- Or fix porosity
PORO
10000*0.01 / -- Ensure non-zero
Missing ACTNUM¶
Warning:
@-- NO ACTNUM SPECIFIED - ALL CELLS ACTIVE
Note: Not an error, but can cause performance issues with inactive cells.
Solution:
ACTNUM
-- 0 = inactive, 1 = active
5000*1 5000*0 / -- Deactivate half the grid
PVT Errors¶
Non-Monotonic Table¶
Error:
@-- ERROR IN PVTO TABLE AT LINE 345
@-- PRESSURE MUST INCREASE MONOTONICALLY
Wrong:
PVTO
0.5 1000 1.2 0.5
0.5 800 1.18 0.52 -- Pressure decreased!
0.5 1200 1.22 0.48 /
/
Correct:
PVTO
0.5 800 1.18 0.52
0.5 1000 1.2 0.5
0.5 1200 1.22 0.48 /
/
Relative Permeability Not Normalized¶
Error:
@-- WARNING: KRWMAX IN SWOF TABLE NOT EQUAL TO 1.0
Common Issues: 1. Krw(Sw=1) โ 1 2. Krow(Sw=Swc) โ 1 3. Krg(Sg=1-Swc) โ 1
Correct Table Structure:
SWOF
-- Sw Krw Krow Pcow
0.2 0 1 0 -- Swc: Krow = 1
0.4 0.05 0.5 0
0.6 0.2 0.2 0
0.8 0.5 0.05 0
1.0 1 0 0 / -- Sw=1: Krw = 1
Missing Bubble Point Data¶
Error:
@-- ERROR: UNDERSATURATED OIL DATA MISSING FOR Rs = 0.65
Cause: PVTO table doesn't cover the required Rs range.
Solution: Extend PVTO table or add undersaturation data:
PVTO
-- Rs P Bo Visc
0.5 1000 1.2 0.8
2000 1.19 0.85
3000 1.18 0.9 / -- Undersaturated
0.65 1500 1.25 0.75
2500 1.24 0.78
3500 1.23 0.82 /
/
Well Errors¶
Well Not in Grid¶
Error:
@-- ERROR: WELL 'PROD1' AT (150, 50) IS OUTSIDE GRID
@-- GRID DIMENSIONS ARE (100, 100, 20)
Cause: Well I,J coordinates exceed grid dimensions.
Solution: Check WELSPECS coordinates:
WELSPECS
-- Name Group I J RefDepth Phase
-- I and J must be <= NX, NY in DIMENS
PROD1 G1 50 50 8500 OIL /
/
No Perforated Cells¶
Error:
@-- WARNING: WELL 'PROD1' HAS NO OPEN CONNECTIONS
Causes: 1. COMPDAT layers don't exist 2. All connection cells are inactive 3. Wrong I,J in COMPDAT
Solution:
COMPDAT
-- Well I J K1 K2 Open
-- Ensure K1-K2 range contains active cells
PROD1 50 50 1 10 OPEN / -- Layers 1-10
/
BHP Below Bubble Point¶
Warning:
@-- WARNING: WELL 'PROD1' BHP (1200 PSIA) BELOW BUBBLE POINT (1500 PSIA)
@-- FREE GAS MAY OCCUR IN WELLBORE
Cause: BHP constraint too low for reservoir fluid.
Solutions: 1. Raise BHP limit:
WCONPROD
PROD1 OPEN ORAT 1000 4* 1600 / -- Higher BHP
/
Schedule Errors¶
Well Used Before Definition¶
Error:
@-- ERROR AT LINE 1234
@-- WELL 'PROD2' REFERENCED IN WCONPROD BUT NOT DEFINED
Cause: Using well before WELSPECS.
Wrong Order:
SCHEDULE
WCONPROD
PROD1 OPEN ORAT 1000 / -- Error: PROD1 not defined yet
/
WELSPECS
PROD1 G1 50 50 8500 OIL /
/
Correct Order:
SCHEDULE
WELSPECS
PROD1 G1 50 50 8500 OIL /
/
COMPDAT
PROD1 50 50 1 10 OPEN /
/
WCONPROD
PROD1 OPEN ORAT 1000 /
/
Date Going Backwards¶
Error:
@-- ERROR: DATE '1 JAN 2025' IS BEFORE CURRENT DATE '1 FEB 2025'
Cause: Dates not in chronological order.
Wrong:
DATES
1 FEB 2025 /
/
TSTEP
30 /
DATES
1 JAN 2025 / -- Error: Before Feb!
/
Correct:
DATES
1 JAN 2025 /
1 FEB 2025 /
1 MAR 2025 /
/
Convergence Errors¶
Linear Solver Failure¶
Error:
@-- WARNING: LINEAR SOLVER FAILED TO CONVERGE
@-- ITERATION 50, RESIDUAL = 1.23E+05
Causes: 1. Bad initial guess (poor initialization) 2. Very heterogeneous permeability 3. Timestep too large
Solutions: 1. Improve equilibration:
EQUIL
-- Use more accurate initial conditions
8500 4000 9000 0 8000 0 1 1 20 /
-- ^^ More iterations
TSTEP
1 2 5 10 20 30 / -- Ramp up gradually
Newton Convergence Failure¶
Error:
@-- WARNING: NEWTON ITERATION FAILED
@-- MAX SATURATION CHANGE = 0.45 (LIMIT = 0.2)
Causes: 1. Large saturation changes 2. Discontinuous rel-perm curves 3. Numerical instability
Solutions: 1. Tighten timestep control 2. Smooth relative permeability tables 3. Add numerical controls (if available):
TUNING
1 5 0.1 / -- Smaller initial timestep
/
/
Error Categories for Training¶
| Category | Examples | Training Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Syntax | Missing /, typos | High - common, fixable |
| Grid | Negative volume, zero PV | Medium - need geometry check |
| PVT | Non-monotonic, missing data | High - common in new decks |
| Wells | Outside grid, no connections | High - frequent user errors |
| Schedule | Order issues, date errors | High - common mistakes |
| Convergence | Solver failures | Medium - need parameter tuning |
See Also¶
- Deck Structure - Proper organization
- Keyword Reference - Correct syntax
- ORSA Proposal - Phase 1 debugging objectives