An object-oriented approach to simulator postprocessing

An interactive, graphical software package provides the ability to view production well data generated by reservoir simulation. The program (KEYPLOT-X) includes several novel concepts, such as use of object-oriented technology for graphical software and a direct-access database structure. The entire application is constructed from a library of elemental objects. Inheritance of properties between objects produces extremely modular code, which greatly enhances maintenance and extendibility. The database has a direct-access hierarchical structure that is object-oriented, simplifying the data access protocol to provide rapid interactivity between the database, applications, and user interface. The overall approach has provided a high degree of functionality and flexibility to engineering applications and a manageable software structure for maintenance and development.