History Matching Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter on a North Sea Field Case

Abstract

Summary This paper applies the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) to history match a North Sea field model. This is, as far as we know, one of the first published studies in which the EnKF is applied in a realistic setting using real production data. The reservoir-simulation model has approximately 45,000 active grid cells, and 5 years of production data are assimilated. The estimated parameters consist of the permeability and porosity fields, and the results are compared with a model previously established using a manual history-matching procedure. It was found that the EnKF estimate improved the match to the production data. This study, therefore, supported previous findings when using synthetic models that the EnKF may provide a useful tool for history matching reservoir parameters such as the permeability and porosity fields.