SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition · 2006 · 46 citations · 1 references
EngineeringEarth SciencesPetroleum EngineeringPetroleum GeologyReservoir CharacterizationReservoir EngineeringPermeability CharacterizationPermeability EstimationPetrophysical EvaluationReserve EstimationReservoir GeologyReservoir Quality AssessmentReserves Uncertainty AnalysisReservoir DataReservoir EvaluationReservoir Parameter EstimationReservoir Performance PredictionReservoir Properties EstimationReservoir Quality EvaluationReservoir Rock Wettability
Reservoir evaluation often relies on analog reservoirs, yet systematic criteria for selecting and applying them are lacking, leading to subjective judgments and frequent misapplications that threaten reliable reserve estimates and economic forecasts. This paper offers guidelines to help reservoir engineers and geologists consistently choose and apply analog data for reserve estimation, performance prediction, and reservoir management.
Abstract This paper contains materials and concepts from both an engineering and geoscience perspective relative to the reliance upon suitable analog reservoirs for some or all of the pertinent reservoir rock and fluid qualities in the estimating of reserves quantities and the classification of such estimates. The information in the paper is expected to be useful to professional reservoir engineers and geologists in predicting reservoir performance for reserves estimation, reservoir management and other predictive needs. The ultimate choice of the use and application of data from analogous reservoirs is always based upon the judgment of the evaluator but guidelines presented in this paper will assist in providing criteria for the more consistent application of analogs. All judgment decisions in reservoir evaluation are based upon the evaluator's collective experience in reservoir geology or engineering and are thus subjectively analog based. Little of our collective experience, however, has been gathered in any systematic way where all pertinent reservoir and fluid characteristics have been identified. The pertinent characteristics go far beyond the typical measurements of depth, pressure, temperature, porosity, permeability and oil gravity – as primary parameters – and arguably should include depositional environments, mineralization, trapping mechanism, drive mechanisms, structural stresses, wettability, pore throat sizes and other often unknown or ignored features or descriptive parameters. Equally important is the recognition of the frequent and continuing misunderstanding and erroneous application of analog data, some of which is described in this paper. The topic is significant because of the continuously growing interest in reliable reserves estimates and economic forecasts by companies, investors, regulators, governments and the public at large and because there are no similar papers available through the SPE library or other readily accessible sources.
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