Integrated reservoir modelling combines insights from geophysics, geology and reservoir engineering.
Information from seismic, geophysical well logs and borehole cores forms the basic framework for a static three-dimensional reservoir model. This is augmented by the rock properties, i.e. the rock permeability and the pore space (porosity). A model like this normally consists of several million blocks, and must therefore run on fast, powerful computers.
A special technique known as upscaling is used to adjust and simplify the static model. This is then converted into a simulation model (“initialised”) by representing the water, hydrocarbon and pressure distribution, permitting the numeric simulation of dynamic processes. The production history is used to align the model with reality and validate it (“history matching”). A “matched” model can be employed to simulate production forecasts and investigate the impact of factors such as waterflooding.
