THE SPE IMAGE LIBRARY

Adjustment of Reservoir Simulation Models To Match

Field Performance
2983
Slater, G.E., and
Durrer, E.J., Members AIME,
Gulf Research and Development Co., Pittsburgh, PA.
September 1971
ABSTRACT
Numerical simulation models describing field
behavior require reliable estimates for various
reservoir parameters which cannot be measured
directly. A trial-and-error procedure, linear and
nonlinear regression analysis on a random search,
and electric analogue computation are presently
used in order to obtain these estimates. They
suffer either from lengthy computation times or
from the necessity to build a physical model for
each reservoir.
This paper describes a balanced error-weighted
gradient method that systematically reduces the
difference between observed and calculated reservoir
performance data, thereby leading to a history
match. The scheme resembles closely the mechanical
balancing of an electric analyzer once one has
determined quantitatively the interference
relationships between the individual well regions.
These relationships are found by changing the
reservoir parameter of each region in turn by a
constant value, while all other regional values
remain at their base level. Then the interference
relationships are ordered in matrix form. The
diagonal elements of this matrix yield the gradients
for the regional reservoir parameter values and
thereby the direction of the change necessary to
obtain a reduction in the matching error. The
magnitude of change in each region is taken
proportional to the regional error. Such a weighting
of the gradients enables one to cope with the
interference.
Particular car has to be exercised in defining
what components constitute the influential reservoir
parameters of a field. Case studies of oil and gas
fields yielded information for choosing these.
Therefore, the proposed presentation will consist
of a detailed description of the matching procedure
and its application to several reservoirs, as well
as general guidelines for field history matching.

SPE 2983

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INTRODUCTION
The partial differential equation

..(1)
where
k = permeability
h = reservoir thickness
= viscosity
= porosity
c = compressibility
p = pressure
x
= space coordinates
y
t = time
Q = injection, or production rate
describes the pressure behavior in an oil or gas
reservoir. Finite-difference techniques, variational,
and finite-element methods can be used to obtain a
numerical solution to Eq.1 as no analytical
solutions are known for the conditions that
adequately describe a reservoir. Only if a cell or
element happens to contain a well is a rough
estimate of the local k and
value known.. Several
times throughout the entire life of the reservoir the
static reservoir pressure may be measured at the
wells.
However, k and
are only point measurements
when compared to the over-all reservoir size.
Therefor, calculated and observed pressure
behavior will rarely agree if those k and
values
are used in the computation of Eq. 1. Usually they
must be adjusted to yield a match between the two
pressure behaviors. Only then reliable predictions
can be made concerning the future reservoir
behavior.
In the past, the reservoir was more or less
arbitrarily divided into a certain number of regions.
SPEJ
p. 295

SPE 2983