A New Method to Determine Remaining Oil Saturation in Reservoir by Time-lapse Production Logging Data

Surveillance is very important in managing a steamflood project. On the current surveillance plan, Temperature and steam ID logs are acquired on observation wells at least every year while CO log (oil saturation log or SO log) every 3 years. Based on those surveillance logs, a dynamic full field reservoir model is updated quarterly. Typically, a high depletion rate happens in a new steamflood area as a function of drainage activities and steamflood injection. Due to different acquisition time, there is a possibility of misalignment or information gaps between remaining oil maps (ie: net pay, average oil saturation or hydrocarbon pore thickness map) with steam chest map, for example a case of high remaining oil on high steam saturation interval. The methodology that is used to predict oil saturation log is neural network. In this neural network method, open hole observation wells logs (static reservoir log) such as vshale, porosity, water saturation effective, and pay non pay interval), dynamic reservoir logs as temperature, steam saturation, oil saturation, and acquisition time are used as input. A study case of a new steamflood area with 16 patterns of single reservoir target used 6 active observation wells and 15 complete logs sets (temperature, steam ID, and CO log), 19 incomplete logs sets (only temperature and steam ID) since 2014 to 2019. Those data were divided as follows ~80% of completed log set data for neural network training model and ~20% of completed log set data for testing the model. As the result of neural model testing, R2 is score 0.86 with RMS 5% oil saturation. In this testing step, oil saturation log prediction is compared to actual data. Only minor data that shows different oil saturation value and overall shape of oil saturation logs are match. This neural network model is then used for oil saturation log prediction in 19 incomplete log set. The oil saturation log prediction method can fill the gap of data to better describe the depletion process in a new steamflood area. This method also helps to align steam map and remaining oil to support reservoir management in a steamflood project.

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Ensemble Machine Learning Assisted Reservoir Characterization Using Field Production Data–An Offshore Field Case Study

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14041052 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 1052

Author(s):

Baozhong Wang ◽

Jyotsna Sharma ◽

Jianhua Chen ◽

Patricia Persaud

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Random Forest ◽

Reservoir Characterization ◽

Time Lapse ◽

Production Data ◽

Oil Saturation ◽

Ensemble Machine Learning ◽

Input Parameters ◽

Saturation Profiles ◽

Field Production

Estimation of fluid saturation is an important step in dynamic reservoir characterization. Machine learning techniques have been increasingly used in recent years for reservoir saturation prediction workflows. However, most of these studies require input parameters derived from cores, petrophysical logs, or seismic data, which may not always be readily available. Additionally, very few studies incorporate the production data, which is an important reflection of the dynamic reservoir properties and also typically the most frequently and reliably measured quantity throughout the life of a field. In this research, the random forest ensemble machine learning algorithm is implemented that uses the field-wide production and injection data (both measured at the surface) as the only input parameters to predict the time-lapse oil saturation profiles at well locations. The algorithm is optimized using feature selection based on feature importance score and Pearson correlation coefficient, in combination with geophysical domain-knowledge. The workflow is demonstrated using the actual field data from a structurally complex, heterogeneous, and heavily faulted offshore reservoir. The random forest model captures the trends from three and a half years of historical field production, injection, and simulated saturation data to predict future time-lapse oil saturation profiles at four deviated well locations with over 90% R-square, less than 6% Root Mean Square Error, and less than 7% Mean Absolute Percentage Error, in each case.

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