3D Process Based Model Integration in Reservoir Modeling — A Real Case Application

One of the main challenges in deep-water green fields and fields under early development is the realistic estimate of uncertainty in forecasts, due to the lack of data. At this stage it is fundamental to include the sedimentological information as much as possible, especially in case of low quality seismic.

The aim of this work is to show an advanced methodology able to directly integrate different 3D sedimentological models (geological scenarios), built using a process-based approach.

Several 3D sedimentological models (scenarios) are created at first and used as 3D EOD (environment of deposition) in facies distribution. Then a screening is performed when new data are available (wells, cores, well tests) in order to reduce the number of scenarios.

The 3D sedimentological scenarios are the drivers for geostatistical facies distribution. The direct integration of the 3D quantitative sedimentological information allows to preserve the geological architectures and to consider the uncertainties related to the different initial sedimentological hypothesis.

This methodology has been successfully applied to an African deep-water reservoir, for which several 3D sedimentological process-based models have been generated and considered in the field appraisal during development.