TABLE OF CONTENTS The best technology for making reservoir performance predictions today is to model fluid flow in porous media using reservoir flow simulators. The reservoir management process and the systems involved in reservoir modeling are outlined here.
Several prerequisites should be satisfied before a model study is undertaken [Coats, 1969]. The most important, from a business perspective, is establishing that the problem has economic importance. At the very least, the objectives of a model study should yield a solution to the economically important problem.
Once the objectives of a study are specified, the modeling team should gather all available data and reports relating to the field. Reservoir characterization and reservoir engineering evaluations are usually performed as standard business practice. Some of the tasks associated with basic reservoir analysis are described in Chapter 2. They provide information that is needed to prepare input data for a simulation study. For example, material balance studies require the acquisition of fluid property data, field pressures, and production volumes. This information is also needed to conduct a flow model study. Volumetric analyses provide independent appraisals of reservoir volume that can be used to check the original fluid volumes calculated by a reservoir flow model. In addition, basic reservoir analysis can provide an initial concept of the reservoir and associated drive mechanisms. These concepts can be used to design the model study. The modeling team needs to be aware of existing studies and should relate model performance to previous studies whenever possible.
If data that are...
