TABLE OF CONTENTS Project objectives help define the level of detail that will be incorporated in a reservoir flow model. Once objectives are defined, it is helpful to think of the study proceeding in three stages: the history matching stage; a calibration stage, which provides a smooth transition between the first and third stages; and the prediction stage. The first step of the history matching stage is the collection and analysis of data.
Data must be acquired and evaluated with a focus on its quality and the identification of relevant drive mechanisms that should be included in the model [for example, see Crichlow, 1977; Saleri, et al., 1992; Raza, 1992; Carlson, 2003]. Given that information, it is possible to select the type of model that will be needed for the study: conceptual, window area, or full field model. In many cases all three of these model types may be required, as Fanchi, et al. [1996] have illustrated. Data must be acquired for each model.
Some of the data that is required for a model study can be found in existing reports. The modeling team should find as many reports as it can from as many disciplines as possible. Table 18-1 lists the types of data that are needed in a model study. A review of geophysical, geological, petrophysical, and engineering reports provides a background on how the project has been developed and what preconceived interpretations have been established. During the course of the study, it may be necessary to develop...
