--> Abstract: The Effect of Geologic Parameters and Uncertainties from Subsurface Flow: Deepwater Depositional Systems, by William Milliken, Marjorie Levy, Sebastien Strebelle, and Ye Zhang; #90078 (2008)

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The Effect of Geologic Parameters and Uncertainties from Subsurface Flow: Deepwater Depositional Systems

William Milliken1, Marjorie Levy1, Sebastien Strebelle1, and Ye Zhang2
1Chevron Energy Technology Company, San Ramon, CA
2Dept of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

Reservoir simulation is routinely used in the petroleum industry for reservoir management. Moreover, it is recognized that the results of any reservoir simulation model are strongly influenced by the underlying geologic model. However, the direct relationship between geologic parameters and subsurface flow is obscure. In this paper we explore this relationship in deepwater depositional systems using data from two reservoir analogs: the Mahakam Fan and the Brushy Canyon Formation of West Texas. High-resolution seismic data from the upper Mahakam Fan shows a deepwater channel-levee system in detail. Using an experimental design framework and a series of three increasingly complex models, we investigated the effect of nine different geologic factors on several different measures of the flow behavior. As expected our results show that different geologic factors influence different measures of the flow. Most significant is the clear effect that the proportion and organization of the different internal facies making up the channels have on the recovery factor and net oil production. The Brushy Canyon outcrops used in this work represent sand-rich proximal deposits of a distributary lobe complex. Here we built models on a very small length scale to investigate the effects of lobe reservoir architecture as well as internal facies distribution of the lobes on subsurface flow. Again, using an experimental design framework, we found that the proportion and organization of the internal lobe facies have a significant influence on subsurface flow but other variables also were found to be important. The models in this study address flow behavior in deepwater, sparse well environments. Using models from the simple to the complex, we found that several parameters incorporated in the more detailed models, and not in the simple models, had a significant impact on the predicted flow.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90078©2008 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas