Announcements

We are excited to invite you to our third meeting of the year on Nov 09 at 11 am Pacific time.  Our speaker is SPE Distinguished Lecturer Prof. Mark Bentley, Associate Professor at Heriot-Watt University & Training Director at TRACS International. The title of his presentation is: How To Design A Good Reservoir Model.

The event is live! A recording will NOT be available if you miss it.
Don’t miss this LIVE SPE Virtual Distinguished Lecture! 

SPE Distinguished Lecturers are industry experts and outstanding speakers, nominated by their peers, to share their knowledge and expertise on the latest industry trends and technologies with SPE members throughout the world through visits to local sections.

Looking forward to seeing you (Albeit virtually) at the next Golden Gate Section Meetings.

The difference between good models and bad models is an issue of model design

How can you tell the difference between a ‘good’ reservoir model and a ‘bad’ one?

Reservoir and simulation modelling capability has become a mainstream activity in petroleum engineering yet the models themselves often tend to disappoint.  Crucially, models and forecasts tend to be optimistic.

This talk draws on experiences accumulated over the last 25 years from working with international and national oil companies, and draws out common themes - reasons why some modelling and simulation outcomes are ‘good’, and others are ‘bad’. The over-riding theme is model design, and it will be argued that many of the errors in modelling are made before anyone logs on.  It’s not the capability of the software, it’s the design choices made.

The following design issues will be identified and optimal approaches recommended, concerning:

• model purpose, and the balance of simplicity vs. complexity in modelling
• imperfect data and concept-based modelling – “if you can sketch it, you can model it”
• taking a fluid-centric view of the need for detail: reservoir modelling, rather than geological modelling;
• the scale transition, searching for the 'lost heterogeneity'

The points above will be illustrated with a case study from a mature oil field undergoing waterflood, in which a decision on infill drilling needed to be made.

Mark has been in the industry since 1986, initially as a production geologist with Shell where he first started learning about reservoir modelling.  He has spent the subsequent 22 years training and consulting around the world with colleagues at TRACS.  His specialist technical fields are reservoir modelling and scenario-based approaches to handling uncertainty.

Mark is a frequent contributor at conferences and co-author of the textbook ‘Reservoir Model Design’. In 2018 he took up the Chair in Mature Field Management at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

Next Meeting

The December meeting will be on December 2nd at 11 am Pacific time. The speaker is Dr Andrei Popa. He will talk about AI and machine learning with practical O&G applications. Stay tuned for our meeting notice!