Predictive analytics for mature oil fields

Industry context

A major challenge of managing fields in late life is locating and unlocking the bypassed oil pockets outside of the main production fairways. An increasingly detailed reservoir description is required to locate these opportunities and screen their economic viability. Current full physics-based (static-dynamic simulations) solutions exist to predict the sweep efficiency and location of bypassed oil in the reservoir but, as fields move closer to the end of their life, these methods are proving to be increasingly unreliable. ​

​Improving our ability to predict future fluid movement is essential if we are to maximise recovery of bypassed oil. Technologies that can efficiently manipulate different datasets to enable predictive reservoir management will have a significant impact on production by improving confidence in locating remaining oil and, ultimately, maximising recovery.

Project overview

The Three60Energy POSEIDON ^TM software provides a predictive, analytics-enabled workflow that integrates the best practices of classical LTRO (Locate-The-Remaining-Oil) workflow, while incorporating all available production and surveillance data, integrating production allocation as well as geological knowns and uncertainties within the analysis. Within this computer-assisted environment, these existing best practices are integrated with modern analytics and machine learning methods. Using computation in this way makes the workflow highly efficient and allows the user to reduce time and resource requirements by approximately 70% on average. The technology and workflow have been proven through several successful projects on datasets from different basins around the globe. ​

Play Video

​Through this project, the POSEIDON^TM workflow has been upgraded to incorporate multiple 4D seismic time-lapse vintages into any of the sequential steps of the analysis. All 4D data is seamlessly integrated into POSEIDON^TM data structures and internal processes, including the analytics module and remaining oil compliant mapping (ROCM). The quantitative interpretation (QI) uncertainty (signal-to-noise ratio, pressure vs. fluid effects) into the mapping of 4D induced oil water contact (OWC) movements has been made available within the workflow. ​​

Outcome

Successful application of the new algorithms and workflows to the Nelson field​

New targets for increased recovery ​

Reduced volumetric uncertainty ​

Potential £14M additional value ​

Unlock 2.1bn barrels in existing fields outcome​

Successful application of the new algorithms and workflows to the Nelson field​

New targets for increased recovery ​

Reduced volumetric uncertainty ​

Potential £14M additional value ​

Unlock 2.1bn barrels in existing fields outcome​