Gradual Deformation Method as a Geostatistical Based Inverse Method for the Estimation of Flow and Transport Parameters

Gradual Deformation Method (GDM) is a geostatistical based inverse method developed since the end of the 90’s by L.Y. Hu and coworkers of the French Institute of Petroleum (IFP) for oil reservoir simulations. This method aims to calibrate reservoir stochastic simulations on existing experimental data (pressure transient, well production, water cut, …).It has been successfully applied to synthetic fields and real 3D oil fields. Though the method is applicable to subsurface hydrology, only few attempts were made.<br>The work presented here aims to show the applicability of GDM for the calibration of heterogeneous aquifer properties. After a first step, where we recall how GDM works, we apply it, in a second step, to the WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, New Mexico, USA) site, namely to the calibration of the transmissivity of the Culebra Dolomite aquifer. The WIPP site is famous in the geostatistical community as it served, ten years ago, as a test case for the intercomparison of geostatistical models.<br>