Comparison of Probabilistic and Forward Modeling Workflow Approaches for Integrating 4D Seismic into Reservoir Models (Best of AAPG)

The ultimate goal of reservoir modeling is to obtain a model of the reservoir that is able to predict future flow performance. Achieving this challenging goal requires the model to honor all available static (well log, geological information and 3D seismic) and dynamic (4D seismic and production) data. This paper presents a general methodology and workflow for reservoir modeling that integrates data from multiple sources, using a fully probabilistic approach. The main contribution of this paper is the inclusion of 4D seismic data, which has previously not been accounted for within this workflow. 4D seismic data not only helps monitoring pressure and saturation changes in the reservoir due to production, but also identifying the facies where those changes are occurring. Two general approaches can be followed to include 4D seismic data into the reservoir modeling workflow. The first approach consists on modeling the information content of 4D seismic through a spatial probability of facies occurrence; and the second approach consists of matching 4D seismic along with historical production data. This paper presents the methodology followed to incorporate 4D seismic data using the two proposed approaches, while aiming for applying them on a reservoir located in the North Sea.