Uncertainty constrained subsurface modeling
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsAlberto Malinverno, Michael Prange
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture are provided that use measurement data to create a model of a subsurface area. The method includes creating an initial parameterized model having an initial estimate of model parameter uncertainties; considering measurement data from the subsurface area; updating the model and its associated uncertainty estimate; and repeating the considering and updating steps with additional measurement data. A computer-based apparatus and article of manufacture for implementing the method are also disclosed. The method, apparatus, and article of manufacture are particularly useful in assisting oil companies in making hydrocarbon reservoir data acquisition, drilling and field development decisions.
Claims21
A method of using measurement data to create a model of a subsurface area comprising the steps of:
- creating a parameterized model of the subsurface area having an initial estimate of model parameter uncertainties;
- considering measurement data from the subsurface area;
- updating said parameterized model to fit said measurement data, said updated parameterized model having an updated estimate of model parameter uncertainties;
- and
- repeating said considering and updating steps with additional measurement data to produce a further updated parameterized model having a further updated estimate of model parameter uncertainties.
An apparatus for creating a model of a subsurface area comprising:
- means for creating a parameterized model of the subsurface area having an initial estimate of model parameter uncertainties;
- means for considering measurement data from the subsurface area;
- means for updating said parameterized model to fit said measurement data, said updated parameterized model having an updated estimate of model parameter uncertainties;
- and
- means for repeating said considering and updating steps with additional measurement data to produce a further updated parameterized model having a further updated estimate of model parameter uncertainties.
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code means embodied therein for creating a model of a subsurface area, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising:
- computer-readable program means for creating a parameterized model of the subsurface area having an initial estimate of model parameter uncertainties;
- computer-readable program means for considering measurement data from the subsurface area;
- computer-readable program means for updating said parameterized model to fit said measurement data, said updated parameterized model having an updated estimate of model parameter uncertainties;
- and
- computer-readable program means for repeating said considering and updating steps with additional measurement data to produce a further updated parameterized model having a further updated estimate of model parameter uncertainties.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.