Novel Multiscale Full Field Simulation Applied to the Rapid Calibration of Geologic Models

Abstract High resolution simulations of geologic models provide precise representations of heterogeneity, flood fronts and pressure response, but at a significant computational cost, while coarse "network" models provide improved computation efficiency and can capture the pressure and rate connectivity between injection and production wells. We introduce a novel workflow for combining these two scales of simulation and demonstrate its ability to capture subsurface uncertainty applied to the dynamic calibration of the Brugge reservoir model realizations. A novel coarse partition of the reservoir volumes is presented based upon distance to the nearest well in terms of Diffusive Time of Flight (DTOF), which is obtained from the pressure diffusivity Eikonal equation. Connectivity within the reservoir is evaluated using novel pressure transient flow-based upscaling of transmissibility. The workflow is applied to selected realizations of the static Brugge model to quantify dynamic uncertainty and for calibration. The combination of coarse grid design and flow-based upscaling preserves many of the important features of the geologic models. The ensemble of Brugge models are chosen to contrast the different choices of control parameters used in generating the realizations. Commercial uncertainty and optimization software is used to calibrate region pore volume, inter-region transmissibility, and well connection factor multipliers for the coarse network models using the rate and pressure historical data for the first 10 years of the field life. The workflow is demonstrated through the application using a commercial flow simulator, to assist in technology transfer, but the underlying algorithms should be applicable to any commercial flow simulation package.