This paper reports the use of ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) for automatic history matching. EnKF is a Monte Carlo method, in which an ensemble of reservoir state variables are generated and kept up-to-date as data are assimilated sequentially. The uncertainty of reservoir state variables is estimated from the ensemble at any time step. Two synthetic problems are selected to investigate two primary concerns with the application of the EnKF. The first concern is whether it is possible to use a Kalman filter to make corrections to state variables in a problem for which the covariance matrix almost certainly provides a poor representation of the distribution of variables. It is tested with a one-dimensional, two-phase waterflood problem. The water saturation takes large values behind the flood front, and small values ahead of the front. The saturation distribution is bimodal and is not well modeled by the mean and variance. The second concern is the representation of the covariance via a relatively small ensemble of state vectors may be inadequate. It is tested by a two-dimensional, two-phase problem. The number of ensemble members is kept the same as for the one-dimensional problem. Hence the number of ensemble members used to create the covariance matrix is far less than the number of state variables. We conclude that EnKF can provide satisfactory history matching results while requiring less computation work than traditional history matching methods.
Skip Nav Destination
e-mail: yaqing.gu-1@ou.edu
e-mail: dsoliver@ou.edu
Article navigation
March 2006
Research Papers
The Ensemble Kalman Filter for Continuous Updating of Reservoir Simulation Models
Yaqing Gu,
Yaqing Gu
Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Eng.,
e-mail: yaqing.gu-1@ou.edu
The University of Oklahoma
, 100 East Boyd Street, SEC T301, Norman, OK 73019
Yaqing Gu is a research assistant in the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. She has working experience with Chevron. Her research interests include automatic history matching, optimal control theory, and geostatistics. She holds MS degree in petroleum geology, BS degree in applied geophysics, and is currently working on her PhD degree in petroleum engineering.
Search for other works by this author on:
Dean S. Oliver
Dean S. Oliver
Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Eng.,
e-mail: dsoliver@ou.edu
The University of Oklahoma
, 100 East Boyd Street, SEC T301, Norman, OK 73019
Dean Oliver is the Eberly Family Chair Professor and the Director of the Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. He holds a BS degree in physics and a PhD in Geophysics. Prior to joining The University of Oklahoma, he was a professor in the Petroleum Engineering department at The University of Tulsa for six years. He worked seventeen years for Chevron as a research geophysicist, a staff reservoir engineer, a research scientist in reservoir characterization. His research interests are in inverse theory, reservoir characterization and optimization.
Search for other works by this author on:
Yaqing Gu
Yaqing Gu is a research assistant in the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. She has working experience with Chevron. Her research interests include automatic history matching, optimal control theory, and geostatistics. She holds MS degree in petroleum geology, BS degree in applied geophysics, and is currently working on her PhD degree in petroleum engineering.
Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Eng.,
The University of Oklahoma
, 100 East Boyd Street, SEC T301, Norman, OK 73019e-mail: yaqing.gu-1@ou.edu
Dean S. Oliver
Dean Oliver is the Eberly Family Chair Professor and the Director of the Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. He holds a BS degree in physics and a PhD in Geophysics. Prior to joining The University of Oklahoma, he was a professor in the Petroleum Engineering department at The University of Tulsa for six years. He worked seventeen years for Chevron as a research geophysicist, a staff reservoir engineer, a research scientist in reservoir characterization. His research interests are in inverse theory, reservoir characterization and optimization.
Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Eng.,
The University of Oklahoma
, 100 East Boyd Street, SEC T301, Norman, OK 73019e-mail: dsoliver@ou.edu
J. Energy Resour. Technol. Mar 2006, 128(1): 79-87 (9 pages)
Published Online: July 27, 2005
Article history
Received:
January 7, 2005
Revised:
July 27, 2005
Citation
Gu, Y., and Oliver, D. S. (July 27, 2005). "The Ensemble Kalman Filter for Continuous Updating of Reservoir Simulation Models." ASME. J. Energy Resour. Technol. March 2006; 128(1): 79–87. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2134735
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Fuel Consumption Prediction in Dual-Fuel Low-Speed Marine Engines With Low-Pressure Gas Injection
J. Energy Resour. Technol (December 2024)
A Semi-Analytical Rate-Transient Analysis Model for Fractured Horizontal Well in Tight Reservoirs Under Multiphase Flow Conditions
J. Energy Resour. Technol (November 2024)
Experimental Investigation of New Combustion Chamber Geometry Modification on Engine Performance, Emission, and Cylinder Liner Microstructure for a Diesel Engine
J. Energy Resour. Technol (December 2024)
Downdraft Gasification for Biogas Production: The Role of Artificial Intelligence
J. Energy Resour. Technol (December 2024)
Related Articles
Formation Damage Issues Impacting the Productivity of Low Permeability, Low Initial Water Saturation Gas Producing Formations
J. Energy Resour. Technol (September,2005)
Modeling Formation Damage by Asphaltene Deposition During Primary Oil Recovery
J. Energy Resour. Technol (December,2005)
A Novel Model for Well Production Performance Estimate in Low-Permeability and Tight Reservoirs Considering Stress Sensitivity
J. Energy Resour. Technol (September,2020)
Asphaltene Near-well-bore Formation Damage Modeling
J. Energy Resour. Technol (September,2005)
Related Chapters
Bank Side Stability Analysis under the Actions of Rainfall and Reservoir Water Level Fluctuation
Geological Engineering: Proceedings of the 1 st International Conference (ICGE 2007)
Reservoir Water Level Detection Based on Optical Fiber Temperature Sensor
International Conference on Advanced Computer Theory and Engineering (ICACTE 2009)
Water Chemistry
Corrosion and Materials in Hydrocarbon Production: A Compendium of Operational and Engineering Aspects