This curriculum spans the technical workflow of a multi-phase reservoir engineering project, comparable to an integrated field development study conducted over several workshops and supported by iterative modeling and data integration across static, dynamic, and economic domains.
Module 1: Reservoir Characterization and Data Integration
- Selecting appropriate core sampling methodologies (e.g., sidewall vs. full-diameter) based on wellbore stability and formation heterogeneity.
- Integrating open-hole log data (gamma ray, resistivity, density, neutron) with seismic attributes to define net pay zones and fluid contacts.
- Calibrating porosity models using lab-measured core data versus log-derived estimates under varying overburden pressures.
- Managing uncertainty in permeability prediction by applying multiple transform methods (Timur-Coates, Coates) in low-porosity intervals.
- Assessing the impact of mud filtrate invasion on resistivity log interpretation in high-permeability reservoirs.
- Establishing data quality control protocols for static model inputs, including outlier rejection and depth registration across datasets.
Module 2: Static Reservoir Modeling
- Defining stratigraphic frameworks using sequence boundaries from well logs and seismic markers in fluvial-deltaic systems.
- Choosing between object-based and pixel-based geostatistical methods for modeling channelized sand bodies.
- Implementing variogram analysis to constrain spatial continuity of petrophysical properties in faulted reservoirs.
- Assigning facies probabilities using Bayesian updating with well control and depositional analogs.
- Handling fault seal behavior by integrating shale gouge ratio (SGR) calculations into the static model.
- Validating model realism through volumetric consistency checks against field-wide hydrocarbon-in-place estimates.
Module 3: Fluid Properties and PVT Analysis
- Designing representative PVT sampling programs (downhole vs. surface recombination) for volatile oil systems.
- Adjusting black-oil parameters (Rs, Bo, μo) to match laboratory differential liberation data.
- Evaluating the impact of asphaltene precipitation on fluid viscosity and relative permeability curves.
- Selecting appropriate equations of state (Peng-Robinson) for compositional simulation input.
- Correcting for gas-oil interfacial tension effects in capillary pressure modeling for low-tension reservoirs.
- Managing phase behavior uncertainty in near-miscible gas injection projects using Monte Carlo PVT sampling.
Module 4: Dynamic Reservoir Simulation
- Upscaling fine-scale geological models while preserving transmissibility across faults and shale barriers.
- Initializing simulation models with consistent pressure and saturation distributions using capillary-gravity equilibrium.
- Calibrating relative permeability curves using history-matched production data from early-time well tests.
- Implementing non-neighbor connections to model complex fault transmissibility in compartmentalized reservoirs.
- Defining time-step constraints to balance computational efficiency and numerical stability in long-term forecasts.
- Validating simulation results against material balance trends and reservoir surveillance data (RFT, PLT).
Module 5: Well Performance and Inflow Modeling
- Designing perforation intervals to minimize water coning while maximizing drawdown in bottom-water drives.
- Applying skin factor corrections for hydraulically fractured wells based on post-stimulation production logs.
- Modeling multiphase flow in vertical and deviated wells using empirical correlations (Hagedorn-Brown) versus mechanistic models.
- Integrating IPR and VLP curves to determine natural flowing conditions and identify artificial lift requirements.
- Assessing the impact of formation damage on long-term productivity index decline in high-rate producers.
- Optimizing wellbore trajectory placement in thin oil rims to delay gas breakthrough.
Module 6: Reservoir Management and Production Optimization
- Allocating production targets across multiple reservoirs in a commingled production system based on deliverability and decline rates.
- Implementing pressure maintenance strategies (water or gas injection) using voidage replacement ratio analysis.
- Designing surveillance programs (PLT, RFT, tracer studies) to monitor sweep efficiency in waterfloods.
- Adjusting injection allocation in pattern floods to mitigate channeling and improve areal sweep.
- Evaluating infill drilling opportunities using remaining oil saturation maps from simulation models.
- Managing gas cap expansion effects on vertical sweep in structurally complex reservoirs.
Module 7: Reserves Estimation and Uncertainty Analysis
- Applying deterministic versus probabilistic methods for reserves estimation under SPE-PRMS guidelines.
- Quantifying uncertainty in recovery factors using analog field performance and simulation ensembles.
- Updating reserves classifications (1P, 2P, 3P) based on new production data and revised development plans.
- Integrating economic cutoffs (minimum rate, water cut) into volumetric recovery calculations.
- Assessing the impact of development timing on contingent resource conversion to reserves.
- Documenting key assumptions and sensitivities in reserves reporting for audit and regulatory compliance.
Module 8: Advanced Recovery Methods and Field Development Planning
- Screening reservoirs for EOR applicability (chemical, thermal, gas) based on API gravity, viscosity, and depth.
- Designing pilot tests for polymer flooding, including slug size, concentration, and injection rate optimization.
- Modeling thermal conformance in steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) using compositional simulators.
- Optimizing well spacing and phasing in multi-well pad developments to minimize interference.
- Integrating surface facility constraints (fluid handling, compression) into production profile forecasting.
- Conducting full-field economic evaluations of development scenarios using discounted cash flow and NPV analysis.