Modeling heterogeneous and fractured reservoirs with inverse methods based on iterated function systems

摘要

Fractured and heterogeneous reservoirs are complex and difficult to characterize. In many cases, the modeling approaches used for making predictions of behavior in such reservoirs have been unsatisfactory. In this paper we describe a new modeling approach which results in a model that has fractal-like qualities. This is an inverse approach which uses observations of reservoir behavior to create a model that can reproduce observed behavior. The model is described by an iterated function system (IFS) that creates a fractal-like object that can be mapped into a conductivity distribution. It may be possible to identify subclasses of Iterated Function Systems which describe geological facies. By limiting the behavior-based search for an IFS to the geologic subclasses, we can condition the reservoir model on geologic information. This technique is under development, but several examples provide encouragement for eventual application to reservoir prediction.