The Role of Cutoffs in Integrated Reservoir Studies

Abstract

Summary There have been many different approaches to quantifying cutoffs, with no single method emerging as the definitive basis for delineating net pay. Yet each of these approaches yields a different reservoir model, so it is imperative that cutoffs be fit for purpose (i.e., they are compatible with the reservoir mechanism and with a systematic methodology for the evaluation of hydrocarbons in place and the estimation of ultimate hydrocarbon recovery). These different requirements are accommodated by basing the quantification of cutoffs on reservoir-specific criteria that govern the storage and flow of hydrocarbons. In so doing, particular attention is paid to the relationships between the identification of cutoffs and key elements of the contemporary systemic practice of integrated reservoir studies. The outcome is a structured approach to the use of cutoffs in the estimation of ultimate hydrocarbon recovery. The principal benefits of a properly conditioned set of petrophysical cutoffs are a more exact characterization of the reservoir with a better synergy between the static and dynamic reservoir models, so that an energy company can more fully realize the asset value.