Bypassed Oil Identification and Infill Optimization by a Physics-Guided Data-Driven Workflow: A North Sea Case Study

Abstract

Abstract This paper focuses on the vital task of identifying bypassed oil and locating the remaining oil in mature oil fields, emphasizing the significance of these activities in sustaining efficient oil field exploitation. The paper introduces a novel digital hybrid workflow, guided by physics principles and driven by data, which is further enhanced by the integration of 4D time-lapse data. The study delves into the impact of data-driven advancements, shedding light on their capability to revolutionize industry norms and promote the adoption of more sustainable and effective practices in mature field exploration and extraction. In a practical application within a Norwegian North Sea field, this hybrid workflow was utilized to compute saturation and remaining oil maps (P10/ P50/ P90) across a spectrum of representative realizations, aiding in the identification and quantification of infill targets. This study enables us to obtain a second opinion on the performance in the field. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that hybrid workflows can assist the subsurface team in identifying and quantifying the location of remaining oil, encompassing a full spectrum of uncertainties within a short timeframe. The outcomes of this study indicate that hybrid methodologies, which are guided by physics and driven by data, hold immense potential as tools for exploration and production in the oil and gas industry. These hybrid approaches offer a promising avenue to accurately, efficiently, and cost-effectively unlock the potential of remaining oil in mature fields.