Collaborative Research: ITR/AP&IM Data Intense Challenge: The Instrumented Oil Field of the Future

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

Collaborative Research: ITR/AP&IM Data Intense Challenge: The Instrumented Oil Field of the Future Mary Wheeler - University of Texas at Austin - 0121523 Alan Sussman - University of Maryland, College Park - 0121161 Joel Saltz - Ohio State University Research Foundation - 0121177 Manish Parashar - Rutgers University - 0120934 Increasing production from existing oil and natural gas reservoirs is crucial for the US economy. In order to better monitor and optimize oil and gas production, advanced technologies from field instrumentation to information technology and computational science are essential. Field technologies include time-lapse surface and borehole seismic, permanent downhole sensors, intelligent well completions, fiber optics, and remote control operations. IT technologies include data management, data visualization, parallel computing, and decision-making tools such as new wave propagation and multiphase, multi-component flow and transport computational portals. These diverse technologies can be integrated to achieve real-time monitoring and optimization of reservoir production: The Instrumented Oilfield. A major outcome of the proposed research is a computing portal which will enable reservoir simulation and geophysical calculations to interact dynamically with the data and with each other and which will provide a variety of visual and quantitative tools. Test data will be provided by oil and service companies currently participating in UT Austin industrial affiliate programs. Since the proposed research is directed towards the general problem of modeling and characterization of the earth's subsurface, it has immediate application to other areas, including environmental remediation and storage of hazardous wastes.