Effects of uncertainty in rock-physics models on reservoirparameter estimation using marine seismic AVA and CSEM data

Conference · Mon Apr 09 04:00:00 EDT 2007

OSTI ID:927830

Chen, Jinsong; Dickens, Thomas

This study investigates the effects of uncertainty inrockphysics models on estimates of reservoir parameters from jointinversion of seismic AVA and CSEMdata. The reservoir parameters arerelated to electrical resistivity using Archie's law, and to seismicvelocity and density using the Xu-White model. To account for errors inthe rock-physics models, we use two methods to handle uncertainty: (1)the model outputs are random functions with modes or means given by themodel predictions, and (2) the parameters of the models are themselvesrandom variables. Using a stochastic framework and Markov Chain MonteCarlo methods, we obtain estimates of reservoir parameters as well as ofthe uncertainty in the estimates. Synthetic case studies show thatuncertainties in both rock-physics models and their associated parameterscan have significant effects on estimates of reservoir parameters. Ourmethod provides a means of quantifying how the uncertainty in theestimated reservoir parameters increases with increasing uncertainty inthe rock-physics model and in the model parameters. We find that in theexample we present, the estimation of water saturation is relatively lessaffected than is the estimation of clay content and porosity.

• Research Organization: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 927830
• Report Number(s): LBNL--62608; BnR: 600301010
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CLAYS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
MONTE CARLO METHOD
PHYSICS
POROSITY
VELOCITY
WATER SATURATION