Tiltmeter data inversion for reservoir integrity monitoring using numerical modelling and particle swarm optimisation
Reza Abdollahi A * , Abbas Movassagh B , Dane Kasperczyk B and Manouchehr Haghighi AA
B
Reza Abdollahi is a PhD student at the University of Adelaide, specialising in the geomechanics of underground storage sites and oil and gas reservoirs. His research primarily explores using deformation data as an indirect method to estimate the intensity of reservoir activities. By analysing surface deformation patterns, he aims to develop predictive models that enhance the monitoring and management of reservoir dynamics, ensuring operational safety and optimising resource extraction. |
Abbas Movassagh is a Research Scientist at the CSIRO Energy Business Unit. His expertise lies in geomechanics and environmental and uncertainty analysis, including wellbore and underground reservoir integrity. He earned his PhD from the University of Adelaide and has over 15 years of experience in reservoir engineering and geomechanics. |
Dane Kasperczyk is the Subsurface Technologies Team Leader in the CSIRO Energy Resources Group. His focus areas include subsurface monitoring for energy storage, rock pre- and post-conditioning, and the application of digital tools for impact analysis. He holds degrees in civil engineering and climate science from the University of Melbourne. |
Manouchehr Haghighi is an Associate Professor of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Adelaide. His research and teaching focus on unconventional reservoirs, reservoir simulation, geomechanics, well testing and formation evaluation. |
Abstract
Underground storage sites are critical reservoirs for storage and waste management, encompassing various substances, including groundwater, wastewater, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Given the economic significance of these stored resources and the potential hazards the materials pose, robust monitoring of reservoir integrity is essential. Direct monitoring of such reservoirs often poses significant challenges due to the logistical and technical complexities involved. Consequently, indirect monitoring methods, such as those inferring changes based on surface deformation data, have become increasingly valuable. This study addresses the indirect monitoring of reservoir integrity using tiltmeter data by estimating and analysing reservoir pressure distribution. This inversion problem presents a unique set of challenges due to the ill-posed nature of the issue. To tackle this complexity, our research integrates the finite element method (FEM) with particle swarm optimisation (PSO) to estimate pressure distributions accurately and efficiently. The FEM model used is optimised by precomputing Green’s matrix, which encapsulates the geometric and physical properties of the reservoir, thereby enhancing computational efficiency and reducing time costs. This approach allows for the effective application of PSO, a robust optimisation method well-suited to addressing ill-posed problems characterised by fewer observations than unknown parameters. The system’s reliability was tested against complex reservoir models using synthetic data, achieving an error rate of less than 7% in the predicted pressure distributions. This demonstrates the efficacy of our method in providing reliable and timely insights into reservoir integrity, thereby enhancing the safety and efficiency of underground storage operations.
Keywords: discrete Green’s matrix, finite element model, geological storage, geomechanics, nucleus of stain, optimisation, particle swarm optimisation, reservoir integrity monitoring, surface deformation inversion.
Reza Abdollahi is a PhD student at the University of Adelaide, specialising in the geomechanics of underground storage sites and oil and gas reservoirs. His research primarily explores using deformation data as an indirect method to estimate the intensity of reservoir activities. By analysing surface deformation patterns, he aims to develop predictive models that enhance the monitoring and management of reservoir dynamics, ensuring operational safety and optimising resource extraction. |
Abbas Movassagh is a Research Scientist at the CSIRO Energy Business Unit. His expertise lies in geomechanics and environmental and uncertainty analysis, including wellbore and underground reservoir integrity. He earned his PhD from the University of Adelaide and has over 15 years of experience in reservoir engineering and geomechanics. |
Dane Kasperczyk is the Subsurface Technologies Team Leader in the CSIRO Energy Resources Group. His focus areas include subsurface monitoring for energy storage, rock pre- and post-conditioning, and the application of digital tools for impact analysis. He holds degrees in civil engineering and climate science from the University of Melbourne. |
Manouchehr Haghighi is an Associate Professor of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Adelaide. His research and teaching focus on unconventional reservoirs, reservoir simulation, geomechanics, well testing and formation evaluation. |
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