Geological Characterization of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs Using Multiple Point Geostatistics

The spatial distribution of fractures in a reservoir affects the displacement of fluids and the prediction of future performance. Realistic characterization of fractured reservoirs requires quantification and classification of fracture patterns on the basis of the underlying geological characteristics and developing reservoir modeling algorithms that can integrate connectivity based (multiple point) statistics related to fracture patterns. A methodology for summarizing the characteristics of fracture networks based on multiple point connectivity functions is presented. The paper also presents a stochastic simulation methodology for constraining the target reservoir model to the connectivity characteristics derived from analog models and to all other available reservoir specific data in the form of well information and seismic areal proportion maps.