Page 22 - Principles of Catalyst Development

Introduction to Reservoir Management 3

Figure 1-1. Disciplinary contributions to reservoir modeling
(after H.H. Haldorsen and E. Damsleth, ©1993; reprinted by
permission of the American Association of Petroleum
Geologists).

The simulator is the point of contact between disciplines. It serves as a
filter that selects from among all of the proposed descriptions of the reservoir.
The simulator is not influenced by hand-waving arguments or presentation style.
It provides an objective appraisal of each hypothesis, and constrains the power
of personal influence described by Millheim [1997]. As a filter of hypotheses,
the reservoir modeler is often the first to know when a proposed hypothesis about
the reservoir is inadequate.
One of the most important tasks of the modeler is to achieve consensus
in support of a reservoir representation. This task is made more complex when
available field performance data can be matched by more than one reservoir
model. The non-uniqueness of the model is discussed in greater detail throughout
the text. It means that there is more than one way to perceive and represent
available data. The modeler must sort through the various reservoir represen-
tations and seek consensus among all stakeholders. This is often done by
rejecting one or more proposed representations. As a consequence, the human
element is a factor in the process, particularly when the data do not clearly
support the selection of a single reservoir representation from a set of competing
representations. The dual criteria of reasonableness and Ockham's Razor