Towards an Ontology Driven

Enhanced Oil Recovery

Decision Support System
Emilio J. Nunez
The University of Texas
W3C Workshop on Semantic Web in Oil & Gas Industry, Houston, December 9,10, 2008
Outline
Background
Our Focus
Our Approach
Pilots
Some Tentative Visions
Next Steps
Acknowledgements
Background
UT Expertise in Enhanced Oil Recovery
Knowledge in
Professors and Students
Dissertations and Papers
Laboratory Procedures
Laboratory Data
Need for Integrated Approach
Industry needs help in Decision-Making
Our Focus
Workflows to be Considered
Screening
Laboratory
Geology
Simulation
Field Trial
Production
Decision Making Processes in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)
For a given reservoir:
1. Which EOR Methods are most promising?
2. What is the potential for each of the promising EOR Methods?
3. What is the best design for each EOR Method to be applied?
e.g. Best Alkaline, Surfactant, Polymer (ASP) Formulation?
Our Approach
Capture Knowledge
Focus on EOR and its Workflows
Build Ontology Pilots
Create Knowledge Base and Query
System
An Ontology Is Often J ust the
Beginning
Ontologies
Software
agents
Problem-
solving
methods
Domain-
independent
applications
Databases
Declare
structure
Knowledge
bases
Provide
domain
description
Ontology Development 101: A Guide to Creating Your First Ontology by Natalya F. Noy and Deborah L. McGuinness
Pilots
EOR Screening Ontology Pilot
Surfactant Selection Workflow
Expanded to EOR General Ontology with Chemicals
EOR Simplified Recovery Calculation Ontology
Pilot
Scale-Up Uncertainty in Reservoir
Characterization Pilot
Risk Management Ontology Pilot
EOR Screening Ontology
Pilot
Depth Limitations...
Permeability Guides...
Preferred Oil Viscosity Ranges...
Hydrocarbon-
Miscible
Nitrogen and
Flue Gas
CO
2
Flooding
Surfactant/
Polymer
Polymer
Alkaline
Fire Flood
Steam Drive
EOR Method
Very
Good
Very
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Fair
Fair
Fair
More
Difficult
More
Difficult
More
Difficult
Very
Difficult
Very
Difficult
Difficult
Not Feasible
Not Feasible
Not Feasible
Not Feasible
May Not Be
Possible
(Can Be
Waterflooded)
Oil Viscosity - Centipoise at Reservoir Conditions
0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000
Partial TORIS Data Base
EOR Methods Reservoir
hasEORMethod
Depth
Oil Viscosity
Permeability
Rules
Protg
Protg Rules Editor
Protg Expert System Shell
Individual EOR
Methods
Individual
Reservoirs
TORIS
Data Base
EOR Screening Ontology Pilot
Summary
Use of SWRL.
Use of Expert System Engine (J ESS)
Large numbers of reservoirs screened at
once
Relatively simple structure in ontology
Surfactant Selection Workflow
START
CONTINUE
1 of 3
START
CONTINUE
2 of 3
3 of 3
START
Workflow Driven Ontologies
(WDO)
Leonardo Salayanda, University of Texas at El Paso
Contains subclasses
that are used to
specify workflow
actions and control
flow.
Contains subclasses used
to represent primitive data
concepts of a domain, as
well as classes used to
compose complex data
constructs that are both
consumed by and derived
from workflow actions.
Actions (Services, algorithms,
application functionalities)
Contains 2
or more
workflows
Alternative outputs
for a method
EOR General Ontology with Chemicals
Surfactant Formulation Workflow and EOR
Ontology with Chemicals Pilot Summary
Complex
Basis for Decision Support System
Organization of Concepts in Domain
Workflow-based Ontology
Work in progress
EOR Simplified Recovery Calculation
Ontology
C
A B
D
A
I
J
Depth Limitations...
Preferred Oil Viscosity Ranges...
Hydrocarbon
-Miscible
Nitrogen and
Flue Gas
CO
2
Flooding
Surfactant/
Polymer
Polymer
Alkal ine
Fire Flood
Steam Drive
EOR Method
Very
Good
Very
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Fair
Fair
Fair
More
Di ffi cul t
More
Di ffi cul t
More
Di ffi cul t
Very
Difficult
Very
Difficult
Di ffi cul t
Not Feasi ble
Not Feasi ble
Not Feasible
Not Feasi ble
May Not Be
Possible
(Can Be
Waterfl ooded)
Oil Viscosity - Centipoise at Reservoir Condi tions
0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000
Hydrocarbon
-Miscible
Nitrogen and
Flue Gas
CO
2
Flooding
Surfactant/
Polymer
Polymer
Alkal ine
Fire Flood
Steam Drive
EOR Method
Hydrocarbon
-Miscible
Nitrogen and
Flue Gas
CO
2
Flooding
Surfactant/
Polymer
Polymer
Alkal ine
Fire Flood
Steam Drive
EOR Method
Very
Good
Very
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Fair
Fair
Fair
More
Di ffi cul t
More
Di ffi cul t
More
Di ffi cul t
Very
Difficult
Very
Difficult
Di ffi cul t
Not Feasi ble
Not Feasi ble
Not Feasible
Not Feasi ble
May Not Be
Possible
(Can Be
Waterfl ooded)
Oil Viscosity - Centipoise at Reservoir Condi tions
0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000 0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000
Permeability Guides...
Simplified Recovery Calculation
Ontology Pilot
Summary
Large Complex Calculation
Essentially one Property
is calculated from
Errors, insights found when ontology and
CMAP created
Previously available only to students to
read.
Now available to software agents
Scale-Up Uncertainty Ontology
Motivation
EOR
Experimental
scale
Physical scale
Uncertainty in Scale up
Workflow
Non-Linearly Averaging Second Porosity
1.Transform the secondary porosity to another variable space that is linearly additive
2.Normal score transform the second porosity data and compute semi-variograms
Construct a licit 3D variogrammodel with sill standardized to be 1.0.
3.Calculations of representative elementary volume and variance of mean using the 3D
point- scale variogramfrom Step #2.
4.Computation of up-scaled variogramvia linear volume averaging.
5.Use of the up-scaled variogramfrom Step #4 to perform conditional simulation.
6.Backtransform simulated values to secondary porosity units scale up uncertainty
Example of Instances in the Ontology
Scale-Up Ontology
Pilot
Summary
Captured Knowledge of Different Scale-Up
Methods
Use SQWRL to answer queries on steps
involved in particular scale-up procedure
EOR Ontology: Risk Based
Decision Making
Pilot
Side
Top
Unfractured
Radial
Side
Top
Unfractured
Radial
Frac
Frac
Fractured
Linear
Frac
Frac
Frac
Frac
Fractured
Linear
Mature Onshore
Deepwater
Tight Gas
Heavy Oil
Portfolio Decisions
Estimate the value of implementing sensors in four
different advanced hydrocarbon recovery scenarios.
Initial Prod.
Rate (bbl/D)
Decline
Rate (%/yr)
5
15
5
15
5
15
5
15
5
15
5
15
5
15
5
15
1.33
1.02
0.120
0.058
0.599
0.405
-0.0306
-0.095
1.350
1.039
0.138
0.0765
0.634
0.440
-0.0040
-0.061
Continue WF
CO
2
Flood
Continue WF
CO
2
Flood
0.129MM$
0.234 MM$
0.332 MM$
0.384 MM$
Sensor
No Sensor
0.234 MM$
0.384 MM$
25
5
15.6
5.2
25
5
15.6
5.2
0.0095
0.0005
0.9405
0.0495
0.25
0.25
0.475
0.025
0.04816
0.15291
0.7574
0.0416
0.3975
0.30
0.29
0.0125
Prob.
Outcome
(MM$/pattern)
Decision Tree
Mature Reservoir
VoS=0.384-0.234=0.15 MM$
Framework of Classes
Mature Reservoir Instances
Risk Management Ontology Pilot
Summary
General Risk Management Concepts
Specific Application
Captured all numbers and meanings from
published SPE paper
Now available to software agents
Some Tentative Visions
Generic Laboratory
Workflow
Generic Field Trial
Workflow
Generic Geologic
Workflow
Generic Simulation
Workflow
Generic Operations
Workflow
EOR Polymer
Workflow
Ontology
EOR Surfactant
Workflow
Ontology
Generic Petroleum
Workflow
Ontology
Data
Method
Product
EOR
Screening
Ontology
EOR CO2 Flooding
Workflow
Ontology
EOR Surfactant
Laboratory
Workflow
Data Base
Data
Mining
Salinity
Scan
Core
Flood
IRSS
UTCHEM
Forecasting
VOI
A Vision for an Ontology-Based EOR Intelligent Decision Support System
EOR Surfactant
Simulation
Workflow
EOR Surfactant
Field Trial
Workflow
EOR Surfactant
Operations
Workflow
Surfactants
Data Base
Reservoir and Oil
Properties
Solvents
Data Base
Alkalis
Data Base
Polymers
Data Base
Lab Tests
Chemical Flood
Formulation
Field Trial
Transition
Decision
Rules
Operations
Simulation
EOR
Project
Operations
Data Base
Field Trial Results
Data Base
Simulation Results
Data Base
Lab Test Results
Data Base
Status
Forecast
VOI
Workflow
Definition
Chemical EOR Master Program
Protg
API
PROTEGE
User
Interface
EOR IDSS
Architecture
Vision
Possible Queries for Decision Support System
What EOR Methods should be considered for this reservoir?
How do we calculate the oil recovery vs. time when this EOR Project is implemented?
What is the total porosity/permeability of the reservoir and what is their uncertainty?
If chemical flooding, what chemicals should be considered as candidates for
surfactants, co-surfactants, alkali, polymers, co-solvents for this particular chemical
flooding project?
What is a rough estimate of the net present value (NPV) of this EOR Project?
How much uncertainty is associated with the prediction of performance in the field?
Given that chemicals are available and the NPV is acceptable, what is the chemical
EOR formulation that we should simulate?
How do we calculate the value of doing more lab work before going into production
with this EOR method?
Should we do a pilot test in the field?
How do we decide whether to skip a step in the process to accelerate production?
Next Steps
Use Lessons from Pilots to Design the
Ontology Based EOR Decision Support
System.
Prepare Software Development Plan
including Knowledge Capture and
Ontology Development
Thanks to the Co-Authors
Larry W. Lake
Robert B. Gilbert
Sanjay Srinivasan
Fan Yang
Mark W. Kroncke
ALL from The University of Texas at Austin
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We Thank
For Sponsoring This Work