Part 5/14:
Imagine a brownfield site spanning several kilometers with existing drilled wells. The question is, Where should the next well be drilled? Given multiple potential locations, the goal is to identify the optimal spot that maximizes recovery, considers geological uncertainties, and adheres to operational constraints.
The motivation stems from the need to minimize costly trial-and-error exploration, reduce the number of simulation iterations, and improve decision-making accuracy.
Workflow of Well Location Optimization
Shell's typical workflow involves:
Data input: Using a historical reservoir model (e.g., P50 static model).
Simulation: Forward modeling of various well placements to forecast production, considering reservoir uncertainties.