Volume Based Modeling - Automated Construction of Complex Structural Models
Abstract
A new technology for creating, reliably and automatically, structural
models from interpretation data is presented. The main idea behind this
technique is to model directly volumes (the geological layers) rather than
surfaces (horizons that are bounding these layers). In order to enforce the
geological consistency of the created models another key element is built into
this technology: it guarantees that the variations of dip and thickness of the
created geological layers are minimized, while all seismic and well data are
properly honored. The proposed method enables the construction of very complex
structural models, independently from the geological settings, and even when
such models have to be built from sparse or noisy data. The full automation of
the model construction process allows to rapidly update the model, to
efficiently identify the most uncertain parameters, to understand their impact,
and to iteratively optimize the model until it fits all available data. To
demonstrate the advantages of this technique the construction of a complex
exploration-scale structural model of a prospect located offshore Australia is
detailed.