Using artifical neutral networks and the genetic algorithm to optimize well-field design: Phase I

Reservoir simulation is a well-established component of reservoir management throughout much of the petroleum industry. Black oil simulators and more complex compositional, thermal, and chemical models are used as forecasting tools in both the day-to-day operational management of production facilities and longer-term field development planning. As yet, however, little use has been made of reservoir simulation coupled with systematic optimization techniques. The main advantage of applying these mathematical tools to decision- making problems is that they are less restricted by human imagination than conventional case-by- case comparisons. As the number of competing engineering, economic, and environmental planning objectives and constraints increases, it becomes difficult for human planners to track complex interactions and select a manageable set of promising scenarios for examination. Using optimization techniques, the search can range over all possible combinations of variables, locating strategies whose effectiveness is not always obvious to planners. Optimization also generates large sets of promising scenarios from which planners can choose: