Distribution of Hydrocarbon Resources by Fields of Different Sizes and by the Number of Pools in Each Field

Abstract

Abstract —This study describes a procedure for estimating the distribution of hydrocarbon resources by fields with different sizes of reserves and by the number of pools in each field. Such an evaluation is important in predicting the efficiency of exploration. The procedure first uses a simulation model for generating a population of hydrocarbon pool sizes. Then the spatial distribution of pools over a petroleum basin is modeled as a nonstationary Poisson point field. When we generate a field population in the basin, each field is considered a geometric object consisting of several pools according to the principle of their mutual geometric location. The proposed model was used to estimate a two-dimensional distribution of the number of fields and resources contained in them by resource sizes and the number of pools in each field. The proposed assessment was made for oil resources in the West Siberian petroleum province.