Random partitioning and adaptive filters for multiple-point stochastic simulation

Abstract

Multiple-point geostatistical simulation is used to simulate the spatial structures of geological phenomena. In contrast to conventional two-point variogram based geostatistical methods, the multiple-point approach is capable of simulating complex spatial patterns, shapes, and structures normally observed in geological media. A commonly used pattern based multiple-point geostatistical simulation algorithms is called FILTERSIM. In the conventional FILTERSIM algorithm, the patterns identified in training images are transformed into filter score space using fixed filters that are neither dependent on the training images nor on the characteristics of the patterns extracted from them. In this paper, we introduce two new methods, one for geostatistical simulation and another for conditioning the results. At first, new filters are designed using principal component analysis in such a way to include most structural information specific to the governing training images resulting in the selection of closer patterns in the filter score space. We then propose to combine adaptive filters with an overlap strategy along a raster path and an efficient conditioning method to develop an algorithm for reservoir simulation with high accuracy and continuity. We also combine image quilting with this algorithm to improve connectivity a lot. The proposed method, which we call random partitioning with adaptive filters simulation method, can be used both for continuous and discrete variables. The results of the proposed method show a significant improvement in recovering the expected shapes and structural continuity in the final simulated realizations as compared to those of conventional FILTERSIM algorithm and the algorithm is more than ten times faster than FILTERSIM because of using raster path and using small overlap specially when we use image quilting.