Convolutional Neural Network Formulation to Compare 4-D Seismic and Reservoir Simulation Models

We propose a novel approach based on Deep Learning methods using a convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to compare observed four-dimensional (4-D) seismic data with reservoir simulation model results and select the simulation models with the best match. Our approach advantages are twofold: 1) it is not a pixel-based approach, as it learns spatial features through training examples and 2) it does not require the simulation model and 4-D seismic maps to be in the same domain, enabling a direct comparison of maps in the seismic domain with maps in the numerical simulation domain. Additionally, we present a new methodology to quantitatively assess the performance of each method relative to the expected results. For this purpose, we build an annotated dataset containing the maps that best match the 4-D seismic in different realistic scenarios while taking into account the specialists’ knowledge. We apply our methodology to evaluate if a method is able to perform according to what specialists expect, considering the annotated data. We also propose an improvement to traditional methods using a statistical method to convert maps of different physical properties into a common property, which can be used as an alternative to avoid forward and/or inversion procedures commonly used to bring 4-D seismic and simulation data to the same domain. Finally, we present an extensive comparison, qualitative and quantitative, of our approaches with other methods in the literature, such as the traditional pixelwise strategy for maps in the same domain, and methods based on binarization of maps in different domains. The results show that our proposed methods are capable of more accurately identifying the best-matched models, according to the specialists’ answers.