Error types in reservoir characterization and management

This paper discusses types of errors in reservoir characterization and management. Due to intrinsic relationships between error and uncertainty, analysis of error types can help mitigate uncertainty in resource evaluation. First, measurements may contain errors or have a range of uncertainty. Second, because measurements typically represent only a small sampling fraction of a reservoir, description or modeling of the entire reservoir based on the limited measurements involves uncertainty and prediction errors.Two error classification methods are introduced for natural resource characterization. The first proposed method distinguishes between data errors and inference errors, each of which is further divided into subtypes. The second method classifies two types of errors based on the mismatch between one's interpretation and the true state of nature, which can provide efficient feedback to validate or refute the method used in a reservoir characterization. This method is further extended to analyze composite errors in hydrocarbon resource evaluation and reservoir management.