Patent ID: 6480790
Filing Date: 2002-11-12
Classification: G01V

Abstract:
A process for constructing a three-dimensional geologic model of a subsurface earth volume containing one or more geologic interfaces, said process comprising the steps of:(a) generating a tentative geologic model of said subsurface earth volume, said tentative geologic model comprising a three-dimensional array of contiguous model blocks, each model block having tentative values for one or more rock properties assigned thereto, said tentative geologic model containing tentative positions for said one or more geologic interfaces; (b) specifying training criteria which define the spatial attributes of geologic interfaces and the characteristics of rock properties in said subsurface earth volume; (c) calculating statistics that describe the spatial attributes of said tentative geologic-interface positions and the characteristics of said tentative rock-property values in said tentative geologic model; and (d) comparing statistics calculated in step (c) with corresponding training criteria specified in step (b) and either (1) if said statistics do not match said training criteria within specified limits, perturbing the tentative position within said tentative geologic model of at least a portion of at least one of said geologic interfaces, updating said tentative geologic model, and repeating steps (c) and (d), or (2) if said statistics match said training criteria within said specified limits, accepting said tentative geologic model as the three-dimensional geologic model for said subsurface earth volume.