Reservoir Management: Strategic 5-Day Training Course

Course Overview

This comprehensive Reservoir Management training program delivers strategic expertise for petroleum professionals across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Oman, GCC countries (UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain), and Africa. The course covers reservoir characterization, performance analysis, pressure maintenance, enhanced oil recovery (EOR), field development planning, and integrated asset management essential for maximizing hydrocarbon recovery and optimizing field economics.

With the Middle East holding 48% of global oil reserves and operating giant fields, this training addresses critical competencies for professionals at Saudi Aramco, PDO, ADNOC, Kuwait Oil Company, achieving 5-15% incremental recovery through effective management, supporting Saudi Vision 2030 energy sustainability.

Target Audience

• Reservoir Engineers managing fields across Saudi Arabia, Oman, GCC, Africa

• Production Engineers integrating reservoir performance with operations

• Asset Managers maximizing field value and recovery factors

• Petroleum Engineers in field development and optimization

• Subsurface Team Leaders coordinating reservoir activities

• Development Engineers planning infill drilling and expansion

Day 1: Reservoir Characterization & Data Integration

Morning Session: Reservoir Fundamentals

• Reservoir management definition: systematic approach maximizing recovery economically

• Objectives: optimize production, maximize recovery factor, extend field life

• Reservoir types: sandstone vs. carbonate, conventional vs. unconventional

• Regional reservoirs: Saudi Arabia (Arab-D, Ghawar), Oman (Shuaib, Khazzan tight gas)

• Rock properties: porosity, permeability, saturation, heterogeneity

• Fluid properties: API gravity, viscosity, GOR, bubble point, PVT behavior

• Drive mechanisms: solution gas, gas cap, water drive, gravity drainage

• Recovery factors: primary (5-30%), secondary (20-40%), tertiary/EOR (5-25% additional)

• Material balance: tracking fluids produced vs. remaining

Afternoon Session: Data Integration & Characterization

• Data sources: seismic, well logs, core analysis, well tests, production history

• Seismic interpretation: structure mapping, fault identification, reservoir continuity

• Well log analysis: porosity, saturation, lithology, net pay

• Core analysis: permeability, relative permeability, capillary pressure

• Well testing: transient analysis, boundaries, skin factor, average pressure

• Geological modeling: structural framework, facies distribution, property modeling

• Geostatistical methods: kriging, simulation, property distribution

• Uncertainty quantification: P10-P50-P90 scenarios, sensitivity analysis

• Workshop: Integrating multiple data sources for characterization

Day 2: Reservoir Performance Analysis

Morning Session: Decline Curve Analysis

• Production decline: causes (pressure depletion, water/gas encroachment)

• Decline curve types: exponential, hyperbolic, harmonic

• Arps decline equations: initial rate, decline rate, b-factor, curve fitting

• Forecasting production: extrapolating trends, economic limit, reserves estimation

• Type curves: matching well performance, predicting behavior

• Reserves estimation: proved, probable, possible (1P, 2P, 3P), SEC guidelines

• EUR (Estimated Ultimate Recovery): calculating, comparing analogues

Afternoon Session: Material Balance & Simulation

• Material balance equation: tank model, different drive mechanisms

• OOIP/OGIP calculation: original oil/gas in place, uncertainty ranges

• Water influx: aquifer strength, calculating water influx methods

• Gas cap expansion: tracking size, gas-oil contact movement

• Pressure match: history matching pressure, validating model

• Reservoir simulation: black oil, compositional, thermal models

• Simulation workflow: geological model, upscaling, initialization, history matching, prediction

• History matching: adjusting parameters to match production/pressure history

• Prediction runs: forecasting scenarios, development options, sensitivity studies

• Regional: Saudi Arabia giant field simulation, Oman carbonate modeling

• Workshop: Material balance calculations and interpretation

Day 3: Pressure Maintenance & Waterflooding

Morning Session: Pressure Maintenance

• Importance: sustaining productivity, preventing damage, maximizing recovery

• Voidage replacement: balancing production with injection, maintaining energy

• Waterflooding fundamentals: displacing oil with water, most common secondary recovery

• Waterflood patterns: line drive, five-spot, seven-spot, peripheral injection

• Injection water sources: aquifer, seawater (GCC offshore), produced water treatment

• Water quality: suspended solids, bacteria, oxygen, scaling/corrosion potential

• Injectivity: achieving target rates, fracturing vs. matrix injection

• Sweep efficiency: areal and vertical sweep, mobility ratio, heterogeneity

Afternoon Session: Waterflood Optimization

• Waterflood monitoring: injection/production rates, pressures, water cut, GOR, tracers

• Performance indicators: VRR (voidage replacement ratio), oil cut, WOR, recovery factor

• Breakthrough prediction: when water reaches producers, fractional flow theory

• Hall plot analysis: monitoring injectivity, identifying problems

• Conformance issues: channeling, thief zones, poor sweep, remedial treatments

• Pattern balancing: optimizing injection/production rates, pressure management

• Infill drilling: reducing well spacing, accelerating recovery, economics

• Case studies: Saudi Aramco Ghawar waterflood, ADNOC offshore operations

• Workshop: Waterflood performance analysis and optimization planning

Day 4: Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)

Morning Session: Chemical EOR

• EOR definition: tertiary recovery beyond conventional methods, targeting residual oil

• EOR classifications: chemical, thermal, gas injection, microbial

• Screening criteria: reservoir properties, fluid properties, depth, temperature, economics

• Polymer flooding: increasing water viscosity, improving mobility ratio, sweep efficiency

• Surfactant flooding: reducing interfacial tension, mobilizing residual oil

• ASP flooding: alkaline-surfactant-polymer, synergistic effects, Oman pilot tests

• Chemical EOR challenges: adsorption, degradation, injectivity, cost

• Screening: Saudi Arabia potential (Ghawar), Oman carbonates, African opportunities

Afternoon Session: Thermal & Gas Injection EOR

• Thermal EOR: steam flooding, CSS, in-situ combustion, SAGD

• Steam flooding: heavy oil recovery, Oman applications (Mukhaizna, Amal, Qarn Alam)

• SAGD: horizontal well pairs, Canadian success, potential applications

• Gas injection EOR: CO2 flooding, hydrocarbon gas, nitrogen injection

• CO2 flooding: miscible displacement, swelling, viscosity reduction, 5-15% incremental recovery

• Miscibility: minimum miscibility pressure (MMP), compositional effects

• Gas injection applications: Saudi Arabia gas recycling, UAE CO2 projects, Qatar

• Carbon capture integration: CO2-EOR with storage (CCUS), Saudi Arabia initiatives

• EOR economics: high costs, oil price sensitivity, long payback periods

• EOR pilots: designing, monitoring, scaling up, risk management

• Workshop: EOR screening and selection for field scenarios

Day 5: Field Development & Integrated Management

Morning Session: Field Development Planning

• Development strategy: phased approach, early production, full field development

• Well placement optimization: drainage area, spacing, orientation (vertical, horizontal, multilateral)

• Horizontal wells: advantages in thin reservoirs, carbonate fractures, tight formations

• Multilateral wells: maximum reservoir contact (MRC), fishbone, economics vs. risk

• Production forecasting: combining well performance, reservoir models, facility constraints

• Facilities planning: separators, compression, water treatment, export capacity

• Development economics: CAPEX, OPEX, NPV, IRR, breakeven

• Reserves booking: SPE-PRMS standards, regulatory requirements, confidence levels

• Regional: Saudi Aramco mega-projects (Khurais, Manifa), Oman Khazzan development

Afternoon Session: Integrated Asset Management

• Integrated approach: combining subsurface, wells, facilities, commercial for value maximization

• Team collaboration: multidisciplinary teams, data sharing, integrated workflows

• Reservoir surveillance: continuous monitoring, data quality, identifying deviations

• Dynamic management: adapting strategy based on performance, updating models

• Infill drilling campaigns: targeting bypassed reserves, poor sweep areas

• Production optimization integration: well/reservoir/facilities optimization, constraint management

• Digital reservoir management: data analytics, machine learning, automated workflows

• Digital twins: real-time reservoir models, history matching automation, predictive analytics

• 4D seismic: time-lapse monitoring, fluid movement tracking

• Intelligent fields: smart wells (ICVs), fiber optics (DTS/DAS), real-time optimization

• Reservoir management KPIs: recovery factor, production efficiency, reserves replacement

• Best practices: Saudi Aramco excellence, ADNOC smart field initiatives

• Sustainability: minimizing environmental footprint, water management, emissions reduction

• Final workshop: Integrated field development plan and management strategy

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Characterize reservoirs integrating geological, geophysical, petrophysical data

• Analyze reservoir performance using decline curves, material balance, simulation

• Design pressure maintenance schemes including waterflooding optimization

• Screen and select EOR methods appropriate for reservoir conditions

• Develop field development plans optimizing well placement, facilities, economics

• Implement integrated asset management combining subsurface, wells, facilities

• Apply digital technologies for surveillance, optimization, decision-making

Course Delivery & Certification

• Format: Technical lectures, case studies, calculation workshops, software demonstrations, group projects

• Software: Introduction to reservoir simulation concepts (Eclipse, CMG demonstrations)

• Materials: Manual, calculation templates, case study library, industry standards (SPE-PRMS)

• Certification: Professional certificate recognized across KSA, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Africa

• Language: English (Arabic support available)

• CPD Credits: Continuing professional development for petroleum engineers

• Locations: Riyadh, Dhahran (KSA), Muscat (Oman), Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Lagos, Cairo

Why This Course is Strategic

Effective reservoir management increases recovery by 5-15%, worth billions in giant fields. Saudi Aramco’s Ghawar gains massive value from each percentage point recovery increase. ADNOC targets 5 billion barrels additional recovery through advanced management. Oman PDO extended field life 20-30 years through EOR. Poor management leaves 30-70% oil unrecovered. Leading operators achieve 50-60% recovery factors vs. 20-30% industry average.

This training delivers strategic expertise incorporating SPE best practices, Saudi Aramco reservoir management excellence, Schlumberger/Halliburton technologies, addressing giant field management, carbonate complexity, EOR implementation, supporting maximum recovery, field life extension, and Saudi Vision 2030 upstream sustainability goals.

Manage systematically. Maximize recovery. Optimize field value.