Material Balance Modeling
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Material balance is one of the most direct methods available to a reservoir engineer for estimating hydrocarbons in place, identifying the drive mechanism and forecasting reservoir performance. It requires far less data than a full numerical model, and when it is set up correctly it produces results that can be defended in technical reviews and reserve audits.
This workshop covers the complete material balance workflow as it is applied on producing assets. It begins by placing the reservoir within the integrated production system, then moves through data preparation and quality control, tank model construction, drive mechanism identification, and the use of analytical and graphical diagnostic tools. Participants work through the classical diagnostic plots, including Dake and Campbell, and learn how to read what each plot indicates about depletion, gas cap expansion and water influx.
The second part of the workshop addresses history matching using both analytical and graphical techniques, determination of STOIIP, aquifer identification and sizing, and running prediction cases to generate production forecasts and recovery estimates. Results are compared against volumetric and simulation-based estimates so that participants understand where material balance is reliable and where a numerical model becomes necessary.
The workshop is delivered at an advanced level and is intended for engineers who already work with production and pressure data and want a structured, repeatable method for in-place volumes, drive mechanism evaluation and performance prediction.
Workshop Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Describe the integrated production system and position material balance correctly within the reservoir management workflow
Prepare, validate and quality-check the production, pressure and PVT data required for a material balance study
Construct a tank material balance model and define the appropriate reservoir and fluid inputs
Identify the active drive mechanism and quantify the contribution of depletion, gas cap expansion, compaction and water influx
Apply analytical and graphical material balance methods and interpret Dake and Campbell diagnostic plots
Determine STOIIP and reconcile the result with volumetric and simulation estimates
Select and size an appropriate aquifer model and match water influx to observed pressure behaviour
Perform history matching using analytical and graphical techniques
Run prediction cases and generate production forecasts and recovery factors
Recognise the limitations of material balance and identify when a numerical simulation study is required
About the Presenter
Eng. Hesham Mokhtar Ali
Senior Reservoir Engineer | Certified Instructor | MSc, Cairo University
Hesham Mokhtar Ali is a reservoir engineer with over 14 years of experience across operating, service and training organisations. He is currently with Kuwait Energy in subsurface development planning, working on the Yamama, Zubair and Mishrif reservoirs in the Faihaa field, Block 9, Iraq, where his responsibilities cover field development planning, reserves classification and auditing under SPE-PRMS, reservoir simulation and production forecasting. He previously spent six years as Reservoir Engineering Team Leader at General Petroleum Company in Egypt, managing Western Desert and Gulf of Suez assets.
His technical background covers material balance and decline curve analysis, pressure and rate transient analysis, integrated production modeling, waterflood management and full-field dynamic modeling. He holds an MSc in Reservoir Engineering and a BSc in Petroleum Engineering from Cairo University, and has published with SPE on permeability estimation, formation evaluation and carbonate rock typing.
Since 2020 he has delivered reservoir engineering and simulation training to Repsol, ADNOC Group, Kuwait Oil Company, OMV, SLB, Halliburton, Sonatrach, Gazprom Neft, Petroleum Development Oman and Pakistan Petroleum. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
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