Ability of the Performance Criteria to Assess and Compare Reservoir Management Approaches

A reservoir management approach requires, regularly, an update of its parameters in order to assure that the reservoir continue to fulfill its role without major failure. In fact, the performance criteria are widely associated with to optimization as tools to assess and compare optimized and initial approaches. In this study, we analyzed the ability of six performance criteria to assess and compare, correctly, six management approaches of the Bin El Ouidane-Ait El Ouarda complex, under varying conditions. Five of the six compared approaches are results of a double optimization phase using the Genetic Algorithm. And the sixth represents the current management approach of the complex. The analysis of the obtained results via the principal component analysis method shows that the optimized approaches are performing better according to all criteria, and negative management practices of the current approach were detected. Additionally, remarks concerning the reliability of the studied criteria were underlined: the very high dependency of the criteria values to the conditions of calculation, the necessity to use various criterion because the use of only one can alter the comparison, the necessity to report in addition to the criterion value its calculation conditions, and the sustainability criterion tends to give an implicit weight coefficient to the parameter having the low value. This paper novelty is that it gave an application example of guidelines to follow and precautions to consider, in order to assess and compare reservoir management approaches, taking into account the question of representativeness of the performance criteria.