Petroleum reservoir management is a dynamic process that recognizes the uncertainties in reservoir performance resulting from our inability to fully characterize reservoirs and flow processes. It seeks to mitigate the effects of these uncertainties by optimizing reservoir performance through a systematic application of integrated, multidisciplinary technologies. It approaches reservoir operation and control as a system, rather than as a set of disconnected functions. As such, it is a strategy for applying multiple technologies in an optimal way to achieve synergy.

Reservoir management has been in place in most producing organizations for several years. Several authors^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]} have described how reservoir management is structured; however, the type, quality, and consistency of programs vary. This chapter defines reservoir management and suggests how to maintain an effective, ongoing program that can be sustained and continually updated to represent the changing needs of an organization or resource.

Reservoir management consists of processes that require the interaction of technical, operating, and management groups for success. The complexity of the problem and size of the asset dictate the type and number of personnel assigned to the task. Commitments can vary from part-time assignments for technical and operating staff members to the full-time use of multifunctional and, in some instances, multiorganizational teams. The following situations, however, can reduce the effectiveness of reservoir management programs:

• Personnel changes

• Altered priorities

• Insufficient surveillance data

• Lack of documentation

Methods for assessing the effectiveness of reservoir management programs, including identifying strengths and areas for improvement, are needed to approach the topic from a quality perspective (i.e., benchmark to an ideal, best-practice standard). Making these assessments on a systematic, regular basis can be effective in developing a common terminology that improves communication and in ensuring a comprehensive review and a more complete listing of improvement opportunities. Reservoir management assessments are also effective in providing a comparison with ideal or best practices that result in a more innovative environment and in establishing a method of documentation and measurement to determine how well reservoir management is being sustained despite changes in personnel and priorities. This chapter includes a method for assessing the quality of a reservoir management program.

Reservoir management processes

Fig. 1 illustrates reservoir management processes. The processes are divided into those stewarded by the reservoir management team (RMT) and those guided by the supervisors and managers associated with reservoir management who comprise the reservoir management leadership team (RMLT). The arrows in the RMT box show work flow and how data and opportunities are captured.

The reservoir management process must be tailored to individual fields depending on:

• Size

• Complexity

• Reservoir and fluid properties

• Depletion state

• Regulatory controls

• Economics