Events Calendar

Model-Based Control and Optimization Challenges in Reservoir Engineering

Speaker: Prof. Paul M.J. Van den Hof, Delft University of Technology & Eindhoven University of Technology

Talk Title: Model-Based Control and Optimization Challenges in Reservoir Engineering

Abstract: Due to urgent needs to increase efficiency in oil recovery from subsurface reservoirs new technology is developed that allows more detailed sensing and actuation of multiphase flow properties in oil reservoirs. One of the examples is the controlled injection of water through injection wells with the purpose to displace the oil in an appropriate direction. This technology enables the application of model-based optimization and control techniques to optimize production over the entire production period of a reservoir, which can be around 25 years. Large scale reservoir flow models are used for optimizing production settings, but suffer from high levels of uncertainty and limited validation options. One of the challenges is the development of reduced complexity models that deliver accurate long-term predictions, and at the same time are not more complex than can be warranted by the amount of data that is available. In this seminar an overview will be given of the problems and opportunities for model-based control and optimization in this field aiming at the development of a closed-loop reservoir management system.

Biography: Paul Van den Hof received the Ph.D. degree from Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands in 1989. Since 1986 he is with Delft University of Technology, where he was appointed as full professor in 1999. Since 2003 he has been founding co-director of the Delft Center for Systems and Control (DCSC), with appointments in the faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engingeering, and the faculty of Aplied Sciences. As of 2011 he holds a full professor position in the Electrical Engineering department of Eindhoven University of Technology. Since 2005 he is also scientific director of the national research and graduate school "Dutch Institute of Systems and Control" (DISC). His research interests are in issues of system identification, identification for control, and model-based control and optimization, with applications in industrial process control systems, including petroleum reservoir engineering systems, mechanical servo systems and physical measurement systems. He has been a member of the IFAC Council (1999-2005), the editorial board of Automatica (1992-2005), and the Board of Governors of IEEE Control Systems Society (2003-2005). He is IFAC Fellow and Fellow of IEEE.


Host: Prof. Antonio Ortega

Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Talyia Veal