Models for petroleum field exploitation

This paper presents some models for an early evaluation of a petroleum field. Based on crude assumptions about a reservoir, our models suggest decisions concerning platform capacity, drilling programme and production. We start out with a simple production planning model using linear programming. By mixed integer programming techniques the model is gradually extended. The most sophisticated version of the model can propose platform capacity, where and when wells should be drilled, and the production from the wells. The models are tested on numerical examples, and the results are discussed. From the experiments we conclude that the problems are very hard to solve, and that the size of problems that can be solved is limited by the computational burden. Finally we give some ideas for future work that may provide better solution methods.