Continuous Facies Updating Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter and the Level Set Method

We present a methodology based on the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and the level set method for the continuous model updating of geological facies with respect to production data. Geological facies are modeled using an implicit surface representation and conditioned to production data using the ensemble Kalman filter. The methodology is based on Gaussian random fields used to deform the facies boundaries. The Gaussian random fields are used as the model parameter vector to be updated sequentially within the EnKF when new measurements are available. We show the successful application of the methodology to two synthetic reservoir models.