Integration of self organizing map with MLFF neural network to predict oil formation volume factor: North Africa crude oil examples

In this paper we introduce for the first time an innovative approach for deriving Oil Formation Volume Factor (B_o) by mean of artificial intelligence method. In a new proposed application Self-Organizing Map (SOM) technology has been merged with statistical prediction methods integrating in a single step dimensionality reduction, extraction of input data structure pattern and prediction of formation volume factor B_o. The SOM neural network method applies an unsupervised training algorithm combined with back propagation neural network BPNN to subdivide the entire set of PVT input into different patterns identifying a set of data that have something in common and run individual MLFF ANN models for each specific PVT cluster and computing B_o. PVT data for more than two hundred oil samples (total of 804 data points) were collected from the north African region representing different basin and covering a greater geographical area were used in this study. To establish clear Bound on the accuracy of B_o determination several statistical parameters and terminology included in the presentation of the result from SOM- Neural Network solution. the main outcome is the reduction of error obtained by the new proposed competitive Learning Structure integration of SOM and MLFF ANN to less than 1 % compared to other method. however also investigated in this work five independents means of model driven and data driven approach for estimating B_o theses are 1) Optimal Transformations for Multiple Regression as introduced by (McCain, 1998) using alternating conditional expectations (ACE) for selecting multiple regression transformations 2), Genetic programing and heuristic modeling using Symbolic Regression (SR) and cross validation for model automatic tuning 3) Optimization by successive alteration of the empirical constant of the correlation parametric form of Standing correlation or any other, 4) Correlation refinement using Rafa Labedi approach tuning existing working correlation of Standing and others for calculating B_o by adjusting constant in the linear trend component of the formula structure of Standing correlation using a subset of the original correlation called correlation variable of formation volume factor this type of correlation refinement was extended and applied to modify any other available correlation to predict B_o 5) Machine learning predictive model (Nearest Neighbor Regression, Kernel Ridge regression, Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), Random Forest Regression (RF), Support Vector Regression (SVM), Decision Tree Regression (DT), Gradient Boosting Machine Regression (GBM), Group modeling data handling (GMDH).