Application of machine learning algorithms to predict permeability in tight sandstone formations

The application of machine learning algorithms in petroleum geology has opened a new chapter in oil and gas exploration. Machine learning algorithms have been successfully used to predict crucial petrophysical properties when characterizing reservoirs. This study utilizes the concept of machine learning to predict permeability under confining stress conditions for samples from tight sandstone formations. The models were constructed using two machine learning algorithms of varying complexity (multiple linear regression [MLR] and random forests [RF]) and trained on a dataset that combined basic well information, basic petrophysical data, and rock type from a visual inspection of the core material. The RF algorithm underwent feature engineering to increase the number of predictors in the models. In order to check the training models’ robustness, 10-fold cross-validation was performed. The MLR and RF applications demonstrated that both algorithms can accurately predict permeability under constant confining pressure (R2 0.800 vs. 0.834). The RF accuracy was about 3% better than that of the MLR and about 6% better than the linear reference regression (LR) that utilized only porosity. Porosity was the most influential feature of the models’ performance. In the case of RF, the depth was also significant in the permeability predictions, which could be evidence of hidden interactions between the variables of porosity and depth. The local interpretation revealed the common features among outliers. Both the training and testing sets had moderate-low porosity (3–10%) and a lack of fractures. In the test set, calcite or quartz cementation also led to poor permeability predictions. The workflow that utilizes the tidymodels concept will be further applied in more complex examples to predict spatial petrophysical features from seismic attributes using various machine learning algorithms.