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<b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI">Master’s Thesis Defense</span></b><b><span style="font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Albertus Extra Bold","serif";
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color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Tahoma;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI"> </span></b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
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<b><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Alternatives to Decline-Curve Models for Unconventional Reservoirs: A Case for Data-Driven Discovery of Natural Laws<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI">Bharat Thakur</span></b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI">Date: Monday, December 4, 2017</span></b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI"> </span></b><span style="font-size:
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mso-bidi-language:HI"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI">Location: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI">UH
ERP ROOM 125</span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI">Time: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI">9:00
am – 11:00 am</span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
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color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI"> </span></b><span style="font-size:
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI">Committee Chair:</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#1F497D;mso-bidi-language:HI"> </span></b><span style="font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222;
mso-bidi-language:HI">Dr.
Michael Nikolaou</span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;
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mso-bidi-language:HI"> </span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:
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HI"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI">Committee Members:</span></b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#222222;mso-bidi-language:HI"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222;
mso-bidi-language:HI">Dr. Christine Ehlig-Economides<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222;
mso-bidi-language:HI">Dr. Ganesh Thakur</span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;
font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222;
mso-bidi-language:HI"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:
Arial">Decline curve models, such as the Arps decline model and its variants, are fairly inaccurate for unconventional reservoirs. Therefore, usually hybrid models, combining early transient-flow models
such as Duong and SEPD with Arps for boundary-dominated flow, are usually employed. However, in unconventional reservoirs with multiphase flow these transitions are gradual. Further, for transition period between transient flow and boundary dominated flow,
there is no consensus for what is the appropriate model structure. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:
Arial">In this study large database of available field data referring to production from unconventional reservoirs is analyzed using multivariate statistical method, such as principal component analysis
(PCA). The analysis suggests that over 90% of variability in the data can be captured with only one or two latent variables. Therefore, an appropriate model structure naturally emerges from the data, thus eliminating the need to separate production into different
flow-related regimes with explicit formulas for corresponding decline curves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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