Comparison of Extreme Learning Machine with Support Vector Regression for Reservoir Permeability Prediction

Extreme learning machine (ELM) is an easy-to use and effective learning algorithm of single-hidden layer feed-forward neural networks (SLFNs). The classical learning algorithm in neural network, e. g. backpropagation, requires setting several user-defined parameters and may get into local minimum. However, ELM only requires setting the number of hidden neurons and the activation function. It does not require adjusting the input weights and hidden layer biases during the implementation of the algorithm, and it produces only one optimal solution. Therefore, ELM has the advantages of fast learning speed and good generalization performance. In this paper, ELM is introduced in predicting reservoir permeability. By comparing to SVM, we analyze its feasibility and advantages in reservoir permeability prediction. The experimental results show that ELM has similar accuracy compared to SVR, but it has obvious advantages in parameter selection and learning speed.