石油资源管理系统 (PRMS) 和许多监管机构要求探明储量估算具有所谓的“合理确定性”。PRMS 或美国证券交易委员会 (SEC) 为建立合理的确定性而提供的指导本质上是一般性的，因为很难明确描述所有可能的情况，并且还为未来使用新技术留有余地。完整的论文解决了在储量和资源评估中建立合理确定性的复杂挑战，并讨论了如何协同使用多种可靠技术，通过 PRMS 提供的灵活性来为储量估算建立合理的确定性。
作者写道，对于许多寻求澄清储量相关问题的问题，普遍的回答是“这要看情况”。同样，关于什么构成可靠技术的问题，答案取决于具体情况和所考虑的数据。使用可靠技术作为提高石油和天然气储量估算确定性的方法在 2008 年石油和天然气报告现代化中得到了正式认可。
The Petroleum Resources Management System (PRMS) and many regulatory agencies require what is termed “reasonable certainty” for Proved Reserves estimates. The guidance provided by the PRMS or the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for establishing reasonable certainty is general in nature because of the difficulty in explicitly describing all possible scenarios and also allows leeway to use new technologies in the future. The complete paper addresses the complex challenge of establishing reasonable certainty in reserves and resource assessments and discusses how multiple reliable technologies may be used in concert to establish reasonable certainty for reserves estimates through the flexibility provided by the PRMS.
The authors write that a common response to many questions seeking clarification on reserves-related matters is that “it depends.” Likewise, regarding the question of what constitutes reliable technology, the answer depends on the specific circumstances and the data being considered. The use of reliable technology as a method to improve certainty in the estimates of oil and gas reserves was formally recognized in the 2008 modernization of oil and gas reporting.
