U.S. patent application number 14/758722 was filed with the patent office on 2016-01-07 for reservoir segment evaluation for well planning.
The applicant listed for this patent is Yao-chou CHENG, Jose J. SEQUEIRA, JR., Ruben D. URIBE. Invention is credited to Yao-Chou CHENG, Jose J. SEQUEIRA, JR., Ruben D. URIBE.
Application Number | 20160003008 14/758722 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51300040 |
Filed Date | 2016-01-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160003008 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
URIBE; Ruben D. ; et
al. |
January 7, 2016 |
Reservoir Segment Evaluation for Well Planning
Abstract
A method is presented for well planning. The method includes
modeling one or more reservoir segments within a subsurface model.
The reservoir segments, which are associated with target
reservoirs, are evaluated prior to creating a well plan based on
the reservoir segments to provide a fluid flow path from the
reservoir targets to the well pad through the reservoir segments.
The method enhances the well planning process through the use of
these reservoir segments.
Inventors: |
URIBE; Ruben D.; (Keller,
TX) ; SEQUEIRA, JR.; Jose J.; (The Woodlands, TX)
; CHENG; Yao-Chou; (Houston, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
URIBE; Ruben D.
SEQUEIRA, JR.; Jose J.
CHENG; Yao-chou |
|
|
US
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51300040 |
Appl. No.: |
14/758722 |
Filed: |
December 27, 2013 |
PCT Filed: |
December 27, 2013 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US2013/078013 |
371 Date: |
June 30, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61763171 |
Feb 11, 2013 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
175/50 ;
166/250.01; 703/10 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 7/04 20130101; E21B
7/00 20130101; E21B 43/30 20130101; E21B 49/00 20130101; E21B 43/00
20130101; E21B 47/0224 20200501; G01V 99/005 20130101; G01V 11/00
20130101 |
International
Class: |
E21B 41/00 20060101
E21B041/00; E21B 7/04 20060101 E21B007/04; E21B 43/30 20060101
E21B043/30; E21B 49/00 20060101 E21B049/00; E21B 7/00 20060101
E21B007/00 |
Claims
1. A method for obtaining hydrocarbons comprising: obtaining a
three dimensional (3D) Earth model representing a subsurface
region; determining one or more reservoir targets within the 3D
Earth model; defining one or more reservoir segments in the 3D
Earth model, wherein each of the reservoir segments pass through at
least a portion of one of the target reservoirs; evaluating the
reservoir segments; and creating a well plan based on the reservoir
segments to provide a fluid flow path from the one or more
reservoir targets to a well pad through the one or more of the
reservoir segments.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the reservoir segments
comprises: calculating a cost function that minimizes net sand or
net pay penetrated by one and/or more of the reservoir segments
based on one or more of the reservoir segments; and determining
whether the calculated cost function is within a threshold.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the reservoir segments
comprises: calculating a cost function that minimizes the drilling
cost and/or maximizes production of hydrocarbons based on one or
more of the reservoir segments; and determining whether the
calculated cost function is within a threshold.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the reservoir segments
comprises: obtaining one or more of geographic data, geological
data and seismic data associated with the subsurface region;
comparing the one or more of geographic data, geological data and
seismic data associated with the subsurface region with the
reservoir segments to verify the reservoir segments.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein geographic data comprises one or
more of topography data and infrastructure data.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein geologic data comprises one or
more of type of rock; structural framework and hazards.
7. The method of claim 2, further comprising updating the reservoir
segments if the cost function does not satisfy the threshold.
8. The method of claim 2, wherein the reservoir segments are
updated by changing one or more of inclination, orientation and
location of the reservoir segments to optimize the cost function or
based on the comparison.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the well plan comprises
determining a well trajectory for each of a plurality of slots in
the well pad to one of the one or more reservoir segments.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the well plan comprises
evaluating the well pad location and well trajectories based on one
or more of maximizing production of hydrocarbons, minimizing
drilling complexity, and minimizing drilling cost.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the well plan
comprises: determining a common surface location for the well pad;
coupling the common surface location to the one or more reservoir
segments; and evaluating the well plan.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein evaluating the well plan
comprises determining whether the drilling parameters are satisfied
by the well plan.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the well plan comprises
determining whether a pad location and well trajectory satisfy the
engineering constraints and/or geological constraints.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more reservoir
segments comprise a straight section defined by two points between
or relative to one or two surfaces.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more reservoir
segments comprise a curved section defined by two points between or
relative to one or two surfaces.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more reservoir
segments comprise a continuous line defined by two points between
or relative to one or two surfaces.
17. The method of claim 1, comprising defining one or more
completion intervals after the one or more reservoir segments are
defined; wherein the one or more completion intervals comprise one
or more perforations and/or completion hardware.
18. The method of claim 1, further comprising: drilling one or more
wellbore based on the well plan; producing hydrocarbons from the
one or more wellbores.
19. A system for well planning comprising: a processor; memory
coupled to the processor; and a set of instructions stored in the
memory and accessible by the processor, wherein the set of
instructions, when executed, are configured to: obtain a three
dimensional (3D) Earth model representing a subsurface region;
determine one or more reservoir targets within the 3D Earth model;
define one or more reservoir segments in the 3D Earth model,
wherein each of the reservoir segments pass through at least a
portion of one of the target reservoirs; evaluate the reservoir
segments; and create a well plan based on the reservoir segments to
provide a fluid flow path from the one or more reservoir targets to
a well pad from one or more of the reservoir segments.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of instructions to
evaluate the reservoir segments are configured to: calculate a cost
function that minimizes net sand or net pay penetrated by one
and/or more of the reservoir segments based on one or more of the
reservoir segments; and determine whether the calculated cost
function is within a threshold.
21. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of instructions to
evaluate the reservoir segments are configured to: calculate a cost
function that minimizes the drilling cost and/or maximizes
production of hydrocarbons based on one or more of the reservoir
segments; and determine whether the calculated cost function is
within a threshold.
22. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of instructions to
evaluate the reservoir segments are configured to: obtain one or
more of geographic data, geological data and seismic data
associated with the subsurface region; compare the one or more of
geographic data, geological data and seismic data associated with
the subsurface region with the reservoir segments to verify the
reservoir segments.
23. The system of claim 22, wherein the set of instructions are
configured to obtain geographic data from memory, wherein the
geographic data comprises one or more of topography data and
infrastructure data.
24. The system of claim 22, wherein the set of instructions are
configured to obtain geologic data from memory, wherein geologic
data comprises one or more of type of rock; structural framework
and hazards.
25. The system of claim 22, wherein the set of instructions are
configured to update the reservoir segments if the cost function
does not satisfy the threshold.
26. The system of claim 22, wherein the set of instructions are
configured to update the reservoir segments by changing one or more
of inclination, orientation and location of the reservoir segments
to optimize the cost function or based on the comparison.
27. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of instructions to
create the well plan are configured to determine a well trajectory
for each of a plurality of slots in the well pad to one of the one
or more reservoir segments.
28. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of instructions to
create the well plan are configured to evaluate the well pad
location and well trajectories based on one or more of maximizing
production of hydrocarbons, minimizing drilling complexity, and
minimizing drilling cost.
29. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of instructions to
create the well plan are configured to: determine a common surface
location for the well pad; couple the common surface location to
the one or more reservoir segments; and evaluate the well plan.
30. The system of claim 29, wherein the set of instructions to
create the well plan are configured to determine whether the
drilling parameters are satisfied by the well plan.
31. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of instructions to
create the well plan are configured to determine whether a pad
location and well trajectory satisfy the engineering constraints
and/or geological constraints.
32. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of instructions are
configured to calculate the one or more reservoir segments of a
straight section defined by two points between or relative to one
or two surfaces.
33. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of instructions are
configured to calculate the one or more reservoir segments of a
curved section defined by two points between or relative to one or
two surfaces.
34. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of instructions are
configured to calculate the one or more reservoir segments of a
continuous line defined by two points between or relative to one or
two surfaces.
35. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of instructions are
configured to define one or more completion intervals after the one
or more reservoir segments are defined; wherein the one or more
completion intervals comprise one or more perforations and/or
completion hardware.
36. The system of claim 19, wherein the set of instructions are
configured to: drill one or more wellbore based on the well plan;
and produce hydrocarbons from the one or more wellbores.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application 61/763,171 filed Feb. 11, 2013 entitled METHOD
AND SYSTEM FOR RESERVOIR SEGMENT EVALUATION FOR WELL PLANNING, the
entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Exemplary embodiments of the present techniques relate to a
method and system for evaluating reservoir segments for well
planning.
BACKGROUND
[0003] This section is intended to introduce various aspects of the
art, which may be associated with exemplary embodiments of the
present techniques. This discussion is believed to assist in
providing a framework to facilitate a better understanding of
particular aspects of the present techniques. Accordingly, it
should be understood that this section should be read in this
light, and not necessarily as admissions of prior art.
[0004] Field planning involves the design of a drilling plan for an
oilfield, or other hydrocarbon resource. One of the objectives of
field planning is to maximize the total field production by
selecting appropriate well sites for accessing a hydrocarbon
reservoir and selecting the reservoir proper configuration for the
wellbore. One of the steps in this process is well planning, which
involves selecting well sites. The selection of well sites is
complicated by numerous considerations, such as environmental
issues, maintaining safe distances around wells, and cost. Costs
may include costs for facilities and for drilling over the life
cycle of the reservoir.
[0005] Another aspect of field planning is well path planning.
While well path planning is primarily an engineering function, a
high-degree of geoscience and engineering integration and
collaboration is involved during the planning process to provide an
optimal result. The conventional work processes and software tools
lack the dynamic data integration capabilities that would be
beneficial for interactive, cross-functional analysis and field
development and management decisions. In fact, certain technologies
are directed to allow geoscience and engineering personnel to more
effectively utilize computing and networking technology to manage
assets. These technologies include creating an interactive
environment having multi-dimensional data can be displayed,
explored, and analyzed to facilitate cross-functional decision
making. Applications within this environment include: remote
geo-steering of wells as they are drilled; real-time update of log
and well test information for rapid update of reservoir models and
development drilling plans; monitoring of pressure and flow data
from instrumented wells; and production and work over optimization
etc.
[0006] The well path planning process includes designing well
trajectories to optimally penetrate reservoir intervals, while
avoiding possible drilling hazards (e.g. shallow gas-bearing
sands), and maximizing borehole stability and cost-effectiveness
given the properties (e.g. temperature, stress, fluid pressure) of
the stratigraphic column between the surface location and drilling
targets. Conventional well path planning techniques are often
sequential and inefficient. For example, the conventional
techniques include (i) selecting potential targets based on
geologic interpretation and understanding of reservoir properties
by a geologist; (ii) providing the target locations and in some
cases a first pass well trajectory to a drilling engineer for more
detailed well design and analysis; (iii) identifying potential
problems with the well from the results of the well design and
analysis step, which involves changes to the target location(s),
number of targets, or basic trajectory parameters; (iv) reworking
the target location by the geologist and the process is repeated by
providing the targets and well trajectory, if any, to the drilling
engineer for analysis. The analysis includes well bore stability,
torque and drag etc. and requires an understanding of the rock and
fluid properties along the trajectory. The required rock and fluid
property information can come from a wide variety of sources
including nearby well bores and predictive models, but it is
commonly difficult for the drilling engineer to obtain and input
into their analysis software. In addition, the rock and fluid
information is often stored in drilling engineering software in a
way that makes it trajectory specific, which hinders or limits
reuse of the information from a previously analyzed well when
evaluating an updated well design. Also, if updated rock and fluid
data becomes available during the time between when wells are
planned and actually drilled, the engineer has to, on a
well-by-well basis, update this information for each of the
existing planned wells. Accordingly, depending on the complexity of
the well path and geology, a final trajectory may take multiple
iterations (e.g., several weeks or months). The length of time
taken to iterate between target selection and detailed well design
can limit the number of scenarios examined and lead to sub-optimal
results. As a result of these iterations, well path planning is
typically based on engineering constraints, and do not effectively
integrate geologic interpretation and understanding.
[0007] As an example, certain references describe modeling wellbore
trajectories, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,757,613 and 7,460,957; U.S.
Patent App. Publication No. 2007/0199721 and certain commercial
software. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 6,757,613 describes a
graphical method to design and modify the trajectory of a well
bore, which uses control points for altering the shape of the
curved section of the wellbore. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 7,460,957
describes a method that automatically designs a multi-well
development plan given a set of previously interpreted subsurface
targets. U.S. Patent App. Publication No. 2007/0199721 describes a
method of well planning that uses trajectory and earth properties
extracted from the geoscience model. Further, certain commercial
software provides a tool to plan wells in a 3D visual environment.
See TracPlanner.TM. Directional Well Planning Software, Halliburton
2008. This software allows interpreters to visualize geologic
information and create targets visually using that information,
which may also be utilized for platform and pad positioning
optimization for more efficient placement. The user of the software
can pick geological targets in 2D or 3D, and can plan wellpaths
visually and interactively.
[0008] Other references are directed to the completion or planning
of the pad, such as U.S. Pat. No. 7,200,540 and U.S. Patent App.
Publication Nos. 20100191516; 20090200014; and 20070294034. In
particular, U.S. Pat. No. 7,200,540 also presents a method that
selects a possible set of well platform locations from
automatically generated target locations. Also, U.S. Patent App.
Publication No. 20100191516 describes a method for completion
design as part of the well planning process, wherein the well path
parameters and completion parameters are specified to generate a
set of performance measures, which is then optimized within the
model. For pad planning, U.S. Patent App. Publication No.
20090200014 describes a method of pad design of a platform, which
computes an optimum slot assignment value for the slot template
based on number of slots, number of plans and well trajectories.
Similarly, U.S. Patent App. Publication No. 20070294034 describes a
method of generating a well site design. In this method, an initial
Earth model is built based on the workflow adapted for modeling,
drilling and completion operations in a hydrocarbon reservoir,
which is used to generate the well site design.
[0009] Further, other references are directed to the stages
approaches to well planning, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,549,879. U.S.
Pat. No. 6,549,879 describes a systematic,
computationally-efficient, two-stage method for determining well
locations in a 3D reservoir model, while satisfying various
constraints including: minimum interwell spacing, maximum well
length, angular limits for deviated completions, and minimum
distance from reservoir and fluid boundaries. In the first stage,
the wells are placed assuming that the wells can only be vertical.
In the second stage, these vertical wells are examined for
optimized horizontal and deviated completions. This solution is a
systematic process, but it has vertically initialize well segments,
which is computationally inefficient.
[0010] The conventional well planning processes are subject to
certain limitations. For example, well planning processes are
typically limited to fixed target locations. As such, the generated
trajectories may not effectively take into account reservoir
producibility as part of the analysis. To integrate geo-science
information and engineering constraints into the well planning
processes, there is a need to enhance the integration of the
information, such as reservoir connectivity, reservoir properties
and producibility into the planning process. Also, conventional
techniques may not always honor drilling physics. As such, a need
exists for the drillability of the each well trajectory to be
integrated into the process
[0011] Furthermore, limitations of the current practices suggest a
need to provide a process to integrate geologic data, structures
and/or reservoir characteristics within a 3D geo-spatial context to
enhance the well planning work flow and analysis. In particular,
the method may provide a mechanism for geoscientists and engineers
to bring together an optimal drill center configuration using a
simple well trajectory generation processes based on identification
of segments, such as reservoir segments.
SUMMARY
[0012] In one embodiment, a method is presented for well planning.
The method includes obtaining a three dimensional (3D) Earth model
representing a subsurface region; determining one or more reservoir
targets within the 3D Earth model; defining one or more reservoir
segments in the 3D Earth model, wherein each of the reservoir
segments pass through at least a portion of one of the target
reservoirs; evaluating the reservoir segments; and creating a well
plan based on the reservoir segments to provide a fluid flow path
from the one or more reservoir targets to a well pad through the
one or more of the reservoir segments. The method may also include
creating the well plan comprises: determining a common surface
location for the well pad; coupling the common surface location to
the one or more reservoir segments; and evaluating the well plan.
Further, the one or more reservoir segments may include a straight
section defined by two points between or relative to one or two
surfaces; a curved section defined by two points between or
relative to one or two surfaces; and/or a continuous line defined
by two points between or relative to one or two surfaces.
[0013] In yet another embodiment, a system for well planning is
described. The system include a processor; memory coupled to the
processor; and a set of instructions stored in the memory and
accessible by the processor. The set of instructions, when
executed, are configured to: obtain a three dimensional (3D) Earth
model representing a subsurface region; determine one or more
reservoir targets within the 3D Earth model; define one or more
reservoir segments in the 3D Earth model, wherein each of the
reservoir segments pass through at least a portion of one of the
target reservoirs; evaluate the reservoir segments; and create a
well plan based on the reservoir segments to provide a fluid flow
path from the one or more reservoir targets to a well pad from one
or more of the reservoir segments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The advantages of the present techniques are better
understood by referring to the following detailed description and
the attached drawings, in which:
[0015] FIGS. 1A and 1B are exemplary modeled representations of a
subsurface region having a reservoir with associated reservoir
segments in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
techniques.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary well planning
method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
techniques.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a model representation of reservoir segments
through two reservoirs having a continuous well trajectory within
the 3D earth model in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present techniques.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a model representation of reservoir segments
coupled through well trajectories to a pad in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment of the present techniques.
[0019] FIG. 5 is another block diagram of an exemplary well
planning method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
present techniques.
[0020] FIGS. 6A to 6D are exemplary modeled representations of a
subsurface region including reservoirs and reservoir segments in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
techniques.
[0021] FIGS. 7A to 7C are exemplary modeled representations of a
subsurface region including reservoirs and reservoir segments in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
techniques.
[0022] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary cluster computing
system that may be used in exemplary embodiments of the present
techniques.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] In the following detailed description section, the specific
embodiments of the present techniques are described in connection
with preferred embodiments. However, to the extent that the
following description is specific to a particular embodiment or a
particular use of the present techniques, this is intended to be
for exemplary purposes only and simply provides a description of
the exemplary embodiments. Accordingly, the present techniques are
not limited to the specific embodiments described below, but
rather, such techniques include all alternatives, modifications,
and equivalents falling within the true spirit and scope of the
appended claims.
[0024] At the outset, and for ease of reference, certain terms used
in this application and their meanings as used in this context are
set forth. To the extent a term used herein is not defined below,
it should be given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent
art have given that term as reflected in at least one printed
publication or issued patent. Further, the present techniques are
not limited by the usage of the terms shown below, as all
equivalents, synonyms, new developments, and terms or techniques
that serve the same or a similar purpose are considered to be
within the scope of the present claims.
[0025] "Computer-readable medium", "tangible, computer-readable
medium", "tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium" or the
like as used herein refer to any tangible storage and/or
transmission medium that participates in providing instructions to
a processor for execution. Such a medium may include, but is not
limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile
media includes, for example, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks.
Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Common
forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy
disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an array of hard disks, a
magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical
medium, a CD-ROM, a holographic medium, any other optical medium, a
RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a
memory card, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other
tangible medium from which a computer can read data or
instructions. When the computer-readable media is configured as a
database, it is to be understood that the database may be any type
of database, such as relational, hierarchical, object-oriented,
and/or the like.
[0026] The display device may include any device suitable for
displaying the reference image, such as without limitation a CRT
monitor, a LCD monitor, a plasma device, a flat panel device, or
printer. The display device may include a device which has been
calibrated through the use of any conventional software intended to
be used in evaluating, correcting, and/or improving display results
(for example, a color monitor that has been adjusted using monitor
calibration software).
[0027] Rather than (or in addition to) displaying the reference
image on a display device, a method, consistent with the present
techniques, may include providing a reference image to a
subject.
[0028] "Earth model" or "shared earth model" refer to a
geometrical/volumetric model of a portion of the earth that may
also contain material properties. The model is shared in the sense
that it integrates the work of several specialists involved in the
model's development (non-limiting examples may include such
disciplines as geologists, geophysicists, petrophysicists, well log
analysts, drilling engineers and reservoir engineers) who interact
with the model through one or more application programs.
[0029] "Exemplary" is used exclusively herein to mean "serving as
an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described
herein as "exemplary" is not to be construed as preferred or
advantageous over other embodiments.
[0030] "Reservoir" or "reservoir formations" are typically pay
zones (for example, hydrocarbon producing zones) that include
sandstone, limestone, chalk, coal and some types of shale. Pay
zones can vary in thickness from less than one foot (0.3048 m) to
hundreds of feet (hundreds of m). The permeability of the reservoir
formation provides the potential for production.
[0031] "Reservoir properties" and "reservoir property values" are
defined as quantities representing physical attributes of rocks
containing reservoir fluids. The term "reservoir properties" as
used in this application includes both measurable and descriptive
attributes. Examples of measurable reservoir property values
include porosity, permeability, water saturation, and fracture
density. Examples of descriptive reservoir property values include
facies, lithology (for example, sandstone or carbonate), and
environment-of-deposition (EOD). Reservoir properties may be
populated into a reservoir framework to generate a reservoir
model.
[0032] "Well" or "wellbore" includes cased, cased and cemented, or
open-hole wellbores, and may be any type of well, including, but
not limited to, a producing well, an experimental well, an
exploratory well, and the like. Wellbores may be vertical,
horizontal, any angle between vertical and horizontal, deviated or
non-deviated, and combinations thereof, for example a vertical well
with a non-vertical component.
[0033] Wellbores are typically drilled and then completed by
positioning a casing string within the wellbore. Conventionally,
the casing string is cemented to the well face by circulating
cement into the annulus defined between the outer surface of the
casing string and the wellbore face. The casing string, once
embedded in cement within the well, is then perforated to allow
fluid communication between the inside and outside of the tubulars
across intervals of interest.
[0034] Exemplary embodiments of the present techniques relate to
methods and systems for well planning. The techniques may determine
multiple well site locations for accessing a hydrocarbon reservoir,
while each well site may include multiple wellbores to various
reservoir targets accessible from the well site location.
[0035] The present disclosure is related to a method to enhance
well planning by reducing the time period for the design stage of
well planning (e.g., from inception to a drill-ready state) and to
enhance well planning process by enhancing the integration of the
reservoir geoscientist and reservoir engineer. The method utilizes
reservoir segments to integrate an optimal drill center
configuration using a simple well trajectory generation processes
for geoscientists and engineers. The reservoir segments are
utilized as the initialized well path segments to accommodate a
bottom-up approach for drill center and/or well path planning
tasks. The reservoir segment is a desired path within the reservoir
characterized by its potential and a partial segment of a well
trajectory. The reservoir segments may include factors, such as
pore pressure, fracture gradient, temperature, lithology
(sand/shale), stress orientation and magnitude, reservoir sweet
spots, 3D geo-bodies, identified drainage boundaries and specified
locations with uncertainties. These factors may be utilized to
enhance the well planning selection process. That is, these factors
may be utilized to plan different well scenarios to determine
and/or verify preferred well paths.
[0036] Beneficially, the method provides enhancements for the well
paths because it reduces the inefficient recycling of designs with
the drilling contractor and it may also provide an optimal final
well path. Also, the interactive and/or dynamic evaluations of
reservoir properties in a 3D earth environment provide efficient
update and/or assessment of drilling parameters, such as well
completions and/or perforations. Also, the method efficiently
integrates geologic data, structures and/or reservoir
characteristics within a 3D geo-spatial context to enhance the well
planning analysis. The method also provides integration of more
data types (e.g., geologic data, structure, and reservoir
properties, as noted above) to enable evaluation of pay-off as
compared to well cost.
[0037] The present techniques method/workflow can be applied in the
creation of a single wellbore or a series of wellbores initialized
as reservoir segments with the ability to connect those reservoir
segments to a common surface location or drill center after editing
the reservoir segment's target locations and orientations. In one
or more embodiments, the method for reservoir segment evaluation
for the well path planning in a collaborative 3D earth model may
include various steps. These steps may include identify a set of
reservoirs from a three-dimensional (3D) Earth model; obtaining
geographic and geological data and models from the geological
analysis and/or reservoir simulations; generating one or more
reservoir segments within each one of the reservoirs; evaluating
the reservoir segments within each one of the reservoirs based on a
potential payout in terms of production of hydrocarbons; updating
the reservoir segments via iterate number, inclination, and
orientation of reservoir segments to optimize pay out; and
identifying well pad location and generating at least one well
trajectory through at least one reservoir segment and further
evaluating the well pad location and its associated well
trajectories based on the potential payout in terms of at least one
parameter such as production of hydrocarbons, drilling complexity
(e.g., stability of the well path), cost and stability of well
planning. The present techniques are described further with
reference to FIGS. 1A to 1B, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6A to 6D, 7A to 7C and
8.
[0038] To provide enhancements over conventional methods, the
present techniques utilize reservoir segments. The reservoir
segments represent a potential drilling pathway for a targeted
reservoir region. Reservoir segments differ from typical well paths
because the reservoir segments do not represent the complete path
and may not connect in any way to a surface location initially. The
reservoir segment provides a mechanism to initialize a tangent
portion of the well path and the potential completion interval
exposed to the reservoir before a complete well is designed. That
is, the reservoir segment is a desired path within the reservoir
characterized by its potential and a partial segment of a well
trajectory. A the reservoir segment may include a straight section
defined by two points between or relative to one or two given
reservoir surfaces, a curved section defined by two points between
or relative to one or two given reservoir surfaces, and/or a
continuous line defined by two points between or relative to one or
two given reservoir surfaces. That is, as the reservoir segments do
not have to be initialized using surfaces, reservoir segments may
utilize other objects (e.g., point sets, polylines, models, etc.)
or just XYZ coordinate information, which does not have to be
associated with an object. Advantageously, the reservoir segments
provide more flexibility to be edited and/or modified than complete
well paths, which provides an efficient mechanism for a user to
consider different scenarios in an enhanced manner. Also, the
reservoir segments may include factors that are utilized to
optimize the recovery from the reservoir. For example, the factors
may include pore pressure, fracture gradient, temperature,
lithology (sand/shale), stress orientation and magnitude, reservoir
sweet spots, 3D geo-bodies, identified drainage boundaries and
specified locations with uncertainties. These factors may be
utilized to enhance the selection process.
[0039] In one exemplary embodiment, a reservoir segment may include
a straight section defined by two points for two reservoir
surfaces, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, a
modeled representation of a subsurface region of a reservoir is
illustrated as a first modeled representation 100 and a second
modeled representation 130. Each of these modeled regions 100 and
130 include a first reservoir surface 102 and a second reservoir
surface 104. These surfaces 102 and 104 may represent layers of
rock that include hydrocarbon fluids, and/or may represent the top
and base of a layer or number of layers of rock that include
potential hydrocarbon fluids.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 1A, the first modeled region 100 includes
reservoir segments 106, 108, 110 and 112 that are substantially
perpendicular straight lines between the surfaces 102 and 104. In
particular, the reservoir segment 106 is a line between a first
target 107a in the first reservoir surface 102 second target 107b
in the second reservoir surface 104, the reservoir segment 108 is a
line between a first target 109a in the first reservoir surface 102
and a second target 109b in the second reservoir surface 104, the
reservoir segment 110 is a line between a first target 111a in the
first reservoir surface 102 and a second target 111b in the second
reservoir surface 104 and the reservoir segment 112 is a line
between a first target 113a in the first reservoir surface 102 and
a second target 113b in the second reservoir surface 104.
[0041] As shown in FIG. 1B, the first region 130 includes reservoir
segments 136, 138, 140 and 142 that are substantially perpendicular
straight lines between the surfaces 102 and 104. In particular, the
reservoir segment 136 is a line between a first target 137a in the
first reservoir surface 102 second target 137b in the second
reservoir surface 104, the reservoir segment 138 is a line between
a first target 139a in the first reservoir surface 102 and a second
target 139b in the second reservoir surface 104, the reservoir
segment 140 is a line between a first target 141a in the first
reservoir surface 102 and a second target 141b in the second
reservoir surface 104 and the reservoir segment 142 is a line
between a first target 143a in the first reservoir surface 102 and
a second target 143b in the second reservoir surface 104.
[0042] From these different modeled regions 100 and 130, the
reservoir segments may indicate different configurations of the
well trajectories. For example, the reservoir segments in the
region 100 may be mapped to a single pad for each wellbore or may
be mapped to different pads, depending on the spacing between the
wellbores. The reservoir segments in region 130 may be mapped to a
single pad, as the reservoir segments appear to be optimized in
trajectories that are directed to a substantially common central
location. Accordingly, the method may be applied in the creation of
a single wellbore or a series of wellbores initialized as reservoir
segments with the ability to connect the reservoir segments to a
common surface location or drill center after editing the reservoir
segment's target locations and orientations.
[0043] The disclosed techniques provide a method for creating a
wellbore starting at the reservoir level. By beginning with the
creation and edits of the reservoir segment(s), the complexity of
editing a complete and potentially complex well path is reduced.
That is, by relying on reservoir segments, the method may
investigate the location, orientation and inclination of the
reservoir segment through the reservoir before creating complete
well paths. Accordingly, the reservoir segments enhance the well
planning process by requiring less computational processing and
time associated with the well planning design.
[0044] As an example of one embodiment, FIG. 2 is a process flow
diagram of a method 200 for well planning with reservoir segments
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
techniques. The blocks 202 to 212 of the method may be performed in
the design stage prior to drilling, while block 214 may be
performed in the operation stage.
[0045] The method 200 may begin at block 202, where a three
dimensional (3D) shared earth model may be obtained. In some
embodiments, the shared earth model may be generated. The shared
earth model may include one or more hydrocarbon fields with
potential reservoirs, and geographic maps for ground surface of the
fields. The maps may indicate man-made and natural objects, such as
pipelines, hazard regions, geological features (e.g. salt bodies
and faults), existing well site platforms, and well paths. At block
204, one or more reservoir targets may be determined within the 3D
Earth model. The reservoir targets may include target areas in the
reservoir, which are desired. The determination of the locations
and the size of the reservoir targets or target areas may be
performed based on some understanding and analysis of certain
reservoir properties. These reservoir properties may include
composition, quality, and connectivity to other areas of the
reservoir. The number of reservoir targets and/or the spacing
between reservoir targets may be determined based on an analysis of
potential development strategies. As an example, the reservoir
targets may be selected based on an unconventional resources where
the subsurface targets are equally spaced in a predetermined grid,
and/or the reservoir targets may include user selected targets
based on geologic and engineering data inside the 3D earth model to
base the location of potential wells.
[0046] At block 206, the reservoir segments within the determined
reservoir targets are defined. The defining the reservoir segment
may include applying weights to various factors that are utilized
to optimize the recovery from the reservoir. For example, the
factors may include pore pressure, fracture gradient, temperature,
lithology (sand/shale), stress orientation and magnitude, reservoir
sweet spots, 3D geo-bodies, identified drainage boundaries and
specified locations with uncertainties. The reservoir segments may
include certain constraints may specify basic trajectory parameters
such as dog-leg severity, kick-off depth, hold distances and
trajectory type. Anti-collision or inter-well constraints may also
be imposed through well-to-well distance functions
[0047] Further, the defining the reservoir segments may include
defining a line or continuous segment through the reservoir. As
noted above, the defined reservoir segments may include a straight
section defined by two points between or relative to one or two
given reservoir surfaces, a curved section defined by two points
between or relative to one or two given reservoir surfaces, and/or
a continuous line defined by two points between or relative to one
or two given reservoir surfaces, as noted above.
[0048] Once the reservoir segments are defined, a cost function may
optionally be calculated for the reservoir segments, as shown in
block 208. The cost function calculation may be performed for each
reservoir segment individually and/or for two or more reservoir
segments together. The cost function may be utilized to optimize
the wellbore trajectory through the reservoir. The cost function
may be based on minimizing net sand or net pay penetrated by the
reservoir segment, minimizing the drilling cost and/or maximizing
production of the hydrocarbons. Then, a determination is made
whether the cost function is within a threshold, as shown in block
210. If the reservoir segment is not within a specified threshold,
the reservoir segments may be redefined in block 206. This
redefining the reservoir segments may include adjusting the factors
utilized to define one or more of the reservoir segments.
[0049] If the reservoir segment is within a specified threshold,
the well plan may be created based on the reservoir segments, as
shown in block 212. The creation of the well plan may include
modeling the well trajectory and/or well pads to determine the well
path, which may involve using known techniques. The well path, well
site location and pad may be created to limit environmental impact
and perform the drilling within the given geological and
engineering constraints. As an example, after reservoir segments
are set in the desired location, then a common surface location
(e.g., pad, drill center, etc.) may be coupled to the reservoir
segments. In some applications, the orientation of one or more of
those reservoir segments may not be optimal and cannot be drilled
from the selected surface location. Accordingly, the reservoir
segment may be reoriented to provide a path that may be
generated.
[0050] Well planning may include selecting the locations of well
pad, which involves several input considerations. These
considerations include, in part, the cost of well-site
construction, environmental impacts, the number of wells to
adequately drain the reservoir, as well as selection of reservoir
targets to position the well pads. Also, environmental
consideration may be utilized, which include the avoidance of
surface obstacles, which may include man-made and natural obstacles
(e.g., a residential area, a river, a road, a pipeline and the
like). The well pad may be selected to maintain a predetermined
distance from such obstacles.
[0051] In well planning, there are numerous trade-offs between
considerations for a single well pad (e.g., location, well design,
well drilling costs, well trajectory design, etc.) and the economic
considerations of producing and developing a hydrocarbon field over
its full life cycle. One approach of well planning is to place the
well pad as close as possible to the reservoir targets to reduce
the cost of drilling. Another approach is to minimize the number of
reservoir targets that are not accessible due to the surface and/or
drilling constraints. Accordingly, this aspect of the well planning
may be performed on an ad-hoc basis, based on modeling and/or based
on solving an objective function.
[0052] A set of well trajectories starting from the slots of the
well pad can then be designed according to well path algorithms and
other engineering constraints. In addition to maintaining safe
distances from certain obstacles (e.g., surface obstacles), well
planning also takes into account maintaining minimum distances
between the paths of the wells and geological features of the
overburden. As a result, the well planning parameters may include
well site configuration, maximum horizontal reach, well trajectory
constraints, anti-collision constraints, and quality of penetration
of the reservoir. Other parameters, such as environmental
constraints, minimal stand-off distance to surface or subsurface
objects may also be specified. In one embodiment of the present
techniques, a user, such as a geoscientist or drilling engineer,
may define well planning parameters as part of an optimization
process. Thus, the method may create a well plan based on a
combination of environmental, geological, and engineering
constraints.
[0053] As an example, the creation of a well plan may include
various steps. The steps may include determining a well trajectory
for each of the slots in the well pad to one of reservoir segments.
Also, the creating the well plan may include evaluating the well
pad location and/or well trajectories based on one or more of
maximizing production of hydrocarbons, minimizing drilling
complexity, and minimizing drilling cost. Further still, the
creating the well plan may include determining a common surface
location for the well pad; coupling the common surface location to
the one or more reservoir segments; and evaluating the well
plan.
[0054] At block 214, the well plan may be executed and hydrocarbons
may be obtained. The well plan execution may include providing the
performing well drilling activities based on the well plan. The
wells may be drilled at one or more of the determined well site
locations. Well site locations may be selected for conducting
detailed well drilling activities according to development stages
of the field. For each well at the selected locations, the
potential production, bore stability, torque, drag, and the like,
may be evaluated. Drilling completion and performance processes,
such as described in patent application Intl. Patent App. Pub. No.
2009/032416, may also be performed.
[0055] As an example, FIG. 3 is a model representation 300 of
reservoir segments through two reservoirs having a continuous well
trajectory within the 3D earth model in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment of the present techniques. The model
representation 300 includes a first reservoir 302 and a second
reservoir 310, which may represent layers of rock that include
hydrocarbon fluids. The first reservoir 302 includes a first
surface 303 and a second surface 304 along with a first reservoir
segment 305. The reservoir segment 305 passes through a first
target 306 in the first surface 303 and a second target 307 in the
second surface 308. Similarly, the second reservoir 310 includes a
first surface 311 and a second surface 312 along with a second
reservoir segment 313. The second reservoir segment 313 passes
through a first target 314 in the first surface 311 and a second
target 315 in the second surface 312. The continuous well
trajectory 320 is a continuous pathway within the 3D earth model
that trails through reservoir segments 305 and 313 for each
potential reservoir 302 and 310.
[0056] Without planning the entire well trajectory at first, the
geoscientists direct the analysis on the producibility of the
targeted reservoirs 302 and 310 based on reservoir properties
derived from, but not limited to seismic data, geological model
and/or reservoir simulations. Once the reservoir segments 305 and
313 for each potential reservoir 302 and 310 is determined. A
complete well trajectory starting from a surface location 301 can
then be determined based on the engineering constraints, such as
dogleg severity, hazard avoidance, etc. The complete well
trajectory may also include geologic constraints as well, such as
over or under pressured reservoirs, hydrates, unstable formations,
etc.
[0057] As yet another example, FIG. 4 is a model representation 400
of reservoir segments coupled through well trajectories to a pad in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present techniques.
In this model representation 400, a pad 402, which may be a well
site, facility or platform that is located on land or at sea level,
contains slots (e.g., represented by the circles on the pad 402) in
which each slot is a starting location of a well trajectory that
reaches reservoir segments. Specifically, the well trajectory 404
that reaches the reservoir segment 405, the well trajectory 406
that reaches the reservoir segment 407, the well trajectory 408
that reaches the reservoir segment 409, and the well trajectory 410
that reaches the reservoir segment 411.
[0058] In this configuration, the pad 402 has four planned well
paths are shown by the well trajectories 404, 406, 408 and 410 to
the respective reservoir segments 405, 407, 409 and 411. In this
representation 400, the four reservoir segments 405, 407, 409 and
411 are created first and then the four well trajectories 404, 406,
408 and 410 are planned, such that each well trajectory 404, 406,
408 or 410 passes through at least one of the reservoir segments
405, 407, 409 and 411. The entire well planning process, including
the pad design (e.g., selection of well site), selection of number
of well paths as well as the locations and trajectories of each
reservoir segment, may be performed in an interactive process
guided by geoscientists and/or drilling engineers. The well
planning process may also include the use of optimization
algorithms. As an example, anti-collision optimization algorithms
may be utilized to select slots in a drill center closer to the
targets, etc. Other potential optimization technique may include an
auto search within a specific area for a surface location based on
known constraints and the same may apply to an auto search for
target locations.
[0059] As an example of another embodiment, FIG. 5 is a process
flow diagram of a method 500 for well planning with reservoir
segments in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
techniques. In this method, the blocks 502 to 522 may be performed
in the design stage prior to drilling, as an alternative flow for
blocks 202 to 212 of FIG. 2. Once the design stage is complete, the
operations stage may be performed in a manner similar to that noted
above in block 214.
[0060] The method 500 may begin at block 502, where a three
dimensional (3D) earth model may be obtained. In certain
embodiments, the 3D Earth model may be generated from one or more
of geological data objects, data models from geological analysis
and/or reservoir simulations. The 3D earth model may include one or
more hydrocarbon fields with potential or target reservoirs, and
geographic maps for ground surface of the fields. The maps may
indicate man-made and natural objects, such as pipelines, hazard
regions, geological features (e.g. salt bodies and faults),
existing well site platforms, and well paths. The 3D Earth model
may include information that is utilized to optimize placement of a
well pads and/or well paths to reservoirs. In preferred
embodiments, the 3D Earth model may include a 3D representation of
the Earth model(s) on a computer with visualization capabilities.
The computer system could be a single processor unit or preferably
a networked multi-processor system.
[0061] At block 504, one or more potential or target reservoirs may
be determined within the 3D Earth model. The reservoirs may include
target areas in the model that indicate hydrocarbons may be present
(e.g., one or more hydrocarbon filled regions). The reservoir(s)
may be bounded by two or more surfaces (e.g., a top surface and a
base surface).
[0062] Once the reservoirs are determined, one or more reservoir
segments may be defined, as shown in block 506. The defining the
reservoir segments may include analyzing reservoir properties,
connectivity and constraints from the models to define potential
target areas. These target areas may be utilized to identify
locations to place initial reservoir segments. Each of the
reservoir segments may extend from between the surfaces and/or may
extend into a region adjacent to the surfaces outside the targeted
reservoir. The reservoir segment(s) may be substantially vertical
lines, but may include other continuous lines, as noted above. That
is, these reservoir segments do not have to be confined to
reservoir areas. An example of a substantially horizontal line as a
reservoir segment is described further below in FIG. 6A.
[0063] Once the reservoir segments are defined, one or more
reservoir segments may be adjusted, as shown in block 508. The
adjustment of the reservoir segments may include editing the
reservoir segments positioning by adjusting the target locations in
the surfaces that define the boundaries of the reservoir (e.g.,
location in the reservoir and/or adjusting the orientation of the
reservoir segments). The adjustment may be performed to maximize
the exposure of the reservoir segment(s) to the reservoir. Also,
the adjustment may be influenced by various update factors: i)
updated or new data as it becomes available, which may influence
the location of the reservoir segments; b) simulation results or
other analysis outside the 3D earth model may trigger reservoir
segment location changes; and/or c) well path from desired surface
location cannot be created because of a reservoir segment's
orientation. Further, the target locations in the surfaces for the
reservoir segment(s) may be adjusted individually (e.g., one of the
surfaces may be locked to its location, while the other target
location is able to move in 3D space). Alternatively, the reservoir
segment may be adjusted with both target locations, where the two
targets move or translate in tandem maintaining the reservoir
segment(s) attitude, which is the orientation of a planar or linear
feature in three-dimensional space (e.g., or reservoir segment(s)
inclination and azimuth), but not its position in XY space. That
is, if the target locations are locked relative to surfaces, the
target locations may remain locked to a surface or point as the
reservoir segment is translated. The change in orientation, length
and location of the reservoir segment(s) may be validated and/or
evaluated relative to the geological data objects and data models.
This process may result in maximizing potential pay, minimizing
risk, and/or minimizing cost of potential wells, as shown and
discussed further in FIGS. 6B and 6C below.
[0064] At block 510, one or more completion intervals may be
defined for the reservoir segments. The defining of the one or more
completion intervals may include one or more perforations and/or
completion hardware, such as sand screens and the like, along the
path of the reservoir segment. The completion interval may be
defined manually between surfaces or with standoff from surfaces.
As the reservoir segment is edited and re-positioned perforations
along the reservoir segment may be configured to update based upon
their initialization criteria. An example is discussed further
below with reference to FIG. 6D.
[0065] At block 512, the reservoir segments may be verified. This
verification may include testing the quality of the location of the
reservoir segment(s) in a simulation and/or geologic model to
validate their potential as producer or injector candidates. As the
reservoir segments are edited, data may be extracted from the
reservoir model(s) or seismic and provided to a user via a display
or graphical interface to convey certain information regarding the
quality of the location within the reservoir. Vertical planes along
the well bore with textures of extracted model properties or
extracted model properties from the intersection of the well and
model displayed as well logs can be used to visualize and further
verify the quality of the reservoir segment position. Further, the
engineering constraints and geological constraints, such as safe
distance to certain geological objects, may also be utilized to
verify the reservoir segments. Violations of these constraints may
include notification to the user via a display or other suitable
indication. In certain embodiments, the result provided from this
verification may provide an optimal location for the reservoir
segment(s) before it is connected to a surface location, which is
discussed further in FIG. 6C. Further, the process may also include
a flow from block 512 to block 508, in the event that one or more
adjustments are to be performed on the reservoir segments, as a
result of one or more update factors.
[0066] At block 514, a determination is made whether updated data
is available. The updated data may include additional survey data,
analysis and/or modeling of the subsurface region. If updated data
is available, the method proceeds to block 508 to adjust one or
more of the reservoir segments. However, if the updated data is not
available, well pad locations and well trajectories may be
calculated, as noted in block 516. The well pad locations and well
trajectories may be calculated to reach the defined reservoir
segments, which may include determining optimal location for the
well trajectories. Also, the well pad locations and well trajectory
should satisfy the engineering constraints and/or geological
constraints That is, the calculation may include well trajectories
from a well pad (e.g., a common surface location or drill center)
to the one or more reservoir segments, such that the path defined
is a viable and a drillable path defined by industry drilling
physics. The well pad may be relocated to address geographic
obstacles at the surface, ocean floor or subsurface. Examples of
wells paths attached to the well pad are described further below in
FIGS. 7A to 7C.
[0067] Then, at block 518, a determination is made whether the
drilling parameters from the well trajectory satisfy a threshold.
The threshold may be calculated from an objective function and/or
may be based on a user's decision. The determination may be
performed for each of the well trajectories individually and/or for
a combination of two or more well trajectories. If the drilling
parameters do not satisfy the drilling parameters, then a
determination is made to adjust one or more of the reservoir
segments, well pad location and/or well trajectory, as shown in
block 520. Then, the process may continue to blocks 508 to 518 to
update the various aspects of the well plan.
[0068] If the drilling parameters do satisfy the threshold, then an
assessment of drilling parameters, such as well completions and/or
perforations, as shown in block 522. This may include storing the
well plan and/or communicating the well plan for the operations
stage. The well plan created from this process is a substantially
drill ready before is handed to the drilling engineer or drilling
contractor for final approval. As an example, the drilling team may
have specific rules that need to be satisfied when building a well
path. If the reservoir segment is in a location that permits the
connection to a specific surface location and the rules are
satisfied, then other detailed planning may be performed. This
additional detailed planning may include determining how and where
to complete the well, whether it is open to flow or injection,
casing points, etc.
[0069] In one or more embodiments, the method may include analysis
of other data and/or cost functions to evaluate the one or more of
the reservoir segments (e.g., individually or in a group). The
evaluation of the reservoir segments may include comparing one or
more of geographic data, geological data and seismic data
associated with the subsurface region with the reservoir segments
to verify the reservoir segments. The verification may include
determining if one or more of the reservoir segments do not
optimize a cost function or do not satisfy certain criteria. The
geographic data may include topography data, surface/submarine
infrastructure (e.g., roads, houses, buildings, pipelines, etc.);
the geologic data may include the type of rock (e.g., lithology),
structural framework, hazards (e.g., pressurized or under
pressurized formations, etc.); and the seismic data may include
measured data that is a proxy for some of the geologic features
above. If the reservoir segments do not satisfy the cost function
or do not satisfy the verification, one or more of the reservoir
segments may be updated. As noted above, the reservoir segments may
be updated by changing one or more of inclination, orientation and
location of the reservoir segments to optimize the cost function or
based on the comparison (e.g., to satisfy the verification or
satisfy the certain criteria).
[0070] The proposed methods may be utilized for depletion planning
of a field. When potential reservoirs have been identified in the
subsurface, the next stage is to plan a number of wells to extract
the hydrocarbons and to support the pressure needed to maximize the
recovery of the resources. Reservoir segments (e.g., reservoir
completion sections) are created in a 3D modeling environment with
existing geologic and simulation models together with other
pertinent data to determine the most optimal location for the
potential drill wells. Once the locations are decided, complete
well plans are created to connect the one or more common surface
locations (e.g., well pads or drill centers) with the reservoir
segments.
[0071] Also, the above methods may also be useful for individual
well planning in addition to field planning. That is, the workflow
may also be useful when planning individual wells that involve
planning to maximize potential injectivity and/or producibility.
For these well plans, close interrogation with simulation models is
useful to determine the optimal location before creating a complete
well. As such, the described process further enhances the well
planning methods.
[0072] As an example of the above methods is described further in
FIGS. 6A to 6D and 7A to 7C. FIGS. 6A to 6D are exemplary modeled
representations of a subsurface region including reservoirs and
reservoir segments in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present techniques. Similarly, FIGS. 7A to 7C are exemplary
modeled representations of a subsurface region including
reservoirs, well trajectories and reservoir segments in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present techniques. Similar
reference numerals may be utilized for similar features within the
model representations.
[0073] As shown in FIG. 6A, the modeled region 600 includes
reservoir segments 606, 608, 610 and 612 that are substantially
perpendicular straight lines between the surfaces 602 and 604. The
oil water contact (OWC) 603 may be a representation of a
substantially horizontal surface within the modeled region 600.
This modeled region 600 may represent the initial stage of
positioning the reservoir segments. For example, this modeled
representation 600 may be the reservoir segments defined in block
206 of FIG. 2 and/or in block 506 of FIG. 5.
[0074] As shown in FIG. 6B, the modeled region 620 includes
reservoir segments 626, 628, 630 and 632 that are deviated lines
oriented between the surfaces 602 and 604. This modeled region 600
may represent the adjustments and/or optimizations to the
positioning the reservoir segments. For example, this modeled
representation 620 may be the reservoir segments defined in one or
more of blocks 206 to 210 of FIG. 2 and/or in one or more of blocks
508 and 520 of FIG. 5.
[0075] As shown in FIG. 6C, the modeled region 640 includes
reservoir segments 626, and 630 that are deviated lines oriented
between the surfaces 602 and 604. This modeled region 600 may
represent the verification of the reservoir segments. To provide
verification, the process may include representative logs (e.g.,
pseudo logs) and/or vertical planes from geologic data and/or
seismic data, which is represented by data planes 642 and 644. The
data planes 642 and 644 may include extracted properties from
seismic, geologic and/or simulation models. For example, this
modeled representation 640 may be the reservoir segments defined in
one or more of blocks 206 to 210 of FIG. 2 and/or in one or more of
blocks 512 and 514 of FIG. 5.
[0076] As shown in FIG. 6D, the modeled region 660 includes
reservoir segments 626, 628, 630 and 632 that are deviated lines
oriented between the surfaces 602 and 604. This modeled region 600
may represent the placement of completion intervals 662, 664, 666
and 668 (e.g., completion or perforation intervals) associated with
the reservoir segments. For example, this modeled representation
660 may be the defining of the completion intervals for the
respective reservoir segments defined in blocks 206 to 210 of FIG.
2 and/or in block 510 of FIG. 5.
[0077] Beneficially, the modeled regions 620, 630 and 640 provide
useful information that may be utilized to enhance the process.
Specifically, the modeled regions 620, 630 and 640 (e.g., portions
of an earth model) provide information that may aid in the proper
orientation/optimization of the reservoir segment's location,
including the design of completion intervals. The specific design
of the reservoir segments may depend on whether the reservoir is to
be developed by production and/or injection techniques.
[0078] As shown in FIG. 7A, the modeled region 700 includes well
trajectories 704, 706, 708 and 710 from a well pad 702 to the
reservoir segments 626, 628, 630 and 632. This modeled region 700
may represent the placement of well paths to a common surface
location or drill center, which is the well pad 702. The well
trajectories 704, 706, 708 and 710 may each be associated with one
of the reservoir segments 626, 628, 630 and 632. For example, this
modeled representation 700 may be the creating or calculating of a
well plan in blocks 212 of FIG. 2 and/or the in block 516 to 522 of
FIG. 5.
[0079] As shown in FIG. 7B, the modeled region 720 includes well
trajectories 704, 706, 708 and 710 from a well pad 702 to the
reservoir segments 626, 628, 630 and 632 from a top perspective
view. This modeled region 720 may represent relocation of the well
pad 702 via an interactive process and/or optimization process for
the selected reservoir segments 626, 628, 630 and 632. For example,
this modeled representation 720 may be the creating or calculating
of a well plan in blocks 212 of FIG. 2 and/or the in block 516 to
522 of FIG. 5.
[0080] As shown in FIG. 7C, the modeled region 730 includes well
trajectories 704, 706, 708 and 710 from a well pad 732 to the
reservoir segments 626, 628, 630 and 632 from a top perspective
view. This modeled region 723 may represent relocation of the well
pad 732 via an interactive process and/or optimization process for
the selected reservoir segments 626, 628, 630 and 632. For example,
this modeled representation 730 may be the creating or calculating
of a well plan in blocks 212 of FIG. 2 and/or the in block 516 to
522 of FIG. 5.
[0081] Beneficially, the modeled regions 700, 720 and 730 provide a
different perspective on the useful information that may be
utilized to enhance the process.
[0082] Persons skilled in the technical field will readily
recognize that in practical applications of the disclosed
methodology, it is partially performed on a computer, typically a
suitably programmed digital computer. Further, some portions of the
detailed descriptions which follow are presented in terms of
procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing and other symbolic
representations of operations on data bits within a computer
memory. These descriptions and representations are the means used
by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively
convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. In
the present application, a procedure, step, logic block, process,
or the like, is conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps
or instructions leading to a desired result. The steps are those
requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually,
although not necessarily, these quantities take the form of
electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored,
transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated in a
computer system.
[0083] It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and
similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical
quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these
quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from
the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the
present application, discussions utilizing the terms such as
"processing" or "computing", "calculating", "determining",
"displaying", "copying," "producing," "storing," "adding,"
"applying," "executing," "maintaining," "updating," "creating,"
"constructing" "generating" or the like, refer to the action and
processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing
device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as
physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's
registers and memories into other data similarly represented as
physical quantities within the computer system memories or
registers or other such information storage, transmission or
display devices.
[0084] Embodiments of the present techniques also relate to an
apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may
be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may
comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or
reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer (e.g.,
one or more sets of instructions). Such a computer program may be
stored in a computer readable medium. A computer-readable medium
includes any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a
form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, but not
limited to, a computer-readable (e.g., machine-readable) medium
includes a machine (e.g., a computer) readable storage medium
(e.g., read only memory ("ROM"), random access memory ("RAM"),
magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory
devices, etc.), and a machine (e.g., computer) readable
transmission medium (electrical, optical, acoustical or other form
of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals,
digital signals, etc.)).
[0085] Furthermore, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in
the relevant art, the modules, features, attributes, methodologies,
and other aspects of the invention can be implemented as software,
hardware, firmware or any combination of the three. Of course,
wherever a component of the present invention is implemented as
software, the component can be implemented as a standalone program,
as part of a larger program, as a plurality of separate programs,
as a statically or dynamically linked library, as a kernel loadable
module, as a device driver, and/or in every and any other way known
now or in the future to those of skill in the art of computer
programming. Additionally, the present techniques are in no way
limited to implementation in any specific operating system or
environment.
[0086] As an example, a computer system may be utilized and
configured to implement on or more of the present aspects. The
computer system may include a plurality of processors; memory in
communication with the processors; and a set of instructions stored
on the memory and accessible by the processors, wherein the set of
instructions, when executed, are configured to: obtain a three
dimensional (3D) Earth model representing a subsurface region;
determine one or more reservoir targets within the 3D Earth model;
define one or more reservoir segments in the 3D Earth model,
wherein each of the reservoir segments pass through at least a
portion of one of the target reservoirs; evaluate the reservoir
segments; and create a well plan based on the reservoir segments to
provide a fluid flow path from the one or more reservoir targets to
a well pad from one or more of the reservoir segments. In certain
embodiments, the set of instructions may perform the different
aspects in the methods noted above or the algorithm noted
above.
[0087] As an example, the techniques discussed herein may be
implemented on a computing device, such as that shown in FIG. 8.
FIG. 8 shows an exemplary computer system 800 on which software for
performing processing operations of embodiments of the present
techniques may be implemented. A central processing unit (CPU) 802
is coupled to a system bus 804. The CPU 802 may be any
general-purpose CPU. The present techniques are not restricted by
the architecture of CPU 802 (or other components of exemplary
system 800) as long as the CPU 802 (and other components of system
800) supports operations according to the techniques described
herein.
[0088] The CPU 802 may execute the various logical instructions
according to the disclosed techniques. For example, the CPU 802 may
execute machine-level instructions for performing processing
according to the exemplary operational flow described above, such
as in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 5. As a specific example, the
CPU 802 may execute machine-level instructions for performing the
methods of FIGS. 2 and 5.
[0089] The computer system 800 may also include random access
memory (RAM) 806, which may be SRAM, DRAM, SDRAM, or the like. The
computer system 800 may include read-only memory (ROM) 808 which
may be PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or the like. The RAM 806 and the ROM
808 hold user and system data and programs, as is well known in the
art. The programs may include code stored on the RAM 806 that may
be used for modeling geologic properties with homogenized mixed
finite elements, in accordance with embodiments of the present
techniques.
[0090] The computer system 800 may also include an input/output
(I/O) adapter 810, a communications adapter 822, a user interface
adapter 824, and a display adapter 818. The I/O adapter 810, user
interface adapter 824, and/or communications adapter 822 may, in
certain embodiments, enable a user to interact with computer system
800 to input information. Further, the computer system 800 may also
include a graphical processing unit (GPU(s)) to enhance the
graphical processing of the computer system 800.
[0091] The I/O adapter 810 may connect the bus 804 to storage
device(s) 812, such as one or more of hard drive, compact disc (CD)
drive, floppy disk drive, tape drive, flash drives, USB connected
storage, etc. to computer system 800. The storage devices may be
used when RAM 806 is insufficient for the memory requirements
associated with storing data for operations of embodiments of the
present techniques. For example, the storage device 812 of computer
system 800 may be used for storing such information as
computational meshes, intermediate results and combined data sets,
and/or other data used or generated in accordance with embodiments
of the present techniques.
[0092] The communications adapter 822 is adapted to couple the
computer system 800 to a network (not shown), which may enable
information to be input to and/or output from the system 800 via
the network, for example, the Internet or other wide-area network,
a local-area network, a public or private switched telephone
network, a wireless network, or any combination of the foregoing.
The user interface adapter 824 couples user input devices, such as
a keyboard 828, a pointing device 826, and a microphone (not shown)
and/or output devices, such as speaker(s) (not shown) to computer
system 800. The display driver 816 and display adapter 818 are
driven by the CPU 802 to control the display on the display device
820, for example, to display information pertaining to a target
area under analysis, such as displaying a generated representation
of the computational mesh, the reservoir, or the target area,
according to certain embodiments.
[0093] The present techniques are not limited to the architecture
of the computer system 800 shown in FIG. 8. For example, any
suitable processor-based device may be utilized for implementing
all or a portion of embodiments of the present techniques,
including without limitation personal computers, laptop computers,
computer workstations, and multi-processor servers. Moreover,
embodiments may be implemented on application specific integrated
circuits (ASICs) or very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits. In
fact, persons of ordinary skill in the art may utilize any number
of suitable structures capable of executing logical operations
according to the embodiments. In one embodiment of the present
techniques, the computer system may be a networked multi-processor
system.
[0094] One or more of the following embodiments in the following
paragraphs may be utilized with the processes, apparatus, and
systems, provided above, to prepare a model and/or be utilized to
produce hydrocarbons:
1. A method for obtaining hydrocarbons comprising: obtaining a
three dimensional (3D) Earth model representing a subsurface
region; determining one or more reservoir targets within the 3D
Earth model; defining one or more reservoir segments in the 3D
Earth model, wherein each of the reservoir segments pass through at
least a portion of one of the target reservoirs; evaluating the
reservoir segments; and creating a well plan based on the reservoir
segments to provide a fluid flow path from the one or more
reservoir targets to a well pad through the one or more of the
reservoir segments. 2. The method of paragraph 1, wherein
evaluating the reservoir segments comprises: calculating a cost
function that minimizes net sand or net pay penetrated by one
and/or more of the reservoir segments based on one or more of the
reservoir segments; and determining whether the calculated cost
function is within a threshold. 3. The method of paragraph 1,
wherein evaluating the reservoir segments comprises: calculating a
cost function that minimizes the drilling cost and/or maximizes
production of hydrocarbons based on one or more of the reservoir
segments; and determining whether the calculated cost function is
within a threshold. 4. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 3,
wherein evaluating the reservoir segments comprises: obtaining one
or more of geographic data, geological data and seismic data
associated with the subsurface region; comparing the one or more of
geographic data, geological data and seismic data associated with
the subsurface region with the reservoir segments to verify the
reservoir segments. 5. The method of paragraph 4, wherein
geographic data comprises one or more of topography data and
infrastructure data. 6. The method of any one of paragraphs 4 to 5,
wherein geologic data comprises one or more of type of rock;
structural framework and hazards. 7. The method of any one of
paragraphs 2 to 6, further comprising updating the reservoir
segments if the cost function does not satisfy the threshold. 8.
The method of any one of paragraphs 2 or 7, wherein the reservoir
segments are updated by changing one or more of inclination,
orientation and location of the reservoir segments to optimize the
cost function or based on the comparison. 9. The method of any one
of paragraphs 1 to 8, wherein creating the well plan comprises
determining a well trajectory for each of a plurality of slots in
the well pad to one of the one or more reservoir segments. 10. The
method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 9, wherein creating the well
plan comprises evaluating the well pad location and well
trajectories based on one or more of maximizing production of
hydrocarbons, minimizing drilling complexity, and minimizing
drilling cost. 11. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 10,
wherein creating the well plan comprises: determining a common
surface location for the well pad; coupling the common surface
location to the one or more reservoir segments; and evaluating the
well plan. 12. The method of paragraph 11, wherein evaluating the
well plan comprises determining whether the drilling parameters are
satisfied by the well plan. 13. The method of any one of paragraphs
1 to 12, wherein creating the well plan comprises determining
whether a pad location and well trajectory satisfy the engineering
constraints and/or geological constraints. 14. The method of any
one of paragraphs 1 to 13, wherein the one or more reservoir
segments comprise a straight section defined by two points between
or relative to one or two surfaces. 15. The method of any one of
paragraphs 1 to 13, wherein the one or more reservoir segments
comprise a curved section defined by two points between or relative
to one or two surfaces. 16. The method of any one of paragraphs 1
to 13, wherein the one or more reservoir segments comprise a
continuous line defined by two points between or relative to one or
two surfaces. 17. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 16,
comprising defining one or more completion intervals after the one
or more reservoir segments are defined; wherein the one or more
completion intervals comprise one or more perforations and/or
completion hardware. 18. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to
17, further comprising: drilling one or more wellbore based on the
well plan; producing hydrocarbons from the one or more wellbores.
19. A system for well planning comprising: a processor; memory
coupled to the processor; and a set of instructions stored in the
memory and accessible by the processor, wherein the set of
instructions, when executed, are configured to: obtain a three
dimensional (3D) Earth model representing a subsurface region;
determine one or more reservoir targets within the 3D Earth model;
define one or more reservoir segments in the 3D Earth model,
wherein each of the reservoir segments pass through at least a
portion of one of the target reservoirs; evaluate the reservoir
segments; and create a well plan based on the reservoir segments to
provide a fluid flow path from the one or more reservoir targets to
a well pad from one or more of the reservoir segments. 20. The
system of paragraph 19, wherein the set of instructions to evaluate
the reservoir segments are configured to: calculate a cost function
that minimizes net sand or net pay penetrated by one and/or more of
the reservoir segments based on one or more of the reservoir
segments; and determine whether the calculated cost function is
within a threshold. 21. The system of paragraph 19, wherein the set
of instructions to evaluate the reservoir segments are configured
to: calculate a cost function that minimizes the drilling cost
and/or maximizes production of hydrocarbons based on one or more of
the reservoir segments; and determine whether the calculated cost
function is within a threshold. 22. The system of any one of
paragraphs 19 to 23, wherein the set of instructions to evaluate
the reservoir segments are configured to: obtain one or more of
geographic data, geological data and seismic data associated with
the subsurface region; compare the one or more of geographic data,
geological data and seismic data associated with the subsurface
region with the reservoir segments to verify the reservoir
segments. 23. The system of paragraph 22, wherein the set of
instructions are configured to obtain geographic data from memory,
wherein the geographic data comprises one or more of topography
data and infrastructure data. 24. The system of any one of
paragraphs 22 to 23, wherein the set of instructions are configured
to obtain geologic data from memory, wherein geologic data
comprises one or more of type of rock; structural framework and
hazards. 25. The system of any one of paragraphs 22 to 24, wherein
the set of instructions are configured to update the reservoir
segments if the cost function does not satisfy the threshold. 26.
The system of any one of paragraphs 22 or 25, wherein the set of
instructions are configured to update the reservoir segments by
changing one or more of inclination, orientation and location of
the reservoir segments to optimize the cost function or based on
the comparison. 27. The system of any one of paragraphs 19 to 26,
wherein the set of instructions to create the well plan are
configured to determine a well trajectory for each of a plurality
of slots in the well pad to one of the one or more reservoir
segments. 28. The system of any one of paragraphs 19 to 27, wherein
the set of instructions to create the well plan are configured to
evaluate the well pad location and well trajectories based on one
or more of maximizing production of hydrocarbons, minimizing
drilling complexity, and minimizing drilling cost. 29. The system
of any one of paragraphs 19 to 28, wherein the set of instructions
to create the well plan is configured to: determine a common
surface location for the well pad; couple the common surface
location to the one or more reservoir segments; and evaluate the
well plan. 30. The system of paragraph 29, wherein the set of
instructions to create the well plan are configured to determine
whether the drilling parameters are satisfied by the well plan. 31.
The system of any one of paragraphs 19 to 30, wherein the set of
instructions to create the well plan are configured to determine
whether a pad location and well trajectory satisfy the engineering
constraints and/or geological constraints. 32. The system of any
one of paragraphs 19 to 30, wherein the set of instructions are
configured to calculate the one or more reservoir segments of a
straight section defined by two points between or relative to one
or two surfaces. 33. The system of any one of paragraphs 19 to 30,
wherein the set of instructions are configured to calculate the one
or more reservoir segments of a curved section defined by two
points between or relative to one or two surfaces. 34. The system
of any one of paragraphs 19 to 30, wherein the set of instructions
are configured to calculate the one or more reservoir segments of a
continuous line defined by two points between or relative to one or
two surfaces. 35. The system of any one of paragraphs 19 to 34,
wherein the set of instructions are configured to define one or
more completion intervals after the one or more reservoir segments
are defined; wherein the one or more completion intervals comprise
one or more perforations and/or completion hardware. 36. The system
of any one of paragraphs 19 to 35, wherein the set of instructions
are configured to: drill one or more wellbores based on the well
plan; and produce hydrocarbons from the one or more wellbores.
[0095] While the present techniques may be susceptible to various
modifications and alternative forms, the exemplary embodiments
discussed above have been shown only by way of example. However, it
should again be understood that the present techniques are not
intended to be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed
herein. Indeed, the present techniques include all alternatives,
modifications, and equivalents falling within the true spirit and
scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *