Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for horizontal well development planning and other resource constrained operational planning

• US 10,423,903 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2012
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atlas Planning Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Atlas Planning Solutions LLC
• Inventors: Yeager, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nga B
• Application Number:
  US13/552,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20140025413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,624 Days
• Field of Search: 705 7, 705 8, 705 9, 705 712
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations

Abstract

Methods and systems for identifying potential simultaneous operational conflicts among a plurality of assets in a project. One method includes storing operational scheduling data for a project having one or more project assets, the project assets able to perform a plurality of operational activities at defined coordinates, in a scheduling database, and storing project-specific variables for the project in an external data source. A database query is then performed of the scheduling database and the external data source using a computer, returning all possible combinations of the operational activities, including defining a common reference, calculating distances from each defined coordinate to each other defined coordinate, and filtering the calculated distances to filter out potential operational conflicts, for example distances greater than one or more user-defined buffer distances. Potential simultaneous operational conflicts may be displayed in tabular or graphical form on a user interface electronically connected to the computer.

Claims

1. A method of enabling critical path method planning and scheduling software to perform resource constrained horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project planning and scheduling, the method comprising:

a) storing horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational scheduling data for a horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project, the project having one or more horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project assets, the horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project assets able to perform a plurality of horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational activities at defined horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing coordinates, in a horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing scheduling database;

b) storing project-specific variables for the horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project in an external data source;

c) executing a database query of the horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing scheduling database and the external data source using a computer, returning all possible combinations of the plurality of horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational activities, including;

i) defining a common reference;

ii) calculating distances from each defined horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing coordinate to each other horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing defined coordinate;

iii) filtering the calculated distances to filter out potential horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational activity conflicts selected from the group consisting of one or more user defined distances, horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational activities having no time conflicts, and distances greater than one or more user-defined buffer distances between horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing assets;

d) identifying potential simultaneous horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational activity conflicts displayed on a user interface in tabular output format, the user interface electronically connected to the computer;

e) associating the hydraulic fracturing operational activity with a latest horizontal well drilling finish date identified from step (d) for each horizontal well pad of the project, and assigning the latest horizontal well drilling finish date as “

SIMOPS Constraint Date”

for the hydraulic fracturing;

f) determining from among the project-specific variables and the SIMOPS Constraint Date an activity occurring latest in time, and assigning this as “

Frac Constraint Date”

;

g) performing critical path method planning and scheduling of the horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project using the Frac Constraint Date and critical path method planning and scheduling software running on the computer, thus enabling the critical path method planning and scheduling software to perform resource constrained critical path method planning and scheduling of the horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the defining of a common reference comprises creating a table of horizontal well drilling coordinates and hydraulic fracturing coordinates, wherein the horizontal well drilling coordinates are on a left side of the table and the hydraulic fracturing coordinates are on a right side of the table.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying of potential simultaneous horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational activity conflicts displayed on a user interface in tabular output format, the user interface electronically connected to the computer comprises wirelessly connecting between the user interface and the computer.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the filtering the calculated distances to filter out potential horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational conflicts comprises filtering one or more user defined distances from an operator'"'"'s own well and pad operations.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer is selected from the group consisting of a hand-held computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, and a tablet computer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project assets are selected from the group consisting of one or more horizontal well drilling rigs, one or more slurry blenders, one or more high-pressure, high-volume fracturing pumps, one or more monitoring units, one or more fracturing tanks, one or more units for storage and handling of proppant, high-pressure treating iron, one or more chemical additive units to accurately monitor chemical addition, low-pressure flexible hoses, and gauges and meters for flow rate, fluid density, and treating pressure.

7. A computer-readable medium encoded with non-transitory processing instructions for implementing a method of enabling critical path method planning and scheduling software to perform resource constrained horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project planning and scheduling, the method comprising:

a) storing horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational scheduling data for the horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project having one or more horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project assets, the horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project assets able to perform a plurality of horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational activities at defined coordinates, in a horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing scheduling database;

b) storing project-specific variables for the horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project in an external data source;

c) executing a database query of the horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing scheduling database and the external data source using a computer, returning all possible combinations of the plurality of horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational activities, including;

i) defining a common reference;

ii) calculating distances from each defined horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing coordinate to each other defined horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing coordinate;

iii) filtering the calculated distances to filter out potential horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational activity conflicts selected from the group consisting of one or more user defined distances, horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational activities having no time conflicts, and distances greater than one or more user-defined buffer distances;

d) identifying potential simultaneous horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing operational activity conflicts displayed on a user interface in tabular output format, the user interface electronically connected to the computer

e) associating the hydraulic fracturing operational activity with a latest horizontal well drilling finish date identified from step (d) for each horizontal well pad of the project, and assigning the latest horizontal well drilling finish date as “

SIMOPS Constraint Date”

for the hydraulic fracturing;

f) determining from among the project-specific variables and the SIMOPS Constraint Date an activity occurring latest in time, and assigning this as “

Frac Constraint Date”

;

g) performing critical path method planning and scheduling of the horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project using the Frac Constraint Date and critical path method planning and scheduling software running on the computer, thus enabling the critical path method planning and scheduling software to perform resource constrained critical path method planning and scheduling of the horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing project.

8. A method of enabling critical path method planning and scheduling software to perform resource constrained project planning and scheduling, the method comprising:

a) storing operational scheduling data for a project, the project having one or more project assets, the project assets able to perform a plurality of operational activities at defined coordinates, in a scheduling database;

b) storing project-specific variables for the project in an external data source;

c) executing a database query of the scheduling database and the external data source using a computer, returning all possible combinations of the plurality of operational activities, including;

i) defining a common reference;

ii) calculating distances from each defined coordinate to each other defined coordinate;

iii) filtering the calculated distances to filter out potential operational activity conflicts selected from the group consisting of one or more user defined distances, operational activities having no time conflicts, and distances greater than one or more user-defined buffer distances between the project assets;

d) identifying potential simultaneous operational activity conflicts displayed on a user interface in tabular output format, the user interface electronically connected to the computer;

e) associating the operational activity with a latest finish date identified from step (d), and assigning the latest finish date as “

SIMOPS Constraint Date”

for the project;

f) determining from among the project-specific variables and the SIMOPS Constraint Date an activity occurring latest in time, and assigning this as “

Project Constraint Date”

;

g) performing critical path method planning and scheduling of the project using the Project Constraint Date and critical path method planning and scheduling software running on the computer, thus enabling the critical path method planning and scheduling software to perform resource constrained critical path method planning and scheduling of the project.

9. A computer-readable medium encoded with non-transitory processing instructions for implementing a method of enabling critical path method planning and scheduling software to perform resource constrained planning and scheduling, the method comprising:

a) storing operational scheduling data for a project, the project having one or more project assets, the project assets able to perform a plurality of operational activities at defined coordinates, in a scheduling database;

b) storing project-specific variables for the project in an external data source;

c) executing a database query of the scheduling database and the external data source using a computer, returning all possible combinations of the plurality of operational activities, including;

i) defining a common reference;

ii) calculating distances from each defined coordinate to each other defined coordinate;

iii) filtering the calculated distances to filter out potential operational activity conflicts selected from the group consisting of one or more user defined distances, operational activities having no time conflicts, and distances greater than one or more user-defined buffer distances between the project assets;

d) identifying potential simultaneous operational activity conflicts displayed on a user interface in tabular output format, the user interface electronically connected to the computer;

e) associating the operational activity with a latest finish date identified from step (d), and assigning the latest finish date as “

SIMOPS Constraint Date”

for the project;

f) determining from among the project-specific variables and the SIMOPS Constraint Date an activity occurring latest in time, and assigning this as “

Project Constraint Date”

;

g) performing critical path method planning and scheduling of the project using the Project Constraint Date and critical path method planning and scheduling software running on the computer, thus enabling the critical path method planning and scheduling software to perform resource constrained critical path method planning and scheduling of the project.