REAL TIME WELL DATA ALERTS

• US 20090058674A1
• Filed: 08/29/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nabors Drillling Technologies USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nabors Global Holdings Limited (Nabors Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Annaiyappa, Pradeep, Koduru, Hari, Papouras, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,410,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/853.200
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/00 Survey of boreholes or wells monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/12 Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling

Abstract

A system for remote monitoring of well operations. The system may include an alerts module positioned proximate a well, at least one well parameter sensor in communication with the alerts module, and a well operation control module in communication with the alerts module. The system may further include a remotely positioned well monitoring station in communication with the alerts module, and a user terminal in communication with the well monitoring station.

Claims

1. A system for remote monitoring of well operations, comprising:

an alerts module positioned proximate a well;

at least one well parameter sensor in communication with the alerts module;

a well operation control module in communication with the alerts module;

a remotely positioned well monitoring station in communication with the alerts module; and

a user terminal in communication with the well monitoring station.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the well comprises a remote drilling platform and the well monitoring station is land based.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the alerts module is positioned on the remote drilling platform and is in communication with the well monitoring station via a satellite communication system.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the alerts module is configured to receive sensed well parameters from the at least one well parameter sensor, transmit the sensed well parameters to the well monitoring station via the satellite communication system, and the well monitoring station determining if an alert condition has occurred by comparing the sensed well parameters to predetermined alert conditions.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the well monitoring station is configured to forward alerts representative of predetermined sensor parameters to the user terminal.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the well monitoring station is configured to analyze sensed well parameters, determine if an alert condition has occurred, and to transmit alert information to the user terminal when an alert condition determined.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user terminal is configured to transmit well control information to the well operation control module in response to alert information.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the alerts module is configured to store sensed well parameters when the satellite communications system is not operational and reattempt transmission of the sensed well parameters when the satellite communications system becomes operational.

9. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, wherein the computer program is configured to control a method for remotely monitoring a well drilling or production process, comprising:

receiving sensed well parameters from remotely positioned well in an alerts module;

comparing the sensed well parameters to predefined alert conditions to determine if an alert condition exists;

transmitting an alert condition warning to a land based remote terminal when an alert condition is determined;

transmitting a well parameter adjustment instruction from the land based remote terminal to a well operation control module positioned at the remotely positioned well; and

adjusting a well operation parameter in response to an instruction from the well operation control module, wherein the adjustment of the well operation parameter is calculated to address the alert condition.

10. The computer program of claim 9, wherein comparing the sensed well parameters to predefined alert conditions to determine if an alert condition exists and transmitting an alert condition warning to a remote terminal when an alert condition is determined to exist is conducted by the alerts module.

11. The computer program of claim 9, further comprising transmitting from the alerts module to a well monitoring station, the sensed well parameters, so that the well monitoring station can compare the sensed well parameters to predefined alert conditions to determine if an alert condition exists.

12. The computer program of claim 11, further comprising the well monitoring station receiving predefined alert conditions from the remote terminal.

13. The computer program of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the alert condition at the remote terminal;

presenting the alert condition to a user of the terminal as an alert; and

receiving the well parameter adjustment instruction in the user terminal from the user, wherein the well parameter adjustment instruction is calculated to address the alert.

14. The computer program of claim 9, wherein transmitting an alert condition warning to a land based remote terminal when an alert condition is determined is conducted by a satellite communication system.

15. A method for remotely monitoring well drilling or production, comprising:

receiving sensed well parameters in an alerts module positioned proximate a well;

comparing the sensed well parameters to predefined parameter values to determine if an alert condition exists;

transmitting an alert message to a remote user terminal if an alert condition is determined; and

receiving an alert parameter adjustment instruction from the remote terminal in the alerts module and transmitting the adjustment instruction to a well operation control module, where a sensed parameter is adjusted to address the alert condition.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving sensed well parameters in an alerts module positioned proximate a well comprises monitoring a well drilling process with a plurality of sensors that are in communication with the alerts module.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein comparing the sensed well parameters to predefined parameter values to determine if an alert condition exists comprises comparing the sensed well parameters to predefined parameter values in the alerts module or comparing the sensed well parameters to predefined parameter values in a well monitoring station after all of the sensed values are transmitted from the alerts module to the well monitoring station.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the alerts module is positioned on a remote drilling platform and is in communication with a land based well monitoring station via a satellite communications system.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the alerts module transmits all of the sensed well parameters to the well monitoring station and the well monitoring station determines if the alert condition exists.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the well monitoring station is in communication with the remote terminal via a hard wire communication system so that the remote terminal can provide well parameter adjustment instructions to the well operation control module on the drilling platform.

21. A system for remotely monitoring well drilling or production, comprising:

receiving means for receiving sensed well parameters from an offshore well in an alerts module;

comparing means for comparing the sensed well parameters to predefined alert conditions to determine if an alert condition exists;

first transmitting means for transmitting an alert condition warning to a land based remote terminal when an alert condition is determined to exist;

second transmitting means for transmitting a well parameter adjustment instruction from the land based remote terminal to a well operation control module positioned at the remote well; and

adjusting means for adjusting a well operation parameter in response to an instruction from the well operation control module, wherein the adjustment of the well operation parameter is calculated to address the alert condition.