Modeling And Designing of Well Drilling System That Accounts For Vibrations

• US 20100032165A1
• Filed: 12/06/2007
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Erika A.O. Biediger, Jeffrey R. Bailey, Vishwas Gupta
• Original Assignee: Erika A.O. Biediger, Jeffrey R. Bailey, Vishwas Gupta
• Inventors: Gupta, Vishwas, Biediger, Erika A.O., Bailey, Jeffrey R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,342 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/369
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/00 Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

A method and apparatus associated with the production of hydrocarbons is disclosed. The method, which relates to modeling of drilling equipment, includes constructing one or more design configurations for at least a portion of a bottom hole assembly (BHA) and calculating results from each of the one or more design configurations. The calculated results of the modeling may include one or more performance indices that characterize the BHA vibration performance of the design configurations for operating parameters and boundary conditions that are substantially the same or may be different. These results are then simultaneously displayed for a user to facilitate design selection. The selected BHA design configuration may then be utilized in a well construction operation and thus associated with the production of hydrocarbons.

Claims

1. A method of modeling drilling equipment comprising:

constructing two or more design configurations, wherein each of the design configurations represent at least a portion of a bottom hole assembly (BHA);

calculating results from each of the two or more design configurations; and

simultaneously displaying the calculated results of each of the two or more design configurations, wherein displaying the calculated results occurs concurrently while calculating results from each of the two or more design configurations.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising verifying the two or more design configurations by graphically displaying the two or more design configurations simultaneously.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein constructing the two or more design configurations comprises:

constructing two or more design layouts;

associating operating parameters and boundary conditions with the two or more design layouts; and

associating equipment parameters with each of the two or more design layouts to create the two or more design configurations.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the operating parameters and boundary conditions applied to each of the two or more design configurations are substantially the same.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the operating parameters and boundary conditions applied to each of the two or more design configurations are different.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating the results for two or more design configurations comprises:

generating a mathematical model for each of the two or more design configurations;

calculating the results of the mathematical model for specified operating parameters and boundary conditions;

identifying the displacements, tilt angle, bending moment, and beam shear force from the results of the mathematical model; and

determining state vectors and matrices from the identified outputs of the mathematical model.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein a two-dimensional or three-dimensional finite element model is used to calculate model results, from which state vectors and matrices may be identified.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating the results of each of the two or more design configurations comprises:

generating a lumped parameter model of each of the two or more design configurations, wherein the lumped parameter model has a framework of state vector responses and matrix transfer functions;

determining a mass element transfer function and a beam element transfer function; and

determining boundary conditions and a system excitation to generate the results.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the one or more performance indices comprise any scalar quantity derived from the state vector responses, so obtained for each set of boundary conditions and system excitation.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the operating parameters and boundary conditions comprise a first modeling set and a second modeling set, the first set of operating parameters and boundary conditions is used to model at least one of static bending, dynamic lateral bending and eccentric whirl and the second set of operating parameters and boundary conditions is used to model another one of static bending, dynamic lateral bending and eccentric whirl.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting one of the two or more design configurations based on the calculated results.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying operating parameters and boundary conditions; and

comparing state variable values in the results for the two or more design configurations, wherein the two or more design configurations are subjected to substantially similar system excitation.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the calculated results are displayed as three dimensional responses.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the three dimensional responses are rotated based on movement of one or more virtual slider bars.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the calculated results comprise one or more performance indices that characterize vibration performance of the two or more design configurations.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the one or more performance indices comprise one or more of an end-point curvature index, a BHA strain energy index, an average transmitted strain energy index, a transmitted strain energy index, a root-mean-square BHA sideforce index, a root-mean-square BHA torque index, a total BHA sideforce index, a total BHA torque index, and any mathematical combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the end-point curvature index is defined by the equation:

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the BHA strain energy index is defined by the equation:

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the average transmitted strain energy index is defined by the equation:

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmitted strain energy index is defined by the equation:

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the root-mean-square BHA sideforce index is defined by the equation:

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the total BHA sideforce index is defined by the equation:

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the root-mean-square BHA torque index is defined by the equation:

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the total BHA torque index is defined by the equation:

25. The method of claim 16 wherein the root-mean-square (RMS) average of the one or more performance indices is defined by the equation:

26. The method of claim 16 wherein the maximum of the one or more performance indices is defined by the equation:

27. A method of modeling drilling equipment comprising:

constructing at least one design configuration representing a portion of a bottom hole assembly (BHA);

calculating one or more performance indices that characterize the BHA vibration performance of the at least one design configuration, wherein the one or more performance indices comprise an end-point curvature index, a BHA strain energy index, an average transmitted strain energy index, a transmitted strain energy index, a root-mean-square BHA sideforce index, a root-mean-square BHA torque index, a total BHA sideforce index, a total BHA torque index, and any mathematical combination thereof; and

displaying the calculated one or more performance indices of the at least one design configuration.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the one or more performance indices comprise at least two performance indices.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein at least one design configuration comprises two or more design configurations and displaying the calculated one or more performance indices comprises simultaneously displaying the calculated one or more performance indices for the two or more design configurations.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein constructing the at least one design configuration comprises:

constructing a design layout;

associating equipment parameters with the design layout to form the at least one design configuration; and

associating specific operating parameters and boundary conditions with the at least one design configuration.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the calculated one or more performance indices are displayed as three dimensional responses.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the three dimensional responses are rotated based on movement of one or more virtual slider bars.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the end-point curvature index is defined by the equation:

34. The method of claim 27, wherein the BHA strain energy index is defined by the equation:

35. The method of claim 27, wherein the average transmitted strain energy index is defined by the equation:

36. The method of claim 27, wherein the transmitted strain energy index is defined by the equation:

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the root-mean-square BHA sideforce index is defined by the equation:

38. The method of claim 27, wherein the total BHA sideforce index is defined by the equation:

39. The method of claim 27, wherein the root-mean-square BHA torque index is defined by the equation:

40. The method of claim 27, wherein the total BHA torque index is defined by the equation:

41. The method of claim 27 wherein the root-mean-square (RMS) average of the one or more performance indices is defined by the equation:

42. The method of claim 27 wherein the maximum of the one or more performance indices is defined by the equation:

43. The method of claim 29, further comprising calculating model results of the two or more design configurations wherein substantially the same operating parameters and boundary conditions are applied to each of the configurations.

44. A method of producing hydrocarbons comprising:

providing a bottom hole assembly design configuration selected from simultaneous modeling of two or more bottom hole assembly design configurations;

drilling a wellbore to a subsurface formation with drilling equipment based on the selected bottom hole assembly design configuration;

disposing a wellbore completion into the wellbore; and

producing hydrocarbons from the subsurface formation.

45. A modeling system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor; and

a set of computer readable instructions accessible by the processor, wherein the set of computer readable instructions are configured to;

construct at least two design configurations, wherein each of the at least two design configurations represent a portion of a bottom hole assembly;

calculate results of each of the at least two design configurations;

simultaneously display the calculated results of each of the at least two design configurations.

46. The modeling system of claim 45 wherein the set of computer readable instructions is further configured to:

construct at least two design layouts;

associate common operating parameters and boundary conditions with each of the at least two design layouts; and

associate equipment parameters with each of the at least two design layouts to create each of the at least two design configurations;

simultaneously display the at least two design configurations.

47. The modeling system of claim 45 wherein the set of computer readable instructions is configured to display the calculated results as three dimensional responses.

48. The modeling system of claim 47 wherein the set of computer readable instructions is configured to rotate the three dimensional responses based on movement of one or more virtual slider bars.

49. The modeling system of claim 45 wherein the calculated results comprise one or more performance indices that characterize vibration performance of the at least two design configurations.

50. The modeling system of claim 49 wherein the one or more performance indices comprise one or more of an end-point curvature index, a BHA strain energy index, an average transmitted strain energy index, a transmitted strain energy index, a root-mean-square BHA sideforce index, a root-mean-square BHA torque index, a total BHA sideforce index, a total BHA torque index, and any mathematical combination thereof.

51. The modeling system of claim 50 wherein the end-point curvature index is defined by the equation:

52. The modeling system of claim 50 wherein the BHA strain energy index is defined by the equation:

53. The modeling system of claim 50 wherein the average transmitted strain energy index is defined by the equation:

54. The modeling system of claim 50 wherein the transmitted strain energy index is defined by the equation:

55. The modeling system of claim 50, wherein the root-mean-square BHA sideforce index is defined by the equation:

56. The modeling system of claim 50, wherein the total BHA sideforce index is defined by the equation:

57. The modeling system of claim 50, wherein the root-mean-square BHA torque index is defined by the equation:

58. The modeling system of claim 50, wherein the total BHA torque index is defined by the equation:

59. The modeling system of claim 50 wherein the root-mean-square (RMS) average of the one or more performance indices is defined by the equation:

60. The modeling system of claim 50 wherein the maximum of the one or more performance indices is defined by the equation:

61. A method of producing hydrocarbons comprising:

providing a bottom hole assembly design configuration selected from modeling of one or more performance indices that characterize the BHA vibration performance of the bottom hole assembly design configuration, wherein the one or more performance indices comprise an end-point curvature index, a BHA strain energy index, an average transmitted strain energy index, a transmitted strain energy index, a root-mean-square BHA sideforce index, a root-mean-square BHA torque index, a total BHA sideforce index, a total BHA torque index, and any mathematical combination thereof;

drilling a wellbore to a subsurface formation with drilling equipment based on the bottom hole assembly design configuration;

disposing a wellbore completion into the wellbore; and

producing hydrocarbons from the subsurface formation.