System and Method For Planning A Drilling Operation

• US 20110153300A1
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hendrik Braaksma, James E. Holl, Jose Sequeira, Marek Czernuszenko, Rune Musum, Yao-Chou Cheng
• Original Assignee: Hendrik Braaksma, James E. Holl, Jose Sequeira, Marek Czernuszenko, Rune Musum, Yao-Chou Cheng
• Inventors: Sequeira, Jose, Czernuszenko, Marek, Braaksma, Hendrik, Holl, James E., Cheng, Yao-Chou, Musum, Rune
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,640 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/10
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/00 Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 44/00 Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/022 of the borehole, e.g. using geomagnetism
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/00 Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells

Abstract

A method of planning a drilling operation IS provided that comprises selecting a set of targeted regions based on data from a three-dimensional shared earth model and generating at least one targeted segment within each one of the set of targeted regions The method further comprises defining at least one application agent for the purpose of evaluating the at least one targeted segment within each one of the set of targeted regions based on a potential payout in terms of production of hydrocarbons The exemplary method additionally comprises identifying at least one well trajectory through the at least one targeted segment within each one of the set of targeted regions And the method comprises employing the at least one application agent to evaluate well trajectories based on the potential payout in terms of at least one of production of hydrocarbons, drilling complexity, cost or stability of well planning

Claims

1. A method of planning a drilling operation, the method comprising:

selecting a set of targeted regions based on data from a three-dimensional shared earth model;

generating at least one targeted segment within each one of the set of targeted regions;

defining at least one application agent for the purpose of evaluating the at least one targeted segment within each one of the set of targeted regions based on a potential payout in terms of production of hydrocarbons;

identifying at least one well trajectory through the at least one targeted segment within each one of the set of targeted regions; and

employing the at least one application agent to evaluate the at least one well trajectory based on the potential payout in terms of at least one of production of hydrocarbons, drilling complexity, cost and stability of well planning

2. The method recited in claim 1, comprising employing the at least one application agent to iteratively evaluate successive well trajectories through the at least one targeted segment within each one of the set of targeted regions to determine an optimum well trajectory based on maximizing predicted payout of production of hydrocarbons.

3. The method recited in claim 2, comprising performing a drilling operation according to the optimum well trajectory.

4. The method recited in claim 1, comprising:

determining whether the at least one well trajectory is within a specified range with respect to at least one parameter;

performing additional analysis with respect to the well trajectory if the at least one parameter is not within the specified range;

performing no additional analysis with respect to the well trajectory if the at least one parameter is within the specified range.

5. The method recited in claim 4, comprising refining a data model based on the additional analysis.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional shared earth model comprises a geologic data set.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional shared earth model comprises an engineering data set.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one application agent is adapted to define desired geometric constraints on the at least one well trajectory through the at least one targeted segment within each one of the set of targeted regions.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one application agent is adapted to define desired connectivity conditions with at least two of the set of targeted regions.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one application agent is adapted to produce a display of the at least one well trajectory.

17. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one application agent is adapted to define desired connectivity conditions with at least two of the set of targeted regions.

11. A system for planning a drilling operation, the system comprising:

geologic input data;

a well path generation and evaluation program;

a reservoir simulation program;

a three-dimensional shared earth model that is adapted to be interacted upon by the geologic input data, the well path generation and evaluation program and the reservoir simulation program; and

at least one application agent that is adapted to extract data from the three-dimensional shared earth model via at least one of the geologic input data, the well path generation and evaluation program or the reservoir simulation program, wherein the extracted data corresponds to a well trajectory through at least one targeted segment through a set of targeted regions.

12. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one application agent is adapted to iteratively evaluate successive well trajectories through the at least one targeted segment within each one of the set of targeted regions to determine an optimum well trajectory based on maximizing predicted payout of production of hydrocarbons.

13. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one application agent is adapted to determine whether the at least one well trajectory is within a specified range with respect to at least one parameter.

14. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the three-dimensional shared earth model comprises a geologic data set.

15. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the three-dimensional shared earth model comprises an engineering data set.

16. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one application agent is adapted to define desired geometric constraints on the at least one well trajectory through the at least one targeted segment within each one of the set of targeted regions.

18. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one application agent is adapted to produce a display of the at least one well trajectory.

19. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one application agent is adapted to check at least one geometric constraint of the at least one targeted segment through the set of targeted regions.

20. A tangible, machine-readable medium, comprising:

code adapted to represent geologic input data;

code that is adapted to represent a well path generation and evaluation program;

code that is adapted to represent a reservoir simulation program;

code that is adapted to represent a three-dimensional shared earth model that is interacted upon by the geologic input data, the well path generation and evaluation program and the reservoir simulation program; and

code that is adapted to represent at least one application agent that extracts data from the three-dimensional shared earth model via at least one of the geologic input data, the well path generation and evaluation program or the reservoir simulation program, wherein the extracted data corresponds to a well trajectory through at least one targeted segment through a set of targeted regions.