Method and System for Prioritizing and Allocating Well Operating Tasks

• US 20150294258A1
• Filed: 04/08/2015
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Hildebrand, Ginger, Coffman, Chunling Gu
• Granted Patent: US 10,062,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/08 Controlling or monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid, e.g. automatic filling of boreholes, automatic control of bottom pressure valve arrangements therefor E21B21/10
• 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 45/00 Measuring the drilling time or rate of penetration
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/04 Directional drilling
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/10 Correction of deflected boreholes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling

Abstract

A method for managing well construction operations includes accepting as input to a computer a list of tasks required to complete construction of at least one wellbore, the list of tasks having at least an initial chronological order. Measurements of at least one parameter related to at least one task on the list of tasks is entered into the computer. The list of tasks is prioritized by at least one of changing a chronological order of performance or a length of time to complete at least one of the tasks based on measurements of the at least one parameter. The prioritizing is performed to optimize at least one well construction performance parameter. The prioritized list is displayed to at least one user of the computer.

Claims

1. A method for managing well construction operations, comprising:

accepting as input to a computer a list of tasks required to complete construction of at least one well, the list of tasks having at least an initial chronological order;

accepting as input to the computer measurements of at least one parameter related to at least one task on the list of tasks;

in the computer, prioritizing the list of tasks by at least one of changing at least one of a chronological order of performance and a length of time to complete at least one of the tasks based on measurements of the at least one parameter, the prioritizing performed to optimize at least one well construction performance parameter; and

displaying at least one task in the prioritized list to at least one user of the computer, or transmitting a control signal to a part of a drilling apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one well construction performance parameter comprises a risk adjusted cost of an adverse drilling event taking place if the task is not performed in the adjusted chronological order or within the adjusted length of time.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one well construction performance parameter comprises minimum cost to complete well construction at any point in time.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one well construction performance parameter comprises minimum risk to complete construction without a well pressure control event, a well pressure control event comprising at least one of fluid loss from the well and fluid influx into the well.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one well construction performance parameter comprises minimum time to complete construction of a well.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one well construction performance parameter comprises maximized length of a well segment remaining within a target reservoir formation.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one well construction performance parameter comprises minimized drilling time adjusted for risk of collision with other wells when the well is directionally drilled.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising dispatching selected ones of the prioritized list of tasks to actors assigned to perform the selected ones of the tasks.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising reallocating the actors by at least one of replacing an actor or changing number of actors assigned to perform the selected ones of the tasks.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein changing a number of actors comprises engaging additional human actors, wherein the computer transmits a communication to selected persons using a mobile communication device in possession of one or more human actors to be engaged.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising completing at least one of the tasks on the prioritized list of tasks, an in the computer recalculating the list of tasks and repeating prioritizing the list of tasks.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accepting as input to a computer a list of tasks required to complete construction of at a plurality of wells being constructed at least partially contemporaneously, the list of tasks having at least an initial chronological order;

accepting as input to the computer measurements of at least one parameter from each well related to at least one task on the list of tasks;

in the computer, prioritizing the list of tasks by at least one of changing a chronological order of performance and a length of time to complete at least one of the tasks based on measurements of the at least one parameter, the prioritizing performed to optimize at least one well construction performance parameter on each of the plurality of wells; and

displaying the prioritized list to at least one user of the computer.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one well construction performance parameter comprises a risk adjusted cost of an adverse drilling event taking place on any one or more of the plurality of wells if the task is not performed in the adjusted chronological order or within the adjusted length of time.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one well construction performance parameter comprises minimum cost to complete well construction of all the wells at any point in time.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one well construction performance parameter comprises minimum risk to complete construction of all the wells without a well pressure control event, a well pressure control event comprising at least one of fluid loss from the well and fluid influx into the well.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one well construction performance parameter comprises minimum time to complete construction of all the wells.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one well construction performance parameter comprises maximized length of a well segment remaining within a target reservoir formation in each of the wells.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one well construction performance parameter comprises minimized drilling time adjusted for risk of collision with other wells when the wells are directionally drilled.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising dispatching selected ones of the prioritized list of tasks to actors assigned to perform the selected ones of the tasks.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising reallocating the actors by at least one of replacing an actor or changing number of actors assigned to perform the selected ones of the tasks.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein changing a number of actors comprises engaging additional human actors, wherein the computer transmits a communication to selected persons using a mobile communication device in possession of one or more human actors to be engaged.

22. The method of claim 12 further comprising completing at least one of the tasks on the prioritized list of tasks, an in the computer recalculating the list of tasks and repeating prioritizing the list of tasks.

23. The method of claim 12 wherein at least one common characteristic between the plurality of wells is determined, and the prioritizing is performed to account for the at least one common characteristic.

24. A well construction operations management system, comprising:

a computer system having programmed therein a list of tasks required to complete construction of at least one well, the list of tasks having at least an initial chronological order;

a sensor in signal communication with the computer system, the sensor for measuring at least one parameter related to at least one task on the list of tasks;

wherein the computer system is programmed to prioritize the list of tasks by at least one of changing at least one of a chronological order of performance and a length of time to complete at least one of the tasks based on measurements of the at least one parameter, the prioritizing performed to optimize at least one well construction performance parameter; and

a display device in signal communication with the computer system, wherein the computer system is programmed to display at least one task in the prioritized list to at least one user of the computer system or to transmit a control signal to a part of a drilling system.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a measurement while drilling sensor, a logging while drilling sensor and a mud logging sensor.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the computer system has programmed therein a list of tasks required to complete construction of at a plurality of wells being constructed at least partially contemporaneously, the list of tasks having at least an initial chronological order;

a sensor for each of the plurality of wells in signal communication with the computer system, each sensor for measuring at least one parameter related to at least one task on the list of tasks for each of the plurality of wells;

wherein the computer system is programmed to prioritize the list of tasks for each of the plurality of wells by at least one of changing at least one of a chronological order of performance and a length of time to complete at least one of the tasks based on measurements of the at least one parameter made by each sensor, the prioritizing performed to optimize at least one well construction performance parameter; and

a display device in signal communication with the computer system, wherein the computer system is programmed to display at least one task in the prioritized list to at least one user of the computer system or to transmit a control signal to a part of a drilling system on any one or more of the plurality of wells.