Brownfield workflow and production forecast tool

• US 7,774,184 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2007
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Challappa, Murli, Balci, Bulent, Hollinger, Blaine Allen, Morrish, Iain Christopher, Saier, Ruben, Zangl, Georg, Gurpinar, Omer M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frejd; Russell
• Application Number:
  US11/675,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 703/2, 703/6, 703/10, 703/22, 702/6, 702 11- 13, 700/90, 705/7, 705/10, 405/128.1, 405/128.7
• US Class Current: 703/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations

Abstract

Computer-based method and system are disclosed for conduction a brownfield assessment. The system/method involves a workflow manager that standardizes the tasks needed to be performed during the brownfield assessment and streamlines the completion of these tasks. The workflow manager incorporates expert knowledge and best practices identified over time for previous brownfield assessments. The expert knowledge and best practices are then applied automatically through operation of the workflow manager. Such an arrangement can result in significantly reduced completion time as well as more consistent deliverables from engineer to engineer and project to project.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for conducting a technical assessment phase of a brownfield assessment plan, comprising:

determining an optimal set of engineering tasks to be performed in said technical assessment phase, wherein said engineering tasks to be performed are based at least on well, operations, and facilities data;

performing an analysis of said well, operations, and facilities data, said analysis based on one or more of the following;

well information, historical well data, and geological well data, wherein said analysis includes generating infill, injection, workover and reactivation candidates, and one or more production forecasts;

determining an optimal order for performing said optimal set of engineering tasks in said technical assessment phase; and

enforcing performance of said optimal set of engineering tasks in said optimal order for subsequent technical assessment phases of subsequent brownfield assessment plans;

wherein said optimal set of engineering tasks and said optimal order are determined based on expert knowledge and best practices identified from performance of previous brownfield assessment plans.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said optimal set of engineering tasks comprises pressure modeling, reservoir data petrophysics, heterogeneity index efficiency analysis, production and interference radius, secondary phase movement, cursory well review, recovery forecasting, vintage analysis, performance indicator identification, prediction and history matching, infill, injection, workover and reactivation candidate selection, and infill, injection, workover and reactivation economic analysis.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising allowing a user to characterize said well, operations, and facilities data.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said user may characterize said data based on information regarding one or more of the following:

owner or operator, primary phase, secondary phase, injected phase, reservoir layering, reservoir boundaries, reservoir pools, reservoir drive index, enhanced oil recovery, reservoir complexity, and operating strategy.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising checking the completeness of said data relative to a predefined set of data based on said user characterization.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising providing an analysis report on the strength, weakness, and sufficiency of said data.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising applying a probabilistic analysis for ranking said candidates.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said analysis includes interpolating said infill candidates on maps.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising allowing a user to configure one or more parameters for said analysis, said parameters including parameters for confidence forecast, estimated recovery, production decline rate, proximity producer, forecasted production rate, and proximity injector.

10. A computer-based system for conducting a technical assessment phase of a brownfield assessment plan, comprising:

a processor;

a system bus connected to said processor;

a storage medium connected to said system bus, said storage medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon for causing said processor to;

define an optimal set of engineering tasks to be performed in said technical assessment phase, wherein said engineering tasks to be performed are based at least on well, operations, and facilities data;

perform an analysis of said data said analysis based on one or more of the following;

well information, historical well data, and geological well data, wherein said analysis includes generating infill, injection, workover and reactivation candidates, and one or more production forecasts;

define an optimal order for performing said optimal set of engineering tasks in said technical assessment phase; and

enforce performance of said optimal set of engineering tasks in said optimal order for subsequent technical assessment phases of subsequent brownfield assessment plans;

wherein said optimal set of engineering tasks and said optimal order are determined based on expert knowledge and best practices identified from performance of previous brownfield assessment plans.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said optimal set of engineering tasks comprises pressure modeling, reservoir data petrophysics, heterogeneity index efficiency analysis, production and interference radius, secondary phase movement, cursory well review, recovery forecasting, vintage analysis, performance indicator identification, prediction and history matching, infill, injection, workover and reactivation candidate selection, and infill, injection, workover and reactivation economic analysis.

12. The system according to claim 10, said computer-readable instructions further causing said processor to allow a user to characterize said data.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said processor allows said user to characterize said data based on information regarding one or more of the following:

owner or operator, primary phase, secondary phase, injected phase, reservoir layering, reservoir boundaries, reservoir pools, reservoir drive mechanism, enhanced oil recovery, reservoir complexity, and operating strategy.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein said computer-readable instructions further cause said processor to check a completeness of said data relative to a predefined set of data based on said user characterization.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein said computer-readable instructions further cause said processor to provide an analysis report on the strength, weakness, and sufficiency of said data.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein said computer-readable instructions further cause said processor to apply probabilistic analysis for ranking said candidates.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein said computer-readable instructions further cause said processor to interpolate said infill candidates on maps.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein said computer-readable instructions further cause said processor to allow a user to configure one or more parameters for said analysis, said parameters including parameters for confidence forecast, estimated recovery, production decline rate, proximity producer, forecasted production rate, and proximity injector.

19. A computer-readable storage medium for conducting a technical assessment phase of a brownfield assessment plan comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a computing device to:

define an optimal set of engineering tasks to be performed in said technical assessment phase;

define an optimal order for performing said optimal set of engineering tasks in said technical assessment phase; and

enforce performance of said optimal set of engineering tasks in said optimal order for subsequent technical assessment phases of subsequent brownfield assessment plans;

wherein said optimal set of engineering tasks comprises pressure modeling, reservoir data petrophysics, and heterogeneity index efficiency analysis.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein said optimal set of engineering tasks further comprises production and interference radius, secondary phase movement, cursory well review, recovery forecasting, and vintage analysis.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein said optimal set of engineering tasks further comprises performance indicator identification, prediction and history matching, infill, injection, workover and reactivation candidate selection, and infill, injection, workover and reactivation economic analysis.