System and method for performing oilfield operations

• US 8,103,493 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Sagert, Russ, Pepper, Randolph E. F., Cornish, Bruce, Gillock, Bill, Passolt, Mark, Lodh, Amit, Menon, Shashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Kamini S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lo, Suzanne
• Application Number:
  US12/237,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 703/10
• US Class Current: 703/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 20/00 Geomodelling in general
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/663 Modeling production-induced effects
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric

Abstract

Systems and methods of performing oilfield operations for an oilfield are provided. The oilfield has a subterranean formation with geological structures and reservoirs therein. A plurality of oilfield modules are positioned in an application. Each of the oilfield modules models at least a portion or attribute of the oilfield. The oilfield modules are selectively connected via a connection. The connections may be integrated connections providing cooperation for integrated modeling therebetween and/or dynamic connections providing knowledge sharing for unified modeling therebetween whereby at least one oilfield model is generated. At least one internal database may be positioned in the application for collecting oilfield data and operatively connected to the of oilfield modules. At least one oilfield model is generated using the oilfield data and the oilfield modules.

Claims

1. A system for performing oilfield operations for an oilfield, the oilfield having a subterranean formation with geological structures and reservoirs therein, comprising:

a plurality of oilfield modules executing on a processor in a surface unit to generate at least one oilfield model based on oilfield data collected from the oilfield, each of the plurality of oilfield modules having one or more software applications positioned therein modeling at least a portion of the oilfield, wherein at least one of the plurality of oilfield modules is configured to;

determine, to obtain a decision, whether to take action based on modeling performed by at least one other oilfield module;

selectively connect, in response to a pre-determined event and based on the decision by the at least one of the plurality of oilfield modules, to a portion of the plurality of oilfield modules via a dynamic connection;

detect a control setting change from the oilfield data, wherein the control setting change adjusts oilfield operations; and

generate modeling data based on the control setting change; and

a plurality of connections for connecting the plurality of oilfield modules, wherein the plurality of connections comprise the dynamic connection configured to communicate the control setting change and knowledge associated with the control setting change to the portion of the plurality of oilfield modules, and wherein the knowledge comprises the modeling data generated by the at least one of the plurality of oilfield modules,

wherein the at least one oilfield model is revised based on the control setting change and the knowledge associated with the control setting change using at least the portion of the plurality of oilfield modules.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one internal database positioned in the application and operatively connected to the plurality of modules for communication therewith, wherein the at least one internal database stores the knowledge associated with the control setting change.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising at least one external database operatively connected to the internal database.

4. The system of claim 1,

wherein communicating the control setting change and the knowledge associated with the control setting change is activated based on pre-determined criteria.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein activation based on the pre-determined criteria is performed without intervention from a user of the application.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising oilfield inputs/outputs operatively connected to at least one of the oilfield modules for selectively interacting with the oilfield.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an economics layer in the application for performing economic analysis of the oilfield.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one oilfield model comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of an earth model and a surface model.

9. A system for performing oilfield operations for an oilfield, the oilfield having a subterranean formation with geological structures and reservoirs therein, comprising:

a plurality of oilfield modules, each having one or more software applications positioned therein modeling at least a portion of the oilfield, the plurality of oilfield modules executing on a processor in a surface unit to generate at least one oilfield model by combining contributions from the plurality of oilfield modules;

at least one internal database operatively connected to at least one of the plurality of oilfield modules, wherein at least one internal database stores knowledge comprising process information describing modeling performed by an oilfield module of the plurality of oilfield modules, wherein the modeling generates a change event in a portion of the at least one oilfield model contributed by the oilfield module; and

a plurality of connections for selectively connecting at least a portion of the plurality of oilfield modules, at least one of the plurality of connections being an integrated connection, connecting the oilfield module and another oilfield module of the plurality of oilfield modules, configured to communicate the change event and the knowledge to the another oilfield module,

wherein the change event is reversed by the another oilfield module based on the process information contained in the knowledge.

10. The system of claim 9,

wherein communicating the change event and the knowledge is activated by a user of the application.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising at least one external database operatively connected to the internal database.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one connection further comprises at least one dynamic connection providing knowledge sharing for unified modeling therebetween.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising oilfield inputs/outputs operatively connected to at least one of the oilfield modules for selectively communicating with the oilfield.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising an economics layer in the application for performing economic analysis.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one oilfield model comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of an earth model and a surface model.

16. A method of performing oilfield operations for an oilfield, the oilfield having a subterranean formation with geological structures and reservoirs therein, comprising:

collecting oilfield data;

positioning a plurality of oilfield modules to generate at least one oilfield model based on oilfield data collected from the oilfield, each of the plurality of oilfield modules having one or more software applications positioned therein modeling at least a portion of the oilfield;

determining, by an oilfield module of the plurality of oilfield modules to obtain a decision, whether to take action based on modeling performed by at least one other oilfield module;

selectively connecting, in response to a pre-determined event and based on the decision by the oilfield module, the oilfield module to a portion of the plurality of oilfield modules via a dynamic connection for knowledge sharing;

generating at least one oilfield model using the oilfield data and the plurality of oilfield modules;

detecting, by the oilfield module, a control setting change from the oilfield data, wherein the control setting change adjusts oilfield operations;

communicating the control setting change and knowledge associated with the control setting change to the portion of the plurality of oilfield modules using the dynamic connection, wherein the knowledge comprises modeling data generated by the oilfield module based on the control setting change; and

revising the at least one oilfield model based on the control setting change and the knowledge associated with the control setting change using at least the portion of the plurality of oilfield modules.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein communicating the control setting change and the knowledge associated with the control setting change is activated based on pre-determined criteria.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein activation based on the pre-determined criteria is performed without intervention from a user of the application.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising developing an oilfield plan based on the at least one oilfield model and implementing the oilfield plan at the oilfield.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

monitoring the oilfield operations to generate new oilfield data; and

adjusting the oilfield plan based on new oilfield data,

wherein the change is resulted from modeling using new oilfield data.