System and method for formation detection and evaluation

• US 8,818,729 B1
• Filed: 02/21/2014
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motive Drilling Technologies Inc. (Helmerich & Payne Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Hunt Advanced Drilling Technologies, L.L.C.
• Inventors: Benson, Todd W., Stokeld, Brian E., Lockhart, Dwight A.
• Primary Examiner(s): COSIMANO, EDWARD R
• Application Number:
  US14/186,470
• Time in Patent Office: 186 Days
• Field of Search: 731/520.1, 731/520.2, 731/520.3, 731/520.5, 731/521.4, 731/521.6, 731/524.3, 731/524.4, 731/524.5, 731/525.4, 734/321, 738/658, 738/663, 166/244.1, 166/250.01, 166/254.1, 166/255.1, 175/24, 175/40, 175/45, 175/50, 175/57, 175/61, 175/62, 181/101, 250/253, 250/254, 250/255, 250/256, 324/200, 324/201, 324/228, 324/244, 324/323, 324/332, 324/333, 324/345, 324/346, 324/347, 340/500, 340/540, 340/686.1, 340/686.6, 340/690, 340/853.1, 340/853.4, 340/853.6, 340/854.1, 367/14, 367/25, 367/81, 367/86, 367/118, 367/124, 378/1, 378/162, 378/163, 382/100, 382/107, 382/181, 382/190, 382/195, 382/203, 382/207, 382/209, 700/1, 700/90, 700/302, 700/303, 702/1, 702/2, 702/6, 702/7, 702/8, 702/9, 702/10, 702/11, 702/127, 702/155, 702/158, 702/166, 702/187, 702/189, 708/100, 708/105, 708/200
• US Class Current: 702/11
• 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 47/04 Measuring depth or liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/053 using radioactive markers
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/09 Locating or determining the position of objects in boreholes or wells , e.g. the position of an extending arm; Identifying the free or blocked portions of pipes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/12 Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/00 Special methods or apparatus for drilling
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/04 Directional drilling
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/18 for measuring depth
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/282 Application of seismic models, synthetic seismograms
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/40 specially adapted for well-logging
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 20/00 Geomodelling in general
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/04 specially adapted for well-logging
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/045 Transmitting data to recording or processing apparatus; Recording data
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2616 Earth moving, work machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/40 Data acquisition and logging for input to computer G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

Provided are a system and method for identifying planned markers while drilling a borehole. In one example, the method includes obtaining a plan containing planned markers that each corresponds to a baseline marker from an existing well. Each of the baseline markers corresponds to a waveform from a log file obtained from the existing well and is associated with a waveform representation of the corresponding waveform. Each of the planned markers is associated with an estimated true vertical depth (TVD) value. A second log file corresponding to the borehole is obtained that contains waveforms representing formation information detected within the borehole. The second log file is scanned for a planned marker based on the estimated TVD value and the waveform representation of the baseline marker corresponding to the planned marker. At least one match may be identified and reported for the planned marker.

Claims

1. A method for using a plurality of planned markers with a drilling plan comprising:

obtaining, by a computer system, a marker archive containing a plurality of baseline markers from at least one existing well, wherein each of the baseline markers corresponds to a waveform from a first log file obtained from the first well, and wherein each of the baseline markers is associated within the marker archive with a name, a true vertical depth (TVD) value of the corresponding waveform, and a waveform representation of the corresponding waveform;

creating, by the computer system, a plurality of planned markers for a drilling plan for a second well;

associating, by the computer system, each of the plurality of planned markers with one of the baseline markers;

assigning, by the computer system, an estimated TVD value and an uncertainty range to each of the planned markers; and

saving, by the computer system, each of the planned markers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein associating each of the baseline markers with the waveform representation of the corresponding waveform includes making an exact copy of the corresponding waveform, wherein the exact copy is the waveform representation.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first log file is a gamma log.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

drilling a portion of the second well using the drilling plan; and

assessing an accuracy of the drilling plan based on comparisons between the estimated TVD values of the planned markers and measured TVD values of the planned markers identified from a second log file obtained while drilling the second well.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein associating each of the baseline markers with the waveform representation of the corresponding waveform includes constructing a mathematical representation of the corresponding waveform, wherein the mathematical representation is the waveform representation.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein constructing the mathematical representation comprises:

calculating a left side average of the corresponding waveform;

calculating a peak height of the corresponding waveform relative to the left side average;

calculating a right side average of the corresponding waveform relative to the left side average;

calculating a width of the corresponding waveform; and

calculating a location of the peak height relative to the width.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a second log file during drilling of the second well;

scanning the second log file to identify a first planned marker of the plurality of planned markers, wherein the first planned marker corresponds to a first baseline marker of the plurality of baseline markers;

identifying a measured TVD value of the first planned marker from the second log file;

comparing the measured TVD value with the estimated TVD value of the first planned marker to obtain a comparison result; and

reporting the comparison result.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising adjusting a dip angle of the drill plan between the first planned marker and a next sequential planned marker of the plurality of planned markers based on the comparison result.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising adjusting the estimated TVD of a next sequential planned marker following the first planned marker based on the comparison result.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein scanning the second log file to identify the first planned marker further comprises:

identifying the uncertainty range of the first planned marker in the second log file based on the estimated TVD value of the first planned marker;

creating at least one fingerprint of a waveform within the uncertainty range; and

determining whether the at least one fingerprint matches the waveform representation.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein determining whether the at least one fingerprint matches the waveform representation includes:

comparing a left side average of the fingerprint with a left side average of the waveform representation;

comparing a right side average of the fingerprint with a right side average of the waveform representation;

comparing a peak height of the fingerprint with a peak height of the waveform representation;

comparing a peak location of the fingerprint with a peak location of the waveform representation; and

calculating a score based on the comparisons of the left side averages, the right side averages, the peak heights, and the peak locations.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the waveform representation and the fingerprint both use a relative amplitude value.

13. A method for identifying a planned marker while drilling a borehole through a formation for a first well comprising:

obtaining, by a computer system, a plan containing a plurality of planned markers expected while drilling the borehole, wherein each of the planned markers corresponds to a baseline marker from an existing second well, wherein each of the baseline markers corresponds to a waveform from a first log file obtained from the second well and is associated with a waveform representation of the corresponding waveform, and wherein each of the planned markers is associated with an estimated true vertical depth (TVD) value and an uncertainty range;

obtaining, by the computer system, a second log file corresponding to the borehole, wherein the second log file contains a plurality of waveforms representing formation information detected within the borehole and includes formation information to a TVD that includes at least a portion of the uncertainty region of a first planned marker of the plurality of planned markers;

scanning, by the computer system, the second log file for the first planned marker based on the estimated TVD value of the first planned marker, the uncertainty range of the first planned marker, and the waveform representation of the baseline marker corresponding to the first planned marker;

identifying, by the computer system, at least one match for the first planned marker; and

reporting, by the computer system, the at least one match.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first log file and the second log file are gamma logs.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein reporting the at least one match includes reporting a confidence value.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein each of the planned markers is further associated with a planned vertical section of the borehole, and wherein reporting the at least one match includes reporting a vertical section in which the match was found.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein scanning the second log file comprises:

identifying the uncertainty range of the first planned marker in the second log file based on the estimated TVD value of the first planned marker;

creating at least one fingerprint of a detected waveform within the uncertainty range; and

determining whether the at least one fingerprint matches the waveform representation of the baseline marker corresponding to the first planned marker.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the waveform representation of the baseline marker corresponding to the first planned marker is constructed with a relative amplitude and wherein creating the fingerprint includes constructing a representation of the fingerprint having a relative amplitude.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

creating a plurality of fingerprints for a plurality of detected waveforms within the uncertainty range;

identifying one of the plurality of fingerprints as a best match to the waveform representation; and

reporting the identified best match.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein determining whether the at least one fingerprint matches the waveform representation of the baseline marker corresponding to the first planned marker includes:

comparing a left side average of the fingerprint with a left side average of the waveform representation;

comparing a right side average of the fingerprint with a right side average of the waveform representation;

comparing a peak height of the fingerprint with a peak height of the waveform representation;

comparing a peak location of the fingerprint with a peak location of the waveform representation; and

calculating a score based on the comparisons of the left side averages, the right side averages, the peak heights, and the peak locations.

21. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

obtaining an updated version of the second log file; and

repeating the steps of scanning, identifying, and reporting for a second planned marker of the plurality of planned markers based on the second log file after identifying the at least one match.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

receiving instructions to modify the plan after reporting the at least one match; and

creating a modified plan as indicated in the instructions prior to repeating the steps of scanning, identifying, and reporting for the second planned marker.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the instructions indicate that a dip angle of the borehole is to be modified.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the instructions indicate that the estimated TVD of the second planned marker is to be modified.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising drilling a portion of the second well using the modified plan.

26. A system comprising:

a network interface;

a processor coupled to the network interface;

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store a plurality of instructions executable by the processor, the instructions including instructions for;

obtaining, by a computer system, a plan containing a plurality of planned markers expected while drilling a borehole through a formation for a first well, wherein each of the planned markers corresponds to a baseline marker from an existing second well, wherein each of the baseline markers corresponds to a waveform from a first log file obtained from the second well and is associated with a waveform representation of the corresponding waveform, and wherein each of the planned markers is associated with an estimated true vertical depth (TVD) value and an uncertainty range;

obtaining a second log file corresponding to the borehole, wherein the second log file contains a plurality of waveforms representing formation information detected within the borehole and includes formation information to a TVD that includes at least a portion of the uncertainty region of a first planned marker of the plurality of planned markers;

scanning the second log file for the first planned marker based on the estimated TVD value of the first planned marker, the uncertainty range of the first planned marker, and the waveform representation of the baseline marker corresponding to the first planned marker;

identifying at least one match for the first planned marker; and

reporting the at least one match.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the instructions for scanning the second log file comprise:

identifying the uncertainty range of the first planned marker in the second log file based on the estimated TVD value of the first planned marker;

creating at least one fingerprint of a detected waveform within the uncertainty range; and

determining whether the at least one fingerprint matches the waveform representation of the baseline marker corresponding to the first planned marker.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the instructions for scanning the second log file comprise:

calculating at least one left side average of the detected waveform;

calculating at least one peak height of the detected waveform relative to the left side average;

calculating at least one right side average of the detected waveform relative to the left side average;

calculating at least one width of the detected waveform; and

calculating at least one location of the peak height relative to the width.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the instructions further include instructions for:

receiving a modification to the plan after reporting the at least one match;

obtaining an updated version of the second log file; and

modifying the plan as indicated prior to repeating the steps of scanning, identifying, and reporting for a second planned marker based on the second log file after identifying the at least one match.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising drilling a portion of the second well using the modified plan.