System and method for planning a drilling operation

• US 8,849,640 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Inventors: Holl, James E., Cheng, Yao-Chou, Czernuszenko, Marek, Musum, Rune, Sequeira, Jose, Braaksma, Hendrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Chad, Aniss
• Application Number:
  US13/058,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20110153300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,856 Days
• Field of Search: 703/10
• 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:

obtaining at least two or more targeted regions based on data from a three-dimensional shared earth model;

generating at least one targeted segment within each one of the at least two or more targeted regions, wherein the at least one targeted segment is a three dimensional volume defining a path through or within a respective one of the at least two or more targeted regions;

evaluating, with at least one application agent, the at least one targeted segment within each one of the at least two or more targeted regions based on a potential payout in terms of production of hydrocarbons within the at least one targeted segment, wherein at least one targeted segment is characterized by its potential to be a partial segment of a potential well trajectory and to recover hydrocarbons from the one of the at least two or more targeted regions;

identifying, after the generating and the evaluating, at least one well trajectory through the at least one targeted segment within each one of the at least two or more targeted regions, 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 at least two or more targeted regions; and

evaluating, with the at least one application agent, the at least one well trajectory based on the potential payout in terms of at least one of production of hydrocarbons, drilling complexity, cost or 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 at least two or more 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 connectivity conditions with at least two of the at least two or more targeted regions.

9. 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.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating includes selecting a targeted segment, within each one of the at least two or more targeted regions, that maximizes an output of hydrocarbons.

11. A non-transitory 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 within each one of at least one or more targeted regions, wherein the at least one targeted segment is a three dimensional volume defining a path through or within a respective one of the at least two or more targeted regions; and

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 at least two or more targeted regions, and wherein at least one targeted segment is characterized by its potential to be a partial segment of the at least one well trajectory and to recover hydrocarbons from the one of the at least two or more targeted regions.

12. The non-transitory tangible, machine-readable medium 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 at least two or more targeted regions to determine an optimum well trajectory based on maximizing predicted payout of production of hydrocarbons.

13. The non-transitory tangible, machine-readable medium 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 non-transitory tangible, machine-readable medium recited in claim 11, wherein the three-dimensional shared earth model comprises a geologic data set.

15. The non-transitory tangible, machine-readable medium recited in claim 11, wherein the three-dimensional shared earth model comprises an engineering data set.

16. The non-transitory tangible, machine-readable medium recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one application agent is adapted to define desired connectivity conditions with at least two of the at least two or more targeted regions.

17. The non-transitory tangible, machine-readable medium recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one application agent is adapted to produce a display of the at least one well trajectory.

18. The non-transitory tangible, machine-readable medium 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 at least two or more targeted regions.