Real time well data alerts

• US 9,464,517 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nabors Drillling Technologies USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Canrig Drilling Technology Limited (Nabors Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Papouras, Chris, Annaiyappa, Pradeep, Koduru, Hari
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US13/372,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20120139747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 340/853.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/00 Survey of boreholes or wells monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08
• 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

Abstract

An apparatus for remote monitoring of well operations. The apparatus may include an alerts module positioned proximate a well, at least one well parameter sensor in communication with the alerts module, and a well operation control module in communication with the alerts module. The apparatus may further include a remotely positioned well monitoring station in communication with the alerts module, and a plurality of user terminal in communication with the well monitoring station.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of wells, wherein each well includes;

a plurality of sensors each configured to monitor a well component,

an alerts module associated with the plurality of sensors to receive a signal from the plurality of sensors,

a well operation control module in communication with the alerts module to receive alert information therefrom, and

an actuator coupled to the well component and in communication with the well operation control module;

a well monitoring station located remotely from the plurality of wells and in communication with each of the alerts modules and each of the well operation control modules at the plurality of wells; and

a plurality of remote user terminals located remotely from the well monitoring station and the plurality of wells and in communication with the well monitoring station;

wherein well parameters obtained by a plurality of sensors associated with a first well are locally processed by a first alerts module associated with the first well to determine if a well parameter is a predetermined parameter selected by a user for transmission, and the first alerts module associated with the first well decides which well parameters should be transmitted to the well monitoring station based on the determination,

wherein well parameters obtained by a plurality of sensors associated with a second well are locally processed by a second alerts module associated with the second well to determine if a well parameter is the predetermined parameter selected by the user for transmission, and the second alerts module associated with the second well decides which well parameters should be transmitted to the well monitoring station based on the determination;

wherein the well monitoring station;

receives the determined first well parameters from the first alerts module associated with the first well and the determined second well parameters from the second alerts module associated with the second well;

forwards an alert notification based on alert information regarding both the determined first well parameters from the first alerts module associated with the first well and the determined second well parameters from the second alerts module associated with the second well to one or more of the plurality of remote user terminals;

wherein the one or more of the plurality of remote user terminals;

receives the alert notification regarding both the determined first well parameters and the determined second well parameters;

acknowledges a portion of the alert notification regarding one of the determined first well parameters and the determined second well parameters; and

transmits the acknowledgement of the portion of the alert notification to the well monitoring station; and

wherein the well monitoring station receives the acknowledgement of the portion of the alert notification and removes the alert notification regarding the portion while maintaining another portion of the alert notification regarding the other of the determined first well parameters and the determined second well parameters.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alert information includes parameters selected by the well monitoring station from communications sent from the first alerts module in the first well in response to a signal from at least one of the plurality of sensors in the first well.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alert information includes a current state of the well.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alert information includes an alert parameter determined by the alerts module to exceed a desired operating parameter.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the well monitoring station receives one or more alert parameter selections from the plurality of remote user terminals, and associates each alert parameter selection with the remote user terminal from which it was received.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors is coupled to a well component that includes at least one of a well head of the well or a drilling bit in the well.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a first well including;

a first plurality of sensors; and

a first alerts module coupled to the first plurality of sensors;

a second well including;

a second plurality of sensors; and

a second alerts module coupled to the second plurality of sensors;

a well monitoring station located remotely from the first well and the second well and in communication with the first alerts module and the second alerts module; and

a remote user terminal located remotely from the well monitoring station and the first and second wells and in communication with the well monitoring station;

wherein the first alerts module and the second alerts module;

locally process well parameters obtained by the first plurality of sensors and the second plurality of sensors, respectively, to determine if a well parameter is a predetermined parameter selected by the user for transmission;

decides which well parameters should be transmitted to the well monitoring station based on the determination;

receives a signal from at least one sensor;

determines that the signal is associated with alert information that includes a well parameter that is outside a desired range;

determines that a primary communications medium is unavailable;

saves the alert information and prioritizes the alert information for communication over other information for transmission after the primary communications medium becomes available;

searches for an available secondary communications medium in response to determining that the primary communications medium is unavailable;

uses the available secondary communications medium to send the alert information in response to finding the available secondary communications medium; and

saves the alert information and prioritizes the alert information in response to not finding the available secondary communications medium;

wherein the well monitoring station forwards an alert notification based on the alert information regarding both the first well and the second well to the remote user terminal;

wherein the remote user terminal;

receives the alert notification sent by the well monitoring station;

acknowledges a portion of the alert notification regarding one of the first well and the second well; and

transmits the acknowledgement of the portion of the alert notification to the well monitoring station; and

wherein the well monitoring station receives the acknowledgement of the portion of the alert notification regarding the one of the first well and the second well and removes the alert notification regarding the portion of the alert notification while maintaining another portion of the alert notification regarding the other of the first well and the second well.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first alerts module further provides a local well alert at the first well in response to not finding the available secondary communications medium.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the determining that the primary communications medium is unavailable includes determining that the primary communications medium has been unavailable for a predetermined amount of time.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first plurality of sensors is positioned at a well head of the first well or adjacent a drilling bit in the first well.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a first well including;

a first plurality of sensors; and

a first alerts module coupled to the first plurality of sensors;

a second well including;

a second plurality of sensors; and

a second alerts module coupled to the second plurality of sensors;

a well monitoring station located remotely from the first well and the second well and including an alerts engine in communication with the first alerts module and the second alerts module; and

a plurality of remote user terminals located remotely from the well monitoring station and the first well and the second well and in communication with the alerts engine;

wherein the first alerts module and the second alerts module;

locally process well parameters obtained by the first plurality of sensors and the second plurality of sensors, respectively, to determine if a well parameter is a predetermined parameter selected by a user for transmission; and

decide which well parameters should be transmitted to the well monitoring station based on the determination;

wherein the well monitoring station;

receives the determined well parameters from the first alerts module and the second alerts module;

forwards an alert notification regarding both the first well and the second well to a first remote user terminal;

wherein the first remote user terminal;

receives the alert notification regarding both the first well and the second well;

acknowledges a portion of the alert notification regarding the first well; and

transmits the acknowledgement of the portion of the alert notification to the well monitoring station; and

wherein the well monitoring station receives the acknowledgement of the portion of the alert notification regarding the first well and removes the portion of the alert notification regarding the first well while maintaining another portion of the alert notification regarding the second well; and

wherein the alerts engine;

monitors the alert notification regarding the first well and the second well sent from the first alerts module and the second alerts module to the first remote user terminal of the plurality of remote user terminals;

determines that no action was taken for the another portion of the alert notification regarding the second well using the first remote user terminal in response to the alert notification; and

escalates the another portion of the alert notification regarding the second well by sending the another portion of the alert notification regarding the second well to a second remote user terminal of the plurality of remote user terminals, wherein the escalation is based on a business object instance that is associated with a physical well component for which the second remote user terminal has access privileges.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the determining that no action was taken for the another portion of the alert notification regarding the second well using the first remote user terminal includes determining that no communications regarding the second well were received from the first remote user terminal in a predetermined amount of time.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the alerts engine further receives an acknowledgement of receipt of the another portion of the alert notification from the second remote user terminal.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the alerts engine further escalates the another portion of the alert notification regarding the second well by sending the another portion of the alert notification regarding the second well to a third remote user terminal, along with the second remote user terminal, of the plurality of remote user terminals, wherein the escalation is based on the business object instance that is associated with the physical well component for which the third remote user terminal has access privileges.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the alerts engine further receives an acknowledgement of receipt of the another portion of the alert notification regarding the second well from the third remote user terminal.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors is positioned at a well head of the well or adjacent a drilling bit in the well.