Integrated Real-Time Simulation in an Earth Model – Automating Drilling and Driving Efficiency

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro J. Arévalo ◽  
Olof Hummes ◽  
Matthew Forshaw

Abstract Real-time while drilling simulations use an evergreen digital twin of the well, consisting of physics-based models in an earth model to constantly update boundary conditions and parameters while drilling. The approach actively contributes to prediction or early detection of specific drilling issues, thus reducing drilling-related risk, non-productive time (NPT), and invisible-lost time (ILT). The method also unlocks further drilling optimization opportunities, while staying within a safe operative envelope that protects the wellbore. In the planning phase, a run plan is prepared based on drilling engineering simulations – such as downhole hydraulics and Torque and Drag (T&D) – within the lithology and geomechanics of the earth model. While drilling, the run plan continuously evolves as automatic updates with actual drilling parameters refine the simulations. Smart triggering algorithms constantly monitor sensor data at surface and downhole, automatically updating the simulations. Drilling automation services consume the simulation results, shared across an aggregation layer, to predict drilling dysfunctions related to hole-cleaning, downhole pressure, tripping velocity (which might lead to fractured formations or formation fluids entering the wellbore), tight hole and pipe sticking. Drillers receive actionable information, and drilling automation applications are equipped to control specific drilling processes. Case studies from drilling runs in the North Sea and in Middle East confirm the effectiveness of the approach. Deployment on these runs used a modular and scalable system architecture to allow seamless integration of all components (surface data acquisition, drilling engineering simulations, and monitoring applications). As designed, the system allows the integration of new services, and different data providers and consumers.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Merckelbach

Abstract. Ocean gliders have become ubiquitous observation platforms in the ocean in recent years. They are also increasingly used in coastal environments. The coastal observatory system COSYNA has pioneered the use of gliders in the North Sea, a shallow tidally energetic shelf sea. For operational reasons, the gliders operated in the North Sea are programmed to resurface every 3–5 hours. The glider's deadreckoning algorithm yields depth averaged currents, averaged in time over each subsurface interval. Under operational conditions these averaged currents are a poor approximation of the instantaneous tidal current. In this work an algorithm is developed that estimates the instantaneous current (tidal and residual) from glider observations only. The algorithm uses a second-order Butterworth low-pass filter to estimate the residual current component, and a Kalman filter based on the linear shallow water equations for the tidal component. A comparison of data from a glider experiment with current data from an ADCP deployed nearby shows that the standard deviations for the east and north current components are better than 7 cm s−1 in near-real time mode, and improve to better than 5 cm s−1 in delayed mode, where the filters can be run forward and backward. In the near-real time mode the algorithm provides estimates of the currents that the glider is expected to encounter during its next few dives. Combined with a behavioural and dynamic model of the glider, this yields predicted trajectories, the information of which is incorporated in warning messages issued to ships by the (German) authorities. In delayed mode the algorithm produces useful estimates of the depth averaged currents, which can be used in (process-based) analyses in case no other source of measured current information is available.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector Hugo Vizcarra Marin ◽  
Alex Ngan ◽  
Roberto Pineda ◽  
Juan Carlos Gomez ◽  
Jose Antonio Becerra

Abstract Given the increased demands on the production of hydrocarbons and cost-effectiveness for the Operator's development wells, the industry is challenged to continually explore new technology and methodology to improve drilling performance and operational efficiency. In this paper, two recent case histories showcase the technology, drilling engineering, and real-time optimization that resulted in record drilling times. The wells are located on shallow water in the Gulf of Mexico, with numerous drilling challenges, which typically resulted in significant Non-Productive Time (NPT). Through close collaboration with the Operator, early planning with a clear understanding of offset wells challenges, well plan that minimize drilling in the Upper Cretaceous "Brecha" Formation were formulated. The well plan was also designed to reduce the risk of stuck pipe while meeting the requirements to penetrate the geological targets laterally to increase the area of contact in the reservoir section. This project encapsulates the successful application of the latest Push-the-Bit Rotary Steerable System (RSS) with borehole enlargement technology through a proven drilling engineering process to optimize the drilling bottomhole assembly, bit selection, drilling parameters, and real-time monitoring & optimization The records drilling times in the two case histories can be replicated and further improved. A list of lessons learned and recommendations for the future wells are discussed. These include the well trajectory planning, directional drilling BHA optimization, directional control plan, drilling parameters to optimize hole cleaning, and downhole shocks & vibrations management during drilling and underreaming operation to increase the drilling performance ultimately. Also, it includes a proposed drilling blueprint to continually push the limit of incremental drilling performance through the use of RSS with hydraulics drilling reamers through the Jurassic-age formations in shallow waters, Gulf of Mexico.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 6637-6649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Merckelbach

Abstract. Ocean gliders have become ubiquitous observation platforms in the ocean in recent years. They are also increasingly used in coastal environments. The coastal observatory system COSYNA has pioneered the use of gliders in the North Sea, a shallow tidally energetic shelf sea. For operational reasons, the gliders operated in the North Sea are programmed to resurface every 3–5 h. The glider's dead-reckoning algorithm yields depth-averaged currents, averaged in time over each subsurface interval. Under operational conditions these averaged currents are a poor approximation of the instantaneous tidal current. In this work an algorithm is developed that estimates the instantaneous current (tidal and residual) from glider observations only. The algorithm uses a first-order Butterworth low pass filter to estimate the residual current component, and a Kalman filter based on the linear shallow water equations for the tidal component. A comparison of data from a glider experiment with current data from an acoustic Doppler current profilers deployed nearby shows that the standard deviations for the east and north current components are better than 7 cm s−1 in near-real-time mode and improve to better than 6 cm s−1 in delayed mode, where the filters can be run forward and backward. In the near-real-time mode the algorithm provides estimates of the currents that the glider is expected to encounter during its next few dives. Combined with a behavioural and dynamic model of the glider, this yields predicted trajectories, the information of which is incorporated in warning messages issued to ships by the (German) authorities. In delayed mode the algorithm produces useful estimates of the depth-averaged currents, which can be used in (process-based) analyses in case no other source of measured current information is available.


Ocean Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burkard Baschek ◽  
Friedhelm Schroeder ◽  
Holger Brix ◽  
Rolf Riethmüller ◽  
Thomas H. Badewien ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas (COSYNA) was established in order to better understand the complex interdisciplinary processes of northern seas and the Arctic coasts in a changing environment. Particular focus is given to the German Bight in the North Sea as a prime example of a heavily used coastal area, and Svalbard as an example of an Arctic coast that is under strong pressure due to global change.The COSYNA automated observing and modelling system is designed to monitor real-time conditions and provide short-term forecasts, data, and data products to help assess the impact of anthropogenically induced change. Observations are carried out by combining satellite and radar remote sensing with various in situ platforms. Novel sensors, instruments, and algorithms are developed to further improve the understanding of the interdisciplinary interactions between physics, biogeochemistry, and the ecology of coastal seas. New modelling and data assimilation techniques are used to integrate observations and models in a quasi-operational system providing descriptions and forecasts of key hydrographic variables. Data and data products are publicly available free of charge and in real time. They are used by multiple interest groups in science, agencies, politics, industry, and the public.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erling Myhre ◽  
Lasse Eskil Eilertsen ◽  
Massimiliano Russo ◽  
Frank Johansen ◽  
Chris Hart ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tesleem Lawal ◽  
Pradeepkumar Ashok ◽  
Eric van Oort ◽  
Dandan Zheng ◽  
Matthew Isbell

AbstractMud motor failure is a significant contributor to non-productive time in lower-cost land drilling operations, e.g. in North America. Typically, motor failure prevention methodologies range from re-designing or performing sophisticated analytical modeling of the motor power section, to modeling motor performance using high-frequency downhole measurements. In this paper, we present data analytics methods to detect and predict motor failures ahead of time using primarily surface drilling measurements.We studied critical drilling and non-drilling events as applicable to motor failure. The impacts of mud motor stalls and drill-off times were investigated during on-bottom drilling. For the off-bottom analysis, the impact of variations in connection practices (pick up practices, time spent backreaming, and time spent exposing the tools to damaging vibrations) was investigated. The relative importance of the various features found to be relevant was calculated and incorporated into a real-time mud motor damage index.A historical drilling dataset, consisting of surface data collected from 45 motor runs in lateral hole sections of unconventional shale wells drilled in early to mid-2019, was used in this study. These motor runs contained a mix of failure and non-failure cases. The model was found to accurately predict motor failure due to motor wear and tear. Generally, the higher the magnitude of the impact stalls experienced by the mud motor, the greater the probability of eventual failure. Variations in connection practices were found not to be a major wear-and-tear factor. However, it was found that connection practices varied significantly and were often driller-dependent.The overall result shows that simple surface drilling parameters can be used to predict mud motor failure. Hence, the value derived from surface sensor information for mud motor management can be maximized without the need to run more costly downhole sensors. In addition to this cost optimization, drillers can now monitor motor degradation in real-time using the new mud motor index described here.


Author(s):  
Ben Dando ◽  
Kamran Iranpour ◽  
Volker Oye ◽  
Sascha Bussat ◽  
Louise Bjerrum

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Baschek ◽  
F. Schroeder ◽  
H. Brix ◽  
R. Riethmüller ◽  
T. H. Badewien ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas (COSYNA) was established in order to better understand the complex interdisciplinary processes of northern seas and the arctic coasts in a changing environment. Particular focus is given to the German Bight in the North Sea as a prime example for a heavily used coastal area, and Svalbard as an example of an arctic coast that is under strong pressure due to global change. The automated observing and modelling system COSYNA is designed to monitor real time conditions, provide short-term forecasts and data products, and to assess the impact of anthropogenically induced change. Observations are carried out combining satellite and radar remote sensing with various in situ platforms. Novel sensors, instruments, and algorithms are developed to further improve the understanding of the interdisciplinary interactions between physics, biogeochemistry, and the ecology of coastal seas. New modelling and data assimilation techniques are used to integrate observations and models in a quasi-operational system providing descriptions and forecasts of key hydrographic variables. Data and data products are publically available free of charge and in real time. They are used by multiple interest groups in science, agencies, politics, industry, and the public.


Geophysics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. IM15-IM26
Author(s):  
Aina Juell Bugge ◽  
Jan Erik Lie ◽  
Andreas K. Evensen ◽  
Espen H. Nilsen ◽  
Odd Kolbjørnsen ◽  
...  

Seismic sequences are stratigraphic units of relatively conformable seismic reflections. These units are intervals of similar sedimentation conditions, governed by sediment supply and relative sea level, and they are key elements in understanding the evolution of sedimentary basins. Conventional seismic sequence analyses typically rely on human interpretation; consequently, they are time-consuming. We have developed a new data-driven method to identify first-order stratigraphic units based on the assumption that the seismic units honor a layer-cake earth model, with layers that can be discriminated by the differences in seismic reflection properties, such as amplitude, continuity, and density. To identify stratigraphic units in a seismic volume, we compute feature vectors that describe the distribution of amplitudes, texture, and two-way traveltime for small seismic subvolumes. Here, the seismic texture is described with a novel texture descriptor that quantifies a simplified 3D local binary pattern around each pixel in the seismic volume. The feature vectors are preprocessed and clustered using a hierarchical density-based cluster algorithm in which each cluster is assumed to represent one stratigraphic unit. Field examples from the Barents Sea and the North Sea demonstrate that the proposed data-driven method can identify major 3D stratigraphic units without the need for manual interpretation, labeling, or prior geologic knowledge.


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