Obtaining micro- and macro-rock properties with a calibrated rock deformation simulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10102311-B2
Application number	US-201615082109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2016
Priority date	Mar 28, 2016
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A method for estimating a property of an earth formation includes: obtaining a sample of rock; scanning the sample to determine internal rock damage; measuring a deformation parameter of the sample; constructing a mathematical model of the sample that replicates the determined and measured internal rock damage distribution; simulating the one or more tests using the mathematical model; obtaining a rock deformation parameter using the one or more simulated tests corresponding to the measured rock deformation parameter; comparing the rock deformation parameter obtained from the one or more simulated tests to the corresponding measured rock deformation parameter; adjusting parameters of the mathematical model based upon the rock parameter obtained from simulation not being within a selected range of the measured rock parameter; and providing the mathematical model as a verified mathematical model based upon the rock parameter obtained from simulation being within a selected range of the measured rock parameter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for performing an operation on an earth formation using an estimated property of the earth formation, the method comprising:
obtaining a sample of rock from the earth formation;
scanning the sample with a volumetric imaging device to obtain a three-dimensional volume representation of the sample;
determining internal rock damage of the sample using the three-dimensional volume representation of the sample;
performing one or more tests on the sample using a rock test device;
measuring a deformation parameter of the sample using a deformation sensor;
constructing a mathematical model of the sample that replicates the determined and measured internal rock damage and damage distribution of the sample;
simulating the one or more tests using the mathematical model;
obtaining a rock deformation parameter using the one or more simulated tests corresponding to the measured rock deformation parameter;
comparing the rock deformation parameter obtained from the one or more simulated tests to the corresponding measured rock deformation parameter;
adjusting parameters of the mathematical model based upon the rock parameter obtained from simulation not being within a selected range of the measured rock parameter;
providing the mathematical model as a verified mathematical model based upon the rock parameter obtained from simulation being within a selected range of the measured rock parameter;
estimating an unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the earth formation using the verified mathematical model; and
at least one of (a) pumping hydrocarbons from the earth formation using a pump and a controller at a flow rate determined by the estimated unconfined compressive strength (UCS) in order to avoid sand grains from being pumped with the hydrocarbons, and (b) pumping drilling fluid for drilling a borehole using drilling equipment, the drilling fluid having a weight that is selected using the estimated unconfined compressive strength (UCS) to avoid collapse of the borehole;
wherein the determining, constructing, obtaining a rock deformation parameter, comparing adjusting, providing, and estimating are performed using a processor.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein obtaining a sample of rock comprises using a downhole coring tool.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the testing comprises at least one of non-destructive testing and destructive testing.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the destructive testing comprises multistage testing in which successive stages result in increasing damage.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the deformation sensor comprises at least one of a strain sensor, a size measuring sensor, and an acoustic transducer.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein measuring comprises determining a location of damage using acoustic signals obtained from the acoustic transducer.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mathematical model comprises a modified Mohr-Coulomb model having a term representing dilatation in an out-of-plane orientation.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mathematical model comprises a three-dimensional mathematical model.

9. A system for performing an operation on an earth formation using an estimated property of the earth formation, the system comprising:
a volumetric imaging device configured to scan a sample of rock form the earth formation to obtain a three-dimensional volume representation of the sample;
a rock test device configured to perform one or more tests on the sample;
a deformation sensor configured to measure deformation of the sample due to the one or more tests;
a memory having computer-readable instructions;
a processor for executing the computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable instructions comprising:
determining internal rock damage of the sample using the three-dimensional volume representation of the sample;
constructing a mathematical model of the sample that replicates the determined internal rock damage and damage distribution of the sample;
simulating the one or more tests using the mathematical model;
obtaining a rock deformation parameter using the one or more simulated tests corresponding to the measured rock deformation parameter;
comparing the rock deformation parameter obtained from the one or more simulated tests to the corresponding measured rock deformation parameter;
adjusting parameters of the mathematical model based upon the rock parameter obtained from simulation not being with a selected range of the measured rock parameter;
providing the mathematical model as a verified mathematical model based upon the rock parameter obtained from simulation being within a selected range of the measured rock parameter; and
estimating an unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the earth formation using the verified mathematical model;
at least one of (a) a pump and controller configured to pump hydrocarbons from the earth formation at a flow rate determined by the estimated unconfined compressive strength (UCS) in order to avoid sand grains from being pumped with the hydrocarbons, and (b) drilling fluid for drilling a borehole using drilling equipment, the drilling fluid having a weight that is selected using the estimated unconfined compressive strength (UCS) to avoid collapse of the borehole.

10. The system according to claim 9 , further comprising a downhole coring tool configured to extract a sample of rock from the earth formation.

11. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the test equipment is configured to perform at least one of non-destructive testing and destructive testing.

12. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the deformation sensor comprises at least one of a strain sensor, a size measuring sensor, and an acoustic transducer.

13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the computer readable instructions further comprise determining a location of damage using acoustic signals obtained from the acoustic transducer.

14. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the mathematical model comprises a modified Mohr-Coulomb model having a term representing dilatation in an out-of-plane orientation.

Assignees

• Holland Marc
• Hoeink Tobias
• Van Der Zee Wouter
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Holland Marc
• Hoeink Tobias
• Van Der Zee Wouter

Classifications

• G06F30/13 Primary

  Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads · CPC title

• G01V99/00 Primary

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• E21B49/00

  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 title

• G06F30/20

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title

• E21B49/02

  by mechanically taking samples of the soil · CPC title