Systems and methods for positioning horizontal wells within boundaries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10626712-B2
Application number	US-201715477585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2017
Priority date	Mar 15, 2010
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

Systems and methods for positioning horizontal wells within a limited-pre-defined boundary. The systems and methods include an automated process for creating jointed target pairs or horizontal laterals to be utilized for planning horizontal wells in order to position the horizontal laterals within limited pre-defined boundary(ies).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
computing, by a computing device, a center location of a predetermined boundary;
defining, by the computing device, a circle around the center location, a radius of the circle being within the predetermined boundary;
defining, by the computing device, a pair of points along the circle by defining each of a first point and a second point on the circle, the second point being defined at a predetermined angular distance away from the first point;
iteratively, by the computing device, defining one or more additional circles around the center location, each additional circle of the one or more additional circles being smaller than the last-defined circle, a pair of new points being defined on each additional circle, the pair of new points including a first new point and a second new point, and the second new point being the predetermined angular distance away from the first new point;
forming, by the computing device, a horizontal lateral section of a horizontal well using the pair of points and each pair of new points; and
displaying, by the computing device, the horizontal lateral section of the horizontal well in a plan view.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , the one or more additional circles includes a first additional circle with a first radius and a second additional circle with a second radius, wherein the second radius is smaller than the first radius.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the first point is defined at a position north of the center location and the second point is defined at another position that is the predetermined angular distance away from the first point in the clockwise direction.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the first radius corresponds to a distance between the center location and a midpoint between the first point and the second point.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the first new point is located at the midpoint between the first point and the second point, and wherein the second new point is located the predetermined angular distance away from the first new point in the clockwise direction.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the first radius corresponds to a distance between the center location and a midpoint between the first point and the second point minus a predetermined well spacing.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein additional circles are iteratively defined until a radius of an additional circle is zero.

8. A system, comprising:
one or more data processors; and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions which, when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations including:
computing a center location of a predetermined boundary;
defining a circle around the center location, wherein a radius of the circle is within the predetermined boundary;
defining a pair of points along the circle by defining each of a first point and a second point on the circle, the second point being defined at a predetermined angular distance away from the first point;
iteratively defining one or more additional circles around the center location, each additional circle of the one or more additional circles being smaller than the last-defined circle, a pair of new points being defined on each additional circle, the pair of new points including a first new point and a second new point, and the second new point being the predetermined angular distance away from the first new point;
forming a horizontal lateral section of a horizontal well using the pair of points and each pair of new points; and
displaying, by a computing device, the horizontal lateral section of the horizontal well in a plan view.

9. The system of claim 8 , the one or more additional circles includes a first additional circle with a first radius and a second additional circle with a second radius, wherein the second radius is smaller than the first radius.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first point is defined at a position north of the center location and the second point is defined at another position that is the predetermined angular distance away.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first radius corresponds to a distance between the center location and a midpoint between the first point and the second point.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first new point is located at the midpoint between the first point and the second point, and wherein the second new point is located the predetermined angular distance away from the first new point in the clockwise direction.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first radius corresponds to a distance between the center location and a midpoint between the first point and the second point minus a predetermined well spacing.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein additional circles are iteratively defined until a radius of an additional circle is zero.

15. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to perform operations including:
computing a center location of a predetermined boundary;
defining a circle around the center location, wherein a radius of the circle is within the predetermined boundary;
defining a pair of points along the circle by defining each of a first point and a second point on the circle, the second point being defined at a predetermined angular distance away from the first point;
iteratively defining one or more additional circles around the center location, each additional circle of the one or more additional circles being smaller than the last-defined circle, a pair of new points being defined on each additional circle, the pair of new points including a first new point and a second new point, and the second new point being the predetermined angular distance away from the first new point;
forming a horizontal lateral section of a horizontal well using the pair of points and each pair of new points; and
displaying the horizontal lateral section of the horizontal well in a plan view.

16. The computer-program product of claim 15 , the one or more additional circles includes a first additional circle with a first radius and a second additional circle with a second radius, wherein the second radius is smaller than the first radius.

17. The computer-program product of claim 16 , wherein the first point is defined at a position north of the center location and the second point is defined at another position that is the predetermined angular distance away from the first point in the clockwise direction.

18. The computer-program product of claim 16 , wherein the first radius corresponds to a distance between the center location and a midpoint between the first point and the second point.

19. The computer-program product of claim 18 , wherein the first new point is located at the midpoint between the first point and the second point, and wherein the second new point is located the predetermined angular distance away from the first new point in the clockwise direction.

20. The computer-program product of claim 18 , wherein the first radius corresponds to a distance between the center location and a midpoint between the first point and the second point minus a predetermined well spacing.

Assignees

• Landmark Graphics Corp

Inventors

• Colvin Dan
• Schottle Gary Daniel
• Macdonald Colin
• Woodard Philip William

Classifications

• E21B43/2406

  Steam assisted gravity drainage [SAGD] · CPC title

• E21B43/305 Primary

  comprising at least one inclined or horizontal well · CPC title

• G01V11/002

  Details, e.g. power supply systems for logging instruments, transmitting or recording data, specially adapted for well logging, also if the prospecting method is irrelevant (means for transmitting well survey signals E21B47/12; signal transmission systems in general G08C; transmission in general H04B) · CPC title

• E21B43/30

  Specific pattern of wells, e.g. optimising the spacing of wells · CPC title

• E21B41/0092

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic