Synthetic formation evaluation logs based on drilling vibrations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11293283-B2
Application number	US-201916513408-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2019
Priority date	Mar 3, 2011
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

A method and apparatus for predicting a formation parameter at a drill bit drilling a formation is disclosed. A vibration measurement is obtained at each of a plurality of depths in the borehole. A formation parameter is obtained proximate each of the plurality of depths in the borehole. A relationship is determined between the obtained vibration measurements and the measured formation parameters at the plurality of depths. A vibration measurement at a new drill bit location is obtained and the formation parameter at the new drill bit location is predicted from the vibration measurement and the determined relation. Formation type can be determined at the new drill bit location from the new vibration measurement and the determined relationship.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of drilling a formation, comprising:
using a vibration sensor at a drilling system comprising a drill bit to obtain vibration measurements at a first plurality of depths while the drill bit is at a plurality of drill bit locations in a borehole;
using a formation sensor to obtain formation parameter measurements at a second plurality of depths corresponding to the plurality of drill bit locations in the borehole;
using a processor to:
form a relation between the vibration measurements obtained at the first plurality of depths and corresponding formation parameter measurements obtained at the second plurality of depths; and
fit a vibration shale baseline to at least a part of the vibration measurements, the vibration shale baseline indicative of an increase for vibrations in shale formation with borehole depth;

predicting a formation parameter at a new drill bit location by using a vibration measurement obtained while the drill bit is at the new drill bit location, the relation, and the vibration shale baseline; and
adjusting a drilling operating parameter based on the predicted formation parameter.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising flowing a fluid through the drilling system and wherein adjusting the drilling operating parameter further comprises controlling a rate of the fluid flow based on the predicted formation parameter.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein predicting the formation parameter at the new drill bit location further comprises performing at least one of: (i) selecting a value of the formation parameter for a determined shale formation; and (ii) selecting a value of the formation parameter for a determined non-shale formation from the relation.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the drilling operating parameter further comprises controlling at least one of weight-on-bit, rate of penetration, drill bit rotation, and thrust force on the drill bit based on the predicted formation parameter.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the formation sensor is at a location uphole of the vibration sensor.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting the relation for an effect of revolution rate of the drill bit on the vibration measurements.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising updating the formed relation while drilling.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the formation parameter measurements is one of: (i) a gamma ray measurement; (ii) a neutron porosity measurement; (iii) a bulk density measurement; and (iv) a formation parameter measurement having a correlation to vibration measurements.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vibration measurements are one of:
(i) an axial vibration measurement; (ii) a lateral vibration measurement; and (iii) a torsional vibration measurement.

10. An apparatus for drilling a formation, comprising:
a vibration sensor at a drilling system, the vibration sensor configured to obtain vibration measurements at a first plurality of depths while the drill bit is at a plurality of drill bit locations in a borehole;
a formation sensor configured to obtain formation parameter measurements at a second plurality of depths corresponding to the plurality of drill bit locations in the borehole; and
a processor configured to:
form a relation between the vibration measurements obtained at the first plurality of depths and the formation parameter measurements obtained at the second plurality of depths; and
fit a vibration shale baseline to at least a part of the vibration measurements, the vibration shale baseline indicative of an increase for vibrations in shale formation with borehole depth;

wherein a formation parameter at a new drill bit location is predicted by using a vibration measurement obtained while the drill bit is at the new drill bit location, the relation, and the vibration shale baseline; and
a drilling operating parameter is adjusted based on the predicted formation parameter.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further configured to form the relation by a selected vibration measurement for which a corresponding formation parameter indicates a shale formation.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a drilling fluid flowing a through the drilling system and wherein adjustment of the drilling operating parameter further comprises adjustment of a rate of the drilling fluid flow based on the predicted formation parameter.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , further configured to determine the vibration shale baseline from a regression using a selected vibration measurement.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the vibration shale baseline for an effect of revolution rate of the drill bit on the vibration measurements.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to fit the vibration shale baseline while drilling.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the formation parameter measurements is one of: (i) a gamma ray measurement; (ii) a neutron porosity measurement; (iii) a bulk density measurement; and (iv) a formation parameter measurement having a correlation to the vibration measurements.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the vibration measurements are selected from: (i) an axial vibration measurement; (ii) a lateral vibration measurement; and (iii) a torsional vibration measurement.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein adjustment of the drilling operating parameter further comprises adjustment of at least one of a weight-on-bit, a rate of penetration, a drill bit rotation, and a thrust force on the drill bit based on the predicted formation parameter.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein that when accessed by a processor enable the processor to perform a method of drilling a formation, the method comprising:
receiving vibration measurements obtained at a first plurality of depths in a borehole using a vibration sensor at a drilling system;
receiving formation parameter measurements obtained at a second plurality of depths in the borehole using a formation sensor;
forming a relation between the vibration measurements obtained at the first plurality of depths and the formation parameter measurements obtained at the second plurality of depths; and
fitting a vibration shale baseline to at least a part of the vibration measurements, the vibration shale baseline indicative of an increase for vibrations in shale formation with borehole depth;
wherein a formation parameter at a new drill bit location is predicted by using a vibration measurement obtained while the drill bit is at the new drill bit location, the relation and the vibration shale baseline; and

a drilling operating parameter is adjusted to control drilling of the formation based on the predicted formation parameter.

Assignees

• Pei Jianyong
• Dahl Thomas G
• Macpherson John D
• Jogi Pushkar N
• Reckmann Hanno
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Pei Jianyong
• Dahl Thomas G
• Macpherson John D
• Jogi Pushkar N
• Reckmann Hanno

Classifications

• E21B2200/22

  Fuzzy logic, artificial intelligence, neural networks or the like · CPC title

• E21B49/003 Primary

  by analysing drilling variables or conditions (E21B49/005 takes precedence; systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions E21B44/00) · CPC title