Obstacle detection systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11353618-B2
Application number	US-202016935009-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2020
Priority date	Jul 21, 2019
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

A system and method of detecting subsurface karst features includes receiving surface mapping data. A potential surface pad location can be identified in view of the surface mapping data. A resistivity survey for the potential surface pad location can be designed. The resistivity survey can include at least one long line extending through a surface hole for each of one or more wellbores in the potential surface pad location, and a short line extending through the surface hole of one of the one or more wellbores, each short line intersecting the long line substantially at the surface hole of one of the one or more wellbores. High resistivity areas exceeding approximately 150 Ohm per meter can be identified as sub surface karst features within the resistivity survey.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for avoiding obstacles within a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
receiving surface mapping data from one or more satellite images of an area of interest corresponding to the subterranean formation;
receiving surface topography data of the area of interest from one or more light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems;
receiving an airborne gravity data set of the area of interest;
receiving a seismic data set of the area of interest;
identifying a potential surface pad location using at least one of the surface mapping data, the surface topography data, the airborne gravity data set, or the seismic data set, the potential surface pad location including a surface hole for each of one or more wellbores;
generating a resistivity survey for the potential surface pad location, the resistivity survey including at least one long line extending through the surface hole for each of the one or more wellbores and at least one short line extending through the surface hole of one of the one or more wellbores, each short line intersecting the long line at the surface hole of one of the one or more wellbores; and
determining whether one or more subsurface karst features are present within the subterranean formation disposed relative to at least one of the potential surface pad location or the one or more wellbores using the resistivity survey.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
adjusting at least one of the potential surface pad location or the one or more wellbores when one or more subsurface karst features are present within the subterranean formation disposed relative to the at least one of the potential surface pad location or the one or more wellbores.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more subsurface karst features are determined to be present by identifying high resistivity areas within the resistivity survey, the high resistivity areas exceeding a resistivity threshold of 150 Ohm per meter.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the high resistivity areas with resistivity of 150 Ohm-meters to 400 Ohm-meters are identified as subsurface karst features of the one or more subsurface karst features that are filled with at least one of sediment or air.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the high resistivity areas with resistivity of 400 Ohm-meters to 40,000 Ohm-meters are identified as subsurface karst features of the one or more subsurface karst features that are filled with air.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
identifying a second potential pad location in view of the high resistivity areas; and
generating a new resistivity survey for the second potential pad location.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the long line includes a plurality of electrodes.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of electrodes is disposed with an even spacing.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the short line includes a plurality of electrodes.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of electrodes are disposed at an even spacing.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the potential surface pad location includes four linearly arranged proposed wellbores.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the long line of the resistivity survey extends through each of the four linearly arranged proposed wellbores and four short lines and one of the four short lines extends through each of the four linearly arranged proposed wellbores.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
placing a distal electrode linearly disposed from the long line, thereby increasing a depth measurement for the resistivity survey.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the distal electrode is positioned 2,000 feet from an end of the long line.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the distal electrode is a pole dipole survey setting.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions for performing a computer process on a computing system, the computer process comprising:
receiving surface mapping data from one or more satellite images of an area of interest corresponding to the subterranean formation;
receiving surface topography data of the area of interest from one or more light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems;
receiving an airborne gravity data set of the area of interest;
receiving a seismic data set of the area of interest;
identifying a potential surface pad location using at least one of the surface mapping data, the surface topography data, the airborne gravity data set, or the seismic data set, the potential surface pad location including a surface hole for each of one or more wellbores; and
determining whether one or more subsurface karst features are present within the subterranean formation disposed relative to at least one of the potential surface pad location or the one or more wellbores using a resistivity logs for the potential surface pad location, the resistivity logs obtained using a resistivity survey including at least one long line extending through the surface hole for each of the one or more wellbores and at least one short line extending through the surface hole of one of the one or more wellbores, each short line intersecting the long line at the surface hole of one of the one or more wellbores.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , further comprising:
Identifying an adjustment to at least one of the potential surface pad location or the one or more wellbores when one or more subsurface karst features are present within the subterranean formation disposed relative to the at least one of the potential surface pad location or the one or more wellbores.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein the one or more subsurface karst features are determined to be present by identifying high resistivity areas within the resistivity survey, the high resistivity areas exceeding a resistivity threshold of 150 Ohm per meter.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18 , further comprising:
identifying a second potential pad location in view of the high resistivity areas; and
generating a new resistivity survey for the second potential pad location.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein the high resistivity areas with resistivity of 150 Ohm-meters to 400 Ohm-meters are identified as subsurface karst features of the one or more subsurface karst features that are filled with at least one of sediment or air.

Assignees

• Conocophillips Co

Inventors

• Hoang Phuong
• Soofi Khalid A
• Lascaud Benjamin
• Boyle Patrick R

Classifications

• 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

• G01V3/20 Primary

  operating with propagation of electric current · CPC title

• G01C15/002

  Active optical surveying means (optical plumbing G01C15/105) · CPC title

• G01C11/00

  Photogrammetry or videogrammetry, e.g. stereogrammetry; Photographic surveying · CPC title

• G01C11/025

  by scanning the object · CPC title