Intelligent, real-time response to changes in oilfield equilibrium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11725489-B2
Application number	US-201716338972-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2017
Priority date	Dec 7, 2016
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are described for intelligent, real-time monitoring and managing of changes in oilfield equilibrium to optimize production of desired hydrocarbons and economic viability of the field. In some examples, a method can involve generating, based on a topology of a field of wells, a respective graph for the wells, each respective graph including computing devices coupled with one or more sensors and/or actuators. The method can involve collecting, via the computing devices, respective parameters associated with one or more computing devices, sensors, actuators, and/or models, and identifying a measured state associated with the computing devices, sensors, actuators, and/or models. Further, the method can involve automatically generating, based on the respective graph and respective parameters, a decision tree for the measured state, and determining, based on the decision tree, an automated adjustment for modifying production of hydrocarbons and/or an economic parameter of the hydrocarbon production.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
based on a topology of a field comprising a plurality of wells, generating a respective graph for the plurality of wells, each respective graph comprising a plurality of computing devices, wherein each of the plurality of computing devices is coupled with at least one of one or more sensors, one or more actuators;
said graph illustrates the layout of said sensors or said actuators as well as the topology of said field;
collecting, via the plurality of computing devices, respective parameters associated with one or more of the plurality of computing devices and at least one of the one or more sensors, the one or more actuators, and a plurality of models, wherein the plurality of models includes a first model configured to receive and analyze data from a first computing device of the plurality of computing devices and a second model configured to receive and analyze data from each of the plurality of computing devices;
identifying a measured state associated with the first computing device from the plurality of computing devices, a sensor from the one or more sensors, an actuator from the one or more actuators, and at least the first model and the second model from the plurality of models, the first model including an operating envelope for the first computing device and the second model including an operating envelope for the plurality of computing devices, the measured state corresponding to at least one of a current hydrocarbon production and a current economic parameter associated with the current hydrocarbon production;
based on the respective graph and respective parameters, generating a decision tree for the measured state; and
based on the decision tree, determining one or more adjustments associated with the measured state for modifying production of at least one of the current hydrocarbon production or improving the current economic parameter associated with the current hydrocarbon production to maintain an oilfield equilibrium;
based on the decision tree, identifying a root cause analysis or condition associated with the measured state from at least the first model and the second model from the plurality of models of the plurality of computing devices; and
after identifying the root cause analysis or condition from at least the first model and the second model from the plurality of models of the plurality of computing devices, modifying an operation of a first actuator to maintain the oilfield equilibrium.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more adjustments are associated with at least one of the one or more sensors, the one or more actuators, and the plurality of models.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the operation comprises activating the actuator or turning off the actuator.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a condition in at least one of the plurality of wells or wellbores; and
identifying the measured state based on the detected condition.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
determining a source of the condition.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
adjusting an operation of at least one of the one or more actuators and the plurality of computing devices based on at least one of the condition and the source of the condition.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more actuators comprise at least one of a choke, a downhole valve, an artificial lift device, a sleeve, an inflow-control device, a perforation, and a system for inducing flow.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
based on a cause of a condition associated with the measured state, modifying an operation of at least one of the one or more actuators, the one or more sensors, and the plurality of devices, the operation being with respect to one or more activities comprising at least one of infill drilling, planning sidetracks, injecting proppants or surfactants, perforations, and extracting hydrocarbons from the field.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sequestering and reinjecting at least one of gases and liquids produced at the field to adjust hydrocarbon production by altering a chemistry of a reservoir to increase a flow of hydrocarbons or increase a pressure of the reservoir.

10. A system comprising:
a field comprising a plurality of wells, each of the plurality of wells having a respective topology of computing devices respectively coupled with at least one of one or more sensors, and one or more actuators;
one or more processors; and
memory having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
generate a respective graph for the plurality of wells, each respective graph comprising a plurality of computing devices, wherein each of the plurality of computing devices is coupled with at least one of the one or more sensors and one or more actuators, wherein the graph illustrates the layout of said sensors or said actuators as well as the topology of the field;
collect respective parameters associated with the plurality of computing devices and at least one of the one or more sensors, the one or more actuators, and plurality of models, wherein the plurality of models includes a first model configured to receive and analyze data from a first computing device of the plurality of computing devices and a second model configured to receive and analyze data from each of the plurality of computing devices;
identify a measured state associated with the first computing device from the plurality of computing devices, a sensor from the one or more sensors, and an actuator from the one or more actuators, and at least the first model and the second model from the plurality of models, the first model including an operating envelope for the first computing device and the second model including an operating envelope for the plurality of computing devices, the measured state being associated with at least one of a current hydrocarbon production and a current economic parameter associated with the current hydrocarbon production;
based on the respective graph and respective parameters, generate a decision tree for the measured state;
determine one or more adjustments associated with the measured state for modifying production of at least one of the current hydrocarbon production or improving the current economic parameter associated with the current hydrocarbon production to maintain an oilfield equilibrium;
based on the results from the decision tree, detect a root cause analysis of a decrease in the current hydrocarbon production or the current economic parameter associated with the current hydrocarbon production from at least the first model and the second model from the plurality of models of the plurality of computing devices; and;
based on the root cause analysis of the decrease, modify an operation of at least one of the one or more actuators to maintain the oilfield equilibrium.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein modifying the operation comprises at least one of activating an actuator and turning off the actuator.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more adjustments comprise modifying at least one of the one or more sensors, the one or more actuators, and the plurality of models.

13. The system of claim 10 , further comprising the memory storing additional instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
based on the measured state, identify a condition in at least one of the plurality of wells.

14. The system of claim 13 , the memory storing additional instructions which, when e

Assignees

• Landmark Graphics Corp

Inventors

• Winston Joseph Blake
• Houchens Brent Charles
• Zhang Feifei
• Wesley Avinash
• Elsey Andrew Shane
• Nguyen Jonathan
• Rangarajan Keshava
• Germain Olivier

Classifications

• E21B43/12 Primary

  Methods or apparatus for controlling the flow of the obtained fluid to or in wells (E21B43/25 takes precedence; valve arrangements E21B34/00) · CPC title

• E21B43/30

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

• G05B13/00

  Adaptive control systems, i.e. systems automatically adjusting themselves to have a performance which is optimum according to some preassigned criterion (G05B19/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06Q10/06313

  Resource planning in a project environment · CPC title

• G06Q50/02

  Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining · CPC title