Extracting hydrocarbons from a subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir based on an artificial lift plan

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11859470-B2
Application number	US-201816012301-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2018
Priority date	Jun 19, 2018
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

Examples of techniques for extracting hydrocarbons from a subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir based on an artificial lift plan are disclosed. In one example implementation according to aspects of the present disclosure, a method includes performing, by a processing device, an evaluation of an artificial lift approach that can be operated at a well having a subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir, the evaluation being based at least in part on a static factor associated with operating the artificial lift approach in the well and a dynamic factor associated with operating the artificial lift approach at a operating condition. The method further includes generating, by the processing device, an artificial lift plan based at least in part on the evaluation. The method further includes extracting the hydrocarbons from the subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir based on the artificial lift plan by operating, at the well, the artificial lift approach.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
performing, by a processing device, an evaluation of a first artificial lift approach in a plurality of lift approaches that can be operated at a well having a subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir, the first artificial lift approach comprising a first artificial lift apparatus, the evaluation providing a first overall risk level that is based at least in part on a static factor associated with operating the first artificial lift approach in the well, a dynamic factor associated with operating the first artificial lift approach at an operating condition, and a lifetime-based factor that is a function of an operational time period for the first artificial lift approach;
generating, by the processing device, an artificial lift plan based at least in part on the first overall risk level and a second overall risk level, wherein the artificial lift plan defines at least (i) a first operational time period for the first artificial lift approach and (ii) a second operational time period for a second artificial lift approach in the plurality of lift approaches, the second overall risk level being associated with the second artificial lift approach, the second lift approach comprising a second artificial lift apparatus that is different from the first artificial lift apparatus;
generating an interface to be displayed on a display, the interface comprising a breakdown of risk factors that form the risk level at a point within a lift plan timeframe, wherein the risk factors comprise the dynamic factor, the static factor, and the lifetime-based factor that are associated with the point within the lift plan timeframe, wherein the interface further comprises an indication of an excluded artificial lift approach that is excluded for consideration from the artificial lift plan and a reason for being excluded, the excluded artificial lift approach comprising an excluded artificial lift apparatus different from the first and second artificial lift apparatuses; and
extracting hydrocarbons from the subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir based on the artificial lift plan by operating, at the well, the first artificial lift approach for the first operational time period to provide a first expected production volume of hydrocarbons at the first overall risk level and, subsequent to the first operational time period, operating the second artificial lift approach for the second operational time period to provide a second expected production volume of hydrocarbons at the second overall risk level; wherein the first expected production volume in the first operational time period is greater than an expected production volume that would be produced by the second artificial approach in the first operational time period.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating, by the processing device, a revised artificial lift plan based at least in part on a change to the dynamic factor while extracting the hydrocarbons from the subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the artificial lift plan increases a hydrocarbon recovery rate, increases a lifetime of the well, and increases a hydrocarbon recovery volume.

4. A method comprising:
performing, by a processing device, a first evaluation of a first artificial lift approach that can be operated at a well having a subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir, the first artificial lift approach comprising a first artificial lift apparatus, the first evaluation being based at least in part on a first static factor associated with operating the first artificial lift approach in the well, a first dynamic factor associated with operating the first artificial lift approach at a first operating condition, and a first lifetime-based factor that is a function of a first operating time for the first artificial lift approach;
performing, by the processing device, a second evaluation of a second artificial lift approach that can be operated at the well having the subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir, the second artificial lift approach comprising a second artificial lift apparatus different from the first artificial lift apparatus, the second evaluation being based at least in part on a second static factor associated with operating the second artificial lift approach in the well, a second dynamic factor associated with operating the second artificial lift approach at a second operating condition, and a second lifetime-based factor that is a function of a second operating time for the second artificial lift approach;
generating, by the processing device, an artificial lift plan based at least in part on the first evaluation, the second evaluation, and an overall risk level determined based at least in part on at least one of the first static factor, the second static factor, the first dynamic factor, the second dynamic factor, the first lifetime-based factor, or the second lifetime-based factor, wherein the artificial lift plan defines at least (i) a first operational time period for the first artificial lift approach and (ii) a second operational time period for the second artificial lift approach;
extracting hydrocarbons from the subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir based on the artificial lift plan by operating, at the well, the first artificial lift approach for the first operational time period to provide a first expected production volume of hydrocarbons at the overall risk level;
generating an interface to be displayed on a display, wherein the interface further comprises an indication of an excluded artificial lift approach that is excluded for consideration from the artificial lift plan and a reason for being excluded, the excluded artificial lift approach comprising an excluded artificial lift apparatus different from the first and second artificial lift apparatuses; and
subsequent to the first operational period, operating the second artificial lift approach for the second operational time period to provide a second expected production volume of hydrocarbons at the overall risk level; wherein the first expected production volume in the first operational time period is greater than an expected production volume that would be produced by the second artificial approach in the first operational time period.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising generating, by the processing device, a revised artificial lift plan based at least in part on a change to at least one of the first dynamic factor and the second dynamic factor while extracting the hydrocarbons from the subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the artificial lift plan increases a hydrocarbon recovery rate, increases a lifetime of the well, and increases a hydrocarbon recovery volume.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first artificial lift approach utilizes the first artificial lift apparatus selected from the group consisting of a gas lift system, an electric submersible pump (ESP) system, a progressing cavity pumping system, a rod lift system, and a plunger lift system.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first lifetime-based factor indicates a first expected lifetime of a first component of a first system implementing the first artificial lift approach and wherein the second lifetime-based factor indicates a second expected lifetime of a second component of a second system implementing the second artificial lift approach.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein generating the artificial lift plan is based at least in part on the expected production value determined based on the first static factor, the second static factor, the first dynamic factor, and the second dynamic factor.

10. A system comprising:
a memory comprising computer readable instructions; and

Assignees

• Van Dam Jeremy Daniel
• Baker Hughes Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Van Dam Jeremy Daniel

Classifications

• E21B41/0092 Primary

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• E21B43/121

  Lifting well fluids (monitoring of down-hole pump systems E21B47/008) · CPC title

• G06F30/20

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

• G06Q10/06

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• E21B2200/20

  Computer models or simulations, e.g. for reservoirs under production, drill bits · CPC title