Modeling operation of a tool in a wellbore

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9347288-B2
Application number	US-201213676874-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2012
Priority date	Nov 15, 2011
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

In modeling operation of a well tool in applying a force to a device in a well, a computing system receives inputs representing a plurality of geometric characteristics of the well tool. The computing system also receives inputs representing a plurality of geometric characteristics of the well. The computing system determines based on the geometric characteristics of the well tool and the well, a predicted reaction force on a portion of the well tool that affects operation of the well tool in applying force to the device. The predicted reaction force is due to contact between a surface associated with the well tool and a surface of the well.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for modeling operation of a well tool in a well, the method comprising:
receiving, with a computing system, inputs representing a plurality of geometric characteristics of the well tool, the well tool operable to apply a force on a downhole well device by moving through the well relative to the device;
receiving, with the computing system, inputs representing a plurality of geometric characteristics of the well;
determining, with the computing system, based on the geometric characteristics of the well tool and the well, a predicted reaction force on a portion of the well tool that affects an operation of the well tool in applying the force to the downhole device, the predicted reaction force generated at a contact between a surface associated with the well tool and a surface of the well as the tool moves through the well while applying the force to the downhole device; and
comparing the predicted reaction force to a failure force of the well tool to determine a success of the well tool at moving through the well while applying the force to the downhole device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, with the computing system, a net predicted force that can be applied by the well tool to the device in the well based on the predicted reaction force.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , where the plurality of geometric characteristics of the well tool comprise three dimensional surface data characterizing the shape of outwardly facing, lateral surfaces of the well tool;
where the plurality of geometric characteristics of the well comprise three dimensional surface data characterizing the shape of inwardly facing, lateral surfaces of the well that will be in or near contact with the well tool during its operation; and
where determining, with the computing system, based on the geometric characteristics of the well tool and the well, a predicted reaction force on a portion of the well tool comprises determining, with the computing system, based on the three dimensional surface data of the well tool and the well, a predicted reaction force on a portion of the well tool.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , where the surface associated with the well tool comprises a surface of one or more of a line supporting the well tool in the well.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , where the well tool comprises a jarring tool for applying an impact force to the device and the predicted reaction force has a component in a direction opposing the impact force.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , where the well tool further comprises a pulling tool directly connecting the jarring tool to the device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, with the computing system, inputs representing a plurality of geometric characteristics of a well string including the well tool; and
determining, with the computing system, based on the geometric characteristics of the well string, the well tool and the well, a predicted reaction force on a portion of the well tool due to contact between a surface of the well string and a surface of the well that affects operation of the well tool in applying force to the device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, with the computing system, inputs representing a plurality of geometric characteristics of a second well tool in the well string that operates in applying the force to the device in the well; and
determining, with the computing system, based on the geometric characteristics of the well string, the well tool, the second well tool and the well, a second predicted reaction force on a portion of the second well tool due to contact between a surface associated with the second well tool and a surface of the well that affects the operation of the second well tool in applying force to the device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising determining, with the computing system, a net predicted total force that can be applied by the well tool and the second well to the device in the well based on the predicted reaction force and second predicted reaction force.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , where the well tool comprises a detent jarring tool for applying an impact force to the device and the second well tool comprises a spang jarring tool for applying an impact force to the device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , where the computing system comprises an adapted machine learning model calibrated using historical data of other well tools, other wells and predicted reaction forces associated with the other well tools and other wells; and
where determining a predicted reaction force comprises matching, with the adaptive machine learning model, the historical data with at least a portion of the inputs representing a plurality of geometric characteristics of the well tool and the inputs representing a plurality of geometric characteristics of the well.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , where determining a predicted reaction force further comprises matching, with the adaptive machine learning model, the historical data with inputs representing other characteristics of the well tool and well.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , where the predicted reaction force is generated as the tool moves in an uphole direction through the well while applying an uphole oriented force to the device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , where the predicted reaction force is generated as the tool moves axially through the well in a telescoping arrangement with a portion of a downhole tool string.

15. An apparatus comprising instructions embodied on a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media, the instructions operable when executed to cause a computing system to perform operations comprising:
receiving, with a computing system, inputs representing a plurality of geometric characteristics of a well tool, the well tool operable to apply a force on a downhole well device by moving through the well relative to the device;
receiving, with the computing system, inputs representing a plurality of geometric characteristics of the well;
determining, with the computing system, based on the geometric characteristics of the well tool and the well, a predicted reaction force on a portion of the well tool that affects an operation of the well tool in applying the force to the device, the predicted reaction force generated at a contact between a surface associated with the well tool and a surface of the well as the tool moves through the well while applying the force to the downhole device; and
comparing the predicted reaction force to a failure force of the well tool to determine a success of the well tool at passing moving through the well while applying the force to the downhole device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , where the operations further comprise determining, with the computing system, a net predicted force that can be applied by the well tool to the device in the well based on the predicted reaction force.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 where the plurality of geometric characteristics of the well tool comprise three dimensional surface data characterizing the shape of outwardly facing, lateral surfaces of the well tool;
where the plurality of geometric characteristics of the well comprise three dimensional surface data characterizing the shape of inwardly facing, lateral surf

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Clemens Jack Gammill
• Larimore David Russ
• Rubin Heru
• Tran Dominic Anh
• Wood Josiah
• Fox Philip Edmund
• Kennedy Ronnie
• Gary Ben

Classifications

• G06F30/20

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

• G06F2111/10

  Numerical modelling · CPC title

• E21B31/107 Primary

  using impact means for releasing stuck parts, e.g. jars · CPC title

• E21B44/00 Primary

  Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions · CPC title

• G06F17/10

  Complex mathematical operations {(function generation by table look-up G06F1/03; evaluation of elementary functions by calculation G06F7/544)} · CPC title