Determining well integrity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9494710-B2
Application number	US-201114111729-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2011
Priority date	Apr 19, 2011
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

A method performed with a computing system for determining well integrity includes receiving a selection of a well configuration of a well, and receiving a selection of a wellbore operation performed with the well configuration. The selected well configuration includes one or more casing strings and a production tubing extending from adjacent a wellhead of the well to adjacent a bottom of the well. In some examples, the method further includes determining, based on the well configuration and the wellbore operation, a characteristic of the well at or adjacent the one or more casing strings and the production tubing during the wellbore operation, and modifying the well configuration to remove the production tubing. In some examples, the method still further includes determining, based on the modified well configuration and the wellbore operation, the characteristic of the well at or adjacent the one or more casing strings during the wellbore operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method performed with a computing system for determining well integrity, the method comprising:
receiving, based on user interaction with a graphical user interface (GUI), a selection of a well configuration of a well, the selection comprising of one or more casing strings and a production tubing extending from adjacent a wellhead of the well to adjacent a bottom of the well;
receiving, based on user interaction with the GUI, a selection of a wellbore operation performed with the well configuration;
determining, based on the well configuration and the wellbore operation, a characteristic of the well at or adjacent the one or more casing strings and the production tubing during the wellbore operation, and displaying the characteristic on the GUI;
modifying the user-selected well configuration to remove the production tubing; and
determining, based on the modified well configuration and the wellbore operation, the characteristic of the well at or adjacent the one or more casing strings during the wellbore operation, and displaying the characteristic on the GUI.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic comprises at least one of:
a temperature of a fluid within an annulus defined between two casing strings;
a temperature of a casing string in the one or more casing strings in the wellbore;
a pressure of the fluid in the annulus;
a thermal property of the well configuration; and
a displacement force acting on a casing string in the one or more casing strings in the wellbore.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
comparing the displacement force with a predetermined static force acting on the casing string; and
providing, based on the comparison, an indication that well integrity of the well is compromised.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the static force comprises a lock ring rating value, the method further comprising:
providing, based on the comparison, an indication of a lift-off event of the casing string; and
providing an indication that the displacement force exceeds the lock ring rating value.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
comparing the pressure of the fluid in the annulus with a predetermined range of pressure values; and
providing, based on the comparison, an indication that well integrity of the well is compromised.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the predetermined range of pressure values comprise a maximum burst pressure value and a maximum collapse pressure value, the method further comprising:
providing an indication of one of a casing burst or casing collapse event; and
providing a graphical indication that the pressure of the fluid in the annulus exceeds one of the maximum burst pressure value or the maximum collapse pressure value.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising providing at least one of:
a maximum burst pressure value of one casing string in between two annuli;
a maximum collapse pressure value of the one casing string in between the two annuli; and
a value of an annular fluid expansion in one of the two annuli.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
performing a stress analysis on at least one of a casing string or the production tubing of the well configuration exposed to a thermal event; and
determining a temperature deration of the casing string or the production tubing based on the stress analysis.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore operation comprises a production operation of a hydrocarbon from a subterranean zone through the wellbore, the method further comprising at least one of:
receiving an identification of the hydrocarbon;
receiving a value of a rate of production of the hydrocarbon through the wellbore; and
receiving an identification of a thermal-flow calculation mode, a steady state condition of the production operation, and a transient condition of the production operation.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving a value of a hydrostatic pressure of the hydrocarbon at or near the subterranean zone; and
receiving a value of a temperature of the hydrocarbon at or near the subterranean zone.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore operation comprises an operation for displacing a volume of drilling mud in the annulus with a volume of seawater, and wherein receiving a selection of a wellbore operation performed with the well configuration comprises:
receiving a value of a flowrate of the seawater into the annulus;
receiving a value of a temperature of the seawater; and
receiving an identification of a thermal-flow calculation mode, a steady state condition of the displacement operation, and a transient condition of the displacement operation.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the production casing is not cemented in the wellbore; and
determining, based on the well configuration, the wellbore operation and the determination that the production casing is not cemented in the wellbore, the characteristic of the well at or adjacent the one or more casing strings and the production tubing during the wellbore operation.

13. An apparatus comprising a non-transitory and tangible computer readable media, the media comprising instructions operable when executed to cause one or more computing systems to perform operations comprising:
receiving, based on user interaction with a graphical user interface (GUI), a selection of a well configuration of a well, the selection comprising of one or more casing strings and a production tubing extending from adjacent a wellhead of the well to adjacent a bottom of the well;
receiving, based on user interaction with the GUI, a selection of a wellbore operation performed with the well configuration;
determining, based on the well configuration and the wellbore operation, a characteristic of the well at or adjacent the one or more casing strings and the production tubing during the wellbore operation, and displaying the characteristic on the GUI;
modifying the user-selected well configuration to remove the production tubing; and
determining, based on the modified well configuration and the wellbore operation, the characteristic of the well at or adjacent the one or more casing strings during the wellbore operation, and displaying the characteristic on the GUI.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the characteristic comprises at least one of:
a temperature of a fluid within an annulus defined between two casing strings;
a temperature of a casing string in the one or more casing strings in the wellbore;
a pressure of the fluid in the annulus;
a thermal property of the well configuration; and
a displacement force acting on a casing string in the one or more casing strings in the wellbore.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise:
comparing the displacement force with a predetermined static force acting on the casing string; and
providing, based on the comparison, an indication that well integrity of the well is compromised.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the static force comprises a lock ring rating value, and wherein the operations further comprise:
providing, based on the comparison, an indication of a lift-off event of the casing string; and
providing an indication that the displacement force exceeds the lock ring rating value.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise:
comparing the pressure of the fluid in the annulus with a predetermined range of pressure values; and
providing, based on the comparison, an indica

Assignees

• Gonzales Adolfo
• Mitchell Robert
• Landmark Graphics Corp

Inventors

• Gonzales Adolfo
• Mitchell Robert

Classifications

• G01V99/005 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• E21B47/00 Primary

  Survey of boreholes or wells (monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08) · CPC title

• E21B2200/20

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

• G01V20/00 Primary

  Geomodelling in general · CPC title