US 11,078,785 B1Granted

Real-time well drilling evaluation systems and methods

AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company

InventorsAnas Almarzooq, Charles Bradford, Mustafa Abdulmohsin

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Abstract

Provided are techniques for drilling hydrocarbon wells based on evaluation of penetrated formation rock that include obtaining historical drilling data for one or more wells, determining a rock type mapping based on the historical drilling data, obtaining current drilling data for a well, determining, based on the current drilling data, a current rock identification (or “ROCKID”), and determining, based on the rock type mapping and the current rock identification, a rock type encountered by a drill bit drilling the well, where drilling parameters can be adjusted based on the rock type.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A hydrocarbon well drilling system, comprising:

a well drilling system configured to drill a wellbore of a hydrocarbon well into a subsurface formation, the well drilling system comprising:
a drill string comprising:
a drill bit;
drill pipe;
and
drilling sensors configured to sense characteristics of a drilling operation conducted by the well drilling system;
a well control system configured to perform the following operations:
obtaining, by way of the drilling sensors, drilling data that is indicative of characteristics of the drilling operation, the drilling data comprising:
rate of penetration data that is indicative of rate of penetration of the drill bit into the subsurface formation;
weight on bit data that is indicative of weight acting on the drill bit;
rotation data that is indicative of rotational speed of the drill pipe;
torque data that is indicative of a torque acting on the drill pipe;
fluid circulation data that is indicative of rate of drilling fluid circulation;
surface gas data that is indicative of concentrations of one or more surface gases produced;
determining, based on the drilling data, the following drilling characteristics for a given point in time:
an observed rate of penetration of the drill bit at the given point in time (ROPi) determined based on the rate of penetration data,
a product of observed concentrations of one or more surface gases produced at the given point in time (Cprodi) determined based on the surface gas data;
a sum of observed concentrations of one or more surface gases produced at the given point in time (Csumi) determined based on the surface gas data;
an observed weight acting on the drill bit at the given point in time (WOBi determined based on the weight on bit data;
an observed torque acting on the drill pipe at the given point in time (Ti) is determined based on the torque data;
an observed rotational speed of the drill pipe at the given point in time (RPMi) determined based on the rotation data;
and
an observed rate of drilling fluid circulation at the given point in time (FLWPMPSi) determined based on the fluid circulation data;
applying the drilling data to the following rock identification relationship to determine a rock identification value (ROCKIDi) that is indicative of a type of rock engaged by the drill bit at the given point in time:
ROCKID
i
=
B
*
(
log
1
⁢
0
⁡
(
ROP
i
ROPB
i
)
)
*
C
prod
i
(
C
sum
i
*
A
)
*
WOB
i
*
T
i
*
R
⁢
P
⁢
M
i
*
FLWPMP
⁢
S
i
D
⁢
C
⁢
F
where:
ROPBi is a base rate of penetration of the drill bit,
DCF is a drilling calibration factor, and
A and B are calibration constants associated with the subsurface formation;
determining, based on the ROCKIDi, a type of rock engaged by the drill bit at the given point in time;
determining, based on the type of rock determined, a drilling operation parameter;
and
conducting a drilling operation in accordance with the drilling operation parameter.

81 more elements

A method of drilling a hydrocarbon well, the method comprising:

obtaining, by way of the drilling sensors, drilling data that is indicative of characteristics of drilling a wellbore of a hydrocarbon well into a subsurface formation by way of a drilling system that includes a drill string that comprises a drill bit, drill pipe and
the drilling sensors, the drilling data comprising:
rate of penetration data that is indicative of rate of penetration of the drill bit into the subsurface formation;
weight on bit data that is indicative of weight acting on the drill bit;
rotation data that is indicative of rotational speed of the drill pipe;
torque data that is indicative of a torque acting on the drill pipe;
fluid circulation data that is indicative of rate of drilling fluid circulation;
surface gas data that is indicative of concentrations of one or more surface gases produced;
determining, based on the drilling data, the following drilling characteristics for a given point in time:
an observed rate of penetration of the drill bit at the given point in time (ROPi) determined based on the rate of penetration data;
a product of observed concentrations of one or more surface gases produced at the given point in time (Cprodi) determined based on the surface gas data;
a sum of observed concentrations of one or more surface gases produced at the given point in time (Csumi) determined based on the surface gas data;
an observed weight acting on the drill bit at the given point in time (WOBi) determined based on the weight on bit data;
an observed torque acting on the drill pipe at the given point in time (Ti) is determined based on the torque data;
an observed rotational speed of the drill pipe at the given point in time (RPMi) determined based on the rotation data;
and
an observed rate of drilling fluid circulation at the given point in time (FLWPMPSi) determined based on the fluid circulation data;
applying the drilling data to the following rock identification relationship to determine a rock identification value (ROCKIDi) that is indicative of a type of rock engaged by the drill bit at the given point in time:
ROCKID
i
=
B
*
(
log
1
⁢
0
⁡
(
ROP
i
ROPB
i
)
)
*
C
prod
i
(
C
sum
i
*
A
)
*
WOB
i
*
T
i
*
R
⁢
P
⁢
M
i
*
FLWPMP
⁢
S
i
D
⁢
C
⁢
F
where:
ROPBi is a base rate of penetration of the drill bit,
DCF is a drilling calibration factor, and
A and B are calibration constants associated with the subsurface formation;
determining, based on the ROCKIDi, a type of rock engaged by the drill bit at the given point in time;
determining, based on the type of rock determined, a drilling operation parameter;
and
conducting a drilling operation in accordance with the drilling operation parameter.

75 more elements

Non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions stored thereon that are executable by a computer processer to perform the following operations for drilling a hydrocarbon well:

obtaining, by way of drilling sensors, drilling data that is indicative of characteristics of drilling a wellbore of a hydrocarbon well into a subsurface formation by way of a drilling system that includes a drill string that comprises a drill bit, drill pipe and
the drilling sensors, the drilling data comprising:
rate of penetration data that is indicative of rate of penetration of the drill bit into the subsurface formation;
weight on bit data that is indicative of weight acting on the drill bit;
rotation data that is indicative of rotational speed of the drill pipe;
torque data that is indicative of a torque acting on the drill pipe;
fluid circulation data that is indicative of rate of drilling fluid circulation;
surface gas data that is indicative of concentrations of one or more surface gases produced;
determining, based on the drilling data, the following drilling characteristics for a given point in time:
an observed rate of penetration of the drill bit at the given point in time (ROPi) determined based on the rate of penetration data,
a product of observed concentrations of one or more surface gases produced at the given point in time (Cprodi) determined based on the surface gas data;
a sum of observed concentrations of one or more surface gases produced at the given point in time (Csumi) determined based on the surface gas data;
an observed weight acting on the drill bit at the given point in time (WOBi) determined based on the weight on bit data;
an observed torque acting on the drill pipe at the given point in time (Ti) is determined based on the torque data;
an observed rotational speed of the drill pipe at the given point in time (RPMi) determined based on the rotation data;
and
an observed rate of drilling fluid circulation at the given point in time (FLWPMPSi) determined based on the fluid circulation data;
applying the drilling data to the following rock identification relationship to determine a rock identification value (ROCKIDi) that is indicative of a type of rock engaged by the drill bit at the given point in time:
ROCKID
i
=
B
*
(
log
1
⁢
0
⁡
(
ROP
i
ROPB
i
)
)
*
C
prod
i
(
C
sum
i
*
A
)
*
WOB
i
*
T
i
*
R
⁢
P
⁢
M
i
*
FLWPMP
⁢
S
i
D
⁢
C
⁢
F
where:
ROPBi is a base rate of penetration of the drill bit,
DCF is a drilling calibration factor, and
A and B are calibration constants associated with the subsurface formation;
determining, based on the ROCKIDi, a type of rock engaged by the drill bit at the given point in time;
determining, based on the type of rock determined, a drilling operation parameter;
and
conducting a drilling operation in accordance with the drilling operation parameter.

75 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/903,462Filed 17 Jun 2020
Granted: 3 Aug 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

E21B 49/003
Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to…:…
E21B 44/00
Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which
E21B 45/00
Measuring the drilling time or rate of penetration
E21B 49/02
Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to…:…

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