Using data created from the Basic Well Planner, the Extended Well Planning module adds extra steps to the workflow for planning side track wells, computing path uncertainty and anti-collision calculations.
The Extended Well Planning module provides the following functionalities:
- Visual Display to show reservoir areas reachable from a specified sidetrack starting point.
- Calculation and display of sidetrack drilling footage and relative cost based upon a Sidetrack Cost Model.
The Extended Well Planning module can calculate and display uncertainty in the well path position therefore identifying areas of potential intersection with another well path. Well path uncertainty arises from the positional error along a well path introduced by the accuracy of measuring tools. Surveying instruments (borehole surveys) placed down hole measure the azimuth, inclination and measured (along hole) depth. The measurements determine how a well path is calculated. Errors in the measurements cause a corresponding error in well path position, an error that accumulates with measured depth. A number of surveying tools can be used, all of which have their own characteristic strengths and weaknesses. When planning a well or platform in Drilling Planner, users specify the type of surveying tool. Based on errors specific to that tool, Drilling Planner computes potential positional error along the well path. A user can then display the results as an uncertainty tube along the well path.
The Extended Well Planning module can perform a collision risk calculation that is related to uncertainty in the well path position. This calculation gives the ability to predict the distance between uncertainty tubes for planned wells (or, the safest minimum distance that should be allowed between well paths.) The tool can compute the distance between the well paths and show areas where a collision risk exists.
Sidetrack Design:
Sidetracks are interactively generated and evaluated using multiple sidetrack options to drill to a selected target. The user selects a target and a starting point on an existing well to generate and display the sidetrack trajectory in 3D. In the background, the sidetrack cost is calculated, based on a cost model involving casing size, milling costs, deployment costs, drilling footage, and well path complexity. Moving the sidetrack point up and down the well path or to another well updates the sidetrack trajectory and cost for the current depth and casing size. 3D visualization and integration with other data immediately show sidetrack proximity to geologic features and to other wells, helping to optimize sidetrack placement within the reservoir.
Features such as Uncertainty Cones, Anti-Collision, and Target Editing, have also been implemented for sidetracks. Sidetracks inherit path uncertainty from their parent well down to the sidetrack kickoff depth, and then display cumulative uncertainty appropriate to the new sidetrack path. Anti-Collision displays are generated for sidetracks as well as for editable wells and take into account all sidetracks, editable wells, and existing wells in the model. Target editing (Quick Edit Add, Delete, Move) causes the sidetrack path and Anti-Collision displays to be properly updated.
Sidetrack Cost Model
Using the model built into this software, the total cost of drilling the sidetrack will be the drilling cost plus the milling cost and the user will see the cost impact as he creates the sidetrack from differing depths. With this in mind, the following elements have been built into the cost model.
- Cost per Foot (C): This is the basic cost per foot to drill and complete the well.
- Inclination: This is a value added to C above as the inclination increases.
- Dogleg Severity: This is a value added to C above as the dogleg severity increases.
- Cost per foot to the milling point. This is the trip time cost to deploy and recover the equipment.
- The basic cost of the milling equipment
- The milling cost which will relate to the size of the casing.
Design and cost field concept for unlimited number of wells using an unlimited number of platforms.
- Monte-carlo style field optimising determining the optimal number of platforms and their locations and the optimal number of wells to be drilled from each platform.
- Continuous display of field design, field, platform and well costs, and individual well parameters.
- Alerts displayed if well parameters exceed user defined tolerances.
- Include existing platform and well information for field development purposes.
- Fully configurable cost model accounting for inclined, dogleg and straight well sections and allowing for multiple platform installation types.
- Platform slot geometry and top hole design parameters may be independently set for each platform.
- Simple to operate user manipulation of platform positions, platform to well assignments and slot to well allocations.
- Multiple targets for each well allowing control over well path design.
- Visual interactive 2D field views and 3D sub-platform views.
- Compatible with Microsoft Excel for input and output of data and output of results.
- 2D and 3D graphical output compatible with word processing and DTP packages for the production of reports and presentations.
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