Attribute-Based Analog Well Matching for Faster Planning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current offset well analysis is subject to human biases and limited by considering only geographically proximate wells, leading to inaccurate and time-consuming manual processes that hinder efficient well planning.
Innovation Solution
An analog well-finder tool that automatically identifies analog wells by analyzing large datasets, categorizing attributes into zones, and comparing well profiles to a library, enabling faster and more accurate well planning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual offset well analysis is implemented by humans, then human expertise and experience can be applied, but the process is subject to human biases, subjectivity, and different skill levels leading to lower accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical analysis process performed by human drilling engineers with an automated computer-based system. The processor automatically retrieves well data, compares attributes, and identifies analog wells without human intervention in the core analysis steps, thereby eliminating human biases and subjectivity while improving measurement precision through consistent algorithmic evaluation
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the computer to autonomously perform the entire analog well identification process. The processor automatically queries well databases, retrieves relevant data, compares well attributes using predefined criteria, and generates results without requiring continuous human oversight or manual analysis, making the process both automated and consistently accurate
2Loss of information
If manual offset well analysis is performed, then only geographically proximate wells are considered, but this limits the scope of data analysis and ignores potentially valuable information from remote wells
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system provides universal analysis capability by evaluating wells based on multiple attribute dimensions rather than relying solely on geographic proximity. The processor can analyze any well in the database by comparing relevant attributes such as formation characteristics, well depth, and operational parameters, making the analysis scope universally applicable across geographic boundaries while maintaining systematic complexity management through attribute-based filtering
3Productivity
If manual offset well analysis is conducted, then the process is time-consuming and inefficient, but automated systems may lack nuanced judgment
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves both high productivity and measurement precision by changing the parameters of analysis from geographic-based to attribute-based comparisons. The processor evaluates multiple well attributes simultaneously (formation type, depth, operational characteristics) using automated algorithms that maintain nuanced judgment through configurable comparison criteria while dramatically increasing processing speed and throughput
Data Source
AI summary
A method for planning a subject well includes receiving a well profile for the subject well, the well profile comprising a plurality of sets of attributes, each corresponding to one of a plurality of depths of the subject well; categorizing each of the sets of attributes as being in a first zone or in a second zone to generate a pivoted well profile, where the pivoted well profile includes a number of the sets of attributes in the first zone and a number of the sets of attributes in the second zone; comparing the pivoted well profile of the subject well to a library of well profiles; identifying, based on the comparison, an analog well from the library, where a difference between the analog well profile and the pivoted well profile is less than a threshold; and providing an indication of the identified analog well.