Dynamic Boundary Line Generation for Drilling Collision Avoidance

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Solution Overview

Problem

In wellbore drilling operations, existing technologies face challenges in accurately avoiding collisions with offset wells due to measurement errors and complex wellbore trajectories, leading to potential catastrophic consequences.

Innovation Solution

A computing device generates and outputs boundary lines in real-time to control the drilling operation, using data from offset wells and reference well values, incorporating algorithms for smoothing and tapering to adjust the wellbore trajectory and prevent collisions, while integrating with artificial intelligence and machine learning for smart decision-making.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If pre-drilling planning is used to avoid collisions, then collision risk is reduced, but the system becomes unreliable when drilling trajectories and downhole conditions change during operation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollision avoidance reliabilityVSAvoidadaptability to changing drilling conditions

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from static pre-drilling planning to dynamic real-time boundary line generation. Boundary lines are continuously updated during drilling operations based on current wellbore position, trajectory, and offset well data, allowing the collision avoidance system to adapt to changing drilling conditions while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates real-time feedback by continuously monitoring actual wellbore position and trajectory against generated boundary lines. This feedback loop allows the system to detect deviations and adjust boundary lines dynamically, ensuring reliable collision avoidance despite changes in drilling conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Adaptability or versatility

If boundary lines are generated automatically in real-time, then adaptability to changing conditions is improved, but measurement errors and uncertainties increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereal-time adaptation to drilling conditionsVSAvoidmeasurement accuracy of offset wells

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies beforehand cushioning by generating boundary lines with built-in safety margins that account for measurement errors and uncertainties. The boundary lines are designed to provide a buffer zone around the wellbore trajectory, compensating for potential measurement inaccuracies before collisions can occur.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Solution Approach 2:

The system handles measurement precision issues by dynamically adjusting boundary line parameters such as radius and shape based on measured wellbore position, trajectory data, and uncertainty estimates. This allows the system to adapt boundary lines to actual drilling conditions while accounting for measurement errors.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If complex algorithms for smoothing and tapering are applied, then boundary line accuracy is improved, but computational complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveboundary line accuracyVSAvoidcomputational complexity of boundary generation

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies segmentation by dividing the complex boundary generation process into discrete algorithmic steps: collecting wellbore and offset well data, calculating boundary line parameters, generating initial boundary lines, applying smoothing algorithms, and producing final boundary lines. This segmentation allows complex computations to be performed systematically and efficiently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating boundary line parameters and generating initial boundary lines before final smoothing and tapering operations. This preliminary computation allows the complex algorithms to work on pre-processed data, reducing overall computational complexity while maintaining accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11767714B2Boundary line generation for controlling drilling operations

Publication Date: 2023.09.26 LANDMARK GRAPHICS CORP

AI summary

A system can generate and output boundary lines for controlling a drilling operation. The system can receive data, including an offset well surveys, measuring instrument information, and a well casing diameter, about offset wells in a subterranean formation. The system can determine reference well values. The system can generate boundary lines for the offset wells based on the received data and the calculated reference well values. The system can adjust the boundary lines, and can output the adjusted boundary lines for controlling a drilling operation.