Hydraulics Model with Uneven Node Spacing for Wellbore Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hydraulics models in well operations lack efficiency and accuracy in determining fluid pressures at downhole locations, leading to increased costs, unproductive time, and fluid losses or influxes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hydraulics model with uneven node spacing along the wellbore, where nodes are more densely spaced in critical sections like open holes or under-pressured zones, and less densely spaced in less critical areas, integrated with a programmable logic controller to control well equipment based on real-time pressure determinations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If uniform node spacing is used along the wellbore, then the model is simpler to implement, but pressure determination accuracy is reduced in critical sections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing non-uniform node spacing where nodes are densely spaced in critical wellbore sections (such as open hole sections, cased hole sections, and sections with under-pressured formations) and sparsely spaced in less critical sections. This allows the model to concentrate computational resources where they are most needed, improving pressure determination accuracy in critical areas without uniformly increasing model complexity throughout the entire wellbore.
2Measurement precision
If more nodes are used to improve pressure determination accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but computational time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By concentrating nodes only in critical sections rather than distributing them uniformly, the patent achieves high measurement precision where needed while minimizing the total number of nodes. This reduces computational time and resource requirements compared to a uniform high-density model, while still maintaining accuracy in the most important wellbore sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The wellbore is segmented into multiple sections (open hole, cased hole, completion, production) with different node densities assigned to each segment. This segmentation allows the model to optimize computational resources by applying high node density only to segments where pressure determination is most critical, rather than uniformly across the entire wellbore.
3Reliability
If detailed pressure monitoring is implemented, then operational control improves, but operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements detailed pressure monitoring selectively in critical wellbore sections by using non-uniform node spacing. This provides high-resolution pressure data where operational control is most needed (such as in open hole sections and areas with under-pressured formations) while reducing monitoring density in less critical sections, thereby improving operational reliability without proportionally increasing operational costs.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of utilizing a hydraulics model with a well operation can include the steps of inputting well parameters to the hydraulics model, assigning nodes to respective well locations, the hydraulics model being configured to determine corresponding pressures at the respective nodes, and unevenly spacing the nodes along a wellbore. A well equipment control system for use with a subterranean well can include a hydraulics model configured to determine pressures at respective nodes along a wellbore, the nodes being unevenly spaced along the wellbore, and an actuator configured to actuate well equipment at least in part based on the hydraulics model pressure determinations.