Multi-Tubing Well Simulator Thermal Stress Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern well planning and well completion design for multi-tubing configurations are complex due to the need for accurate consideration of various well orientations, stress responses, and thermal effects, which existing analysis techniques often fail to accurately predict, leading to critical flaws in well design.
Innovation Solution
A well operation simulator that predicts temperature and pressure profiles for multi-tubing completion wells by combining production, drilling, and tubular casing modules to determine design limits, accounting for complex thermal and stress interactions between multiple tubings and the shared annular fluid, using graphical user interfaces to input parameters and generate design limit envelope plots and safety factors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing analysis techniques are used for multi-tubing completion design, then the design process is simpler, but the prediction accuracy of temperature and pressure profiles is insufficient leading to critical flaws
Solution Approach 1:
The analysis technique is segmented into multiple specialized modules: a production module for simulating production operations, a drilling module for simulating drilling operations, a tubular casing module for determining design limits, and a multi-string module for calculating annular fluid expansion and pressure buildup. Each module handles specific aspects of the complex thermal and stress analysis, allowing comprehensive prediction accuracy while managing computational complexity through functional decomposition.
2Reliability
If complex thermal and stress interactions are accurately modeled, then design limits and safety factors are improved, but the analysis becomes more complex and computationally intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple analysis functions into an integrated simulation system that combines production simulation, drilling simulation, tubular design limit determination, and multi-string thermal-stress analysis. The system integrates temperature profile prediction, pressure profile prediction, stress state prediction, and design limit determination into a unified workflow that accounts for complex thermal and stress interactions between multiple tubings and shared annular fluid, thereby improving reliability through comprehensive modeling while managing complexity through systematic integration.
3Measurement precision
If multiple tubings with different operations are simulated, then well performance prediction is more accurate, but the computational resources and time required increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary simulation of production and drilling operations to generate temperature and pressure profiles before conducting the main thermal-stress analysis. By pre-calculating the thermal and pressure conditions that each tubing imposes on the shared annular fluid, the system prepares input data for the subsequent stress state prediction and design limit determination, thereby reducing the computational burden during the final analysis phase while maintaining comprehensive accuracy for multiple tubings with different operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The simulator enables accurate prediction of temperature and pressure profiles, allowing for the design of multi-tubing wells that account for their life cycle, improving the accuracy of design limits and safety factors, thus enhancing well performance and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
predicts temperature and pressure profiles for multi-tubing completion wells by combining production, drilling, and tubular casing modules to determine design limits, accounting for complex thermal and stress interactions between multiple tubings and the shared annular fluid
Implementation Method 2
A trapped annular pressure buildup property and a trapped annular fluid expansion property are determined for each annulus in a plurality of annuli located between an inner string and one or more outer casings of the well based on the temperature and pressure profiles
Implementation Method 3
A stress simulation is performed based on the production temperature and pressure profiles of the multiple tubings to predict stress state of the well
Implementation Method 4
A trapped annular fluid expansion property is determined for each annulus in a plurality of annuli located between an inner string and one or more outer casings of the well based on the temperature and pressure profiles
Data Source
AI summary
A well operation simulator predicts temperature and pressure profiles of a multi-tubing completion well for well design. The simulator is comprised of modules, which when executed, determine a first set of design limits based on stress conditions arising from the temperature and pressure profiles from a multi-tubing drilling module and a multi -tubing production module for drilling and production operations. A multi-tubing multi-string module predicts the annular fluid expansion (AFE) and annular pressure buildup (APB) of the multi-tubing well from the previously calculated temperature profile, pressure profile, and stress conditions and determines a second set of design limits with the AFE/APB effects in addition to the temperature profile and pressure profile predicted from multi-tubing drilling module and multi-tubing production module. The first and second sets of design limits are depicted using one or