Well Completion Design Using Mechanical Specific Energy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current well completion designs often assume homogeneous and isotropic rock conditions, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs, as they do not accurately account for geomechanical properties, which are crucial for optimal well performance, especially in horizontal wells.
Innovation Solution
The method involves determining well completion parameters using mechanical specific energy (MSE) values, which correlate with rock strength, to create a geomechanical model that identifies zones of comparable rock strength for optimal perforation cluster placement and fracking operations, thereby enhancing well production without significant delays or cost increments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If well completion design is based on geomechanical properties of rock, then well production efficacy is improved, but time consumption and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by determining geomechanical properties during the drilling phase using MSE calculations from drilling data, so that completion design can be optimized in advance without delaying the completion phase. This allows well production efficacy to be improved through geomechanically-based design while avoiding time losses by having the information ready before completion operations begin.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses mechanical specific energy (MSE) as an intermediary parameter that can be calculated from readily available drilling data to infer geomechanical properties. This intermediary approach allows estimation of rock strength and geomechanical characteristics without requiring time-consuming direct measurements or complex testing, thus improving efficacy while minimizing time consumption.
2Reliability
If well completion design is based on geomechanical properties of rock, then well production efficacy is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by using drilling data that is already collected during the drilling operation to calculate MSE and determine geomechanical properties. This eliminates the need for separate, expensive testing or measurement operations, allowing improved well production efficacy to be achieved without additional completion costs since the information is derived from data the drilling operation already generates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes complex and expensive direct geomechanical testing with a computational approach using MSE calculations from drilling data. This mechanical-to-computational substitution reduces completion costs while maintaining the ability to determine accurate geomechanical properties for optimized completion design.
3Loss of time
If drilling data is used directly for MSE calculation, then processing time is reduced, but data accuracy deteriorates due to distortions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by identifying and correcting distortions in drilling data before using it for MSE calculations. By preprocessing the data to remove known sources of error and distortion, the system maintains high data accuracy while minimizing processing time, as the corrections are applied systematically rather than requiring iterative refinement.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for determining parameter/s of a well completion design (WCD) for at least a portion of a drilled well based on drilling data corresponding to variables of mechanical specific energy (MSE) are provided. In some cases, MSE values may be acquired and the WCD parameter/s may be based on the MSE values. The MSE values may be obtained from a provider or may be acquired by calculating the MSE values via the drilling data. In some cases, the data may be amended prior to determining the WCD parameter/s to substantially neutralize distortions of the data. In some cases, the methods may include creating a geomechanical model of the drilled well from acquired MSE values, optionally amending the geomechanical model and determining the WCD parameter/s from the geomechanical model. Storage mediums having program instructions which are executable by a processor for performing any steps of the methods are also provided.