Well Tool Passage Modeling via 3D Geometry Simulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The inexact nature of wellbore formation and completion can block or hinder the passage of tools through wells, making it difficult for operators to predict interactions between well tools and well geometries, leading to challenges in tool string component selection, well design, and operational feasibility in drilling and production operations.
Innovation Solution
A distributed computing system with a modeling system that includes a 3D geometric model, a mathematical model, and an adaptive machine learning model to simulate the passage of well tools through the well, predicting interactions and required forces based on tool and well geometries, fluid characteristics, and historical data to optimize tool string configuration and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional wellbore formation and completion methods are used, then wells can be formed with dimensions to allow passage of tools, but the inexact nature of wellbore formation may block or hinder tool passage
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary modeling and simulation of tool passage through the wellbore before actual deployment. By creating virtual models of the wellbore geometry and tool string, operators can predict potential blockages and optimize the tool string configuration in advance, preventing passage issues before they occur in the actual well.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy or digital twin of the wellbore geometry based on measured data. This 3D model replicates the actual wellbore shape, including irregularities and deviations, allowing operators to simulate tool passage and predict interactions without physical trial-and-error, thereby compensating for wellbore dimensional imprecision.
2Measurement precision
If detailed geometric modeling is performed to predict tool-well interactions, then passage prediction accuracy improves, but computational complexity and data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wellbore is divided into multiple discrete segments or zones along its length, with each segment characterized by specific geometric parameters. This segmentation allows the complex continuous geometry to be processed in manageable discrete units, improving computational efficiency while maintaining sufficient accuracy for passage prediction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms complex geometric data into simplified parametric representations. By converting detailed wellbore geometry into key parameters (such as diameter variations, curvature, and significant geometric features), the system maintains prediction accuracy while reducing computational complexity and enabling faster simulations.
Data Source
AI summary
In modeling passage of an elongate well tool through a well, a computing system receives inputs representing a plurality of geometric characteristics of the well tool including three dimensional surface data characterizing the shape of outwardly facing, lateral surfaces of the well tool. The computing system also receives inputs representing a plurality of geometric characteristics of the well. The computing system determines a prediction of the force to pass the well tool through at least a portion of the well based on a comparison of the three dimensional surface data of the well tool and the plurality of geometric characteristics of the well.