Wellbore Production Rate Control Using Stress and Pore Pressure for Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maintaining wellbore stability during production operations is challenging due to various factors affecting the ability of a wellbore to maintain its shape and size, leading to potential collapse, fracturing, or caving, which can cause significant operational and economic losses.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that utilizes in-situ stress data, pore pressure data, and formation property data to determine optimal production rates for a wellbore, ensuring stability by controlling the production rate through wellhead equipment, using shear failure criteria and poroelastic equations to identify critical zones and adjust production rates accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If production rate is increased to maximize oil or gas supply, then productivity improves, but wellbore stability deteriorates leading to potential collapse or fracturing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of shear failure potential and determines safe production rates before actual production begins. By pre-assessing wellbore stability conditions using in-situ stress data and formation properties, the system establishes maximum safe production rates that prevent wellbore collapse or fracturing while maximizing oil or gas supply capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors wellbore stability conditions and adjusts production rates based on calculated shear failure potential. By providing feedback on stability status and updating production rate recommendations in real-time, the system maintains wellbore stability while optimizing productivity throughout the production operation
2Reliability
If production rate is controlled to maintain wellbore stability, then wellbore stability is maintained, but productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of production rate to match the calculated maximum safe rate determined by wellbore stability conditions. By dynamically adjusting this parameter based on real-time stability assessment, the system achieves optimal productivity while maintaining wellbore stability, avoiding both overproduction-induced collapse and underproduction
Data Source
AI summary
Example computer-implemented methods and systems for maintaining wellbore stability during production are disclosed. One example computer-implemented method includes obtaining in-situ stress data, pore pressure data, and formation property data associated with a wellbore. One or more production rates for the wellbore are determined based on the obtained in-situ stress data, pore pressure data, and formation property data, where the wellbore maintains stability when performing a respective production operation at each of the one or more production rates. The determined one or more production rates are provided to control a production rate of the wellbore at a well head of the wellbore, where the production rate of the wellbore at the well head of the wellbore is within a range determined by the one or more production rates.