Wellbore Steering via In Situ Stress Field Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current wellbore drilling techniques lack the ability to optimally orient wells relative to in situ stress fields, leading to reduced efficiency and increased costs due to variations in stress orientations and magnitudes, which affect hydraulic fracturing, fluid flow connectivity, and well completion processes.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a bottomhole assembly with sensors to measure and estimate azimuthal variations in stress during drilling, allowing for real-time adjustments of drilling parameters to align the wellbore with optimal stress orientations, thereby improving wellbore stability and completion efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional drilling techniques are used without stress field consideration, then drilling operations are simpler and faster, but wellbore stability deteriorates and completion efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by measuring and analyzing the in situ stress field before drilling operations begin. Stress measurement tools are deployed to characterize the stress regime (vertical stress Sv, maximum horizontal stress Shmax, minimum horizontal stress Shmin) at the drilling location. This advance stress characterization allows drilling parameters and wellbore orientation to be optimized beforehand, preventing wellbore instability issues rather than addressing them during drilling. The stress field analysis is performed as a preliminary step to guide subsequent drilling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring drilling parameters and comparing them against the pre-determined optimal values derived from stress field analysis. Drilling parameters such as weight on bit, rotational speed, and mud weight are adjusted based on feedback from stress measurements and real-time drilling data. This closed-loop control system ensures that drilling operations maintain optimal conditions for wellbore stability while adapting to actual subsurface conditions encountered during drilling.
2Productivity
If wellbore orientation is not optimized relative to stress fields, then drilling trajectory control is simpler, but hydraulic fracturing efficiency and fluid flow connectivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the drilling system adjustable and adaptable to optimize wellbore orientation relative to the stress field. The directional drilling system incorporates real-time steering capabilities that allow continuous adjustment of wellbore trajectory based on stress measurements and desired completion objectives. The system can dynamically change drilling direction to maintain optimal angles relative to Shmax and Shmin stress orientations, ensuring that the wellbore is positioned to maximize hydraulic fracturing efficiency and fluid flow connectivity while managing the complexity of trajectory control.
3Measurement precision
If stress field analysis and real-time measurements are implemented, then well completion efficiency improves, but measurement and detection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses intermediaries in the form of stress measurement tools and devices that indirectly measure stress field parameters. Instead of directly measuring stress, the system uses intermediate indicators such as borehole breakout orientations, wellbore wall deformations, and drilling response patterns that correlate with stress magnitudes and directions. These intermediate measurements are then processed and interpreted to derive the actual stress field characteristics (Sv, Shmax, Shmin). This intermediary approach enables stress field characterization without requiring direct stress measurement, reducing the technical difficulty while maintaining measurement precision.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A system and method for the geomechanical steering of the orientation ofa wellbore is disclosed. In one embodiment, any available a priori data regarding the stress characteristics of a region of interest are used to develop a preliminary stress model for the region. A geosteered drilling operation is thereafter commenced, with the trajectory being steered in a direction relative to the stress model of the region. While drilling, real-time data is obtained from conventional down-hole instrumentation. The real-time data is used to refine the stress model for the region, such that the trajectory can be guided on an ongoing basis to achieve an optimal relationship with the measured stress characteristics of the region.