A Three-Dimensional Model for the Formation Pressure in Wellbores under Uncertainty

Formation pressure is the key parameter for the analysis of wellbore safety.With increasing drilling depth,how-ever,the behavior of this variable becomes increasingly complex.In this work,a 3D model of the formation pres-sure under uncertainty is presented.Moreover a relevant algorithm is elaborated.First,the logging data of regional key drilling wells are collected and a one-dimensional formation pressure profile along the well depth is determined.Then,a 3D model of regional formation pressure of the hierarchical group layer is defined by using the Kriging interpolation algorithm relying on a support vector machine(SVM)and the formation pressure of the drilled wells.To validate the method,the formation pressure of one pre-drilled well is compared with the well logging results.The comparison reveals that the maximum relative error is less than 4.5%.The software based on this model is complemented by a computer visualization technology,which provides a relevant tool for under-standing and analyzing the 3D formation pressure.The outcomes of this study are intended to support the char-acterization of areas with missing or poor 3D seismic data and provide more accurate information for the analysis of wellbore integrity.

Evolution of gas kick and overflow in wellbore and formation pressure inversion method under the condition of failure in well shut-in during a blowout

With ongoing development of oil exploration and techniques,there is a significant need for improved well control strategies and formation pressure prediction methods.In this paper,a gas-liquid transient drift flow model was established according to the gas-liquid two-phase flow characteristics during the gas kick.A Roe scheme was used for numerical calculation based on the finite volume method.The changes of bottom-hole pressure,casing pressure,the development law of cross-sectional gas holdup,and gas velocity,along with the vertical well depth,were analyzed through simulation examples.The time-series characteristics of mud pit gain were obtained by adjusting the formation parameter.The complex nonlinear mapping relationship between the formation parameters and the mud pit gain was established.The long short-term memory network(LSTM)of deep learning was used to obtain a formation pressure inversion when the blowout is out of control and the well cannot be shut-in.Experimental data from a well were used to verify the gas-liquid two-phase transient drift flow model based on the finite volume method,demonstrating that this method is reliable,with greatly improved prediction accuracy.This approach provides theoretical support for the early monitoring of gas kick during drilling,and for well-killing design and construction after uncontrolled blowout.

Analysis of the Applicability of a Risk Quantitative Evaluation Method to High Temperature-Pressure Drilling Engineering

The optimization of methods for the quantitative evaluation of risks in drilling engineering is an effective means to ensure safety in situations where high temperature and high pressure blocks are considered.In such a context,this study analyzes the complexity of the drilled wells in such blocks.It is shown that phenomena such as well kick,loss,circulation,and sticking,are related to the imbalance of wellbore pressure.A method for risk quantitative evaluation is proposed accordingly.The method is used to evaluate the risk for 9 drilled wells.By comparing the predictions of the method with actual historical data related to these wells,it is found that the coincidence rate is about 95%.

Quantitative reconstruction of formation paleo-pressure in sedimentary basins and case studies

Paleo-pressure reconstruction in sedimentary basins is one of the most important aspects of hydrocarbon accumulation research.In view of the advantages and disadvantages of the current methods for paleo-pressure research,a new method to reconstruct the paleo-pressure is presented in this paper.According to the geological background,quantitative analyses of the factors that might control overpressure were first conducted to clarify the contributions of each mechanism during different geological periods.Pressure evolution was reconstructed by fluid-compaction modelling with constraints imposed by the paleo-pressures obtained from fluid inclusions or differential stress methods.Determining the mechanisms responsible for overpressures during geological history is the basic prerequisite for paleo-pressure research.Thus,quantitative studies were conducted of the contributions of disequilibrium compaction,gas charging,oil cracking,temperature reduction,and tectonic uplift and subsidence to overpressures.Three case studies of paleo-pressure reconstruction were performed for the Sinian strata in the Sichuan Basin,Ordovician strata in the north uplift in the Tarim Basin and the Permian strata in the Sulige Gas Field in the Ordos Basin,where these three study sites are normally pressured,weakly over-pressured and abnormally low pressured at present,respectively.The new method developed in this paper is very important for the practical reconstruction of the paleopressure in marine strata and ancient strata in deep basins.

Key geological factors controlling the estimated ultimate recovery of shale oil and gas: A case study of the Eagle Ford shale, Gulf Coast Basin, USA

Based on 991 groups of analysis data of shale samples from the Lower Member of the Cretaceous Eagle Ford Formation of 1317 production wells and 72 systematic coring wells in the U.S. Gulf Basin, the estimated ultimate recovery(EUR) of shale oil and gas of the wells are predicted by using two classical EUR estimation models, and the average values predicted excluding the effect of engineering factors are taken as the final EUR. Key geological factors controlling EUR of shale oil and gas are fully investigated. The reservoir capacity, resources, flow capacity and fracability are the four key geological parameters controlling EUR. The storage capacity of shale oil and gas is directly controlled by total porosity and hydrocarbon-bearing porosity, and indirectly controlled by total organic carbon(TOC) and vitrinite reflectance(Ro). The resources of shale oil and gas are controlled by hydrocarbon-bearing porosity and effective shale thickness etc. The flow capacity of shale oil and gas is controlled by effective permeability, crude oil density, gas-oil ratio, condensate oil-gas ratio, formation pressure gradient, and Ro. The fracability of shale is directly controlled by brittleness index, and indirectly controlled by clay content in volume. EUR of shale oil and gas is controlled by six geological parameters: it is positively correlated with effective shale thickness, TOC and fracture porosity, negatively correlated with clay content in volume, and increases firstly and then decreases with the rise of Ro and formation pressure gradient. Under the present upper limit of horizontal well fracturing effective thickness of 65 m and the lower limit of EUR of 3×10^(4) m^(3), when TOC<2.3%, or Ro<0.85%, or clay content in volume larger than 25%, and fractures and micro-fractures aren’t developed, favorable areas of shale oil and gas hardly occur.