Kathleen R Baker

US Patent:

20160102530, Apr 14, 2016

Filed:

Oct 8, 2014

Appl. No.:

14/509325

Inventors:

Artem Mikhaylovich Baranov - Houston TX, US
Kathleen L. Baker - Houston TX, US

Assignee:

Chevron U.S.A. Inc - San Ramon CA

International Classification:

E21B 43/00
G06Q 50/06
G06Q 10/10

Abstract:

Automated systems and methods provide a systematic determination of suitable placements for well production zones that comply with specified placement constraints while accounting for information in the geocellular model. One computer-based well placement method embodiment includes: creating a three-dimensional geocellular model of a subsurface region including a reservoir; determining a map-view layout of well candidate zones that satisfies a set of layout parameters; deriving a three-dimensional arrangement of well production zones by testing each well candidate zone's potential vertical positions against a set of arrangement parameters; and storing the three-dimensional arrangement of well production zones on a non-transient information storage medium for use in evaluating production from the reservoir. Where the geocellular model has cell layers that conform to stratigraphic surfaces, the method may further include determining potential vertical positions for each well candidate zone by projecting the well candidate zones from the map-view layout onto layer-centered surfaces.