Patents by Inventor Randy J. Vaal

Randy J. Vaal has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9175547
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of performing production operations of an oilfield having at least one process facility and at least one wellsite operatively connected thereto, each at least one wellsite having a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation for extracting fluid from an underground reservoir therein. The method steps include receiving a number of steps each from at least one of a number of collaborators, specifying an automated workflow including the number of steps and for generating a first well plan, obtaining first data associated with the production operations, applying the automated workflow to the first data to generate the first well plan, adjusting the production operations based on the first well plan, and modifying at least one of the number of steps based on input from at least one of the number of collaborators to generate an updated automated workflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Randy J. Vaal, Fernando Gutierrez, Daniel Colin Nesbitt Lucas-Clements, Michael Stundner, Andrew John Howell
  • Publication number: 20140136111
    Abstract: A system, method and computer readable medium capable of improving the efficiency and accuracy of oilfield production forecasting operations is described herein. Measured oilfield production data may be utilized to generate estimates for the mean, covariance and noise. Refined estimates for the mean and the covariance may be generated using a Bayesian probabilistic updating algorithm. The refined estimates may be utilized to generate an oilfield production forecast having a refined exponential decline curve associated with the measured production data and one or more uncertainty designations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: David John Rossi, Randy J. Vaal, Steve Reagan
  • Publication number: 20100312536
    Abstract: An example method of integrating field data that includes obtaining the field data associated with a field and performing a production analysis on the field data to generate a production output, the production analysis performed by a production engineering tool. The method further includes transforming the field data to obtain transformed field data requested by a field application and sending the transformed field data from the production engineering tool to the field application, the field application performing a field analysis using the transformed field data to generate a field output. The method further includes generating a comparison of the production output and the field output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2009
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Inventors: Randy J. Vaal, Daniel Lucas-Clements
  • Publication number: 20080306803
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of performing production operations of an oilfield having at least one process facility and at least one wellsite operatively connected thereto, each at least one wellsite having a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation for extracting fluid from an underground reservoir therein. The method steps include receiving a number of steps each from at least one of a number of collaborators, specifying an automated workflow including the number of steps and for generating a first well plan, obtaining first data associated with the production operations, applying the automated workflow to the first data to generate the first well plan, adjusting the production operations based on the first well plan, and modifying at least one of the number of steps based on input from at least one of the number of collaborators to generate an updated automated workflow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Publication date: December 11, 2008
    Applicant: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Randy J. Vaal, Fernando Gutierrez, Daniel Colin Nesbitt Lucas-Clements, Michael Stundner, Andrew John Howell