Patents Represented by Attorney Colin L. Wier
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Patent number: 8350851Abstract: Disclosed herein are improved systems and methods for right sizing grid models for performing, for example, reservoir simulations. Implementations in accordance with the present disclosure may begin with a relatively fine scale grid model. Successive coarsening and resampling operations may be repeated until one or more characteristics of the coarsened grid model begin to unacceptably diverge from those of the fine scale model. Similarly, successive coarsening and upscaling operations may be performed until one or more characteristics of the coarsened grid model begin to unacceptably diverge from those of the previously-coarsened grid model. The resulting coarsened grid model may be suitably sized for reservoir simulations.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2009Date of Patent: January 8, 2013Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Stephen Richard George Flew, Sigurdur Vidar Jonsson, Michael John Williams
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Patent number: 8325560Abstract: A technique includes determining a change in an elastic property of a region of interest at a second time relative to a first time based on a flow simulation model. The technique includes scaling the determined change in the elastic property based on data acquired in a seismic survey.Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 2010Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Kjetil Westeng, Thomas Andreas Hope
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Patent number: 8301428Abstract: A method of modeling a nonlinear hysteresis response of reservoir media involves obtaining measurements of core samples from the reservoir to generate a multitude of bounding curves representing primary drainage and primary imbibition characteristics of a reservoir, generating, using a processor, a plurality of constitutive equations based on the multitude of bounding curves and a multitude of material functions, the multitude of material functions determined based on material properties associated with the reservoir, generating, using the processor, an output in a form of capillary-pressure scanning curves based on the multitude of constitutive equations, the capillary-pressure scanning curves representing drainage and imbibition behaviors of the reservoir during an oilfield operation, and storing the output.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2009Date of Patent: October 30, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Alexander Lukyanov, Ali Fadili, David Browning, Mark Wakefield
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Patent number: 8286257Abstract: A method for collaborating a first computer with a second computer. The method includes sending an invitation from the first computer to the second computer, and sending a list of permissions from the first computer to the second computer upon acceptance of the invitation. The list of permissions allows the second computer to access a limited portion of one or more data on the first computer. The method further includes performing an analysis on the limited portion of the data stored on the first computer by the second computer, and sending a notification from the second computer to the first computer, wherein the notification indicates that the analysis has been performed on the limited portion of the data.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2009Date of Patent: October 9, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventor: Michael Carney
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Patent number: 8245795Abstract: A method of steering a drilling operation of a well using acoustic measurements. The method includes obtaining, using a central processing unit (CPU), a clean-wet matrix line for the well, where the clean-wet matrix line includes a number of normal compressional values, obtaining, using the CPU, the acoustic measurements from at least one logging while drilling tool at a current depth of the drilling operation, where the acoustic measurements include a compressional to shear velocity ratio and a delta-T compressional measurement, and determining, using the CPU, a current phase of the drilling operation by comparing the acoustic measurements to the clean-wet matrix line. The method further includes, in response to determining that the current phase is not a target phase, generating an updated well trajectory for steering the drilling operation toward the target phase and adjusting the drilling operation using the updated well trajectory.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2009Date of Patent: August 21, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventor: Mark Kenneth Dennis
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Patent number: 8244509Abstract: The invention relates to a method of performing an oilfield operation of an oilfield having at least one wellsite, each wellsite having a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation for extracting fluid from an underground reservoir therein. The method steps include obtaining a plurality of real-time parameters from a plurality of sensors disposed about the oilfield, wherein the plurality of real-time parameters comprise at least one selected from a group consisting of real-time flow rate data and real-time pressure data of the wellbore, configuring a gridless analytical simulator for simulating the underground reservoir based on the plurality of real-time parameters, generating real-time simulation results of the underground reservoir and the at least one wellsite in real-time using the gridless analytical simulator, and performing the oilfield operation based on the real-time simulation results.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2008Date of Patent: August 14, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Raj Banerjee, Michael Thambynayagam, Jeffrey Spath, Bobby Poe, Lumay Viloria, Greg Grove
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Patent number: 8229880Abstract: The invention relates to a method for performing acid fracturing operations of an oilfield. The method includes obtaining a plurality of historical data of acid fracturing treatments of the oilfield, generating a neural network based on the plurality of historical data, identifying a stimulation parameter, in the neural network, associated with optimal performance of the acid fracturing treatments, and establishing a best practice procedure for performing the acid fracturing operations based on the stimulation parameter.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2008Date of Patent: July 24, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Alexandre Boulatsel, Matteo Giovannoli
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Patent number: 8217337Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a method for evaluating a volcanic reservoir formation having volcanic rock forming elements and a borehole penetrating the volcanic reservoir formation. The method includes controlling chlorine concentration in an environment of the borehole and a tool operation to enable neutron capture spectroscopy measurements of the volcanic rock forming elements, obtaining neutron capture spectroscopy data relating to the volcanic rock forming elements from borehole logging tools, determining a lithology of the volcanic reservoir formation based on at least the neutron capture spectroscopy data, and generating an evaluation of the volcanic reservoir formation based on at least the lithology.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2009Date of Patent: July 10, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Thomas J. Neville, Sherif Farag, Huijun Hou
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Patent number: 8214186Abstract: A method for performing oilfield operations for an oilfield. The method includes receiving modeling data and user instructions from a graphical user interface, selectively adjusting at least a portion of the modeling data to generate adjusted modeling data, obtaining an oilfield model based on the user instructions, instantiating first and second simulator instances based on the user instructions for performing a simulation using the adjusted modeling data and the oilfield model, passing interim simulation results between the first and second simulator instances for performing the simulation, displaying a result of the simulation using the graphical user interface, and performing the oilfield operations based on the result of the simulation. Further, the oilfield operations include a gas lift operation of the oilfield and the graphical user interface is configured to emulate the gas lift operation using a wellbore simulator.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2009Date of Patent: July 3, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Francisco Villanueva Cuevas, Edgar Mauricio Cadena Parga, Gustavo Ariel Marin
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Patent number: 8210279Abstract: Methods and systems are for tripping pipe on a rig floor that is positioned over a well. A measuring device is operated to measure a length characteristic of a first drill pipe in a plurality of separated drill pipes. The length characteristic is inputted into a controller configured to control machinery to hoist the first drill pipe above the drill string, to connect the first drill pipe to the uppermost drill pipe in the drill string, and to operate the drill string to drill into the well. The controller is operated to calculate a first vertical position into which it is necessary to hoist the first drill pipe so that a predetermined clearance distance exists between the lower end of the first drill pipe and the upper end of the uppermost drill pipe in the drill string.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2008Date of Patent: July 3, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventor: Zaurayze Tarique
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Patent number: 8199166Abstract: A method for visualizing oilfield data of an oilfield operation involves obtaining real-time data generated from a borehole, generating and updating a current position object, and displaying and annotating a representation of a first geology, geophysics, drilling, and production object in a display based on the oilfield data using a two dimensional (2D) callout having an attachment handle for adjusting the 2D callout according the updated location in an animation sequence in real-time responsive to updating the current position.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2009Date of Patent: June 12, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Dmitriy Repin, Vivek Singh, Christos Nikolakis-Mouchas, Farid Harhad, Syed Hammad Zafar
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Patent number: 8190458Abstract: A method of performing oilfield operations for an oilfield having a subterranean formation with a reservoir therein is provided. The method involves generating a business analysis of the oilfield based on business inputs, generating an operational analysis of the oilfield based on operational inputs, and selectively integrating the business analysis with the operational analysis by using the operational outputs as at least a portion of the business inputs and by using the business outputs as at least a portion of the operational inputs to form an integrated oilfield analysis. The business analysis includes business outputs for characterizing the business impact of projects performed on the oilfield. The operational analysis includes operational outputs for characterizing the operational impact of projects performed on the oilfield. The integrated oilfield analysis includes integrated oilfield outputs for characterizing the business and operational impact of projects performed on the oilfield.Type: GrantFiled: January 16, 2008Date of Patent: May 29, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Michael Back, Daniel Fichter, Doug MacDonald, Peter Tyler, Roger Gallant, Dave Mason
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Patent number: 8185311Abstract: A method of oilfield data management including collecting oilfield data from an oilfield, executing instructions on a processor to perform a domain analysis of the oilfield data by a first analysis team to generate a first analysis, the first analysis team comprising a plurality of users who analyze a portion of the oilfield data relating to one or more oilfield functions, selectively providing access to the first analysis and the portion of the oilfield data for the plurality of users based on a continued analysis of the oilfield, executing instructions on the processor to perform the domain analysis of the oilfield data by a second analysis team to generate a second analysis, the second analysis team analyzing the portion of the oilfield data relating to the one or more oilfield functions, and selectively synchronizing the first analysis and the second analysis to generate a synchronized result.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2009Date of Patent: May 22, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Arun Kumar Narayanan, Lisa Miriah Ashcroft
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Patent number: 8175807Abstract: A method for determining properties of a subterranean formation. The method includes determining at least one characterization parameter based on wave velocity measurement data, determining a plurality of elastic coefficients based on the at least one characterization parameter using a plurality of equations, determining an anisotropic stress profile of the subterranean formations based on the stiffness matrix of the subterranean formation comprising the plurality of elastic coefficients wherein the elastic coefficients are approximated using the plurality of equations, and displaying the anisotropic stress profile of the subterranean formations.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 2009Date of Patent: May 8, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Roberto Suarez-Rivera, Tom R. Bratton
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Patent number: 8157011Abstract: A system and method for performing a fracture operation on a well site having a subterranean formation with a reservoir therein. The method involves measuring at least one seismic wave before and after stimulating the subterranean formation, comparing the seismic waves measured before the stimulation of the subterranean formation to the seismic waves measured after stimulation of the subterranean formation, and determining at least one fracture parameter of the subterranean formation from the compared seismic waves.Type: GrantFiled: January 20, 2010Date of Patent: April 17, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Stewart Thomas Taylor, Joel Le Calvez
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Patent number: 8156131Abstract: The method for providing a data context service involves extracting context information from a host application associated with an oilfield project, the context information includes a current state of a user in the host application, sorting the context information into multiple dimensions of relevance, generating a search profile for each of the multiple dimensions of relevance, requesting a first set of searches using at least the search profile, receiving oilfield data items resulting from the first set of searches, obtaining a quality measure of an oilfield data item of the oilfield data items based on a pre-determined quality criterion, sending the oilfield data item as a search result to the host application after determining the quality measure exceeds a pre-determined threshold, and generating an output using the host application based on the search result, the output being used to perform an oilfield operation.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2009Date of Patent: April 10, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Richard G. Marsden, Gaelle Abecassis, Yu Lin, Trond Benum, Cyril Laroche-Py, Floyd Louis Broussard, III