Abstract: Microwave-based drilling systems and methods are provided that employ coiled tubing that is deployed from a spool of coiled tubing to guide propagation of microwave radiation into a borehole. The coiled tubing has a surface end disposed at the spool. Microwave radiation generated at the surface is injected into the surface end of the coiled tubing. The microwave radiation propagates inside the coiled tubing and is used to vaporize rock and extend the borehole.

Abstract: A tubular joint. The tubular joint may include a perforated section, a filter section, a packer, and a chemical dispersion system. The perforated section includes a first plurality of orifices to allow fluid communication between a bore of the tubular joint and a first area surrounding the tubular joint proximate the perforated section. The filter section may include a filter assembly to filter fluid flowing into the bore via a second plurality of orifices from a second area proximate the filter section. The packer may be operable to isolate the first area from the second area when the tubular string is disposed within the well. The chemical dispersion system is disposed adjacent to the filter section, includes a first control line and a first dispersion manifold, and is operable to disperse treatment fluids proximate the filter section to at least reduce a buildup of blockages along the filter assembly.

Abstract: A packer assembly for an annular blowout preventer (BOP) includes an elastomeric sealing packer and multiple inserts that support the elastomeric sealing packer. Each insert of the multiple inserts includes an upper member and an intermediate member that are rotatably coupled to one another. For example, the upper member and the intermediate member are rotatably coupled to one another via a pin.

Abstract: A gooseneck conduit assembly includes a gooseneck conduit including a vertically-extending portion, an upset formed on the vertically-extending portion, an alignment key extending laterally from the vertically-extending portion, and a lower coupling at a lower end of the vertically-extending portion; a second conduit configured to connect to an auxiliary fluid line connected to and extending along a riser string that extends to a subsea wellhead, the second conduit including a receiving end configured to form a connection with the lower coupling; and a frame configured to be connected to the riser string. The frame includes an upper bracket vertically offset from a lower bracket to which the second conduit is secured, an alignment groove configured to slidably receive the alignment key so as to maintain a coaxial alignment between the vertically-extending portion of the gooseneck conduit and the second conduit, and a locking member pivotally coupled to the upper bracket.

Abstract: Tools and methods are used to determine the oil, water, and solids volume fractions in a drilling fluid at the rig site. The volume fractions can be determined in-line with returned drilling fluid by using an NMR magnet and a flow line or sample chamber that receives a fluid sample and loads it into the NMR magnet. Using an RF probe, spectrometer, and computing device, data processing and interpretation of NMR data from the spectrometer is performed, while also raising a flag when iron contamination exceeds a predefined threshold.

Abstract: An energy exploration system includes a plurality of computer nodes. Each of the computer nodes includes a processor and memory coupled to the processor. The computer nodes are configured to implement a data ingestion system configured to add a data set to the energy exploration system. The data ingestion system includes a parsing subsystem, a conversion subsystem, and a publication subsystem. The parsing subsystem includes a plurality of parser instances configured to encode records of the data set as intermediate geographical object records. The conversion subsystem includes a plurality of conversion instances configured to format the intermediate geographical object records according to a sink specific specification to produce formatted geographic object records. The publication subsystem includes a plurality of publication instances configured to export the formatted geographic object records to a designated tenant.

Abstract: A technique facilitates control over packers and/or other well tools actuated downhole. The technique utilizes a valve connectable into a well string. The valve is shiftable between a plurality of modes so as to control flow of fluid in a downhole environment. Additionally, an actuator system is connectable into the well string and operatively coupled with the valve. The actuator system is electronically controlled to cause the valve to shift to a desired mode of the plurality of modes. This approach enables electronic control over the actuation of specific downhole tools, e.g. packers, and/or other well related operations.

Abstract: Geothermal production monitoring systems and related methods are disclosed herein. An example system includes a production well, an injection well, a downhole pump or a downhole compressor to control a production of a multiphase fluid including steam from the production well, a first fluid conduit to transport the multiphase fluid away from the production well, a surface pump disposed downstream of the first fluid conduit, and a second fluid conduit. The surface pump is to inject water into the injection well via the second fluid conduit. A flowmeter is fluidly coupled to the first fluid conduit. The example system includes a processor to control at least one of (a) the downhole pump or the downhole compressor or (b) the surface pump in response to fluid property data generated by the first flowmeter.

Abstract: A method for moving fluid through a pipe in a wellbore includes placing at least two different fluids in the pipe and in an annular space between the pipe and the wellbore. Fluid is pumped into the pipe at a rate to achieve a desired set of conditions. Using a predetermined volume distribution of the annular space, an axial position of each of the at least two fluids in the annular space during the pumping the displacement fluid is calculated.

Abstract: A drilling system includes a horizontal tubular handling and transfer assembly configured to receive a tubular component, a first sensor array disposed at a first axial location on the horizontal tubular handling and transfer assembly, and a second sensor array disposed at a second axial location on the horizontal tubular handling and transfer assembly. The drilling system also includes processing circuitry configured to determine a length dimension of the tubular component based on first data feedback from the first sensor array, second data feedback from the second sensor array, or both. The processing circuitry is also configured to determine a diameter dimension of the tubular component based on the first data feedback, the second data feedback, or both.

Abstract: A perforation tool, and a bulkhead member for a perforation tool, are disclosed. The perforation tool has a loading tube, an initiator module, and a bulkhead member connected between the loading tube and the initiator module. The bulkhead member has a hollow body member with a central transverse plate having a central bore through the transverse plate along a longitudinal axis of the body member and an electrical conductor disposed in the central bore, the electrical conductor having a pin connection at a first end thereof and a box connection at a second end thereof.

Abstract: An intelligent completion module includes a flowmeter that uses one or more electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) sensors and a flow control valve. The flow rate and the speed of sound in the production fluid from a production zone is measured and used to make reservoir management decisions. The flowmeter includes at least two EMAT rings, including one or more EMAT sensors in a circular distribution which can be used in propagation or pulse-echo modes. In a segregated flow regime, a single EMAT sensor in pulse-echo mode is used to measure holdups of fluid components.

Abstract: A method for processing an image includes receiving an input image including a signal and noise, and generating a filtered image based on the input image by removing at least a portion of the noise from the input image. A portion of the signal is also removed from the input image. The method further includes generating a residual image based on the input image. The residual image comprises the at least a portion of the noise and the portion of the signal that are removed from the input image to generate the filtered image. The method also includes identifying at least some of the portion of the signal that is in the residual image, and inserting the at least some of the portion of the signal identified in the residual image into the filtered image.

Abstract: A technique facilitates pressure application downhole by locking a ball in place to prevent it from unseating even if the pressure is bled off. A ball seat is constructed with a locking feature for effectively capturing and retaining the ball once the ball is seated in the ball seat under sufficient pressure. According to an embodiment, the ball seat may be mounted at a desired position along an internal flow passage of a well string component. The ball seat comprises a throat section which is formed of a ductile material arranged in a suitable structure to enable a desired deformation upon receiving the ball under sufficient pressure. As the ball is pressed into the throat section, the material of the throat section deforms and partially springs back to resist movement of the ball in the uphole direction, thus capturing the ball in both the uphole direction and the downhole direction.

Abstract: A training log is selected from a plurality of well logs. A log window of a plurality of log windows is selected from the training log. A positive window is generated from the log window. A negative window is selected from the training log. A siamese neural network (SNN) is trained that includes a first self attention neural network (ANN) and a duplicate self attention neural network with the log window, the positive window, and the negative window, to recognize a similarity between the log window and the positive window and to differentiate against the negative window.

Abstract: A method for drilling includes receiving an initial drill plan for drilling a well, obtaining one or more offset well drilling activity logs generated based on drilling offset wells, and generating a modified drill plan for drilling the target well by adding one or more new drilling activities to the initial drill plan between first and second consecutive activities of the initial drill plan, based on a conditional probability of an occurrence of the one or more new drilling activities between the first and second consecutive activities.

Abstract: A downhole communication system includes a mud pulse generator that generates a set of pressure pulses in a pattern, the pattern including encoded data. A roll stabilized platform includes a turbine that is rotatable in response to the pressure pulses. The rotational rate of the turbine is correlated with a pressure value. A processor on the roll stabilized platform demodulates the pressure pulse pattern, and then decodes the encoded data.

Abstract: Methods, computing systems, and computer-readable media for detecting sensor malfunctioning status. The method includes receiving sensor measurements of a first type from a first type of sensor, deriving a first value for a metric from the sensor measurements of the first type, receiving sensor measurements of a second type from a second type of sensor, wherein the second measurements of the second type include a second value for the metric, comparing the first value to the second value, determining whether the first type of sensor or the second type of sensor is malfunctioning based on the comparing, and storing or outputting information indicating whether first type of sensor and the second type of sensor are malfunctioning.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided to learn and apply a mapping function from data representing concentrations of atomic elements in a geological formation (or other data corresponding thereto) to mineral component concentrations in the geological formation (and/or from mineral component concentrations to reconstructed elemental concentrations in the geological formation). The mapping function can be derived from a trained neural network (such as an autoencoder). The output of the mapping function can be used to determine estimates of one or more formation properties, such as formation matrix density, formation porosity, matrix Sigma, formation saturation, other formation property, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: Neural network systems and related machine learning methods for geological modeling are provided that employ an improved generative adversarial network including a generator neural network and a discriminator neural network. The generator neural network is trained to map a combination of a noise vector and a category code vector as input to a simulated image of geological facies. The discriminator neural network is trained to map at least one image of geological facies provided as input to corresponding probability that the at least one image of geological facies provided as input is a training image of geological facies or a simulated image of geological facies produced by the generator neural network.