Patents by Inventor Jose J. Sequeira

Jose J. Sequeira 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: 10584570
    Abstract: A method and systems for dynamically planning a well site are provided herein. The method includes generating, via a computing system, a three-dimensional model of a hydrocarbon field including a reservoir. The method also includes determining a location for a well site based on the three-dimensional model and determining reservoir targets for the determined location and a well trajectory for each reservoir target. The method also includes adjusting the location for the well site within the three-dimensional model and dynamically adjusting the reservoir targets and the well trajectories based on the dynamic adjustment of the location for the well site. The determination and the dynamic adjustment of the location, the reservoir targets, and the well trajectories for the well site are based on specified constraints. The method further includes determining a design for the well site based on the dynamic adjustment of the location, the reservoir targets, and the well trajectories for the well site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Yao-Chou Cheng, Ruben D. Uribe, Doug H. Freeman, Christopher A. Alba, Jose J. Sequeira, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9864098
    Abstract: A method, including: identifying a well target or reservoir segment; defining a dynamic surface grid, the dynamic surface grid being a representation of a ground surface, sea-level, or subsea surface above a reservoir upon which a drill center is locatable, and the dynamic surface grid including a plurality of cells that define potential locations for the drill center; assigning, to each of the plurality of cells of the dynamic surface grid, a value of a drilling or geologic attribute that defines a quality of a drill center position relative to the well target or reservoir segment; and selecting, based on a value of the drilling or geologic attribute, a location for the drill center corresponding to a location represented on the dynamic surface grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Jose J. Sequeira, Jr., Yao-Chou Cheng, Rune Musum
  • Patent number: 9593558
    Abstract: A system and method for planning a well path is described. An exemplary method comprises defining a proxy constraint volume as a three-dimensional (3D) cellular volume where each cell has at least one value derived from data from a 3D earth model. An initial well path is defined within user defined drilling parameter constraints. The exemplary method comprises defining acceptable constraint parameters to be applied to values derived from an intersection of the initial well path and the proxy constraint volume. If the intersection of the initial well path and the proxy constraint volume is not within the acceptable constraint parameters, the initial well path may be iteratively adjusted to create successive well paths until at least one of the successive well paths is within the acceptable constraint parameters for the values derived from the intersection of the well path and proxy constraint volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Jose J. Sequeira, Jr., Yao-Chou Cheng, Rune Musum
  • Publication number: 20160003008
    Abstract: A method is presented for well planning. The method includes modeling one or more reservoir segments within a subsurface model. The reservoir segments, which are associated with target reservoirs, are evaluated prior to creating a well plan based on the reservoir segments to provide a fluid flow path from the reservoir targets to the well pad through the reservoir segments. The method enhances the well planning process through the use of these reservoir segments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Inventors: Ruben D. URIBE, Jose J. SEQUEIRA, JR., Yao-chou CHENG
  • Patent number: 9123161
    Abstract: A system and method for summarizing data corresponding to properties of interest on an unstructured grid that includes active cells and inactive cells on an output surface. An exemplary method comprises identifying an aggregation direction through a region of interest of the unstructured grid and identifying at least one active cell along the aggregation direction. The exemplary method comprises assigning an aggregated value for the at least one property of interest to a face of the output surface on a line along the aggregation direction based at least in part on the data corresponding to the at least one property of interest for the at least one active cell. The exemplary method further comprises filling the at least one data hole by identifying at least one face associated with an inactive cell on the line along the aggregation direction and assigning it an aggregated value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Neal L. Adair, Evan P. Child, Timothy A. Chartrand, Jose J. Sequeira
  • Patent number: 9026417
    Abstract: Method for reservoir surveillance using a three-dimensional Earth Model (101) to improve and expedite the surveillance at all scales of investigation (field, reservoir, fault compartment, and individual well) and at all time steps (minutes, hours, days, months, years). The new method allows users to rapidly identify anomalous field and well performance (109) and provides capability to investigate root causes of the performance deviation from predicted (110). Animated co-rendered displays (107) of the earth model and actual (104) and simulated (105) production data enable the user to interactively determine model adjustments back at the basic level of the Earth Model, which are then propagated to a geologic model (102) and then to the reservoir simulator (103) to update it (111) in a physically constrained way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Jose J. Sequeira, Jr., Yao-Chou Cheng
  • Publication number: 20150094994
    Abstract: A method, including: identifying a well target or reservoir segment; defining a dynamic surface grid, the dynamic surface grid being a representation of a ground surface, sea-level, or subsea surface above a reservoir upon which a drill center is locatable, and the dynamic surface grid including a plurality of cells that define potential locations for the drill center; assigning, to each of the plurality of cells of the dynamic surface grid, a value of a drilling or geologic attribute that defines a quality of a drill center position relative to the well target or reservoir segment; and selecting, based on a value of the drilling or geologic attribute, a location for the drill center corresponding to a location represented on the dynamic surface grid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Jose J. Sequeira, JR., Yao-Chou Cheng, Rune Musum
  • Patent number: 8931580
    Abstract: Method for determining one or more optimal well trajectories and a drill center location for hydrocarbon production. A well path and drill center optimization problem (55) is solved in which one constraint is that a well trajectory must intersect a finite size target region (61) in each formation of interest, or in different parts of the same formation. The finite target size provides flexibility for the optimization problem to arrive at a more advantageous solution. Typical well path optimization constraints are also applied, such as anti-collision constraints and surface site constraints (62).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Yao-Chou Cheng, James E. Holl, Joseph D. Dischinger, Jose J. Sequeira, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20140365192
    Abstract: A method and systems for dynamically planning a well site are provided herein. The method includes generating, via a computing system, a three-dimensional model of a hydrocarbon field including a reservoir. The method also includes determining a location for a well site based on the three-dimensional model and determining reservoir targets for the determined location and a well trajectory for each reservoir target. The method also includes adjusting the location for the well site within the three-dimensional model and dynamically adjusting the reservoir targets and the well trajectories based on the dynamic adjustment of the location for the well site. The determination and the dynamic adjustment of the location, the reservoir targets, and the well trajectories for the well site are based on specified constraints. The method further includes determining a design for the well site based on the dynamic adjustment of the location, the reservoir targets, and the well trajectories for the well site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventors: YAO-CHOU CHENG, RUBEN D. URIBE, DOUG H. FREEMAN, CHRISTOPHER A. ALBA, JOSE J. SEQUEIRA, JR.
  • Patent number: 8731872
    Abstract: There is provided a system and method for providing a visualization of data describing a physical structure. An exemplary method comprises defining an unstructured grid that corresponds to a three-dimensional physical structure, the unstructured grid comprising data representative of a property of interest. The exemplary method also comprises defining a probe as an object that comprises a set of topological elements, at least one of which does not share a common plane. The exemplary method additionally comprises providing a visualization of the unstructured grid data on the geometry defined by the probe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Marek K. Czernuszenko, Lucas J. Hilliard, Kelly G. Walker, Jose J. Sequeira, Jr., Neal L. Adair, Timothy A. Chartrand, Alan R. Wild
  • Patent number: 8731873
    Abstract: There is provided a system and method for providing data describing a physical structure. An exemplary method comprises defining an unstructured grid that corresponds to a three-dimensional physical structure. The unstructured grid comprises data representative of a property of interest. At least one filter object and a selection criterion are defined. A portion of the unstructured grid data that meets the selection criterion relative to the filter object is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Kelly G. Walker, Marek K. Czernuszenko, Jose J. Sequeira, Jr., Neal L. Adair, Alan R. Wild, Timothy A. Chartrand, Lucas J. Hilliard
  • Patent number: 8731875
    Abstract: There is provided a system and method for providing a visualization of data describing a physical structure. An exemplary method comprises defining an unstructured grid that corresponds to a three-dimensional physical structure, the unstructured grid comprising data representative of a property of interest. The exemplary method also comprises defining a probe as an object that comprises a set of topological elements, at least one of which does not share a common plane. The exemplary method additionally comprises providing a visualization of the unstructured grid data on the geometry defined by the probe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Lucas J. Hilliard, Jose J. Sequeira, Jr., Kelly G. Walker, Marek K. Czernuszenko, Neal L. Adair, Timothy A. Chartrand, Alan R. Wild
  • Publication number: 20130317798
    Abstract: A method is presented for field planning. The method includes obtaining a shared earth model comprising the hydrocarbon field. The hydrocarbon field comprises an area of ground surface and a reservoir disposed beneath the area of ground surface. The method also includes obtaining a plurality of targets for the reservoir. Additionally, the method includes specifying one or more field planning parameters for accessing the plurality of targets from the surface. The method further includes determining a plurality of well site locations for an entirety of the hydrocarbon field using constraint optimization. The number of well site locations is minimized. The number of the plurality of targets accessible from the plurality of well site locations is maximized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Inventors: Yao-chou Cheng, Jose J. Sequeira, Ruben D. Uribe
  • Publication number: 20130140037
    Abstract: There is provided a system and method for planning a well path. An exemplary method comprises defining a proxy constraint volume as a three-dimensional (3D) cellular volume where each cell has at least one value derived from data from a 3D earth model. An initial well path is defined within user defined drilling parameter constraints. The exemplary method comprises defining acceptable constraint parameters to be applied to values derived from an intersection of the initial well path and the proxy constraint volume. If the intersection of the initial well path and the proxy constraint volume is not within the acceptable constraint parameters, the initial well path may be iteratively adjusted to create successive well paths until at least one of the successive well paths is within the acceptable constraint parameters for the values derived from the intersection of the well path and proxy constraint volume.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Inventors: Jose J. Sequeira, JR., Yao-Chou Cheng, Rune Musum
  • Publication number: 20130120379
    Abstract: A system and method for summarizing data corresponding to properties of interest on an unstructured grid that includes active cells and inactive cells on an output surface. An exemplary method comprises identifying an aggregation direction through a region of interest of the unstructured grid and identifying at least one active cell along the aggregation direction. The exemplary method comprises assigning an aggregated value for the at least one property of interest to a face of the output surface on a line along the aggregation direction based at least in part on the data corresponding to the at least one properly of interest for the at least one active cell. The exemplary method further comprises filling the at least one data hole by identifying at least one face associated with an inactive cell on the line along the aggregation direction and assigning it an aggregated value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Inventors: Neal L. Adair, Evan P. Child, Timothy A. Chartrand, Jose J. Sequeira
  • Publication number: 20120285701
    Abstract: Method for determining one or more optimal well trajectories and a drill center location for hydrocarbon production. A well path and drill center optimization problem (55) is solved in which one constraint is that a well trajectory must intersect a finite size target region (61) in each formation of interest, or in different parts of the same formation. The finite target size provides flexibility for the optimization problem to arrive at a more advantageous solution. Typical well path optimization constraints are also applied, such as anti-collision constraints and surface site constraints (62).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Inventors: Yao-Chou Cheng, James E. Holl, Joseph D. Dischinger, Jose J. Sequeira, JR.
  • Publication number: 20120037379
    Abstract: There is provided a system and method for providing a visualization of data describing a physical structure. An exemplary method comprises defining an unstructured grid that corresponds to a three-dimensional physical structure, the unstructured grid comprising data representative of a property of interest. The exemplary method also comprises defining a probe as an object that comprises a set of topological elements, at least one of which does not share a common plane. The exemplary method additionally comprises providing a visualization of the unstructured grid data on the geometry defined by the probe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Inventors: Lucas J. Hilliard, Jose J. Sequeira, JR., Kelly G. Walker, Marek K. Czernuszenko, Neal L. Adair, Timothy A. Chartrand, Alan R. Wild
  • Publication number: 20110259599
    Abstract: There is provided a system and method for providing data describing a physical structure. An exemplary method comprises defining an unstructured grid that corresponds to a three-dimensional physical structure. The unstructured grid comprises data representative of a property of interest. At least one filter object and a selection criterion are defined. A portion of the unstructured grid data that meets the selection criterion relative to the filter object is selected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Inventors: Kelly G. Walker, Marek K. Czernuszenko, Jose J. Sequeira, JR., Neal L. Adair, Alan R. Wild, Timothy A. Chartrand, Lucas J. Hilliard
  • Publication number: 20110218775
    Abstract: There is provided a system and method for providing a visualization of data describing a physical structure. An exemplary method comprises defining an unstructured grid that corresponds to a three-dimensional physical structure, the unstructured grid comprising data representative of a property of interest. The exemplary method also comprises defining a probe as an object that comprises a set of topological elements, at least one of which does not share a common plane. The exemplary method additionally comprises providing a visualization of the unstructured grid data on the geometry defined by the probe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Inventors: Marek K. Czernuszenko, Lucas J. Hilliard, Kelly G. Walker, Jose J. Sequeira, JR., Neal L. Adair, Timothy A. Chartrand, Alan R. Wild
  • Publication number: 20110109633
    Abstract: There is provided a system and method for providing a visualization of data describing a physical structure, the data relating to a plurality of properties that each vary along a segment of a curved path. An exemplary method comprises defining a plurality of display locations, each of which is adapted to display a data value for each of the plurality of properties at a corresponding location along the segment of the curved path. The exemplary method also comprises providing a visual representation corresponding to data values for each of the plurality of properties at each of the plurality of data locations along the segment of the curved path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Inventors: Jose J Sequeira, JR., Indra Datta, Timothy A. Chartrand