Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Other

Exxonmobil Technology and Engineering Company

Exxonmobil Upstream Research—law Department

Kevin H Searles

Sheng-Yuan Hsu

Eric R Grueschow

Ted Alan Long

Randy C Tolman

Pavlin B Entchev

Renzo Moises Angeles Boza

Tracy J Moffett

Abdel Wadood M El-Rabaa

Rahul Pakal

Jon M Wallace

Brian W Duffy

Dennis H Petrie

Prajnajyoti Mazumdar

Robert D Kaminsky

Bruce A Dale

P Matthew Spiecker

Timothy J Hall

William A Sorem

Scott R Clingman

Timothy K Ellison

Jing Wan

Benjamin J Spivey

Shekhar V Gosavi

Mark C Gentry

Anupama Venkataraman

Jennifer A Hommema

Edmond K Sze

Yao Yao

Renzo M Angeles Boza

Abdel Wadood El-Rabaa

Abdel Wadood Mohammed El-Rabaa

Hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore, a fracture that extends from the wellbore, and an electromagnetic contrast material positioned within the fracture. The hydrocarbon wells also include a downhole electromagnetic transmitter, which is configured to direct an electromagnetic probe signal incident upon the electromagnetic contrast material, and a downhole electromagnetic receiver, which is configured to receive an electromagnetic resultant signal from the electromagnetic contrast material. Methods for monitoring fracture morphology of a fracture that extends from a wellbore of a hydrocarbon well include flowing an electromagnetic contrast material into a fracture and generating an electromagnetic probe signal. The methods also include modifying the electromagnetic probe signal with the electromagnetic contrast material to generate an electromagnetic resultant signal. The methods further include receiving the electromagnetic resultant signal and determining the morphology of the fracture.

Hydrocarbon wells and methods for monitoring fracture morphology of a fracture that extends from a wellbore of the hydrocarbon wells

Drill strings with probe deployment structures, hydrocarbon wells that include the drill strings, and methods of utilizing the drill strings are disclosed herein. The drill strings include a pipe string and a drill bit attached to the pipe string. The drill strings also include a probe deployment structure attached to the pipe string and a downhole communication device attached to the pipe string. The probe deployment structure includes a probe and is configured to selectively insert the probe into a subterranean formation via a wellbore of the hydrocarbon well. The probe is configured to measure at least one property of the subterranean formation. The downhole communication device is configured to communicate with the probe. The hydrocarbon wells include a drill string support structure, which supports the drill string, a wellbore extending within a subsurface region, and the drill string extending within the wellbore.

Drill strings with probe deployment structures, hydrocarbon wells that include the drill strings, and methods of utilizing the drill strings

An instrumented coupling for pipe joints is described herein. The instrumented coupling includes a first threaded end configured to thread to a first pipe joint and a second threaded end configured to thread to a second pipe joint. The instrumented coupling also includes a sensor configured to obtain a measurement of a parameter of a well and a communications device configured to communicate to a receiving device outside of the well. The instrumented coupling further includes a processor configured to execute instructions in a data store. The instructions direct the processor to read the measurement from the sensor, compare the measurement from the sensor to a preset limit, and generate a signal within the communications device based, at least in part, on the measurement.

Instrumented couplings

Hydrocarbon wells that include interrogation devices positioned within a fracture and methods of monitoring at least one property of a fracture. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore that extends within a subsurface region and a fracture that extends from the wellbore. The hydrocarbon wells also include a plurality of interrogation devices entrained within a carrier fluid and positioned within the fracture and a downhole communication device positioned within the wellbore and proximal the fracture. The methods include flowing the interrogation devices into the fracture and conveying the excitation signal into the fracture. The methods also include receiving the excitation signal with the interrogation devices and generating a plurality of corresponding resultant signals with the interrogation devices. The methods further include receiving at least a subset of the corresponding resultant signals with a downhole communication device and determining at least one property of the fracture based upon the corresponding resultant signals.

Monitoring a fracture in a hydrocarbon well

A method and system are described for creating and using a subsurface model. In this method, selected subregion are morphed to adjacent subregions to create a morphed surface and solid elements are created based on the selected subregion and the morphed surfaces. The resulting subsurface model may be used in simulations and hydrocarbon operations.

Method and system for creating and using a subsurface model in hydrocarbon operations

Autonomous units and methods for downhole, multi-zone perforation and fracture stimulation for hydrocarbon production. The autonomous unit may be a perforating gun assembly, a bridge plug assembly, or fracturing plug assembly. The autonomous units are dimensioned and arranged to be deployed within a wellbore without an electric wireline. The autonomous units may be fabricated from a friable material so as to self-destruct upon receiving a signal. The autonomous units include a position locator for sensing the presence of objects along the wellbore and generating depth signals in response. The autonomous units also include an on-board controller for processing the depth signals and for activating an actuatable tool at a zone of interest.

Assembly and method for multi-zone fracture stimulation of a reservoir using autonomous tubular units

Method and systems for modeling fractures in quasi-brittle materials are provided. An exemplary method included generating a model that incorporates a unified creep-plasticity (UCP) representation into a constitutive model for a ductile rock. The model may be used in a finite element analysis to model hydraulic fractures in the ductile rock.

Method and system for modeling fractures in ductile rock

A method for modeling deformation in subsurface strata, including defining physical boundaries for a geomechanical system. The method also includes acquiring one or more mechanical properties of the subsurface strata within the physical boundaries, and acquiring one or more thermal properties of the subsurface strata within the physical boundaries. The method also includes creating a computer-implemented finite element analysis program representing the geomechanical system and defining a plurality of nodes representing points in space, with each node being populated with at least one of each of the mechanical properties and the thermal properties. The program solves for in situ stress at selected nodes within the mesh.

Method for modeling deformation in subsurface strata

Methods for creating and using space-time surrogate models of subsurface regions, such as subsurface regions containing at least one hydrocarbon formation. The created surrogate models are explicit models that may be created from implicit models, such as computationally intensive full-physics models. The space-time surrogate models are parametric with respect to preselected variables, such as space, state, and/or design variables, while also indicating responsiveness of the preselected variables with respect to time. In some embodiments, the space-time surrogate model may be parametric with respect to preselected variables as well as to time. Methods for updating and evolving models of subsurface regions are also disclosed.

Space-time surrogate models of subterranean regions

A method for predicting time-lapse seismic timeshifts in a three-dimensional geomechanical system including defining physical boundaries for the geomechanical system. In addition, one or more reservoir characteristics such as pore pressure and/or temperature history are acquired from multiple wells within the physical boundaries. The method also includes determining whether a formation in the geomechanical system is in an elastic regime or a plastic regime. The method also includes obtaining first and second seismic data sets for the geomechanical system, taken at first and second times. The method also includes running a geomechanical simulation to simulate the effects of changes in pore pressure or other reservoir characteristic on time-lapse seismic timeshifts in the formation.

Method for predicting time-lapse seismic timeshifts by computer simulation

A method of completing a wellbore in a subsurface formation. The method principally has application to subsurface formations comprising organic-rich rock that is to be heated in situ. Heating the organic-rich rock pyrolyzes solid hydrocarbons into hydrocarbon fluids. The method includes identifying sections along the wellbore where the organic richness of formation rock within the identified zones varies over short distances. Such variance presents a risk of mechanical failure to downhole equipment. The method further includes strengthening the downhole equipment in at least one of the identified sections.

Wellbore mechanical integrity for in situ pyrolysis

A method of predicting earth stresses in response to changes in a hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir within a geomechanical system includes establishing physical boundaries for the geomechanical system, acquiring logging data from wells drilled, and acquiring seismic data for one or more rock layers. The well and seismic data are automatically converted into a three-dimensional digital representation of one or more rock layers within the geomechanical system, thereby creating data points defining a three-dimensional geological structure. The method also includes (a) applying the data points from the geological structure to derive a finite element-based geomechanical model, and (b) initializing a geostatic condition in the geomechanical model, and then running a geomechanics simulation in order to determine changes in earth stresses associated with changes in pore pressure or other reservoir characteristics within the one or more rock layers.

Method for multi-scale geomechanical model analysis by computer simulation

Methods of predicting earth stresses in response to pore pressure changes in a hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir within a geomechanical system, include establishing physical boundaries for the geomechanical system and acquiring reservoir characteristics. Geomechanical simulations simulate the effects of changes in reservoir characteristics on stress in rock formations within the physical boundaries to determine the rock formation strength at selected nodes in the reservoir. The strength of the rock formations at the nodes is represented by an effective strain (&#x3b5;), which includes a compaction strain (&#x3b5;) and out-of-plane shear strains (&#x3a5;1-3, Y2-3) at a nodal point. The methods further include determining an effective strain criteria (&#x3b5;) from a history of well failures in the physical boundaries. The effective strain (&#x3b5;) at a selected nodal point is compared with the effective strain criteria (&#x3b5;) to determine if the effective strain (&#x3b5;) exceeds the effective strain criteria (&#x3b5;).

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Kingwood, TX, United States of America

Kevin H Searles