Systems and methods for detecting and alerting anomalous well completion conditions

Abstract

A system and method acquire raw data from fracturing equipment that includes at least two fracturing related parameters measured in real time during a completions operation and conditioning the raw data by removing outlier data values and/or filtering out noise. The conditioned data is processed to generate output values and generating an alarm based on the output values to indicate an abnormal fracturing condition. Processing the conditioned data includes determining incremental changes in data values and whether the incremental changes are an increase, decrease or no change for each of the at least two fracturing related parameters. The incremental changes are summed over a user-defined time period for each of the at least two fracturing related parameters and compared to a threshold for the user-defined time period for each of the at least two fracturing related parameters.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of monitoring a completions operation in which fluid communication is established between a formation and a wellbore, the method comprising:
 a. acquiring data from a data server that receives the data from sensors associated with fracturing equipment used to inject fluid into a formation via the wellbore in a completions operation, wherein the data comprise at least one fracturing related parameter measured in real time during the completions operation;   b. processing, by a data processor, the data to generate output values for use in alarm generation, wherein processing the data comprises:
 i. determining incremental changes in data values of the data and whether the incremental changes are an increase, decrease or no change for each of the at least one fracturing related parameter; 
 ii. summing the incremental changes over a user-defined time period for each of the fracturing related parameters; 
 iii. determining and indicating whether the sum of the incremental changes exceeds a threshold for the user-defined time period for each of the fracturing related parameters; and 
 iv. determining and indicating as the output values whether the result of step (b)(iii) is associated with an abnormal fracturing condition as defined by the user; and 
   c. generating, by an alarm generator, an alarm based on the output values to indicate the abnormal fracturing condition.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein step (b)(iv) further comprises determining whether the result of step (b)(iii) is caused by a fracturing condition for which corrective action is not needed; and if so, not generating the alarm based on the output values to indicate the abnormal fracturing condition. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the at least one fracturing related parameter comprises at least two fracturing related parameters. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the sum of the incremental changes is determined to exceed the threshold for the user-defined time period when the sum of the incremental changes exceeds the threshold continuously over the user-defined time period for each of the fracturing related parameters. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fracturing equipment comprises proppant fracturing equipment used to inject fluid containing proppant material into the formation. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the fracturing equipment is selected from the group consisting of tanks, pits, pumps, high pressure lines, manifolds and combinations thereof 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the abnormal fracturing condition comprises a screen out, a fracturing equipment failure, and/or adjacent well communication. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the sensors associated with the fracturing equipment measure surface pressure of the fluid, flow rate of the fluid and/or chemical concentration of at least one compound in the fluid. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the data comprise data sets representing surface pressure of the fluid, flow rate of the fluid and/or chemical concentration of at least one compound in the fluid. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the alarm indicates an increase in surface pressure of the fluid exceeding a surface pressure threshold without a corresponding increase in flow rate of the fluid. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the alarm further indicates the increase in surface pressure of the fluid exceeding the surface pressure threshold without a corresponding decrease in friction reducer and/or gel concentration of the fluid. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the alarm further indicates the increase in surface pressure of the fluid exceeding the surface pressure threshold without a corresponding increase in downhole and/or surface proppant concentration of the fluid. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least two fracturing related parameters measured in real time during the completion operation are causally related. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising compensating for lag time between causally related fracturing related parameters. 
     
     
         15 . A system for monitoring a completion operation in which fluid communication is established between a formation and a wellbore, the system comprising:
 a. a data source comprising data received from sensors associated with fracturing equipment used to inject fluid into a formation via the wellbore in a hydraulic fracturing operation wherein the data includes at least one fracturing related parameter measured in real time by sensors during the completion operation;   b. a data processor for processing the data to generate output values for use in alarm generation, the data processor configured with instructions to:
 i. determine incremental changes in data values of the data and whether the incremental changes are an increase, decrease or no change for each of the fracturing related parameters; 
 ii. sum the incremental changes over a user-defined time period for each of the fracturing related parameters; 
 iii. determine and indicate whether a sum of the incremental changes exceeds a threshold for a user-defined time period for each of the fracturing related parameters; and 
 iv. determine and indicate as the output values whether the result of step (b)(iii) is associated with an abnormal fracturing condition as defined by the user; and 
   c. an alarm generator to generate an alarm based on the output values to indicate an abnormal fracturing condition.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the at least one fracturing related parameter comprises at least two fracturing related parameters. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the sum of the incremental changes is determined to exceed the threshold for the user-defined time period when the sum of the incremental changes exceeds the threshold continuously over the user-defined time period for each of the fracturing related parameters. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the fracturing equipment comprises proppant fracturing equipment used to inject fluid containing proppant material into the formation. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the fracturing equipment is selected from the group consisting of tanks, pits, pumps, high pressure lines, manifolds and combinations thereof 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the abnormal fracturing condition comprises a screen out, a fracturing equipment failure and/or adjacent well communication. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the sensors associated with the fracturing equipment sense surface pressure of the fluid, flow rate of the fluid and/or chemical concentration of at least one compound in the fluid. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the data comprise data sets representing surface pressure of the fluid, flow rate of the fluid and/or chemical concentration of at least one compound in the fluid. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the alarm indicates an increase in surface pressure of the fluid exceeding a surface pressure threshold without a corresponding increase in flow rate of the fluid. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23  wherein the alarm further indicates the increase in surface pressure of the fluid exceeding the surface pressure threshold without a corresponding decrease in friction reducer and/or gel concentration of the fluid. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24  wherein the alarm further indicates the increase in surface pressure of the fluid exceeding the surface pressure threshold without a corresponding increase in downhole proppant and/or surface proppant concentration of the fluid.