Three-dimensional drilling collision avoidance display
Aspects of the disclosed technology provide solutions for facilitating user visualization and control the path of a new wellbore in three-dimensions (3D). This may include displaying visualizations that show a current well path, a well plan, all nearby offset well paths, and well path projections in a manner that may use different projection methods. These visualizations may also include boundaries where a drilling tool should not go, such “No-Go-Zones” may be shown in a 3D spatial visualization. Visualizations may be displayed continuously along the well path, at survey stations, and at user-defined depth positions during a drilling process. Such visualizations may include projections that show an anticipated wellbore path, based on current settings of a drilling control system. Alerts may be triggered to warn users of various issues that may affect a new well being drilled. Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided.
1 . A method comprising: accessing well plan data that identifies a starting point and an ending point of a wellbore; accessing existing wellbore data; identifying boundary zone data to associate with an overlaid dataset that includes the well plan data, the existing wellbore data, and the boundary zone data; selecting a drilling approach angle using a drilling rule that identifies at least one of a minimum or maximum approach angle; identifying a plurality of areas of a field of wellbores as zones that should not be drilled by a drilling assembly; classifying the plurality of areas of the field of wellbores as the zones that should not be drilled by the drilling assembly; receiving data that identifies a first potential pathway of the wellbore that includes the starting point and the ending point of the wellbore and that avoids the plurality of areas classified as the zones that should not be drilled; initiating operation of the drilling assembly to drill along the first potential pathway of the wellbore; and in response to selecting the drilling approach angle, steering the drilling assembly in real time to avoid the plurality of areas classified as the zones that should not be drilled and avoids colliding with the path of another wellbore.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: identifying that the drilling assembly will likely approach within a threshold safety margin distance of a second wellbore; and issuing an alert based on the identification that the drilling assembly will likely approach within the threshold safety margin distance of the second wellbore.
3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
automatically pausing drilling of the wellbore based on the alert,
receiving a command associated with the alert; and
re-starting the drilling of the wellbore based on the received command.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the drilling approach angle is associated with a change in a formation property.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a visualization from the overlaid dataset based on receiving the data that identifies the first potential pathway of the wellbore, wherein the visualization is displayed on a display such that a user can view the first potential pathway of the wellbore;
updating the visualization as the drilling assembly drills along the first potential pathway; and
displaying the updated visualization.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying first cross-sectional area to associate with a first density of rock along the first potential pathway; and
identifying a second cross-sectional area to associate with a second density of rock along the first potential pathway, wherein:
the drilling assembly is controlled based on the first cross-sectional area being associated with the first density of rock and the second cross-sectional area being associated with the second density of rock, and
the maximum or minimum approach angle is associated with a change in rock density from the first density of rock to the second density of rock.
7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a visualization from the overlaid dataset based on receiving the data that identifies the first potential pathway of the wellbore, wherein the visualization is displayed on a display such that a user can view the first potential pathway of the wellbore;
receiving additional data that identifies a second potential pathway;
generating at least one of an updated visualization or a second visualization that shows the second potential pathway; and
displaying the updated visualization of the second visualization that shows the second potential pathway.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the visualization is a three-dimensional (3D) visualization.
9 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied therein a program executable by a processor for implementing a method comprising: accessing well plan data that identifies a starting point and an ending point of a wellbore; accessing existing wellbore data; identifying boundary zone data to associate with an overlaid dataset that includes the well plan data, the existing wellbore data, and the boundary zone data; identifying a plurality of areas of a field of wellbores as zones that should not be drilled by a drilling assembly; selecting a drilling approach angle using a drilling rule that identifies at least one of a minimum or maximum approach angle; classifying the plurality of areas of the field of wellbores as the zones that should not be drilled by the drilling assembly; receiving data that identifies a first potential pathway of the wellbore that includes the starting and the ending point of the wellbore and that avoids the plurality of areas classified as the zones that should not be drilled; initiating operation of the drilling assembly to drill along the first potential pathway of the wellbore; and in response to selecting the drilling approach angle, steering the drilling assembly in real time to avoid the plurality of areas classified as the zones that should not be drilled and avoids colliding with the path of another wellbore.
10 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , the program further executable to: identify that the drilling assembly will likely approach within a threshold safety margin distance of a second wellbore; and issue an alert based on the identification that the drilling assembly will likely approach within the threshold safety margin distance of the second wellbore.
11 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , the program further executable to:
automatically pause drilling of the wellbore based on the alert,
receive a command associated with the alert; and
re-start the drilling of the wellbore based on the received command.
12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the drilling approach angle is associated with a change in a formation property.
13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , the program further executable to:
generate a visualization from the overlaid dataset based on receiving the data that identifies the first potential pathway of the wellbore, wherein the visualization is displayed on a display such that a user can view the first potential pathway of the wellbore;
update the visualization as the drilling assembly drills along the first potential pathway; and
display the updated visualization.
14 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , the program further executable to:
identify first cross-sectional area to associate with a first density of rock along the first potential pathway; and
identify a second cross-sectional area to associate with a second density of rock along the first potential pathway, wherein:
the drilling assembly is controlled based on the first cross-sectional area being associated with the first density of rock and the second cross-sectional area being associated with the second density of rock, and
the maximum or minimum approach angle is associated with a change in rock density from the first density of rock to the second density of rock.
15 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , the program further executable to:
generate a visualization from the overlaid dataset based on receiving the data that identifies the first potential pathway of the wellbore, wherein the visualization is displayed on a display such that a user can view the first potential pathway of the wellbore;
receive additional data that identifies a second potential pathway;
generate at least one of an updated visualization or a second visualization that shows the second potential pathway; and
display the updated visualization of the second visualization that shows the second potential pathway.
16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the visualization provides a three-dimensional (3D) image to a user.
17 . An apparatus comprising: a memory; a processor that executes instructions out of the memory to: access well plan data that identifies a starting point and an ending point of a wellbore; access existing wellbore data; identify boundary zone data to associate with an overlaid dataset that includes the well plan data, the existing wellbore data, and the boundary zone data; selecting a drilling approach angle using a drilling rule that identifies at least one of a minimum or maximum approach angle; identify a plurality of areas of a field of wellbores as zones that should not be drilled by a drilling assembly; classify the plurality of areas of the field of wellbores as the zones that should not be drilled; evaluate data that identifies a first potential pathway of the wellbore; initiate operation of the drilling assembly to drill along the first potential pathway of the wellbore; and in response to selecting the drilling approach angle, steering the drilling assembly in real time to avoid the plurality of areas classified as the zones that should not be drilled and avoids colliding with the path of another wellbore; and a display upon which a visualization generated from the overlaid dataset is displayed based on the data that identifies the first potential pathway of the wellbore such that a user can view the first potential pathway of the wellbore.
18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the processor executes the instructions to:
identify that the drilling assembly will likely approach within a threshold safety margin distance of a second wellbore; and
issue an alert based on the identification that the drilling assembly will likely approach within the threshold safety margin distance of the second wellbore.
19 . The apparatus of claim 18 , further comprising:
a control output that passes data that pauses drilling of the wellbore based on the alert.
20 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the display displays three-dimensional (3D) images.