IP Library Granted Patent US 10,975,691
Granted Patent B2
US 10,975,691 · App. 15/087,497 · Granted Apr 13, 2021

Microbiome based systems, apparatus and methods for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons

Inventors: Rob Knight (San Diego, CA); Ajay Kshatriya (Oakland, CA); John Ely (Houston, TX); Paul Henshaw (Clayton, CA); J. Gregory Caporaso (Flagstaff, AZ); Dan Knights (St. Paul, MN); Ryan Gill (Denver, CO)
Assignee: Biota Technology, Inc
E21B49/08C09K8/582C09K8/62C12Q1/689C12Q1/6874C12Q1/6888E21B43/00E21B47/11E21B49/00E21B49/086G01V9/00G16B10/00G16B20/00G16B40/00G16B45/00C12Q2600/156E21B21/065E21B43/26E21B43/267E21B49/003E21B49/0875
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,975,691
App. No.
15/087,497
Granted
Apr 13, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

There are provided methods, systems and processes for the utilization of microbial and related genetic information for use in the exploration, determination, production and recovery of natural resources, including energy sources, and the monitoring, control and analysis of processes and activities.

Claims (34)

1. A system comprising:

a database to store microbiome data corresponding to one or more sample materials obtained from a resource production field at one or more time points; and

a computer system configured to perform operations comprising:

analyzing the microbiome data to generate derived microbiome data corresponding to the one or more sample materials, the generating of the derived microbiome data including computationally linking the microbiome data to metadata corresponding to one or more industrial setting factors at the one or more time points;

selecting a predictive machine-learned model from a plurality of predictive machine-learned models based on an expected prediction error associated with the predictive machine-learned model, an accuracy of the expected prediction error for the predictive machine-learned model having been improved through a number of repeated tests of the expected predictive accuracy using multiple subsets of the derived microbiome data, the predictive machine-learned model having been generated using an embedded approach to feature selection;

generating predictive microbiome data corresponding to one or sample materials obtained at one or more additional time points, the generating including applying the selected predictive machine-learned model to derived microbiome data corresponding one or more sample materials obtained at the one or more additional time points; and

causing an interactive graphical user interface to be presented on a device, the interactive graphical user interface including an interactive tool for visualization of patterns in the predictive microbiome data corresponding to the one or more sample materials obtained at the one or more additional time points, the predictive microbiome data pertaining to at least one of production volume, fluid origin, fluid migration, oil saturation, water saturation, geological stratigraphy, temperature, viscosity, pressure, hydrocarbon composition, total organic carbon, permeability, or porosity.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the derived microbiome data includes diversity metrics and the generating of the predictive microbiome data includes determining a statistical significance of the diversity metrics to the regression.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sample materials include at least one of liquids, soils, or rocks.

4. The system of claim 1 where the derived microbiome data includes environmental metadata pertaining to at least one of liquids, soils, or rocks collected from the field at the one or more points in time.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the derived microbiome data includes general metadata pertaining to at least one of physical characteristics, chemical characteristics, geological characteristics associated with the one or more sample materials.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predictive microbiome data is utilized in conjunction with additional subsurface information comprising high resolution geologic maps and logging information, including at least one of gamma ray, triple combo, bit mechanics, derived lithology indicators, total organic content, or special core analyses information.

7. A method comprising:

accessing a database that stores microbiome data corresponding to one or more sample materials obtained from a resource production field at one or more time points;

analyzing the microbiome data to generate derived microbiome data corresponding to the one or more sample materials, the generating of the derived microbiome data including computationally linking the microbiome data to metadata corresponding to one or more industrial setting factors at the one or more time points;

selecting a predictive machine-learned model from a plurality of predictive machine-learned models based on an expected prediction error associated with the predictive machine-learned model, an accuracy of the expected prediction error for the predictive machine-learned model having been improved through a number of repeated tests of the expected predictive accuracy using multiple subsets of the derived microbiome data, the predictive machine-learned model having been generated using an embedded approach to feature selection;

generating predictive microbiome data corresponding to one or sample materials obtained at one or more additional time points, the generating including applying the selected predictive machine-learned model to derived microbiome data corresponding to the one or more sample materials obtained at the one or more additional time points; and

causing an interactive graphical user interface to be presented on a device, the interactive graphical user interface including an interactive tool for visualization of patterns in the predictive microbiome data corresponding to the one or more sample materials at the one or more additional time points, the predictive microbiome data pertaining to at least one of production volume, fluid origin, fluid migration, oil saturation, water saturation, geological stratigraphy, temperature, viscosity, pressure, hydrocarbon composition, total organic carbon, permeability, or porosity.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the derived microbiome data and the historical data includes diversity metrics and the generating of the predictive microbiome data includes determining a statistical significance of the comparison with respect to the diversity metrics.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the sample materials include at least one of liquids, soils, or rocks.

10. The method of claim 7 where the derived microbiome data includes environmental metadata pertaining to at least one of liquids, soils, or rocks collected from the field at the one or more points in time.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the derived microbiome data includes general metadata pertaining to at least one of physical characteristics, chemical characteristics, geological characteristics associated with the one or more sample materials.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the predictive microbiome data includes a prediction of a presence or absence of hydrocarbons at the one or more locations and the method further comprises communicating a visualization of the prediction of the presence or absence of hydrocarbons at the one or more locations along with the statistical significance to assist the operator in identification of possible patterns.

13. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium embodying instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

accessing a database that stores microbiome data corresponding to one or more sample materials obtained from a resource production field at one or more time points;

analyzing the microbiome data to generate derived microbiome data corresponding to the one or more sample materials, the generating of the derived microbiome data including computationally linking the microbiome data to metadata corresponding to one or more industrial setting factors at the one or more time points;

selecting a predictive machine-learned model from a plurality of predictive machine-learned models based on an expected prediction error associated with the predictive machine-learned model, an accuracy of the expected prediction error for the predictive machine-learned model having been improved through a number of repeated tests of the expected predictive accuracy using multiple subsets of the derived microbiome data, the predictive machine-learned model having been generated using an embedded approach to feature selection;

generating predictive microbiome data corresponding to one or sample materials obtained at one or more additional time points, the generating including applying the selected predictive machine-learned model to derived microbiome data corresponding to the one or more sample materials obtained at the one or more additional time points; and

causing an interactive graphical user interface to be presented on a device, the interactive graphical user interface including an interactive tool for visualization of patterns in the predictive microbiome data corresponding to the one or more sample materials at the one or more additional time points, the predictive microbiome data pertaining to at least one of production volume, fluid origin, fluid migration, oil saturation, water saturation, geological stratigraphy, temperature, viscosity, pressure, hydrocarbon composition, total organic carbon, permeability, or porosity.

14. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the derived microbiome data and the historical data includes diversity metrics and the generating of the predictive microbiome data includes determining a statistical significance of the comparison with respect to the diversity metrics.

15. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the sample materials include at least one of liquids, soils, or rocks.

16. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13 where the derived microbiome data includes environmental metadata pertaining to at least one of liquids, soils, or rocks collected from the field at the one or more points in time.

17. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the derived microbiome data includes general metadata pertaining to at least one of physical characteristics, chemical characteristics, geological characteristics associated with the one or more sample materials.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the applying of the selected predictive model is based on an additional test of the expected prediction error using a test set was held out from the multiple subsets of the derived microbiome data.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 19, 2024
From: BIOTA TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: BP CORPORATION NORTH AMERICA INC.
Reel/Frame 066185/0765 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 15, 2017
From: KNIGHT, ROB; KSHATRIYA, AJAY; ELY, JOHN; HENSHAW, PAUL; CAPORASO, J. GREGORY; KNIGHTS, DAN; GILL, RYAN T.
To: BIOTA TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 041263/0354 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation 14586865 · Dec 30, 2014
Continuation In Part 14585078 · Dec 29, 2014
Provisional Application 61922734 · Dec 31, 2013
Provisional Application 61944961 · Feb 26, 2014
Related Publication 20160283651A1 · Sep 29, 2016
Cited By (1)
US 12,595,731