IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,486,741
Granted Patent B2
US 12,486,741 · App. 18/573,477 · Granted Dec 2, 2025

Wellsite equipment controller

Inventors: Miguel Hernandez De La Bastida (Sugar Land, TX); Antonio Massoni Abinader (Houston, TX); Agustin Gambaretto (Houston, TX); Garud Sridhar (London, GB)
Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
E21B43/128E21B47/07
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,486,741
App. No.
18/573,477
Granted
Dec 2, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An equipment controller can include a processor; memory accessible to the processor; and processor-executable instructions stored in the memory to instruct the equipment controller to: instantiate an edge application and an edge framework, where the edge framework includes a framework engine; receive sensor data; process the sensor data via the edge application to issue a call to the edge framework; responsive to the call, implement the framework engine to generate a result; and based at least in part on the result, issue an equipment control signal.

Claims (41)

1 . An equipment controller comprising:

a processor,

memory accessible to the processor; and

processor-executable instructions stored in the memory to instruct the equipment controller to:

instantiate, at a local controller for wellhead equipment, an edge application;

instantiate, at a gateway computing device, an edge framework, wherein the edge framework comprises a framework engine, wherein the framework engine includes a local instance of a physics model for running a simulation of an oil and gas process performed by the wellhead equipment;

receive, via the edge application and over a local network, sensor data;

process the sensor data via the edge application to issue, from the edge application over the local network to the gateway computing device, a call to the edge framework, wherein processing the sensor data includes generating a request for the simulation from the physics model, the call including the request;

responsive to the call, implement the framework engine to run the simulation using the sensor data, the simulation generating a result related to the oil and gas process; and

based at least in part on the result, issue, from the framework engine over the local network to the local controller, an equipment control signal to adjust operation of the wellhead equipment performing the oil and gas process.

2 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the equipment controller is part of an electric submersible pump system.

3 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the equipment controller is operatively coupled to a variable speed drive (VSD) unit of an electric submersible pump system.

4 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the equipment controller is operatively coupled to an electric submersible pump gauge that comprises at least one sensor.

5 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the equipment controller is operatively coupled to the wellhead equipment that comprises at least one sensor.

6 . The equipment controller of claim 5 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor.

7 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the call comprises an application programming interface (API) call.

8 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the wellhead equipment includes a plurality of units of equipment, and further comprising processor-executable instructions stored in the memory to instruct the equipment controller to instantiate a plurality of edge applications at the plurality of units of equipment.

9 . The equipment controller of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the plurality of edge applications is instantiated via another, different processor.

10 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the result is a fluid flow value.

11 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the result comprises a fluid flow rate for a first fluid phase and a fluid flow rate for a second fluid phase.

12 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the framework engine comprises a fluid flow simulator.

13 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the framework engine comprises a black oil model simulator.

14 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the result comprises a production index (PI) result.

15 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the result comprises an emulsion result.

16 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the result comprises a corrosion result.

17 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , wherein the result comprises a sand result.

18 . The equipment controller of claim 1 , comprising a satellite communication interface.

19 . A method comprising:

instantiating, at a local controller for wellhead equipment, an edge application;

instantiating, at a gateway computing device, an edge framework, wherein the edge framework comprises a framework engine, wherein the framework engine includes a local instance of a physics model for running a simulation of an oil and gas process performed by the wellhead equipment;

receiving, via the edge application and over a local network, sensor data;

processing the sensor data via the edge application to issue, from the edge application over the local network to the gateway computing device, a call to the edge framework, wherein processing the sensor data includes generating a request for the simulation from the physics model, the call including the request;

responsive to the call, implementing the framework engine to run the simulation using the sensor data, the simulation generating a result related to the oil and gas process; and

based at least in part on the result, issuing, from the framework engine over the local network to the local controller, an equipment control signal to adjust operation of the wellhead equipment performing the oil and gas process.

20 . One or more non-transitory signal computer-readable storage media comprising processor-executable instructions to instruct a computing system to:

instantiate, at a local controller for wellhead equipment, an edge application;

instantiate, at a gateway computing device, an edge framework, wherein the edge framework comprises a framework engine, wherein the framework engine includes a local instance of a physics model for running a simulation of an oil and gas process performed by the wellhead equipment;

receive, via the edge application and over a local network, sensor data;

process the sensor data via the edge application to issue, from the edge application over the local network to the gateway computing device, a call to the edge framework, wherein processing the sensor data includes generating a request for the simulation from the physics model, the call including the request;

responsive to the call, implement the framework engine to run the simulation using the sensor data, the simulation generating a result related to the oil and gas process; and

based at least in part on the result, issue, from the framework engine over the local network to the local controller, an equipment control signal to adjust operation of the wellhead equipment performing the oil and gas process.

Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63218180 · Jul 2, 2021
Related Publication 20240295164A1 · Sep 5, 2024
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