Intelligent Well Control System and Method for Surface Blow-Out Preventer Equipment Stack

Abstract

A method includes initiating, by a computer system, a shear ram closure in a central bore of a blow-out preventer stack in response to a determination by the computer system of a loss of well control event and a determination by the computer system, based on a measurement received by the computer system from a joint locator sensor, that a tubing joint is not present within the central bore of the blow-out preventer stack. A pipe ram closure is initiated in response to a determination by the computer system that the shear ram has not fully closed after a predetermined time period since the initiation of the shear closure sequence.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 initiating, by a computer system, a shear ram closure in a central bore of a blow-out preventer stack, the initiating of the shear ram closure in response to: 
 a determination by the computer system of a loss of well control event; and 
 a determination by the computer system, based on a measurement received by the computer system from a j oint locator sensor, that a tubing j oint is not present within the central bore of the blow-out preventer stack 
   determining, by the computer system and after a predetermined time period since the initiation of the shear closure sequence, that the shear ram has not fully closed;   initiating, by the computer system, a pipe ram closure in response to a determination by the computer system that the shear ram has not fully closed after the predetermined time period.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the initiating of the shear ram closure is a first instance of an emergency closure sequence, and wherein the method further comprises a second instance of the emergency closure sequence, the second instance of the emergency closure sequence comprising initiating, by the computer system, the pipe ram closure in response to:
 the determination by the computer system of the loss of well control event; and   a determination by the computer system, based on a measurement received by the computer system from a joint locator sensor, that a tubing joint is present within blow-out preventer stack.   
     
     
         3 . The computer-initiated method of  claim 1 , wherein the initiating of the pipe ram closure in response to the determination by the computer system that the shear ram has not fully closed after the predetermined time period is a first instance of a shear ram closure sequence, and wherein the method further comprises a second instance of the shear ram closure sequence, the second instance of the shear ram closure sequence comprising initiating, by the computer system, a blind ram closure in response to a determination by the computer system that the shear ram has fully closed after the predetermined time period. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , further comprising determining, by the computer system, that the blind ram has fully closed. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein the predetermined time period since the initiation of the shear closure sequence is a first predetermined time period and wherein the determining that the blind ram has fully closed is after a second predetermined time period, the second predetermined time period beginning with the initiation of the blind ram closure. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the computer system, that the pipe ram has fully closed. 
     
     
         7 . The computer implemented method of  claim 6 , wherein the predetermined time period since the initiation of the shear closure sequence is a first predetermined time period and wherein the determining that the pipe ram has fully closed is after a third predetermined time period, the third predetermined time period beginning with the initiation of the pipe ram closure. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining of the loss of well control event comprises:
 receiving, by the computer system, measurements of fluid pressure, temperature, density, and volume of fluid flowing through a central bore of a blow-out preventer stack;   comparing at least one of the received measurements to a corresponding threshold; and   determining, in response to the comparing, that the at least one of the received measurements is greater or lesser than the threshold by an amount indicating a loss of well control event.   
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , wherein the measurement of the volume of fluid flowing through the central bore is based on real-time monitoring of changes in volume of a trip tank during tripping operations. 
     
     
         10 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining that the shear ram has not fully closed is based on a measurements received by the computer system by at least one of a shear ram location sensor or a hydraulic piston pressure sensor. 
     
     
         11 . A well control system comprising:
 a blow-out preventer stack comprising a central bore, a shear ram preventer, a pipe ram preventer, and a blind ram preventer;   a computer system communicatively coupled to the shear ram preventer, the pipe ram preventer, and the blind ram preventer and comprising one or more processors and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform computer operations, wherein the operations comprise: 
 initiating a closure of the shear ram preventer in response to: 
 a determination by the computer system of a loss of well control event; and 
 a determination by the computer system, based on a measurement received by the computer system from a joint locator sensor, that a tubing joint is not present within the central bore of the blow-out preventer stack 
 
 determining, after a predetermined time period since the initiation of the shear closure sequence, that the shear ram has not fully closed; 
 initiating a pipe ram closure in response to a determination by the computer system that the shear ram has not fully closed after the predetermined time period. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the initiating of the shear ram closure is a first instance of an emergency closure sequence, and wherein the operations further comprise a second instance of the emergency closure sequence, the second instance of the emergency closure sequence comprising initiating the pipe ram closure in response to:
 the determination by the computer system of the well control event; and   a determination by the computer system, based on a measurement received by the computer system from a joint locator sensor, that a tubing joint is present within blow-out preventer stack.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the initiating of the pipe ram closure in response to the determination by the computer system that the shear ram has not fully closed after the predetermined time period is a first instance of a shear ram closure sequence, and wherein the operations further comprise a second instance of the shear ram closure sequence, the second instance of the shear ram closure sequence comprising initiating, by the computer system, a blind ram closure in response to a determination by the computer system that the shear ram has fully closed after the predetermined time period. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprising determining that the blind ram has fully closed. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the predetermined time period since the initiation of the shear closure sequence is a first predetermined time period and wherein the determining that the blind ram has fully closed is after a second predetermined time period, the second predetermined time period beginning with the initiation of the blind ram closure. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise determining that the pipe ram has fully closed. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the predetermined time period since the initiation of the shear closure sequence is a first predetermined time period and wherein the determining that the pipe ram has fully closed is after a third predetermined time period, the third predetermined time period beginning with the initiation of the pipe ram closure. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the determining of the loss of well control event comprises:
 receiving, by the computer system measurements of fluid pressure, temperature, density, and volume of fluid flowing through a central bore of a blow-out preventer stack;   comparing at least one of the received measurements to a corresponding threshold; and   determining, in response to the comparing, that the at least one of the received measurements is greater or lesser than the threshold by an amount indicating a loss of well control event.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the measurement of the volume of fluid flowing through the central bore is based on real-time monitoring of changes in volume of a trip tank during tipping operations. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the determining that the shear ram has not fully closed is based on measurements received by the computer system by at least one of a shear ram location sensor or a hydraulic piston pressure sensor.