Artificial Intelligent Models for Detection and Prediction of Lost Circulation Events: A Review

Abstract

Lost circulation or losses in drilling fluid is one of the most important problems in the oil and gas industry, and it appeared at the beginning of this industry, which caused many problems during the drilling process, which may lead to closing the well and stopping the drilling process. The drilling muds are relatively expensive, especially the muds that contain oil-based mud or that contain special additives, so it is not economically beneficial to waste and lose these muds. The treatment of drilling fluid losses is also somewhat expensive as a result of the wasted time that it caused, as well as the high cost of materials used in the treatment such as heavy materials, cement, and others. The best way to deal with drilling fluid losses is to prevent them. Drilling fluid loss is a complex problem that is difficult to predict using simple and traditional methods. Artificial intelligence represents a modern and accurate technology for solving complex problems such as drilling fluid loss. Artificial intelligence through supervised machine learning provides the possibility of predicting these losses before they occur based on field data such as drilling fluid properties, drilling parameters, rock properties, and geomechanical parameters that are related to the loss of circulation of the wells suffered from losses problem located in the same area. In this paper, several supervised machine learning models have been reviewed that were used for detecting and predicting of loss of drilling fluids during the drilling process. The paper provides an inclusive review of drilling fluid prediction and detection from simplest to more complected intelligent models.

Analysis of Surge and Swab ECD of Herschel Bulkley Fluids in Rumaila Iraqi Oil Field

“…The estimated oil volume in this field is approximately 17 billion barrels, representing approximately 12% of the Iraqi total oil reserves. In the Rumaila oil field, 46% of the NPT is recorded due to the lost circulation problem [16]. This shows the importance of determining the surge ECD for controlling and minimizing the possibility of this costly problem.…”

Interpretation of Mud Losses in Carbonates Based on Cuttings Description, Well-Logging, Seismic and Coherency Data

“…Lost circulation is a common drilling problem in highly permeable formations, depleted reservoirs, and fractured or cavernous formations [1]. Lost circulation problems may occur in shallow or unconsolidated formations to deeper or consolidated formations because of the rock tensile fracturing as a result of high mud weights.…”