Robust cost-effective characterization of petrophysical properties in sedimentary geothermal applications leveraged by drilling data and cuttings

Petrophysical properties such as porosity and permeability are arguably the most important parameters in enhancing geothermal heat production through better completion design and stimulation plan. Collecting well logs are often passive and associated with additional costs. In addition, many logging packages cannot sustain high-temperature formations often observed in geothermal conditions. In these conditions, surface and downhole drilling data such as weight-on-bit (WOB), rpm, torque, vibration, and cuttings can be leveraged for real-time prediction of petrophysical properties. In addition, at the rig site, drill cuttings are commonly monitored and examined by mud loggers, mud engineers, pore pressure specialists, and other on-site personnel. These samples provide a direct source of information about the formation and help to answer specific questions that well logs data cannot explain during formation evaluation. Predicting permeability and porosity from these data while drilling will also overcome many challenges, reducing the cost of coring, increasing the time value of its utility while drilling, characterizing subsurface physical and chemical changes, and assisting in real-time decision-making. The primary objective of phase 1 work is to leverage drilling data and cuttings using a novel physics-informed machine learning workflow. The workflow combines physics-based simulation, laboratory experiments, and an advanced data-driven approach for estimating petrophysical properties. This proposal is also leveraged by access to cores and cutting samples collected from geothermal well sites available at academic partner institutions. Available data in GDR (Geothermal Data Repository) can be leveraged for developing a robust workflow. Greenpath systems, with the help of academic partner, will have access to unique resources such as geothermal wells core and drill cuttings and high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) laboratory set-ups to perform the laboratory experiments. In Phase I&II, GreenPath Systems (GPS) plans to develop a platform for real-time prediction of petrophysical properties using drilling and cutting data for geothermal applications. The platform will be robust and verified based on experiments, core, cuttings, and field data. Phase 1 work will also include commercialization and market research, such as outreach for capital investment and fundraising. The technology proposed in this application has vast market potential in the geothermal, oil, and gas industries.