Ruleset-Driven Automated Design of PAD/Platform Multi-Wells Using Cloud-Based Software: A Modern Approach to Well Engineering

Abstract Objectives/Scope: The adoption of PAD/Platform drilling has enabled operators to efficiently drill clusters of wells while minimizing surface footprint and infrastructure costs. However, conventional workflows for planning multiple platform wells remain time & labor-intensive, relying on legacy software and repetitive manual inputs. This paper presents the development and validation of a cloud-based, rule-set driven workflow for automating the design of PAD/Platform Multi-wells, reducing engineering time and improving consistency. The work presented in this paper is the result of a collaboration between a major Middle Eastern National Oil Company (NOC) and a Norwegian software vendor Methods, Procedures, Process: A design workflow was developed using a modern cloud-based software, named WellDesign. A comprehensive set of predefined engineering rules and simulation parameters were configured within the software, encompassing the full well lifecycle, including: Automatic generation of multiple trajectories & Anti-collision checkCasing and Tubing rule-set automated designDrilling Mechanics including Torque & Drag and Hydraulics modelingTransient Temperature simulation for drilling & production operationsBlowout risk analysis and Relief Well dynamic kill simulations Results, Observations, Conclusions: The software's modular architecture allows seamless data transfer across all design stages. Interconnected calculation engines ensure automated, iterative computations without the need for redundant manual data entry or validation, enabling real-time updates to designs based on rule logic. For any new PAD/Platform development, the user can initiate the automated workflow via rule-based templates. The software autonomously executes the full suite of simulations and generates engineering designs across all wells in the pad. This approach achieved significant reductions in design cycle time while improving quality control and standardization. This approach demonstrates the viability of fully automated design of PAD/Platform Multi-wells, enabling complex planning tasks to be executed within minutes through intelligent, cloud-native digital tools.