Optimal control and properties of nonlinear multistage dynamical system for planning horizontal well paths

The goal of planning a horizontal well path is to obtain a trajectory that arrives at a given target subject to various constraints. In this paper, the optimal control problem subject to a nonlinear multistage dynamical system (NMDS) for horizontal well paths is investigated. Some properties of the multistage system are proved. In order to derive the optimality conditions, we transform the optimal control problem into one with control constraints and inequality-constrained trajectories by defining some functions. The properties of these functions are then discussed and optimality conditions for optimal control problem are also given. Finally, an improved simplex method is developed and applied to the optimal design for well Ci-16-Cp146 in Oil Field of Liaohe, and the numerical results illustrate the validity of both the model and the algorithm.