Downhole Drilling State Determination and Dynamic Energy Computation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automated drilling methods lack the ability to determine the drilling state downhole, relying on surface communication and intervention, which is time-consuming and inefficient, and fail to compute dynamic drilling energy, leading to suboptimal control of drilling operations and increased risk of hazards like bit bounce and stick slip.
Innovation Solution
A method for downhole determination of the drilling state and computation of dynamic drilling energy using downhole sensors and processors, enabling autonomous control of drilling components and mitigating dangerous dynamic conditions without surface intervention, by acquiring and processing sensor measurements to identify drilling states and energies, and adjusting operating states accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If surface communication is used to determine drilling state, then the drilling state information can be obtained, but it consumes valuable rig time and reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The downhole tools are equipped with sensors and processors that enable them to autonomously determine the drilling state and compute dynamic drilling energy without requiring surface communication. The system serves itself by using onboard capabilities to gather and process information, eliminating the need for time-consuming surface transmissions while maintaining continuous awareness of drilling conditions.
2Loss of information
If surface equipment is updated with drilling state changes, then the drilling state is known at the surface, but the transmission requires sufficient bandwidth and consumes rig time
Solution Approach 1:
The downhole system autonomously determines drilling state and computes dynamic energy using onboard sensors and processors, eliminating the need for bandwidth-consuming transmissions to the surface. This self-sufficient approach maintains continuous information availability without impacting surface productivity or requiring communication infrastructure.
3Extent of automation
If automated drilling methods are used, then control of drilling operations is improved, but the lack of downhole drilling state determination leads to suboptimal control
Solution Approach 1:
The downhole system autonomously determines drilling state and computes dynamic drilling energy using onboard sensors and processors, providing real-time feedback for automated control systems. This self-sufficient approach enables more reliable and accurate automated drilling control by providing timely, accurate drilling state information without relying on delayed surface communications.
4Ease of operation
If downhole tools are disconnected from the surface, then they operate independently, but they are unaware of the drilling state
Solution Approach 1:
The downhole tools are equipped with sensors and processors that enable them to autonomously determine the drilling state and compute dynamic drilling energy. This self-service capability allows the tools to operate independently while maintaining awareness of drilling conditions, eliminating the information gap created by disconnection from the surface.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A method for determining a drilling state of a bottom hole assembly in a wellbore includes acquiring one or more downhole sensor measurements and processing the sensor measurements using a downhole processor to determine a drilling state of the bottom hole assembly. An operating state of the bottom hole assembly may be automatically changed in response to the determined drilling state. A method for computing a dynamic drilling energy of a bottom hole assembly includes acquiring at least one sensor measurement and processing the sensor measurements to obtain at least one of (i) an energy of axial motion of the bottom hole assembly, (ii) an energy of rotational motion of the bottom hole assembly, and (iii) an energy of lateral motion of the bottom hole assembly.