Directional Drilling Attitude Hold Controller Using Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current directional drilling technologies face challenges in stabilizing and controlling the orientation of boreholes, particularly in off-shore and cost-sensitive environments, where precise directional drilling is necessary without the need for frequent rig relocations or additional equipment setups.
Innovation Solution
A directional drilling system incorporating a control unit with sensors and a steering device that applies an equivalent tool face derived from a control law, stabilizing the drill attitude and steering the drill bit along a desired path by converting attitude reference data into a vector unit and implementing an attitude hold controller.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If directional drilling is implemented to explore formations without moving the rig, then drilling productivity and cost efficiency are improved, but control precision and stability of drill attitude become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system that continuously monitors the actual drill attitude using sensors (accelerometers, magnetometers, gyroscopes) and compares it with the desired attitude. The control unit processes this feedback information and adjusts the steering device accordingly to maintain precise drill attitude control during directional drilling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical attitude control mechanisms with an electronic control system that uses sensors, processors, and actuators. This substitution enables more precise and dynamic control of drill attitude through electronic signals and algorithms rather than purely mechanical adjustments.
2Loss of energy
If frequent rig relocations are avoided through directional drilling, then operational costs are reduced, but the complexity of maintaining stable drill attitude increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into a single control unit that handles attitude measurement, processing, control law evaluation, and steering actuation. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems, managing complexity while achieving stable drill attitude control without frequent rig relocations.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is designed to autonomously monitor drill attitude, evaluate control laws, and adjust steering without continuous external intervention. The system self-regulates by using its own sensors and processors to maintain desired drill attitude, reducing the need for external control inputs and simplifying operational complexity.
3Productivity
If precise directional control is implemented without rig relocation, then drilling efficiency is improved, but the difficulty of stabilizing drill attitude in challenging geological conditions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control unit as an intermediary between the sensors and the steering device. This intermediary processes sensor data, evaluates control laws, and generates appropriate steering commands, effectively mediating the complex task of attitude stabilization in challenging geological conditions and reducing the direct difficulty of control.
Data Source
AI summary
A drilling tool in accordance to one or more aspects includes a processor and a steering device. The processor determines a demand attitude and an instantaneous drilling tool attitude, evaluates a control law to derive a control law tool face, and converts the control law tool face to an equivalent tool face. The steering device applies the equivalent tool face to control a drill attitude of the drilling tool.