Drilling Fluid Volume Monitoring with Tank-State Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Interpreting drilling fluid volumes during drilling operations is challenging due to complex interactions with the formation, making it difficult to create intelligent alarms and notifications for potential issues such as kicks or fluid losses.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for detecting tank states and changes in tank volume based on real-time data from a drilling fluid system, using processors to identify undesirable interactions between the drilling fluid and the formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If drilling fluid volume monitoring is performed during drilling operations, then detection of undesirable interactions (kicks, fluid losses) is enabled, but interpretation complexity increases due to complex interactions between fluid volumes and formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the continuous drilling operation into discrete tank states (e.g., active drilling, tripping, circulating) based on pump operations. Each state has predefined expected volume change ranges, allowing complex fluid-formation interactions to be interpreted through simplified state-specific thresholds rather than continuous complex analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the interpretation parameter from absolute volume changes to state-relative volume changes. By defining expected volume ranges for each tank state and comparing actual changes against these dynamic baselines, the system adapts the detection criteria to current operational conditions, reducing false alarms while maintaining detection accuracy.
2Ease of operation
If tank state detection based on pump operations is implemented, then meaningful alarms can be created, but system complexity increases due to need to track multiple operational parameters
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary classification of operational states based on pump status and drilling phase before volume change analysis. By pre-defining expected volume ranges for each state and pre-classifying current operations into appropriate states, the system simplifies real-time decision-making and alarm generation without requiring complex on-the-fly calculations.
3Loss of time
If real-time drilling fluid monitoring is performed, then timely detection of formation interactions is achieved, but data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments continuous monitoring into discrete state-based evaluation intervals. Rather than continuously analyzing all volume changes, the system only evaluates volume changes against state-specific thresholds when transitions between tank states occur, significantly reducing the frequency and computational burden of data processing while maintaining timely detection capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method may include receiving real-time data relating to drilling fluid for drilling operations that utilize a drilling fluid system that includes tanks and pumps, where the drilling operations include operations that pump the drilling fluid to a drill bit on a drillstring that rotates to extend a borehole in a formation, and where the drilling fluid flows to an annulus between the drillstring and the formation to apply pressure to the formation; detecting a tank state from a group of tank states based at least in part on the real-time data, where the group of tank states includes tank states defined with respect to one or more operations of the pumps; and detecting a change in tank volume, based at least in part on the tank state, as an indicator of an undesirable interaction between the drilling fluid and the formation.