Drilling Plan Execution With Conditional Replanning Thresholds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated planning technologies in the upstream oil and gas industry lack flexibility and are prescriptive, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs due to the need for re-planning when unexpected conditions arise, as they fail to accommodate real-time variations and changes in environmental constraints.
Innovation Solution
A method that defines logical, sequential, and conditional interrelationships between events in a plan, allowing for flexible execution independent of time and resource constraints, using a continuous model of time and hybrid planning systems to automatically construct plans that adapt to changing conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If known planning technologies execute actions based on predetermined time steps and prescriptive orders, then the plan structure is simple and easy to implement, but the system lacks flexibility and requires re-planning when unexpected conditions arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms static, prescriptive plans into dynamic plans that continuously adapt to changing conditions. The planning system monitors the current state of the drilling operation in real-time and dynamically generates new plans based on the latest conditions, rather than executing fixed predetermined sequences. This allows the system to respond flexibly to unexpected events while maintaining a structured approach through automated plan generation and execution frameworks.
2Reliability
If re-planning is performed when actions do not result in expected states, then the plan can adapt to changes, but re-planning time delays the overall drilling operation and reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares multiple contingency plans in advance for various potential drilling scenarios and conditions. When unexpected events occur, the system can immediately switch to pre-prepared contingency plans rather than generating plans from scratch, significantly reducing re-planning time. The system also pre-identifies alternative actions and pathways that can be activated quickly when primary plans become invalid due to changing conditions.
3Productivity
If plans are pre-defined without flexibility for real-time variations, then the planning process is simple and fast, but the plan fails when unexpected conditions take it outside its initially defined envelope of operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous feedback loops where the planning system constantly monitors the actual state of the drilling operation and compares it against the planned state. When deviations are detected, the system automatically generates corrective plans or adjusts existing plans to account for the new conditions. This closed-loop control ensures that the drilling operation maintains high productivity while adapting to unexpected conditions through real-time plan adjustments based on feedback from sensors and monitoring systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes accessing a domain model plan that includes a time independent initial state and a time independent goal state and sequences of events that include a sequence of a first event, a second event and a third event with conditional interrelationships; accessing operational data that include a failure condition for the third event and a time constraint for the failure condition; issuing a control instruction to rigsite equipment to perform a drilling-related action for generating the third event; during performance of the drilling-related action for generating the third event, receiving sensor data germane to the failure condition; upon occurrence of the failure condition, timing a duration of the occurrence of the failure condition; comparing the duration to the time constraint for the failure condition; and, based on the comparing, deciding to re-plan the domain model plan or to continue execution of the domain model plan.