Drilling Rig Control System Using Physics Models for Safe Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The operational envelopes of sea-going drilling or work-over rigs are not well-defined, leading to equipment shutdowns before reaching safe limits or operation beyond design limits, due to the complexity of the vessels and their environments.
Innovation Solution
A vessel equipped with sensor units and a control system that uses computational physics models to estimate the physical states of operational equipment, including forces, positions, and accelerations, allowing for safer and more optimal operation by deriving data from sensor units associated with the vessel and environmental conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If operational equipment is used without well-defined operational envelopes, then equipment may be operated beyond safe limits, but equipment may also be shut down before reaching safe limits due to uncertainty
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of operational envelopes before actual operations begin. The control system computes safe operating limits based on environmental conditions, equipment characteristics, and operational parameters in advance, allowing operators to plan and execute operations within proven safe boundaries rather than reacting to uncertainty during operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors actual operational parameters and environmental conditions, comparing them against the calculated operational envelopes. This feedback mechanism allows real-time adjustment of operations to remain within safe limits while maximizing equipment utilization, preventing both premature shutdowns and unsafe operations.
2Reliability
If operational envelopes are strictly enforced, then equipment safety is ensured, but equipment productivity is reduced due to premature shutdowns
Solution Approach 1:
The operational envelopes are not static but dynamically adjusted based on real-time environmental conditions, equipment state, and operational context. The control system continuously recalculates safe operating limits as conditions change, allowing equipment to operate at higher utilization levels when conditions permit while maintaining safety boundaries when risks are present.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters dynamically by adjusting the calculated operational envelopes based on multiple variables including environmental conditions, equipment characteristics, and operational requirements. This allows the system to expand operating boundaries when safe and contract them when necessary, optimizing both safety and productivity.
3Measurement precision
If computational physics models are used to estimate physical states, then operational precision is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system acts as an intermediary layer between environmental sensors and operational equipment. It incorporates computational physics models to translate raw sensor data into meaningful physical state estimates and operational recommendations, shielding operators from the complexity of the models while providing precise operational guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex manual calculations and physical measurements with computational physics models that run on the control system. These models use mathematical representations of physical laws to estimate equipment states and operational envelopes, substituting sophisticated software calculations for simpler but less accurate traditional methods.
Data Source
AI summary
A drilling or work-over vessel (10) is disclosed comprising a number of operational equipment (300), wherein the drilling or work-over vessel comprises at least one operational control and/or state unit (100) comprising at least one processing unit (102), wherein the at least one operational control and/or state unit (100) comprises or are in connection with a memory and/or storage (103), and at least one sensor unit (200), wherein the at least one sensor unit (200) is adapted to obtain one or more measured physical values and to provide data representing the one or more measured physical values and/or derived values thereof to the at least one operational control and/or state unit (100), the memory and/or storage (103) comprises a data representation of a computational physics model of at least a part of the drilling or work-over rig, and the at least one processing unit (102) is adapted to derive data representing an estimation of one or more physical states (such as defined by limits of forces, relative motion between operational equipment and vessel, or between other two pieces of operational equipment) estimated to act on at least one operational equipment (300) in response to the data representing the one or more measured physical values and/or derived values thereof as provided by the at least one sensor unit (200).