Drilling Vibration Severity Estimation Under Mud Pulse Bandwidth Limits

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing drilling systems face challenges in effectively mitigating vibrational modes due to limited bandwidth in mud pulse telemetry, leading to inadequate adjustments in drilling parameters, which can cause damage to mechanical components and disrupt directional drilling operations.

Innovation Solution

A physics-based interpolation method is employed to infer cumulative vibrational information from low-frequency acceleration measurements, allowing for more accurate adjustments to drilling parameters such as weight-on-bit and drillstring rotation speed to mitigate vibrational severity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If mud pulse telemetry is used to transmit vibrational data, then real-time monitoring is achieved, but the bandwidth limitation causes loss of vibrational information

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereal-time monitoring capabilityVSAvoidvibrational data completeness

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary processing of vibrational data at the source by computing cumulative vibrational information and severity metrics before transmission. This advance preparation ensures that only the most critical processed data needs to be transmitted through the limited bandwidth telemetry system, preserving essential information while adapting to communication constraints.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms the vibrational data from raw acceleration measurements into derived parameters such as cumulative severity and vibrational mode classifications. This parameter transformation compresses the information while maintaining the essential characteristics needed for monitoring and decision-making, effectively overcoming the bandwidth limitation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If drilling parameters are adjusted frequently to mitigate vibrations, then component damage is reduced, but drilling efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomponent durabilityVSAvoiddrilling efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements continuous feedback monitoring of cumulative vibrational severity and provides real-time recommendations for parameter adjustments. This feedback loop enables operators to make informed, targeted adjustments only when and where needed, rather than frequent unnecessary changes, thereby protecting components while maintaining drilling efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by recommending specific parameter adjustments only for the drilling conditions where vibrational severity exceeds thresholds. Instead of continuous parameter changes, the system intervenes selectively based on actual vibrational conditions, optimizing the balance between component protection and drilling productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Loss of information

If cumulative vibrational information is calculated from limited measurements, then data transmission requirements are reduced, but measurement precision may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata transmission volumeVSAvoidvibrational severity accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces direct transmission of high-volume raw acceleration data with transmission of computed cumulative vibrational metrics. This substitution uses mathematical processing to derive essential information from limited measurements, maintaining measurement precision while dramatically reducing data transmission requirements through intelligent data transformation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS20250382865A1Vibrational mode and severity determinations for drilling systems

Publication Date: 2025.12.18 HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES INC

AI summary

Aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and computer readable media for determining or identifying one or more vibrational modes and corresponding severities experienced by a drilling system operating within a wellbore. Vibrational data comprising vibrational measurements of a vibrational mode is obtained from a component of a drilling assembly while the component is in a wellbore and performing one or more drilling operations. Cumulative vibrational information of the vibrational mode is determined based on the vibrational measurements, the cumulative vibrational information identifying and characterizing, for each of a plurality of instances during a time interval an accumulated severity of the vibrational mode. One or more drilling parameters of the drilling assembly is adjusted based on the cumulative vibrational information.