Rig Tool Storage and Automated Self-Check System
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Solution Overview
Problem
The inefficiencies in subterranean operations stem from the lack of automated systems for monitoring, testing, and storing drilling tools, leading to time-consuming searches, potential tool misplacement, and operational issues, which hinder the optimization of hydrocarbon extraction processes.
Innovation Solution
An Integrated Control System (ICS) with a Central Functional Unit (CFU) that communicatively couples various functional units at the rig site, enabling centralized monitoring, data acquisition, and self-checking of tools, along with a storage facility that automates tool testing and storage, ensuring tools are operational and readily available.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If manual searching and verification of tools is performed, then tools can be located and tested, but time consumption and operational efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically testing tools before they are needed for operations. The automated storage facility conducts functional tests, operational checks, and status verifications in advance, so that when a tool is required, it is already confirmed to be operational and ready for immediate use, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual searching and verification during critical operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool storage and management system provides self-service functionality through automated testing and verification mechanisms. The system independently performs tool status checks, functional tests, and operational validations without requiring manual intervention, thereby reducing time consumption and improving operational efficiency while maintaining high productivity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If tools are stored without designated containers, then storage flexibility is improved, but tool misplacement and loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The storage facility is segmented into multiple designated storage locations, each specifically assigned for particular tools or tool types. This segmentation provides structured organization while maintaining flexibility, as tools have predetermined home locations that ensure proper placement and prevent loss, yet the system can accommodate various tool configurations and storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that track tool locations, storage status, and operational readiness. This feedback loop ensures tools are properly placed in designated containers by providing real-time information about tool status and location, thereby maintaining reliability and availability while allowing for adaptable storage management.
3Ease of operation
If tools are transported without automated tracking, then transportation simplicity is improved, but verification of tool presence and operational status becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual verification processes with automated electronic tracking and testing mechanisms. Sensors, identifiers, and automated testing equipment substitute for human inspection, providing continuous monitoring of tool presence, location, and operational status during transportation and storage, thereby maintaining transportation simplicity while eliminating time-consuming verification manual efforts.
Solution Approach 2:
An automated control system acts as an intermediary between tool transportation and verification processes. This intermediary system continuously monitors tool status, tracks location, and performs automated checks, simplifying the transportation process while providing comprehensive verification capabilities without requiring manual intervention.
4Reliability
If periodic manual testing of tools is performed, then tool operational status can be verified, but time consumption and operational disruption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic automated testing at predetermined intervals or based on usage criteria. The automated storage facility schedules and executes functional tests, operational checks, and status verifications automatically at appropriate intervals, ensuring tool reliability is maintained while minimizing time consumption and operational disruption compared to manual testing approaches.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for autonomously monitoring, evaluating, storing and testing tools and other units operated at a rig-site. The system may include a storage facility communicatively coupled to one or more tools, status flags identifying the health and operational status of the tools, and a computer for performing a self-check for determining the operational status for the one or more tools. The system may further include a remotely positioned computer system in communication with the operational status of the tools, and a user terminal in communication with the computer system.