Saudi Arabian Oil Company

Macquarie University

Chengdu Dongwei Technology Co., Ltd

Yu Technologies, Inc.

Chinthaka Pasan Gooneratne

Bodong Li

Timothy Eric Moellendick

Guodong Zhan

Jianhui Xu

Jothibasu Ramasamy

Arturo Magana Mora

Shaohua Zhou

Michael Anthony Affleck

Arturo Magana-Mora

William Contreras Otalvora

Subhas Mukhopadhyay

Krzysztof Karol Machocki

Abdulwahab Aljohar

Peter James Boul

Ossama R Sehsah

Mohammad Saud Al-Badran

Abrar Alshaikh

Amjad Alshaarawi

Mohammad Aljubran

Rami F Saleh

Bandar S Al-Malki

Amjad O Shaarawi

Meshari M Alshalan

Mohammed Albassam

Abdullah Saleh Al-Yami

Graham Hitchcock

Sara Alkhalaf

Abdulwahab S Al-Johar

Richard Mark Pye

Mohammed Alsheikh

Mahmoud Abughaban

Pratyush Singh

Guodong (David) Zhan

Haytham H Alhamed

Duanwei He

Bandar Almalki

Zhaorui Shi

Ayodeji Abegunde

Abdulaziz Almusa

Bandar Salem AlMalki

Mohammed Aljubran

Abdulkareem Saqqa

Systems and methods include techniques for using smart polymers. Units of smart polymers with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) sensitivity are inserted by a monitoring system into drilling fluid pumped into a well. The smart polymers are configured to be triggered by increasing H2S concentrations. An insertion timestamp associated with each unit is stored. Each insertion timestamp indicates a time that each unit was inserted. Continuous images and observed characteristics of returning mud exiting through an annulus of the well and containing the units of smart polymer are captured by a camera positioned at a sensing location and linked to the monitoring system. An estimate of H2S levels at a drill bit of the drilling operation is determined using continuous images, observed characteristics, and insertion timestamps, and based at least in part on executing image processing algorithms, machine-learning models, and deep-learning models. Changes to drilling parameters are suggested.

Measuring drilling fluid hydrogen sulfide with smart polymers

A method includes utilizing a charging and communication interface and a sensor system to gather downhole measurements. The method further includes charging and activating the sensor system using the charging and communication interface, installing the sensor system into a nozzle of a drill bit, running the drill bit into a wellbore, conducting measurements using the sensor system, pulling the drill bit out of the wellbore, and contacting the charging and communication interface with the sensor system to retrieve the measurements from the sensor system.

Charging and communication interface for drill bit nozzle-based sensing system

An intelligent drilling system is disclosed. The intelligent drilling system includes an inner drill pipe adapted to rotate around a longitudinal axis in a transversal plane of a wellbore to advance a drill bit during a drilling operation, an external drill string shield surrounding the inner drill pipe and coupled to the inner drill pipe via at least one bearing system, the at least one bearing system adapted to decouple the external drill string shield from a rotational motion of the inner drill pipe in the transversal plane such that the external drill string shield remains substantially stationary during the drilling operation, and an in-situ sensing system disposed on an interior wall of the external drill string shield to measure at least one downhole parameter of the wellbore.

Intelligent drilling system with external stationary sensing shield

A system and a method for forming a composite electrolyte structure are provided. An exemplary composite electrolyte structure includes, at least in part, polymer electrolyte preforms that are bonded into the composite electrolyte structure.

Electrolyte structure for a high-temperature, high-pressure lithium battery

Apparatuses, systems, and methods of use are provided for a drilling stabilizer with chemical compartments within the teeth of the drilling stabilizer. The drilling stabilizer features dissolvable windows that allow chemicals to flow from the chemical compartments into the wellbore. The chemicals released can include cross-linkers or activators, which can react with polymers downhole to generate a plug for fluid loss control.

Drilling stabilizers with dissolvable windows for controlled release of chemicals

A monitoring system for a drill string controlled by a drilling program may include a contactless sensor arranged to capture data at a second time. The data may be associated with a parameter at a position along a drill line associated with the drill string. The system may include a processor operatively connected to the contactless sensor. The processor may be configured to access a machine learning (ML) model that is trained using the data captured at a first time, prior to the second time, and an image analysis algorithm. The processor may be configured to identify, using the trained ML model, a condition pertaining to the drill string based on interpreting the data captured at the second time. The processor may be configured to cause an adjustment to the drilling program based on the identified condition.

Contactless sensor monitoring of a drill string controlled by a drilling program

A drilling system measures a fluid level in a wellbore. The drilling system may include a drill pipe and a sensor sleeve attached to the drill pipe. The sensor sleeve may include a transmitter that transmits a sensing signal in a direction of a fluid in the wellbore, a receiver that receives the sensing signal after the sensing signal is reflected on a surface of the fluid, and a repeater that determines a distance between the sensor sleeve and the fluid level from the transmitted and received sensing signal. The fluid level in the wellbore may be calculated using the distance determined by the repeater and a distance between the sensor sleeve and a surface of the wellbore.

Drilling system that measures the fluid level in a wellbore during drilling of the wellbore

Cutters for a downhole drill bit can be formed by providing a catalyst-free synthesized polycrystalline diamond (PCD) having a cross-sectional dimension of at least 8 millimeters; providing a substrate comprising tungsten carbide; and attaching the synthesized PCD to the substrate comprising tungsten carbide to form a PDC cutter.

Producing catalyst-free PDC cutters

Systems and methods include techniques for using smart polymers. Units of smart polymers with per-hydrogen (pH) sensitivity are inserted into drilling fluid pumped into a well during drilling. The smart polymers are configured to be triggered by hydrogen ion concentrations. An insertion timestamp associated with each unit is stored and indicates a time that each unit was inserted. Continuous images and observed characteristics of returning mud exiting through an annulus of the well and containing the units of smart polymer are captured by a camera positioned at a sensing location and linked to the monitoring system. An estimate of pH values at a drill bit of the drilling operation is determined using the continuous images, observed characteristics, and insertion timestamps, and based at least in part on executing image processing algorithms, machine-learning models, and deep-learning models. Changes to be made to drilling parameters are suggested.

Measuring drilling fluid pH with smart polymers

A system for monitoring an annular fluid level may include a floating element disposed on a surface of a drilling fluid within an annulus of the well, during mud cap drilling operations. The system may also include an antenna disposed above the floating element. The antenna may be configured to transmit a first signal to the floating element, and to receive a second signal from the floating element in response to the first signal. The system may also include a processor configured to determine a time value that measures a time between a transmittal, by the antenna, of the first signal and a receipt, by the antenna, of the second signal. The processor may also determine a state of a drilling fluid level within the annulus based on the time value, and update a drilling program for the well based on the state of the drilling fluid level.

Systems and methods for monitoring annular fluid level

A rotational continuous circulation system and methods includes a circulation sub having an internal bore extending along a central axis. The circulation sub has an uphole body having a reduced outer diameter along a downhole length of the uphole body. A central valve selectively opens and closes the uphole internal bore. At least one check valve is located within a sidewall of the uphole body to selectively allow fluid to flow into the uphole internal bore through the at least one check valve. A downhole body has an uphole portion circumscribing a downhole portion of the uphole body. A sleeve assembly circumscribes the reduced outer diameter of the uphole body. The uphole body and the downhole body are configured to rotate about the central axis independently from the sleeve assembly. A side-entry port of the sleeve assembly provides a fluid flow path from an exterior of the sleeve assembly to the at least one check valve.

Rotational continuous circulation system

Systems and methods include a computer-implemented method for determining well pressure. Units of pressure-responsive smart polymers are inserted into drilling fluid pumped into a well during a drilling operation. An insertion timestamp associated with each unit is stored indicating times that each unit was inserted. Continuous images and observed characteristics of drilling mud exiting through an annulus of the well and containing the units of smart polymers are captured by a camera. An estimate of a bottom hole pressure (BHP) at a drill bit of the drilling operation is determined using the continuous images, the observed characteristics, and the insertion timestamps associated with each unit of smart polymer. Determining the estimate is based at least in part on executing image processing algorithms, machine-learning models, and deep-learning models. Changes to be made to drilling parameters for the drilling operation are suggested based on the estimated BHP.

Measuring bottom-hole pressure with smart polymers

A method for operating a circulating sub in a well includes opening a port of the circulating sub, including: dropping a ball into a drill pipe containing a downhole fluid; and seating the ball on an actuator slidably disposed concentrically within the drill pipe, in which seating the ball on the actuator causes motion of the actuator relative to the drill pipe to open a port defined in a wall of the drill pipe. The method includes closing the port of the circulating sub, including: introducing a solvent different from the downhole fluid into the drill pipe, in which a solubility of the ball in the solvent is greater than a solubility of the ball in the downhole fluid; and degrading the ball in the solvent, in which the degrading of the ball causes motion of the actuator relative to the drill pipe to close the port.

Dissolvable balls for activation and deactivation of a circulating sub apparatus

A method for plugging a lost-circulation zone in a subsurface formation includes introducing a drillstem including a drilling stabilizer into a wellbore during drilling operations, the drilling stabilizer including at least stabilizer blades and a pressure sensor. Each stabilizer blade includes at least an inner chamber, a light source, and a window. The method further includes injecting a lost-circulation fluid, including a plurality of lost-circulation particles, into the wellbore. Each lost-circulation particle includes a lost-circulation additive encapsulated by a photo-sensitive coating. The method further includes measuring a pressure differential with the pressure sensor and providing a pressure signal to the light source of each stabilizer blade, thereby actuating the light source to produce a light beam, which allows the light beam to contact the photo-sensitive coatings of the lost-circulation particles to release the lost-circulation additives. The method further includes allowing the lost-circulation fluid to plug the lost-circulation zone.

System and method for plugging a lost-circulation zone in a subsurface formation

A method includes creating a chamber within an annulus between a wellbore casing and a drillpipe. An upper boundary of the chamber includes a seal and a lower boundary of the chamber includes a liquid surface and determining a volume of the chamber at a first time. The method further includes determining the volume of the chamber includes measuring, using a pressure gauge, a first pressure within the chamber, changing an amount of a gas in the chamber, and measuring, using the pressure gauge, a second pressure within the chamber. The method further includes determining a first volume of gas within the chamber based on the first and second pressure measurements and the change in the amount of gas, and determining a first fluid level based on the first volume of the chamber.

Method and system for determining fluid level change using pressure monitoring of annular gas

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Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Chinthaka Pasan Gooneratne