Nabors Drilling Technologies Usa, Inc.

Canrig Drilling Technology Ltd.

Colin Gillan

Scott Gilbert Boone

Brian Ellis

Beat Küttel

Austin Groover

Christopher T Wagner

Mohammad Khairi Hamzah

Bosko Gajic

Christopher Papouras

Jesse Johnson

Tatiana Borges

Matthew A White

Beat Kuttel

Mahmoud Hadi

Carlos Rolong

Suresh Venugopal

Matt White

Mohammed Alsaqi

Andrew J Gorrara

Christopher Wagner

Scott G Boone

Scott Boone

A method that includes an electronic application identifying an ending of a first drilling segment and a simultaneous beginning of a second drilling segment; identifying a data set of the first drilling segment; automatically creating, in response to the identification of the first drilling segment ending, a new row in a database table that stores a data set for each drilling segment, with the new row storing the variable values of the first drilling segment; creating a multi-dimensional data matrix based on the values in the database table; and extracting, from multi-dimensional data matrix, an optimum value of a variable for an upcoming drilling segment. The method may also include determining that a trajectory or location of a rotary steering system is outside of a tolerance window; and the step of extracting the optimum value of the variable is in response to this determination.

Methods and apparatus for creating and using a multi-dimensional data matrix to identify an optimum rotary steerable system setting

A method of using a quill to steer a bit when elongating a wellbore, with the method including receiving real-time data associated with elongating the wellbore, wherein the real-time data associated with elongating the wellbore comprises data associated with: actual toolface orientation; surface-measured mud motor ΔP; surface-measured quill torque; surface-measured weight-on-bit ('WOB'); and surface-measured quill position; learning, based on the real-time data, relationships between: surface-measured mud motor ΔP and surface-measured torque; changes in surface-measured WOB and surface-measured torque; and changes in surface-measured quill position and actual toolface orientation; accessing, after learning the relationships, a desired toolface orientation; comparing, by the controller, the desired toolface orientation and the actual toolface orientation; and affecting, by the controller and based on the comparison and the learned relationships, a first change of the quill position and one or more of: mud motor ΔP; surface-measured quill torque; or WOB.

Method and apparatus for steering a bit using a quill and based on learned relationships

A method and apparatus for oil and gas operations according to which a bottom hole trajectory of a drilling well is surveyed using a survey tool located uphole from a drill bit positioned at a bottom hole location. One or more offset wells are identified having a trajectory, or respective trajectories, closing on the bottom hole trajectory of the drilling well. An anti-collision steering strategy for the drilling well to avoid the one or more offset wells is determined.

Avoiding collision with offset well(s) having a trajectory, or trajectories, closing on a drilling well

A method of identifying a steering command for a rotary steerable system ('RSS') that includes identifying, by one or more processors, a solution arc for an upcoming drilling segment; automatically identifying, by the one or more processors and in response to the identification of the solution arc, the steering command for the RSS; and automatically identifying, by the one or more processor and in response to the identification of the steering command, downlink commands to be sent to the RSS. Automatically identifying, by the one or more processors and in response to the identification of the solution arc, the steering command for the RSS comprises: accessing a table that models a relationship between dogleg severity and a percentage of steering force; and identifying, using the table, the target steering force associated with the target dogleg severity.

Methods and apparatus to create and implement a steering command for a rotary steerable system

Systems, devices, and methods for measuring toolface angles on a drilling rig and calculating a slide stability score are provided. The slide stability score may represent an amount of consistency of the toolface angle of a bottom hole assembly (BHA) of the drilling rig during a slide drilling operation. Calculating the slide stability score may include measuring one or more toolface angles of the BHA during the slide drilling operation, comparing the measured one or more toolface angles, and calculating the consistency of the toolface angle using the measured one or more toolface angles.

Devices, systems and methods to calculate slide stability

A system and method of directionally steering a bottom hole assembly ('BHA') by receiving data indicative of a directional trend of the BHA and a projection to bit depth; determining a location of the BHA based on the received data; comparing the location of the BHA to a planned drilling path to identify an amount of deviation; automatically creating a modified drilling path based on the amount of deviation and a predicted trend of a downhole parameter; detecting a trend of the downhole parameter while drilling along the modified drilling path; and automatically creating a further modified drilling path when the trend of the downhole parameter is a reversal of the predicted trend of the downhole parameter. The predicted trend of the downhole parameter is an increase of a d-exponent factor or a d-exponent-corrected factor with an increase in depth.

Method and apparatus for automatically modifying a drilling path in response to a reversal of a predicted trend

Systems, devices, and methods for producing a three-dimensional visualization of one or more of a drilled wellbore, a bottom hole assembly, a drill bit, a drill plan, and one or more lithology windows is provided for drill steering purposes. A drilling motor with a toolface in communication with a sensor system is provided. A controller in communication with the sensor system is operable to generate a depiction of the drill plan, a depiction of the drilling motor, and one or more lithology windows, and to combine these depictions in a three-dimensional visualization of the down hole environment. This visualization may be used by an operator to steer the drilled wellbore.

Downhole 3D geo steering viewer for a drilling apparatus

A system and method of directionally steering a bottom hole assembly ('BHA') from a drilling rig to a target location including by receiving data indicative of a directional trend of the BHA and a projection to bit depth; determining a location of the BHA based on a directional trend and the projection; identifying an amount of deviation from a drilling path; automatically creating a modified drilling path that intersects the planned drilling path based on the amount of deviation exceeding a first threshold amount of deviation and being less than a second threshold amount of deviation, automatically creating a modified drilling path that does not intersect the planned drilling path in response to the amount of deviation exceeding the second threshold amount of deviation, and determining a curve profile of the modified drilling path having the smallest rate of curvature to avoid drilling overshoot; and steering the BHA.

Automated directional drilling apparatus and methods

A system and method of automating a slide drilling operation comprising a plurality of tasks is described, in particular, reducing stored torque within a drill string that extends within a wellbore that includes storing, using a computing system, a first predetermined workflow to reduce stored torque within the drill string, and a second predetermined workflow to reduce stored torque within the drill string, wherein the first predetermined workflow comprises instructions to vertically move the drill string in first and opposing second directions; and wherein the second predetermined workflow comprises instructions to rotate the drill string in a first direction. Further included are a graphical user interface operably coupled to the computing system, a controller of the computing system receives a selection command selecting the first predetermined workflow or the second predetermined workflow, and a specific parameter is selected and one of the first and second predetermined workflows is automatically executed.

System and method of automating a slide drilling operation

Systems, devices, and methods for generating steering instructions to directing the operation of a drilling system are provided. The systems, devices, and methods may include determining an optimized path to navigate a Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) to a steering target using one or more steering methods, such as straight line projections, rotary drilling projections, True Vertical Depth, Inclination, and Azimuth (TIA) calculations, and three dimensional 'J' (3DJ) calculations, and driving the BHA to the steering target using the optimized path.

Automatic steering instructions for directional motor drilling

A method of modifying a slide drill segment while implementing the slide drill segment includes receiving downhole data from a BHA during slide drilling of a slide drill segment. The method also includes calculating, based on the downhole data, a build rate and altering, while performing the slide drill segment, sliding instructions based on the build rate and the downhole data. The method also includes implementing the altered sliding instructions.

Real-time modification of a slide drilling segment based on continuous downhole data

Systems, devices, and methods for directing the operation of a drilling system are provided. The location of a bottom hole assembly (BHA) of a drilling rig may be determined using survey data. One or more steering objective locations may be defined and one or more sets of directional motor instructions are generated to drive the BHA to the one or more steering objective location.

Automated drilling instructions for steerable drilling systems

An apparatus and method of automatically altering proposed sliding instructions to comply with operating parameters is described. The method includes determining, by a surface steerable system ('SSS') and based on drilling operation information, a location of a BHA; determining, by the SSS and using the location of the BHA, a projected location of the BHA at a projected distance; determining if the projected location is within a location-tolerance window ('LTW') associated with the projected distance; creating, in response to the projected location not being within the LTW, proposed steering instructions that result in a proposed, projected BHA location being within the LTW that is associated with the projected distance; determining whether the proposed instructions comply with the operating parameters comprising a maximum slide distance; and altering, by the SSS, when the proposed steering instructions do not comply with the operating parameters, the proposed steering instructions to comply with operating parameters.

Automated steering using operating constraints

Systems, devices, and methods for transitioning from a rotary drilling operation to a slide drilling operation on a drilling rig include rotary drilling a borehole in a subterranean formation by rotating a bottom hole assembly (BHA) on a drill string driven by a top drive and determining a trapped torque in a drill string. While maintaining weight on bit at the BHA, the drill string may be rotated in reverse to remove the trapped torque, and a slide drilling process may be performed without raising the bit from the bottom of the borehole.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Colin Gillan