Scientific Drilling International, Inc.

Nabors Drilling Technologies Usa, Inc.

Matthew A White

Timothy Whitacre

Mohamed Youssef

Brian Daniel Gleason

Brett H Van Steenwyk

Tim Whitacre

Mahmoud Hadi

Bosko Gajic

Stephan Graf

Pong Pipatwit

Brian Gleason

Colin Gillan

Peter R Harvey

Peter Smidth

Austin Groover

Douglas Ridgway

Pradeep Annaiyappa

James N Towle

Benjamin C Hawkinson

Keith Batke

Harmeet Kaur

William E Denzel

Nathan Thomas Paszek

Larry Joseph Schoennauer

Tyler Clark

James C Liu

Neil W Smith Bergstrom

Asong E Suh

Brett Vansteenwyk

Stephen D Morrow

Pierre C Bessiere

William Denzel

Timothy P Whitacre

Brian D Gleason

Brett Van Steenwyk

Daniel Fulton

Nathan Paszek

Neil W Bergstrom

Larry J Schoennauer

Peter Harvey

A method includes providing a Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) in a wellbore. The BHA includes a rotary steerable system and a downhole attitude correction and control system. The downhole correction and control system includes a first sensor set, the sensors of the first sensor set positioned near ferromagnetic components of a drill string and a second sensor set, the sensors of the second sensor set positioned further from the ferromagnetic components of the drill string than the sensors of the first sensor set. Corrupted data from the first sensor set and reference data from the second sensor set is obtained, the corrupted data including cross-axis magnetometer and accelerometer measurements. The method additionally includes correcting the corrupted sensor data to form corrected sensor measurements and calculating an estimated azimuth from the corrected sensor measurements. The method further includes steering the rotary steerable system based on the estimated azimuth.

In-situ downhole measurement correction and control

An extended dipole antenna for an uplink transmitter positioned in a wellbore includes an electromagnetic telemetry system interface sub, wired or lined drill pipe segment, and upper dipole terminating sub. The electromagnetic telemetry interface sub includes an outer tubular in electrical contact with a negative output of the uplink transmitter and an inner conductor in electric contact with a positive output of the uplink transmitter. The wired or lined drill pipe segment includes an outer tubular in electrical contact with the outer tubular of the electromagnetic telemetry interface sub and an inner conductor in electric contact with the inner conductor of the electromagnetic telemetry system interface sub. The upper dipole terminating sub including an outer tubular at least partially in electric contact with the outer tubular of the wired or lined drill pipe segment and an inner conductor in electric contact with the inner conductor of the wired or lined drill pipe segment. The upper dipole terminating sub includes an electrical connection between the inner conductor of the upper dipole terminating sub and the inner conductor of the upper dipole terminating sub.

Lower electrode extension for sub-surface electromagnetic telemetry system

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 drilling rig apparatus is disclosed for improving autodriller control during directional drilling. A BHA determines a relationship between downhole WOB and downhole differential pressure and sends the relationship to a surface controller. The relationships may be sent on a set periodic basis or dynamically in response to the relationships over time differing from each other above a threshold amount. The surface controller estimates downhole WOB by inputting surface differential pressure into a formula implementing the relationship from downhole. The estimated downhole WOB is input into the autodriller for control and is used to estimate MSE. Downhole WOB, either estimated or actual values, may further be used to determine a ratio between downhole WOB and surface-determined WOB values. If the ratio falls below zero in comparison to a prior ratio, then a slack-off rate is adjusted until the ratio reaches zero or a positive value again.

Surface control system adaptive downhole weight on bit/torque on bit estimation and utilization

A method includes coupling a strain gauge to a tubular member, and positioning the tubular member in the wellbore such that the tubular member is placed under bending stress by a curvature or deviation in the wellbore. The method also includes measuring bend on the tubular member with the strain gauge in at least one plane and determining one or more of the magnitude or orientation of the curvature of the wellbore based on an output of the strain gauge.

Method and apparatus for continuous wellbore curvature orientation and amplitude measurement using drill string bending

The present disclosure is directed to an antenna for transfer of information along a drill string. The antenna has an antenna coil having a long side and short side. The antenna coil is adapted to be affixed to the drill string such that the long side of the antenna coil is along the longitudinal axis of the drill string, and the short side is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drill string.

Short range data transmission in a borehole

A method may include drilling a section of a first wellbore and casing a section of a first wellbore. The method may include lowering a downhole receiving system into the first wellbore to a first wellbore depth and drilling at least one section of a second wellbore. In addition, the method may include positioning an EM telemetry system in the at least one section of the second wellbore and transmitting an EM telemetry signal from the EM telemetry system. The method may include receiving the EM telemetry signal with the downhole receiving system.

Sub-surface electromagnetic telemetry systems and methods

Systems and methods for slide drilling are described. The system includes a controller and a drive system. The controller is configured to determine a resonant frequency of a drill string, generate a rotational acceleration profile having a frequency at least substantially similar to the determined resonant frequency, and provide one or more operational control signals to oscillate the drill string based on the generated rotational acceleration profile. The drive system is configured to receive the one or more operational control signals from the controller, and oscillate the drill string based on the generated rotational acceleration profile so that the drill string oscillates at a frequency substantially similar to the determined resonant frequency while slide drilling.

Dynamic friction drill string oscillation systems and methods

Systems and methods for directional drilling are described. The system includes one or more controllers and is configured to receive data from a plurality of downhole sensors, provide operational control signals, determine a relationship between different parameters, receive current data including at least one of current differential pressure (DP), weight-on-bit (WOB), or rotations per minute (RPM) of a drill bit, and estimate at least one of current toolface orientation or current shock and vibration of the drill bit using the current data and the determined relationship. The system is further configured to provide operational control signals that may adjust the current toolface orientation to a desired toolface orientation. Current WOB and/or current RPM are adjusted to minimize current shock and vibration of a portion of a bottom hole assembly (BHA).

Optimized directional drilling using MWD data

A method may include providing one or more telemetry transmission systems, the one or more transmission systems comprising one or more receivers and one or more transmitters. The method may also include transmitting a first synchronization sequence from the one or more telemetry transmission systems, the first synchronization sequence transmitted in a first channel, and the first synchronization sequence being at least a portion of a first telemetry signal. In addition, the method may include transmitting a second synchronization sequence the one or more telemetry transmission systems, the second synchronization sequence transmitted in a second channel, and the second synchronization sequence being at least a portion of a second telemetry signal. The first and second synchronization sequences may be transmitted simultaneously or at a predetermined time difference. The method may include receiving the first synchronization sequence at the one or more receivers, and receiving the second synchronization sequence at the one or more receivers.

Collaborative telemetry

A method for transmitting data from a MWD system at the BHA of a drill string may include transmitting the data in a MWD signal from the MWD system. The MWD signal may be modulated at a position closer to the surface onto a mud pulse modulated signal. The mud pulse modulated signal may be generated by a downhole friction reducing device. The downhole friction reducing device may include a mud motor. The mud motor may create pressure pulses based on its speed of rotation. The downhole friction reducing device may include a modulating valve. The modulating valve may be electromechanically or mechanically operated. The modulated signal may be detected at the surface by a receiver using one or more pressure or flow sensors. The receiver may use one or more harmonics of the modulated signal to receive the data.

Downhole MWD signal enhancement, tracking, and decoding

A steering tool may include a tool body, gimbal body rotatably coupled to the tool body, and an angular positioning device to rotate the gimbal body relative to the tool body. One or more sensors may be coupled to the gimbal body. The sensors may be one or more gyros, accelerometers, and magnetometers. A gyro may be aligned with the axis of rotation of the gimbal body and may be used to detect rotation of the gimbal body. The detected rotation may be used to stabilize the gimbal body by using the angular positioning device. A gimbal toolface angle relative to a reference frame may be determined based on readings of one or more of the sensors. The gimbal body may be rotated to align with a reference position by the angular positioning device and rotated to one or more other gimbal toolface angles, at which sensor readings may be taken.

Inertial carousel positioning

A method of interpreting a signal transmitted through a drilling fluid disposed within a telemetry channel of a wellbore that includes defining a finite number of distinct message signals for representing conditions within the wellbore. The method also includes transmitting one of the message signals through the telemetry channel, and receiving a distorted signal that includes the message signal as distorted by transmission through the telemetry channel. A channel impulse response is estimated and applied to at least one of the message signals to generate at least one predicted signal. A comparison is made between the predicted signal and the distorted signal, and an estimation is made as to which of the finite number of message signals is included in the distorted signal based on the comparison.

Channel impulse response identification and compensation

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Templeton, CA, United States of America

Matthew A White