Nabors Drilling Technologies Usa, Inc.

Canrig Drilling Technology Ltd.

Nabors Drilling International Limited

Scott Gilbert Boone

Brian Ellis

Colin Gillan

Beat Kuttel

Beat Küttel

John Thomas Scarborough

Chris Papouras

Ashish Gupta

Padira Reddy

Sean M Bailey

John C Patterson

Christopher Papouras

Richmond Todd Fox

Pradeep Annaiyappa

Sergei Knizhnik

Todd Fox

Adam Keith

Tommy Scarborough

Edward J Harris

Joey Peyregne

Colin Gillen

Maciej Panek

Christopher Conrad

Sean M Baily

A system including an instrumented sub for supporting subterranean operations, the instrumented sub can include an upper and lower portion with a flow passage extending therethrough, and a valve that selectively permits or restricts fluid flow through the flow passage, and a rotary interface coupled to the upper portion and including a rotary portion and a stationary portion, where the rotary portion is rotationally fixed to the upper portion and rotates with the upper portion, where the stationary portion is rotationally coupled to the rotary portion, and where the rotary interface transfers communication signals between the stationary portion and the rotary portion to transmit commands or data to or receive the commands or data from one or more components of the instrumented sub. Can also include a method of using the instrumented sub to determine a vertical position or movement of a top drive.

Instrumented sub

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

Method(s) and apparatus according to which: a bottom-hole assembly ('BHA') and a drilling rig together attempt to drill a wellbore segment along a planned trajectory while a test scenario is executed on the drilling rig by varying operating parameter(s) of the drilling rig in a predetermined manner during a predetermined time interval; performance characteristic(s) monitored by sensor(s) of the BHA during the predetermined time interval are then received; the predetermined manner in which the operating parameter(s) of the drilling rig were varied during the predetermined time interval is/are then compared to the received performance characteristic(s) monitored by the sensor(s) of the BHA during the predetermined time interval; and based on said comparison, the operating parameter(s) of a drilling rig (e.g., another drilling rig) are controlled while a BHA (e.g., another BHA) operably associated with the drilling rig attempts to drill a wellbore segment along a similar planned trajectory.

Controlling operating parameters of a surface drilling rig to optimize bottom-hole assembly ('BHA') drilling performance

A system comprising a rig, a fingerboard, a first sensor, and a second sensor, with the first sensor positioned on an opposite side of the entrance from the second sensor, where the first sensor and the second sensor are used to detect when a tubular enters or exits the fingerboard and to detect a parameter of the tubular, such as diameter of the tubular, speed of the tubular, and an angle of entry of the tubular. A method comprising sensing, via first and second sensors, when a tubular is entering a fingerboard through an entrance of the fingerboard, restricting movement of a top drive at an elevated position until the first and second sensors sense the tubular entering the fingerboard, and enabling movement of the top drive when the first and second sensors sense the tubular entering the fingerboard.

Tubular detection system for a fingerboard

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

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 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

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 producing a three-dimensional visualization of a drill plan and drilling motor with a toolface are 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 and a depiction of the drilling motor, and to combine these depictions in a three-dimensional visualization of the downhole environment. This visualization is used by a user to steer the drill.

3D toolface wellbore steering visualization

A micro grid for an oil field is powered by a utility power grid. A micro grid controller is adapted to prevent excessive or unstable power draw on the utility power grid while allowing uninterrupted power supply for drilling rigs in the oil field. The micro grid controller is adapted to control operation of one or more pieces of electrical equipment on the drilling rigs. The micro grid controller may prioritize operation of the electrical equipment based on relative priority of the operations or based on an operating condition of the drilling rig.

Micro grid power optimization

Apparatus, systems, and methods for controlling activities on a drilling rig are described. The methods include installing a control system operably coupled to the drilling rig and having a user interface, receiving operational guidelines from the user interface that include a plurality of control limits associated with operational parameters of the rig, monitoring current values of the operational parameters, and automatically applying the control limits to the operational parameters during operation of the rig.

Rig control system and methods

Systems and methods for managing fuel and electrical power on a drilling rig, modifying the number of gensets in use before a change in power consumption is needed, and determining fuel savings are provided. The management includes determining an amount of emission reductions based on the fuel savings, and the emission reduction is based on reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, the fuel savings, or both.

Rig fuel management systems and methods

A technology is described for controlling an electric choke actuator included in a drilling rig. An example system can include a computing device configured to provide position data for an electric choke actuator configured to control a well choke valve in selective fluid communication with a blow-out preventer arranged to close a borehole. The system can receive a choke position command to move the electric choke actuator from a first position to a second position, whereupon a control signal can be sent to the electric choke actuator that causes the electric choke actuator to move from the first position to the second position. Position data for the electric choke actuator can be updated to indicate the second position.

Integrated remote choke system control architecture

A rig control apparatus, system, and method according to which a mud pump is ramped up toward a full-operational pumping pressure to circulate drilling mud via a drill string between a surface location and a downhole tool, the downhole tool being connected to the drill string and positioned within a wellbore, the flow of the drilling mud between the surface location and the downhole tool is stabilized prior to the mud pump reaching the full-operational pumping pressure, data is transmitted via mud-pulse telemetry from the downhole tool to the surface location when the flow of the drilling mud between the surface location and the downhole tool is stabilized, and the mud pumps are ramped up further to the full-operational pumping pressure.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Scott Gilbert Boone