Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Xiaoqing Ge

Jason Daniel Dykstra

Yuzhen Xue

Venkata Madhukanth Vadali

Xingyong Song

Zhijie Sun

A stochastic control method includes determining a property of a solid present in a drilling fluid circulating within a mud circulation system and identifying a mud circulation model that dictates operation of the mud circulation system. The mud circulation model is based on one or more models of one or more uncertainties encountered during a wellbore drilling operation. The method further includes determining an accuracy of the mud circulation model based on a difference between the determined property of the solid present in the drilling fluid and a solid property of the drilling fluid as provided by the mud circulation model, and programming a controller of the mud circulation system based on the mud circulation model to modify operation of the mud circulation system.

Stochastic control method for mud circulation system

A method of estimating a state of a rotary steerable drilling system comprising applying a control input to a rotary steerable drilling system, sensing an actual output of the rotary steerable drilling system, inputting the control input into a mathematical model of the rotary steerable drilling system, receiving an estimated output of the rotary steerable drilling system from the mathematical model, generating an error compensation signal based on a difference between the actual output and the estimated output, and applying the error compensation signal to the mathematical model.

Systems and methods for sensorless state estimation, disturbance estimation, and model adaption for rotary steerable drilling systems

In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, systems and methods for a nonlinear toolface control system for a rotary steerable drilling tool is disclosed. The method includes determining a desired toolface of a drilling tool, calculating a toolface error by determining a difference between a current toolface and the desired toolface, generating a model to describe the dynamics of the drilling tool, modify the model, based on at least one intermediate variable, to create a modified model, calculating a correction to reduce the toolface error, the correction based on the modified model, transmitting a signal to the drilling tool such that the signal adjusts the current toolface based on the correction, and drilling a wellbore with a drill bit oriented at the desired toolface.

Nonlinear toolface control system for a rotary steerable drilling tool

In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, systems and methods for an advanced toolface control system for a rotary steerable drilling tool is disclosed. The method includes determining a desired toolface of a drilling tool, calculating a toolface error by determining a difference between a current toolface of the drilling tool and the desired toolface, decoupling a response of a first component of the drilling tool, calculating a correction to reduce the toolface error based on a model of the drilling tool containing information about a source of the toolface error, transmitting a signal to a second component of the drilling tool such that the signal adjusts the current toolface based on the correction, and drilling a wellbore with a drill bit oriented at the desired toolface.

Advanced toolface control system for a rotary steerable drilling tool

In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, systems and methods for a gain scheduling based toolface control system for a rotary steerable drilling tool are disclosed. The method includes determining a desired toolface of a drilling tool, calculating a toolface error by determining a difference between a current toolface and the desired toolface, determining a plurality of operating points of the drilling tool, selecting one of the plurality of operating points based on a current operating point of the drilling tool, determining a model based on the selection, calculating a correction to correct the toolface error, the correction based on the model, transmitting a signal to the drilling tool such that the signal adjusts the current toolface based on the correction, and drilling a wellbore with a drill bit oriented at the desired toolface.

Gain scheduling based toolface control system for a rotary steerable drilling tool

In some aspects, the present disclosure includes systems and methods for optimizing one or more of a number of sensors on a drillstring or the locations of the sensors on the drillstring, or the types of the sensors. The method includes determining a number of sensors to place on a drillstring, a location for each of the sensors based, and types of sensors based, at least in part, on one or more of a state reduction technique and an optimization framework. The method includes disposing the selected number of sensors along the drilling and performing a drilling operation.

Optimizing sensor selection and operation for well monitoring and control

A stochastic control method includes measuring a fluid property of a drilling fluid circulating within a mud circulation system and identifying a mud circulation model that dictates operation of the mud circulation system. The mud circulation model is based on one or more models of one or more uncertainties encountered during a wellbore drilling operation. The method further includes determining an accuracy of the mud circulation model based on a residue between the measured fluid property of the drilling fluid and a fluid property of the drilling fluid as provided by the mud circulation model, and programming a controller of the mud circulation system based on the mud circulation model to modify operation of the mud circulation system.

Methods and systems are provided for optimizing a drill path from the surface to a target area below the surface. A method for operating an automated drilling program may comprise drilling to a target location along a drill path, updating a drilling path model based at least on data obtained during the state of drilling to the target location, creating a modified drill path to the target location based on at least the drilling path model in real-time as the step of drilling to the target location along the drill path is being performed, and drilling to the target location along the modified drill path.

Automated optimal path design for directional drilling

Methods and systems for enhancing workflow performance in the oil and gas industry may include modeling preferred sensor locations, sensor types, and sampling frequency for effective and efficient monitoring of a mud circulation system. For example, a method may include circulating a mud through a mud circulation system that includes a plurality of sensors that include at least one of: a pressure sensor, a stroke counter, a flow sensor, a viscosity sensor, or density sensor; and modeling the plurality of sensors using a state reduction approach to determine at least one selected from the group consisting of preferred locations, preferred sensory types, preferred sensor frequency resolution, and a combination thereof that effectively represent or substantially impact conditions of the mud circulation system, thereby providing a preferred sensor scheme.

Sensor optimization for mud circulation systems

In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, systems and methods for a feedback based toolface control system for a rotary steerable drilling tool is disclosed. The method includes determining a desired toolface of a drilling tool, calculating a toolface error, calculating a correction to correct the toolface error by: estimating, using a model, an output of each of a plurality of states of the model based on an input to each of the states of the model and determining a desired input to each of the plurality of states, beginning at the toolface, based on a desired output of at least one of the plurality of states connected to a particular state, transmitting the signal to the input component of the drilling tool such that the signal adjusts the current toolface based on the correction, and drilling a wellbore with a drill bit oriented at the desired toolface.

Feedback based toolface control system for a rotary steerable drilling tool

During drilling operations various drilling mud properties may be measured and predicted. Uncertainties in the measured or predicted values may also be calculated. The estimated uncertainties may then be used to optimize mud sampling interval and/or control a mud mixer. A decision making algorithm may be performed to optimize a surface mud sampling interval such that the uncertainties are maintained within a bounded region with minimal number of sampling times.

Estimating drilling fluid properties and the uncertainties thereof

Two control strategies may be implemented to optimize mud circulation in a drilling mud circulation system. In a networked control strategy, the mud circulation system does not involve any centralized controller yet all the local controllers can exchange information in real-time via a central data storage. The master-slave control strategy involves a centralized optimizer, and the subsystems are treated as slave systems and are driven by a visual master control system.

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The Woodlands, TX, United States of America

Xiaoqing Ge