Compliance-based torque and drag monitoring system and method

Abstract

A drilling torque and drag monitoring method for a drillstring in a well bore including the steps of measuring hook load and axial displacement of the drillstring, measuring surface torque and angular position of the drillstring, correlating the hook load with the axial displacement of the drillstring so as to produce a first graphical relationship, correlating the surface torque and the angular position measurements of the drillstring so as to produce a second graphical relationship, and comparing the first and second graphical relationships so as to determine a contact resistance between the drillstring and the well bore. These relationships can be used independently or jointly so as to determine the condition of contact resistance. The method includes the step of identifying a slope discontinuity along the graphical curve. This slope discontinuity is indicative of a contact resistance. When the slope discontinuity is a curved segment, then the curvature of the curved segment is computed so as to be representative of a magnitude of a distributed contact resistance along the area of contact between the drillstring and the well bore. An instantaneous axial or rotational compliance can be determined at a point along the slope of the graphical representations. The depth of the area of contact can be computed based upon the instantaneous axial or rotational compliance relative to a given surface axial location or a given surface torque applied to the drillstring.