Advanced toolface control system for a rotary steerable drilling tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10876389-B2
Application number	US-201415517226-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2014
Priority date	Nov 10, 2014
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
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 non-linear response of a first component of the drilling tool by estimating a non-linear disturbance acting on the first component and calculating an input to the first component to offset the non-linear disturbance using a disturbance decoupling model;
calculating a correction to reduce the toolface error, the correction determined by using a system model 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.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the decoupling is based on a physical state.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the decoupling is based on the disturbance.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the signal is computed by a feedback controller.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein decoupling includes using an inverse model of a response of a third component of the drilling tool.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising transmitting a property dependent on the toolface to a feedforward controller of the drilling tool.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a measured state of the drilling tool and a corresponding estimated state from the system model; and
using the measured state or the corresponding estimated state to calculate the correction to correct the toolface error.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the signal is at least one of a voltage, a current, and a frequency.

9. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, the instructions executable by one or more processors to facilitate performing a method, the method comprising:
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 non-linear response of a first component of the drilling tool by estimating a non-linear disturbance acting on the first component and calculating an input to the first component to offset the non-linear disturbance using a disturbance decoupling model;
calculating a correction to reduce the toolface error, the correction determined by using a system model 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.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the decoupling is based on a physical state.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the decoupling is based on the disturbance.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein decoupling includes using an inverse model of a response of a third component of the drilling tool.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium according to claim 9 , the method further comprising transmitting a property dependent on the toolface to a feedforward controller of the drilling tool.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium according to claim 9 , the method further comprising:
receiving a measured state of the drilling tool and a corresponding estimated state from the system model; and
using the measured state or the corresponding estimated state to calculate the correction to correct the toolface error.

15. A downhole drilling tool control system comprising:
a processor;
a memory communicatively coupled to the processor with computer program instructions stored therein, the instructions configured to, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
determine a desired toolface of a drilling tool;
calculate a toolface error by determining a difference between a current toolface of the drilling tool and the desired toolface;
decouple a non-linear response of a first component of the drilling tool by estimating a non-linear disturbance acting on the first component and calculating an input to the first component to offset the non-linear disturbance using a disturbance decoupling model;
calculate a correction to reduce the toolface error, the correction determined by using a system model containing information about a source of the toolface error;
transmit a signal to a second component of the drilling tool such that the signal adjusts the current toolface based on the correction; and
drill a wellbore with a drill bit oriented at the desired toolface.

16. The downhole drilling tool control system according to claim 15 , wherein the decoupling is based on a physical state.

17. The downhole drilling tool control system according to claim 15 , wherein the decoupling is based on the disturbance.

18. The downhole drilling tool control system according to claim 15 , wherein decoupling includes using an inverse model of a response of a third component of the drilling tool.

19. The downhole drilling tool control system according to claim 15 , the instructions further configured to cause the processor to transmit a property dependent on the toolface to a feedforward controller of the drilling tool.

20. The downhole drilling tool control system according to claim 15 , the instructions further configured to cause the processor to:
receive a measured state of the drilling tool and a corresponding estimated state from the system model; and
use the measured state or the corresponding estimated state to calculate the correction to correct the toolface error.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Dykstra Jason D
• Vadali Venkata Madhukanth
• Song Xingyong
• Ge Xiaoqing
• Xue Yuzhen

Classifications

• E21B7/04 Primary

  Directional drilling · CPC title

• E21B47/024

  of devices in the borehole (determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022) · CPC title

• E21B44/00 Primary

  Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions · CPC title

• E21B47/02

  Determining slope or direction · CPC title