Stochastic control method for mud circulation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11319761-B2
Application number	US-202016923691-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2020
Priority date	Jan 29, 2016
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
determining a property of at least one solid present in a drilling fluid circulating within a mud circulation system;
identifying a mud circulation model that dictates operation of the mud circulation system, the mud circulation model being based on one or more models of one or more uncertainties encountered during a wellbore drilling operation;
determining an accuracy of the mud circulation model based on a difference between the determined property of the at least one 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 an operation of the mud circulation system.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising monitoring the drilling fluid at one or more locations in the mud circulation system to determine the property of the at least one solid.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining an optimal value of a fluid property of the drilling fluid for use in the mud circulation system based, at least in part, on the determined property of the at least one solid; and
controlling the mud circulation system based on the optimal value of the fluid property.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
updating the mud circulation model when a change in the property of the at least one solid property is detected; and
programming the controller based on the updated mud circulation model.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
updating the mud circulation model when the difference is greater than a predetermined threshold value; and
programming the controller based on the updated mud circulation model.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a plurality of sampled models, each sampled model being based on the mud circulation model and an uncertainty model of the one or more uncertainties; and
programming the controller to modify operation of the mud circulation system based on the plurality of the sampled models.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying the mud circulation model to operate the mud circulation system based, at least in part, on the determined property of the at least one solid.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the property of the at least one solid comprises determining ingredients of the at least one solid.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the property of the at least one solid comprises determining a weight of the at least one solid.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the property of the at least one solid comprises determining a rock type of the at least one solid.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more uncertainties comprises a change in a type of rock being drilled, wherein the at least one solid comprises cuttings from the rock.

12. A system comprising:
a mud circulation system for a wellbore drilling operation;
a primary controller that controls operation of the mud circulation system;
a secondary controller that programs the primary controller;
a processor; and
a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to actuate the secondary controller to:
determine a property of at least one solid in a drilling fluid circulating within the mud circulation system;
identify a mud circulation model that dictates operation of the mud circulation system, the mud circulation model being based on one or more models of one or more uncertainties encountered during the wellbore drilling operation;
determine an accuracy of the mud circulation model based on a difference between the determined property of the at least one solid and a solid property of the drilling fluid as provided by the mud circulation model; and
program the primary controller based on the mud circulation model to modify an operation of the mud circulation system.

13. The system of claim 12 , further comprising:
a supervisory controller superordinate to the primary controller and the secondary controller,
wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
actuate the supervisory controller to determine an optimal value of a fluid property of the drilling fluid based, at least in part, on the determined property of the at least one solid; and
control the mud circulation system based on the optimal value of the fluid property.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable by the processor to actuate the secondary controller to:
update the mud circulation model in response to the difference being greater than a predetermined threshold value; and
program the primary controller based on the updated mud circulation model.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable by the processor to actuate the secondary controller to maintain the mud circulation model in response to the difference being less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable by the processor to actuate the secondary controller to:
generate a plurality of sampled models, each sampled model being based on the mud circulation model and an uncertainty model of the one or more uncertainties; and
program the primary controller to modify operation of the mud circulation system based on the plurality of sampled models.

17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable by the processor to actuate the secondary controller to identify the mud circulation model to operate the mud circulation system based on the determined property of the at least one solid.

18. An apparatus comprising:
a processor; and
a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to actuate a secondary controller of a mud circulation system for a wellbore drilling operation to:
determine a property of at least one solid in a drilling fluid circulating within the mud circulation system;
identify a mud circulation model that dictates operation of the mud circulation system, the mud circulation model being based on one or more models of one or more uncertainties encountered during the wellbore drilling operation;
determine an accuracy of the mud circulation model based on a difference between the determined property of the at least one solid and a solid property of the drilling fluid as provided by the mud circulation model; and
program a primary controller of the mud circulation system based on the mud circulation model to modify an operation of the mud circulation system.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
actuate a supervisory controller to determine an optimal value of a fluid property of the drilling fluid based, at least in part, on the determined property of the at least one solid; and
control the mud circulation system based on the optimal value of the fluid property.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable by the processor to actuate the secondary controller to:
update the mud circulation model in response to the difference being greater than a predetermined threshold value; and
program th

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Xue Yuzhen
• Dykstra Jason D
• Ge Xiaoqing

Classifications

• E21B21/08 Primary

  Controlling or monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid, e.g. automatic filling of boreholes, automatic control of bottom pressure (valve arrangements therefor E21B21/10) · CPC title

• E21B21/085

  Underbalanced techniques, i.e. where borehole fluid pressure is below formation pressure · CPC title

• E21B21/01 Primary

  Arrangements for handling drilling fluids or cuttings outside the borehole, e.g. mud boxes · CPC title

• E21B21/067

  Separating gases from drilling fluids · CPC title

• G05B17/02

  electric · CPC title