Apparatus and methods for controlling drilling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12366156-B2
Application number	US-202318393215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2023
Priority date	Jul 16, 2021
Publication date	Jul 22, 2025
Grant date	Jul 22, 2025

Abstract

A drilling control system may access a drilling plan for a borehole comprising one or more of planned path for the borehole, drill string information, mud properties, drill bit properties, formation properties, and drill rig properties. The system may receive a plurality of operating parameters from a rig for the borehole including one or more of an observed toolface, a spindle setting, a rate of penetration, a differential pressure, and a weight-on-bit. The system may receive one or more propagation functions for the borehole determined by a model of the drill string. The system may determine one or more spindle changes or block speed changes based at least in part on the propagation functions and the plurality of operating parameters. The system may generate one or more predicted drill properties from a simulator using the one or more spindle changes or the one or more block speed changes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drilling rig control system, comprising:
one or more memories; and
one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, configured to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by a control system coupled to a drilling rig drilling a wellbore, first drilling information comprising differential pressure, weight on bit, and rate of penetration;
determining a value for reactive torque angle;
determining at least a first relationship between two drilling parameters, wherein the first relationship comprises at least one of (a) a relationship between the differential pressure and the reactive torque angle, (b) a relationship between the differential pressure and the weight on bit, and (c) a relationship between the weight on bit and the rate of penetration;
responsive to the first relationship, adjusting at least one drilling parameter, wherein the at least one drilling parameter comprises at least one of a spindle change or the rate of penetration;
determine a total cumulative twist value for a drill string coupled to the drilling rig and located in the wellbore;
receiving, by the control system, second drilling information, wherein the second drilling information comprises updated values for the differential pressure, the weight on bit, and the rate of penetration;
responsive to the second drilling information, determining updated relationships between (a) the differential pressure and the reactive torque angle, (b) the differential pressure and the weight on bit, and (c) the weight on bit and the rate of penetration;
responsive to the second drilling information, determining an updated total cumulative twist value for a drill string coupled to the drilling rig and located in the wellbore;
comparing the updated relationships and the updated total cumulative twist value to one or more preceding values for corresponding relationships and total cumulative twist (TCT), respectively; and
determining whether to use the updated relationships or the TCT or both to adjust one or more inputs in a model.

2. The drilling rig control system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining a second relationship, wherein the first relationship and the second relationship comprise a plurality of (a) a relationship between the differential pressure and the reactive torque angle, (b) a relationship between the differential pressure and the weight on bit, and (c) a relationship between the weight on bit and the rate of penetration.

3. The drilling rig control system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining a second relationship and a third relationship, wherein the first relationship, the second relationship, and the third relationship comprise (a) a relationship between the differential pressure and the reactive torque angle, (b) a relationship between the differential pressure and the weight on bit, and (c) a relationship between the weight on bit and the rate of penetration.

4. The drilling rig control system of claim 1 , wherein the updated values for at least one of the differential pressure, the weight on bit, and the rate of penetration comprises an average of data values received from one or more sensors.

5. The drilling rig control system of claim 1 , wherein the updated values for at least one of the differential pressure, the weight on bit, and the rate of penetration comprises an average of data values received from one or more sensors, wherein outlier data values are excluded from the average of data values received from the one or more sensors.

6. The drilling rig control system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
responsive to the determined total cumulative twist value, adjusting either a block speed or a spindle orientation.

7. The drilling rig control system of claim 1 , wherein the updated values for at least one of the differential pressure, the weight on bit, and the rate of penetration comprises an average of data values received from one or more sensors within a defined time period.

8. A method for controlling drilling operations, the method comprising:
receiving, by a control system coupled to a drilling rig drilling a wellbore, first drilling information comprising differential pressure, weight on bit, and rate of penetration;
determining a value for reactive torque angle;
determining at least a first relationship between two drilling parameters, wherein the first relationship comprises at least one of (a) a relationship between the differential pressure and the reactive torque angle, (b) a relationship between the differential pressure and the weight on bit, and (c) a relationship between the weight on bit and the rate of penetration;
responsive to the first relationship, adjusting at least one drilling parameter, wherein the at least one drilling parameter comprises at least one of a spindle change or the rate of penetration;
determining a total cumulative twist value for a drill string coupled to the drilling rig and located in the wellbore;
receiving, by the control system, second drilling information, wherein the second drilling information comprises updated values for the differential pressure, the weight on bit, and the rate of penetration;
responsive to the second drilling information, determining updated relationships between (a) the differential pressure and the reactive torque angle, (b) the differential pressure and the weight on bit, and (c) the weight on bit and the rate of penetration;
responsive to the second drilling information, determining an updated total cumulative twist value for a drill string coupled to the drilling rig and located in the wellbore;
comparing the updated relationships and the updated total cumulative twist value to one or more preceding values for corresponding relationships and TCT, respectively; and
determining whether to use the updated relationships or the TCT or both to adjust one or more inputs in a model.

9. The method for controlling drilling operations of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining a second relationship, wherein the first relationship and the second relationship comprise a plurality of (a) a relationship between the differential pressure and the reactive torque angle, (b) a relationship between the differential pressure and the weight on bit, and (c) a relationship between the weight on bit and the rate of penetration.

10. The method for controlling drilling operations of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining a second relationship and a third relationship, wherein the first relationship, the second relationship, and the third relationship comprise (a) a relationship between the differential pressure and the reactive torque angle, (b) a relationship between the differential pressure and the weight on bit, and (c) a relationship between the weight on bit and the rate of penetration.

11. The method for controlling drilling operations of claim 8 , wherein the updated values for at least one of the differential pressure, the weight on bit, and the rate of penetration comprises an average of data values received from one or more sensors.

12. The method for controlling drilling operations of claim 8 , wherein the updated values for at least one of the differential pressure, the weight on bit, and the rate of penetration comprises an average of data values received from one or more sensors, wherein outlier data values are excluded from the average of data values received from the one or more sensors.

13. The method for controlling drilling operations of claim 8 , further comprising:
responsive to the determined total cumulative twist value, adjusting either a b

Assignees

• Helmerich & Payne Tech Llc

Inventors

• Jamieson Angus Lamberton
• Chen Teddy
• Menand Stephane
• Mcintire Kyle
• Mahjoub Mohammed

Classifications

• E21B44/04

  in response to the torque of the drive {; Measuring drilling torque (E21B44/06 takes precedence; measuring stresses in a well bore pipe E21B47/007)} · CPC title

• E21B45/00

  Measuring the drilling time or rate of penetration · CPC title

• E21B2200/20

  Computer models or simulations, e.g. for reservoirs under production, drill bits · CPC title

• E21B44/06 Primary

  in response to the flow or pressure of the motive fluid of the drive · 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