Micro-Testing While Drilling for Rate of Penetration Optimization: Experiments and Simulations

Author(s):  
Magnus Nystad ◽  
Bernt Aadnoy ◽  
Alexey Pavlov

Abstract The Rate of Penetration (ROP) is one of the key parameters related to the efficiency of the drilling process. Within the confines of operational limits, the drilling parameters affecting the ROP should be optimized to drill more efficiently and safely, to reduce the overall cost of constructing the well. In this study, a data-driven optimization method called Extremum Seeking (ES) is employed to automatically find and maintain the optimal Weight on Bit (WOB) which maximizes the ROP. The ES algorithm is a model-free method which gathers information about the current downhole conditions by automatically performing small tests with the WOB and executing optimization actions based on the test results. In this paper, this optimization method is augmented with a combination of a predictive and a reactive constraint handling technique to adhere to operational limitations. These methods of constraint handling within ES application to drilling are demonstrated for a maximal limit imposed on the surface torque, but the methods are generic and can be applied on various drilling parameters. The proposed optimization scheme has been tested with experiments on a downscaled drilling rig and simulations on a high-fidelity drilling simulator of a full-scale drilling operation. The experiments and simulations show the method's ability to steer the system to the optimum and to handle constraints and noisy data, resulting in safe and efficient drilling at high ROP.

Author(s):  
Magnus Nystad ◽  
Alexey Pavlov

Abstract The Rate of Penetration (ROP) is one of the key parameters related to the efficiency of the drilling process. Within the confines of operational limits, the drilling parameters affecting the ROP should be optimized to drill more efficiently and safely, to reduce the overall cost of constructing the well. In this study, a data-driven optimization method called Extremum Seeking is employed to automatically find and maintain the optimal Weight on Bit (WOB) which maximizes the ROP. To avoid violation of constraints, the algorithm is adjusted with a combination of a predictive and a reactive approach. This method of constraint handling is demonstrated for a maximal limit imposed on the surface torque, but the method is generic and can be applied on various drilling parameters. The proposed optimization scheme has been tested on a high-fidelity drilling simulator. The simulated scenarios show the method’s ability to steer the system to the optimum and to handle constraints and noisy data.


Author(s):  
Daiyan Ahmed ◽  
Yingjian Xiao ◽  
Jeronimo de Moura ◽  
Stephen D. Butt

Abstract Optimum production from vein-type deposits requires the Narrow Vein Mining (NVM) process where excavation is accomplished by drilling larger diameter holes. To drill into the veins to successfully extract the ore deposits, a conventional rotary drilling rig is mounted on the ground. These operations are generally conducted by drilling a pilot hole in a narrow vein followed by a hole widening operation. Initially, a pilot hole is drilled for exploration purposes, to guide the larger diameter hole and to control the trajectory, and the next step in the excavation is progressed by hole widening operation. Drilling cutting properties, such as particle size distribution, volume, and shape may expose a significant drilling problem or may provide justification for performance enhancement decisions. In this study, a laboratory hole widening drilling process performance was evaluated by drilling cutting analysis. Drill-off Tests (DOT) were conducted in the Drilling Technology Laboratory (DTL) by dint of a Small Drilling Simulator (SDS) to generate the drilling parameters and to collect the cuttings. Different drilling operations were assessed based on Rate of Penetration (ROP), Weight on Bit (WOB), Rotation per Minute (RPM), Mechanical Specific Energy (MSE) and Drilling Efficiency (DE). A conducive schedule for achieving the objectives was developed, in addition to cuttings for further interpretation. A comprehensive study for the hole widening operation was conducted by involving intensive drilling cutting analysis, drilling parameters, and drilling performance leading to recommendations for full-scale drilling operations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 155-156 ◽  
pp. 72-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Ying Xu ◽  
Qiang Wu ◽  
Yong Mao ◽  
Yu Zhong Li

Based on the electric hot method has been applied to turning effectively, this paper analyzes electrical properties of the electric hot cutting micro area, according to contact resistance theory the electrical conduction model of cutting micro area is established, electric hot method applied to minipore drilling of hard-to-cut materials is discussed, it develops a set of electric hot drilling device which is simple and flexible. Under the conditions of the same drilling parameters, electric hot drilling tests and ordinary drilling hole experiment are researched contrastively. Test results show that axial force and torque of electric hot drilling experiment are reduced obviously than that of ordinary drilling holes experiment. Electric heating method applied in drilling process is very effective.


2013 ◽  
Vol 798-799 ◽  
pp. 302-306
Author(s):  
Yu Le Hu ◽  
Tao Yang ◽  
Guo Wei Yang

To ensure wire-line core drilling process more safe, efficient and quality, a real time monitoring and control system for drilling rig was built based on virtual instrument technology. Currently, the geological exploration have more precise requirements of many parameters, this system is very helpful for geological exploration. The system took IPC as main controller and used multi-sensors through DAQ card or serial port to monitor multi-parameters. Simultaneously, instructions ordered by host computer through digital-to-analog output card transmit to actuator, such as solenoid valve, to control drilling processs parameters. LabVIEW graphic oriented software platform provides a flexible and reliable support for drilling parameters supervisory control and data acquisition system. This applied engineering software offers a complete monitoring for several parameters of drilling rig.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Koulidis ◽  
Vassilios Kelessidis ◽  
Shehab Ahmed

Abstract Drilling challenging wells requires a combination of drilling analytics and comprehensive simulation to prevent poor drilling performance and avoid drilling issues for the upcoming drilling campaign. This work focuses on the capabilities of a drilling simulator that can simulate the directional drilling process with the use of actual field data for the training of students and professionals. This paper presents the results of simulating both rotating and sliding modes and successfully matching the rate of penetration and the trajectory of an S-type well. Monitored drilling data from the well were used to simulate the drilling process. These included weight on bit, revolutions per minute, flow rate, bit type, inclination and drilling fluid properties. The well was an S-type well with maximum inclination of 16 degrees. There were continuous variations from rotating to sliding mode, and the challenge was approached by classifying drilling data into intervals of 20 feet to obtain an appropriate resolution and efficient simulation. The simulator requires formation strength, pore and fracture pressures, and details of well lithology, thus simulating the actual drilling environment. The uniaxial compressive strength of the rock layer is calculated from p–wave velocity data from an offset field. Rock drillability is finally estimated as a function of the rock properties of the drilled layer, bit type and the values of the drilling parameters. It is then converted to rate of penetration and matched to actual data. Changes in the drilling parameters were followed as per the field data. The simulator reproduces the drilling process in real-time and allows the driller to make instantaneous changes to all drilling parameters. The simulator provides the rate of penetration, torque, standpipe pressure, and trajectory as output. This enables the user to have on-the-fly interference with the drilling process and allows him/her to modify any of the important drilling parameters. Thus, the user can determine the effect of such changes on the effectiveness of drilling, which can lead to effective drilling optimization. Certain intervals were investigated independently to give a more detailed analysis of the simulation outcome. Additional drilling data such as hook load and standpipe pressure were analyzed to determine and evaluate the drilling performance of a particular interval and to consider them in the optimization process. The resulting rate of penetration and well trajectory simulation results show an excellent match with field data. The simulation illustrates the continuous change between rotating and sliding mode as well as the accurate synchronous matching of the rate of penetration and trajectory. The results prove that the simulator is an excellent tool for students and professionals to simulate the drilling process prior to actual drilling of the next inclined well.


Author(s):  
Abdelsalam N. Abugharara ◽  
John Molgaard ◽  
Charles A. Hurich ◽  
Stephen D. Butt

Abstract Coring natural rocks (granite) and synthetic rocks (rock like material, RLM) using diamond impregnated coring bit was performed by A rigid coring system. RLM and granite were previously tested to be isotropic rocks by the author [1, 2, 3, 4] A baseline procedure was developed for isotropic rock characterization [2] and this work is to contribute to the developed baseline procedure by considering downhole dynamic weight on bit (DDWOB). The drilling parameters involved in the analysis included rate of penetration (ROP) depth of cut (DOC), rpm, and torque. All parameters were studied as a function of DDWOB at 300 and 600 input rpm. A fully instrumented laboratory scale rotary drilling rig was used with 5 liter/minute water flow rate. Samples were first cored in 47.6 mm diameter in the desired orientations. Samples of granite were cored in two perpendicular directions (vertical and horizontal) and samples of RLM were cored in three directions including vertical, oblique, and horizontal. The coring experiments were performed using 25.4 mm diamond impregnated coring bit. At each input rpm and at each applied static weight, multiple coring runs were repeated and then averaged; therefore, each point of the displayed data was averaged of at least three repeated experiments at the same inputs. DDWOB was recorded by a load cell fixed beneath the sample holder and connected to a Data Acquisition System that records at 1000 HZ sampling rate. Several sensors were used to record the required data, including operational rotary speed, advancement of drill bit for ROP calculation, and motor current for torque measurement. Results showed similar trends in different orientations at the same inputs demonstrating RLM and granite isotropy. The results also showed the influence of DDWOB on ROP, DOC, rpm, and torque (TRQ) expanding the baseline procedure through considering DDWOB for isotropic rock characterization.


2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 702-719
Author(s):  
Amir Nobahar Sadeghi ◽  
Kutluk Bilge Arıkan ◽  
Mehmet Efe Özbek ◽  
Besim Baranoğlu

Oil well drilling towers have different operating modes during a real operation, like drilling, tripping, and reaming. Each mode involves certain external disturbances and uncertainties. In this study, using the nonlinear model for the modes of the operation, robust and/or adaptive control systems are designed based on the models. These control strategies include five types of controllers: cascaded proportional–integral–derivative, active disturbance rejection controller, loop shaping, feedback error learning, and sliding mode controller. The study presents the design process of these controllers and evaluates the performances of the proposed control systems to track the reference signal and reject the uncertain forces including the parametric uncertainties and the external disturbances. This comparison is based on the mathematical performance measures and energy consumption. In addition, three architectures are presented to control the weight on bit during drilling process, and also to maintain a preset constant weight on bit, two control approaches are designed and presented.


2018 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Al-AbdulJabbar ◽  
Salaheldin Elkatatny ◽  
Mohamed Mahmoud ◽  
Khaled Abdelgawad ◽  
Abdulaziz Al-Majed

During the drilling operations, optimizing the rate of penetration (ROP) is very crucial, because it can significantly reduce the overall cost of the drilling process. ROP is defined as the speed at which the drill bit breaks the rock to deepen the hole, and it is measured in units of feet per hour or meters per hour. ROP prediction is very challenging before drilling, because it depends on many parameters that should be optimized. Several models have been developed in the literature to predict ROP. Most of the developed models used drilling parameters such as weight on bit (WOB), pumping rate (Q), and string revolutions per minute (RPM). Few researchers considered the effect of mud properties on ROP by including a small number of actual field measurements. This paper introduces a new robust model to predict the ROP using both drilling parameters (WOB, Q, ROP, torque (T), standpipe pressure (SPP), uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), and mud properties (density and viscosity) using 7000 real-time data measurements. In addition, the relative importance of drilling fluid properties, rock strength, and drilling parameters to ROP is determined. The obtained results showed that the ROP is highly affected by WOB, RPM, T, and horsepower (HP), where the coefficient of determination (T2) was 0.71, 0.87, 0.70, and 0.92 for WOB, RPM, T, and HP, respectively. ROP also showed a strong function of mud fluid properties, where R2 was 0.70 and 0.70 for plastic viscosity (PV) and mud density, respectively. No clear relationship was observed between ROP and yield point (YP) for more than 500 field data points. The new model predicts the ROP with average absolute percentage error (AAPE) of 5% and correlation coefficient (R) of 0.93. In addition, the new model outperformed three existing ROP models. The novelty in this paper is the application of the clustering technique in which the formations are clustered based on their compressive strength range to predict the ROP. Clustering yielded accurate ROP prediction compared to the field ROP.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-68
Author(s):  
Majid M. Majeed ◽  
Ayad A. Alhaleem

Several directional wells have been drilled in Majnoon oilfield at wide variation in drilling time due to different drilling parameters applied for each well. This technical paper shows the importance of proper selection of the bit, Mud type, applied weight on Bit (WOB), Revolution per minute (RPM), and flow rate based on the previous wells drilled. Utilizing the data during drilling each section for directional wells that's significantly could improve drilling efficiency presented at a high rate of penetration (ROP). Based on the extensive study of three directional wells of 35 degree inclination (MJ-51, MJ-52, and MJ-54) found that the applied drilling parameters for MJ-54 and the bit type within associated drilling parameters to drill 36", 24", 16" and 12 1/4" hole sections is the best, although the drilling parameters in 8 1/2" hole section for MJ-51 and selected bit type are the best for future wells.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Martin Clegg

Abstract Increasingly complex wells and longer laterals present new challenges for wellbore placement and wellbore quality. There is a growing understanding of the impact of well placement and wellbore quality on the overall value of the well and on the economics of completions and production. This paper looks at how requirements have evolved and will evolve beyond simply "getting to TD" as quickly as possible and how emerging technologies can help. There is already an undercurrent of opinion that completions and production are sometimes compromised to maximize rate of penetration, but with some controversy about the exact value and how easy it is to attribute cause. This paper reviews how directional drilling practice has evolved over 100 years, and how the wellbore quality that results from the directional drilling process can be a driver for the overall value of the well. Specifically, it draws on a number of key references to examine how tortuosity doesn't just have an influence on drilling but also how it can adversely impact completions, reliability of production equipment and even production rates. The paper proposes that we consider the whole-life value of the well as a key performance indicator as we drill. It emphasises that we must cease to focus solely on rate of penetration and the depth-time curve. The paper shows, with examples, how modern directional drilling systems can address tortuosity and improve wellbore quality. It presents an unbiased view of the industry from an independent viewpoint, exploring how directional drilling has been partially automated over the years and examining the state of the art in current automated directional drilling systems. It proposes the need for a modern directional drilling system not just in terms of drilling parameters but also in terms of automation of geometric and, ultimately, geologic aspects of directional drilling. The paper is intended to break down the silos that can exist between drilling, completions and production functions, and to help the industry to think about the long-term consequences of performance when specifying future directional drilling equipment.


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