Using Cameras To Understand What Is Happening While Drilling

Can a camera do a better job than humans at creating a minute-by-minute record of drilling activity? Or evaluate damaged drill bits better? Based on two papers at the SPE/IADC International Drilling Conference and Exhibition, the answer might soon be yes. Schlumberger researchers showed that video from a camera on the drill floor and on the drilling cuttings shaker kept an accurate record of what the rig was doing at the time, also known as the rig state (SPE 204086). A paper from The University of Texas-Austin (UT-Austin) showed a camera phone could create images for use in their bit-evaluation program to assess the damage and offer a reasonable explanation for what caused it (SPE 204124). A year ago Teradata announced its Bit-Box, which houses cameras and lights to create 3D bit images. It is now on the market; other companies are working on competing products. Cameras have gotten small and cheap at a time when innovations like self-driving cars have driven tech companies to speed development of computer-vision tools. Schlumberger’s goal is to convert video from rig cameras into a constant record of the rig state. It is being done with data gathered by sensors while drilling, or by people if the sensors stop working or generate bad data. The system leaves gaps when sensor issues are missed or workers are otherwise occupied, which is a maddening problem for those who need to know what is going on at any moment to interpret drilling data. “We need to understand what the rig was doing when we look at and try to solve problems” using digital analysis, said Crispin Chatar, a drilling subject matter expert for Schlumberger, who presented the paper at the virtual conference. The bit-evaluation program used phone camera images as a lower-cost substitute for 3D imaging, like the system sold by Teradata. Mobile phone images come with the risk of bad lighting and varying angles, which the authors said affected the analysis. But those devices are small, and there are plenty of backups available. “Everybody has a mobile phone at a rig site,” said Pradeep Ashok, a research scientist in the petroleum engineering department at UT-Austin. He believes cameras on mobile devices are the future because “if you could build something that requires no added equipment it will allow more rapid adoption.” Mobile phone owners also worry about breaking their phone. They may not be so concerned about rig equipment, which is a concern to those selling more-complex imaging devices. Both projects were early efforts to test what can be done with camera data, which is likely to expand over time. Schlumberger’s goal of tracking the rig state more reliably and cheaper than when using sensors may not be enough to convince users to change their ways at a time when sensors are proliferating to support more digitally controlled activities. The Schlumberger data were gathered at a test well for an automated rig.