Optimizing Saudi Aramco Reentry Drilling Operations with the First Worldwide Combined High Dogleg RSS and Underreaming Drilling System

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rami Saleh ◽  
Noor Chozin Ali ◽  
Yousif Abuahmad ◽  
Naser Otaibi ◽  
Ahmed Osman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Aramco ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Drilling System

scholarly journals Autonomous Decision-Making While Drilling

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 969
Author(s):  
Eric Cayeux ◽  
Benoît Daireaux ◽  
Adrian Ambrus ◽  
Rodica Mihai ◽  
Liv Carlsen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Internal State ◽  
Drilling Process ◽  
Autonomous Decision ◽  
Internal States ◽  
Markov Decision ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Drilling System ◽  
Drilling Conditions ◽  
Erratic Behavior

The drilling process is complex because unexpected situations may occur at any time. Furthermore, the drilling system is extremely long and slender, therefore prone to vibrations and often being dominated by long transient periods. Adding the fact that measurements are not well distributed along the drilling system, with the majority of real-time measurements only available at the top side and having only access to very sparse data from downhole, the drilling process is poorly observed therefore making it difficult to use standard control methods. Therefore, to achieve completely autonomous drilling operations, it is necessary to utilize a method that is capable of estimating the internal state of the drilling system from parsimonious information while being able to make decisions that will keep the operation safe but effective. A solution enabling autonomous decision-making while drilling has been developed. It relies on an optimization of the time to reach the section total depth (TD). The estimated time to reach the section TD is decomposed into the effective time spent in conducting the drilling operation and the likely time lost to solve unexpected drilling events. This optimization problem is solved by using a Markov decision process method. Several example scenarios have been run in a virtual rig environment to test the validity of the concept. It is found that the system is capable to adapt itself to various drilling conditions, as for example being aggressive when the operation runs smoothly and the estimated uncertainty of the internal states is low, but also more cautious when the downhole drilling conditions deteriorate or when observations tend to indicate more erratic behavior, which is often observed prior to a drilling event.

Study of Nonlinear Internal Waves and Impact on Offshore Drilling Units

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nishu V. Kurup ◽  
Shan Shi ◽  
Zhongmin Shi ◽  
Wenju Miao ◽  
Lei Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
South China Sea ◽  
Internal Wave ◽  
Internal Waves ◽  
South China ◽  
Andaman Sea ◽  
Offshore Drilling ◽  
Nonlinear Internal Waves ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Drilling System

Internal waves near the ocean surface have been observed in many parts of the world including the Andaman Sea, Sulu Sea and South China Sea among others. The factors that cause and propagate these large amplitude waves include bathymetry, density stratification and ocean currents. Although their effects on floating drilling platforms and its riser systems have not been extensively studied, these waves have in the past seriously disrupted offshore exploration and drilling operations. In particular a drill pipe was ripped from the BOP and lost during drilling operations in the Andaman sea. Drilling riser damages were also reported from the south China Sea among other places. The purpose of this paper is to present a valid numerical model conforming to the physics of weakly nonlinear internal waves and to study the effects on offshore drilling semisubmersibles and riser systems. The pertinent differential equation that captures the physics is the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation which has a general solution involving Jacobian elliptical functions. The solution of the Taylor Goldstein equation captures the effects of the pycnocline. Internal wave packets with decayed oscillations as observed from satellite pictures are specifically modeled. The nonlinear internal waves are characterized by wave amplitudes that can exceed 50 ms and the present of shearing currents near the layer of pycnocline. The offshore drilling system is exposed to these current shears and the associated movements of large volumes of water. The effect of internal waves on drilling systems is studied through nonlinear fully coupled time domain analysis. The numerical model is implemented in a coupled analysis program where the hull, moorings and riser are considered as an integrated system. The program is then utilized to study the effects of the internal wave on the platform global motions and drilling system integrity. The study could be useful for future guidance on offshore exploration and drilling operations in areas where the internal wave phenomenon is prominent.

Riser gas risk mitigation with advanced flow detection and managed pressure drilling technologies in deepwater operations in Australia

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Julmar Shaun Sadicon Toralde ◽  
Chad Henry Wuest ◽  
Robert DeGasperis
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Control Device ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Well Control ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Managed Pressure Drilling ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Drilling System ◽  
Flow Detection ◽  
And Control

The threat of riser gas in deepwater drilling operations is real. Studies show that gas kicks unintentionally entrained in oil-based mud in deepwater are unlikely to break out of solution until they are above the subsea blowout preventers (BOPs). The rig diverter is conventionally used to vent riser gas with minimal control and considerable risk and environmental impact involved. Reactive riser gas systems provide a riser gas handling (RGH) joint that is composed of a retrofitted annular BOP and a flow spool with hoses installed on top of the rig marine riser. A proactive, alternative approach to riser gas handling, called riser gas risk mitigation, is proposed by using managed pressure drilling (MPD) equipment. MPD involves the use of a rotating control device (RCD) to create a closed and pressurisable drilling system where flow out of the well is diverted to an automated MPD choke manifold with a high-resolution mass flow meter that increases the sensitivity and reaction time of the system to kicks, losses and other unwanted drilling events. Experiments and field deployments have shown that the deepwater MPD system can detect a gas influx before it dissolves in oil-based mud, allowing for management of the same using conventional well control methods. Since the MPD system has already closed the well in, automatic diversion and control of gas in the riser is also possible, if required. This paper presents experience gained from deepwater MPD operations in the Asia-Pacific to illustrate this, and possible deployment options in Australia are discussed.

scholarly journals An Outlook of Drilling Technologies and Innovations: Present Status and Future Trends

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4499
Author(s):  
Catalin Teodoriu ◽  
Opeyemi Bello
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Operational Performance ◽  
Great Effort ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
The Past ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Drilling System ◽  
Selection Of

The present article analyzes the technological advancement and innovations related to drilling operations. It covers the review of currently proven and emerging technologies that could mitigate the drilling operational deficiencies and instabilities that could hinder operational performance activities and the economic part of drilling development with great effort to minimize their environmental footprint. Drilling system design and operations are among the major aspects and cost-effective endeavors of the oil and gas industries, which are therefore technology dependent. They are also considered to be among the most expensive operations in the world, as they require huge expenses daily. Drilling success, depending on prevalent conditions, is a function of several general factors. These include the selection of the best technologies and tools, procedural optimization, concrete problem-solving, accurate prediction, and rapid decision-making. Consequently, any sorts of tools or advanced technologies that can improve the time-efficient operational and economic performance of drilling activities are essential and demanded. The paper provides a review of available technologies and developmental innovations based on both company-based and academic research-enabled drilling solutions over the past 5 years in the field of drilling systems and technological design. The paper further highlighted potential technologies that could be tapped in from other industries and could possibly be adopted by pushing the conventional boundaries of drilling operations.

CIDS: A Mobile Concrete Island Drilling System for Arctic Offshore Operations

1984 ◽  
Vol 21 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Sherman B. Wetmore ◽  
Harold D. Ramsden
Keyword(s):  
The Arctic ◽  
Structural System ◽  
Drilling Rig ◽  
Gravity Load ◽  
Unique System ◽  
Landfast Ice ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Drilling System ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Water Depths

This paper describes a unique system that can provide an alternative to gravel islands as a means of supporting drilling operations in shallow Arctic waters. The Concrete Island Drilling System (CIDS) is composed of modular concrete "bricks" stacked one on top of the other which, in turn, support a barge-mounted drilling rig. Sequentially stacking these modules provides a great deal of flexibility in siting the modules in water depths of 18 to 52 ft. The modules incorporate an efficient concrete "honeycomb" structural system that offers inherent longitudinal, transverse and torsional strength. The superior strength of the CIDS, coupled with its massive ballasted weight, enables it to withstand the ice pressures prevalent in the landfast ice areas of the Arctic. Several key features of the CIDS make it a unique and economically advantageous exploratory drilling platform. Because it is modular, the CIDS reduces construction and transportation problems and allows the use of various configurations that can be modified to suit the water depth requirement. No dredging or gravel-hauling activity is associated with the CIDS since the gravity load is achieved by merely ballasting the modules with seawater. The entire system, with the drilling rig intact, can be relocated by pumping out the saltwater ballast and towing the CIDS to a new site. No rig demobilization or "under-dredging" of caisson fill is required. The use of concrete insures a long-lived structure that can be reused on many wells.

scholarly journals Subsurface Thermal Modeling of Oxia Planum, Landing Site of ExoMars 2022

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
M. Formisano ◽  
M. C. De Sanctis ◽  
C. Federico ◽  
G. Magni ◽  
F. Altieri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Inertia ◽  
Landing Site ◽  
Lateral Wall ◽  
Water Ice ◽  
Self Heating ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Drilling System ◽  
Frictional Coefficients ◽  
Heat Released ◽  
Multispectral Imager

Numerical simulations are required to thermophysically characterize Oxia Planum, the landing site of the mission ExoMars 2022. A drilling system is installed on the ExoMars rover, and it will be able to analyze down to 2 meters in the subsurface of Mars. The spectrometer Ma_MISS (Mars Multispectral Imager for Subsurface, Coradini and Da Pieve, 2001) will investigate the lateral wall of the borehole generated by the drill, providing hyperspectral images. It is not fully clear if water ice can be found in the subsurface at Oxia Planum. However, Ma_MISS has the capability to characterize and map the presence of possible ices, in particular water ice. We performed simulations of the subsurface temperatures by varying the thermal inertia, and we quantified the effects of self-heating. Moreover, we quantified the heat released by the drilling operations, by exploring different frictional coefficients and angular drill velocities, in order to evaluate the lifetime of possible water ice.

Numerical Simulation of Motion Response of Multi-Floating Body System Considering Different Gap Between TLP and TAD

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhigang Zhang ◽  
Shanjun Bao ◽  
Zhaogang Ding ◽  
Zhiyuan Wei ◽  
Haibo Sui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Floating Body ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Mooring System ◽  
Floating Bodies ◽  
Motion Response ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Drilling System ◽  
Simulation Results

Abstract Tender-assisted drilling system meets the strict requirements of deck space of the drilling platform, and provides a relatively safe and comfortable working environment for the staff, which has been widely used in drilling operations in recent years. The significant difference between multi-floating body and single offshore platform is that there may be risk of collision between the floating bodies under extreme metocean conditions or in emergency of mooring system failure. In order to prevent the collision during drilling operations, the initial gap between floating bodies should be designed carefully and provide a reasonable scheme to ensure the safety of the drilling system and the feasibility of drilling operations. Therefore, based on the three dimensional potential flow theory, frequency domain and time domain numerical simulation of the motion response of TLP and TAD is carried out according to the marine environment of West Africa with extreme metocean conditions, the effect of different initial gap on the motion performance of floating bodies is explored and the mechanical characteristics of the mooring system are analyzed. Thus, the reasonable initial gap between TLP and TAD is determined by comparing the simulation results. In general, the numerical simulation results of tender-assisted drilling system may provide reference for engineering practice to some extent.

Remote Drilling Solution Delivers Consistency with the Use of an Automated Drilling Director: Case Studies from Kuwait

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadir Farhi ◽  
Julien Christian Marck ◽  
Aniket Sanyal ◽  
Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Samie ◽  
Moataz Mahmoud Eldemerdash ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Innovative Technology ◽  
Subject Matter Experts ◽  
Collision Risk ◽  
Efficient Manner ◽  
Software Application ◽  
Doing Business ◽  
Closing The Loop ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Drilling System ◽  
And Control

Abstract The Automated Drilling Director, a software application for drilling automation, integrates a physics-based model of the drilling system with machine learning and optimization algorithms to project the well path, monitor collision risk, manage vibrations, and control steering in real time automatically. With "intelligent" rotary steerable systems (RSSs), these steering decisions can be downlinked directly to the tool, thus, fully closing the loop around steering decision-making. Implementation of the Automated Drilling Director within a remote drilling center (RDC) enables the drilling operations to be conducted remotely and effectively with less rig site personnel. The resulting decisions are consistent and reliable, while a team of subject matter experts (SMEs) monitor the operations to optimize well assets, ensuring that the pre-job design of service (DoS) is executed properly. The validation of this innovative technology and approach in Kuwait, amongst others, opens the door to a new way of doing business, where resources, experience, and data are combined in the most efficient manner to improve consistency, as well as to maximize the value of the operators’ assets.

Modeling of Coupled Axial and Torsional Motions of a Drilling System

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheren Ma ◽  
Dongmei Chen
Keyword(s):  
Time Domain ◽  
Drill Pipe ◽  
Propagation Theory ◽  
Stick Slip ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Drilling System ◽  
Rock Bit ◽  
The Impact

During drilling operations, rock-bit interactions may cause a wide range of undesirable system vibrations. The induced vibrations subsequently reduce drilling efficiency and increase fatigue loads acting on drill bit. In this paper, a coupled torsional and axial drilling model is proposed. It can be used to predict the vibrations including bit bounce and stick-slip. Instead of using finite element (FEM) approach, the drill pipe is accurately modeled based on wave propagation theory. This results in time-delay equations in time domain and significantly reduces the computational complexity associated with FEM. The axial and torsional motions are coupled by bit-rock interactions. Different rock-bit interaction conditions are considered based on bit rotation and contact with formation. Simulations are conducted using the proposed model to analyze the impact of different applied weights on bit and surface rotary speeds on the system vibrations. This information provides insights into optimization of drilling operation.

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