Autonomous Directional Drilling Planning and Execution Using an Industry 4.0 Platform

Today, directional drilling is considered a mix between art and science only performed by experts in the field. In this paper, we present an autonomous directional drilling framework using an industry 4.0 platform that is built on intelligent planning and execution capabilities and is supported by surface and downhole automation technologies to achieve consistently performing directional drilling operations accessible for easy remote operations. Intelligent planning builds on standard planning activities that are needed for directional drilling applications and advances them with rich data pipelines that feed predictive and prescriptive machine-learning (ML) models; this enables more accurate BHA tendencies, operating parameters, and trajectory plans that ultimately reduce executional risk and uncertainty. Intelligent execution provides technologies that facilitate decision-making activities, whether they be from the wellsite or town, by leveraging the digital-drilling program that is generated from the intelligent planning activities. The program connects planning expectations, real-time execution data from the surface and downhole equipment, and generates insights from data analytics, physics-based simulations, and offset analysis to achieve consistent directional drilling performance that is transparent to all stakeholders. This new framework enables a self-steering BHA for directional drilling operations. The workflow involves an automated evaluation of the current bit position with respect to the initial plan, automated evaluation of the maximum dogleg capability of the BHA, and the capability to examine the health of the BHA tools and, if needed, an automated re-planning of an optimized working plan. This is accomplished on a system level with interdependencies on the different elements that make up the complete workflow. This new autonomous directional drilling framework will minimize operational risk and cost-per-foot drilled; maximize performance, procedural adherence, and establish consistent results across fields, rigs, and trajectories while enabling modern remote operations.

Drilling Automation – Benefits of the New Drilling Model

A pilot program for automated directional drilling was implemented as a part of the roll out plan in Norway to drill three dimensional wells in an automated mode, where steering commands were carried out automatically by the automation platform. The rollout plan also targeted the use of remote operations to allow personnel to be relocated from the rig location into remote drilling centers. The goal of the program was to optimize the directional drilling performance by assessing the benefits of automation using the latest rotary steerable system technologies and machine learning smart algorithms to predict and manipulated the BHA performance, as well as the ability to predict the best drilling parameters for hole cleaning. The automation was implemented on three different rigs and the data was compared with the drilling performance from the last two years, with three dimensional wells drilled in the conventional method. The main benefits between drilling wells in the conventional method versus drilling wells with the new drilling automation model include the following. Reduce the overall cost per meter – Improve the rate of penetration – Improve running casings Consistence process adherence – Reduce human errors – Reduce POB without sacrificing lost of technical experience Optimize workforce resources – Allows continuity of service (COVID-19 restrictions) Drilling automation can drill smoother wells by reducing the friction factors and tortuosity. This is translated in direct cost savings per meter and reduction in the overall well delivery time, with the advantage of performing the execution and monitoring of the well performance remotely. This new drilling model open the door of new opportunities, especially for the challenges where the work force resources, and drilling performance is a priority for the operations.

Remote Cementing Enabled with Automation Drives Reliability, Consistency and Efficiency; A Case History from Norwegian Continental Shelf

Cementing is the fundamental first step and foundation for well construction. The traditional "let's go, mix it, pump it and bump it" cannot be the standard for the current and future offshore cementing operations. As oil and gas operators continue to push the envelope for both innovation and efficiency in well construction operations, to drive energy transition, lower carbon footprint, service providers continue to look for ways to "do more, with less". The latest innovation is redefining offshore cementing operations with a powerful combination of field-proven expertise, equipment, processes, and software. Remote Cementing Operations, the first of its kind in the industry, offers real- time and remote-operation capabilities, controls, and diagnostics of offshore cementing units. While conventional operations would typically involve a cement specialist working in an adjacent room on the rig, Remote Cementing Operations allows all cementing procedures to be controlled offsite by a cementing SME (Subject Matter Expert) from a Remote Operations Center (ROC), miles away from the offshore rig simplifying the operations, minimize errors and improve reliability. As the industry moves forward with a goal to lower carbon footprint, remote cementing enabled by automation will play a key role to implement innovative technologies that will help operators accomplish zonal isolation today and in the future while improving reliability, consistency and driving efficiency. The new implemented process thus results in reduced costs, risks, and non-productive time (NPT) with fewer personnel on-board (POB)—all without sacrificing quality, safety, and performance. A recent success case study is presented, where in an entire offshore well all the cementing operations have been mixed and pumped flawlessly from the ROC in one of the NCS (Norwegian Continental Shelf) rigs. This work explores the relationship between the process of planning, execution and troubleshooting remotely when performing cement operations. By analyzing and reviewing different previous experiences on remote operations, the authors developed a more comprehensive decision support system for remote cementing operations.

A Suite of Robotic Solutions for Nuclear Waste Decommissioning

Dealing safely with nuclear waste is an imperative for the nuclear industry. Increasingly, robots are being developed to carry out complex tasks such as perceiving, grasping, cutting, and manipulating waste. Radioactive material can be sorted, and either stored safely or disposed of appropriately, entirely through the actions of remotely controlled robots. Radiological characterisation is also critical during the decommissioning of nuclear facilities. It involves the detection and labelling of radiation levels, waste materials, and contaminants, as well as determining other related parameters (e.g., thermal and chemical), with the data visualised as 3D scene models. This paper overviews work by researchers at the QMUL Centre for Advanced Robotics (ARQ), a partner in the UK EPSRC National Centre for Nuclear Robotics (NCNR), a consortium working on the development of radiation-hardened robots fit to handle nuclear waste. Three areas of nuclear-related research are covered here: human–robot interfaces for remote operations, sensor delivery, and intelligent robotic manipulation.

Precision Landing for Low-Maintenance Remote Operations with UAVs

This work proposes a fully integrated ecosystem composed of three main components with a complex goal: to implement an autonomous system with a UAV requiring little to no maintenance and capable of flying autonomously. For this goal, was developed an autonomous UAV, an online platform capable of its management and a landing platform to enclose and charge the UAV after flights. Furthermore, a precision landing algorithm ensures no need for human intervention for long-term operations.

Solid-State Gyro Technology Allows Safe And Reliable Real-Time Remote Operations

There are several reasons for obtaining gyroscopic surveys in directional wells. A gyro measurement provides reliable data when magnetic measurements are affected by interference from nearby wells; it can significantly reduce the positional uncertainty and provides redundancy data and gross error checks on MWD surveys. However, the complexity and extent of the necessary testing and handling of the tools have prevented widespread adoption, and gyro services have remained limited to "must-have" scenarios. The benefits of solid-state technology and new developments in communication capabilities are gradually changing the way of thinking related to wellbore positioning. The first gyro while drilling tools were introduced in the early 2000s and were based on spinning mass gyro technology. These gyros can be very accurate with low noise levels and drift; however, they are fragile, built with moving parts, and susceptible to calibration shifts. Extensive pre-job testing, validation during job execution and post-job analysis are required to obtain reliable directional survey data. Solid-state gyros have reached the same, or even better, levels of noise and drift without the fragility of their spinning mass counterpart. With different degrees of complexity and coverage, remote operations have been used for many years in the oilfield. Still, the adoption of monitoring gyro services with no personnel at the rig-site has been minimal due to the described complexity of the system and the small volume of jobs that prevented investment and the development of the necessary processes. Solid-state gyro technology addresses these challenges More than 30 gyro-while-drilling jobs have successfully run remotely. The changes in operational procedures forced by the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the demand for uncrewed operations, and solid-state gyro technology has shown high reliability with zero non-productive time due to tool failures or shifts in the calibration. This new way of working also results in a significant reduction in the environmental impact of the operations as all travel related to personnel and equipment has been reduced and battery life extended by up to 10. Several scenarios related to wellbore positioning and directional drilling greatly benefit by having a gyro in the BHA. The gyro technology and the workflow described in this paper show how this can be done reliably, maintaining the quality of the survey data and reducing the environmental impact.

Sustaining Remote Operations Adoption Post Pandemic: A Major Key to a Net Zero Future

The North Sea has always been a pioneer for the adoption of remote operations services (ROS) in offshore drilling applications. Drilling services such as Measurement While Drilling (MWD), Logging While Drilling (LWD) and/or mud logging (ML) have been performed with an element of ROS for over the last two decades. Early adoption of these remote services delivered initial benefits to operators such as reducing HSE risks related to the travel and accommodation of field service employees at offshore rig sites. Meanwhile service companies were able to explore the added efficiencies gained by having multi-skilled employees providing a higher level of support to customers while also gaining additional agility to manage their personnel through tighter market cycles. The mutual benefit of this early adoption created a solid foundation for ROS to expand the scope of influence in drilling operations to include Directional Drilling (DD). Despite the maturity of ROS within a select community of operators in the North Sea, the industry standard for service delivery in offshore operations has continued to require field service employees to perform DD, MWD, and LWD services at rig sites until this past year. With the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, operators and service companies were quickly and abruptly confronted with the challenges of new HSE regulations, travel restrictions, and increased financial scrutiny. ROS presented a tailored solution to not only sustain business continuity but also create added efficiency, consistency, and risk management. Over the course of 2020, adoption of ROS rapidly accelerated across offshore operations in the North Sea and reached up to 100% penetration in key sectors. This tremendous achievement has made a significant impact on project performance and HSE efficiencies by ensuring on time service delivery while reducing personnel on board (POB). In addition, as more operators and services companies explore ways of reducing their carbon footprints and achieving a net zero future, ROS has proven to be a way to significantly reduce carbon emissions associated with transportation and utilities of offshore personnel. This paper discusses the methods that enabled a record high adoption rate for ROS and explores the critical components of its success. It illustrates the management of change in service delivery processes, the introduction of new technology to unlock greater productivity and synergies, and the new approach to design the core competencies needed to support ROS. It also describes the need for flexible ROS service models to meet the specific project needs of various operators. The paper concludes with the numerous benefits realized through ROS such as improved performance and consistently reliable service delivery. The paper also examines the resulting carbon emission reduction, how to quantify it, and the role ROS plays in achieving a net zero emissions future.

Human Factors Considerations in Satellite Operations Human-Computer Interaction Technologies: A Review of Current Applications and Theory

Satellite operations are a subset of remote operations that draw similarities with remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) and uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) operations. Increased research into boredom, complacency, habituation, and vigilance as they relate to satellite operations is required due to a lack of prevalence in the literature. Circadian rhythms, crew resource management, and shift work dynamics may exacerbate complacency-driven automation bias and social loafing errors in satellite operations. This overview of theory and applications aims to specifically focus on satellite operations literature within human factors research to identify areas requiring an expansion of knowledge. The human-in-the-loop commonality enables human factors lessons to be passed to satellite operations from unrelated sectors to mitigate catastrophic human error potentially. As such, this literature review details the need for increased research in satellite operations human factors.

STEM undergraduates’ perspectives of instructor and university responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020

Objectives We examined undergraduate STEM students’ experiences during Spring 2020 when universities switched to remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we sought to understand actions by universities and instructors that students found effective or ineffective, as well as instructor behaviors that conveyed a sense of caring or not caring about their students’ success. Methods In July 2020 we conducted 16 focus groups with STEM undergraduate students enrolled in US colleges and universities (N = 59). Focus groups were stratified by gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Content analyses were performed using a data-driven inductive approach. Results Participants (N = 59; 51% female) were racially/ethnically diverse (76% race/ethnicity other than non-Hispanic white) and from 32 colleges and universities. The most common effective instructor strategies mentioned included hybrid instruction (35%) and use of multiple tools for learning and student engagement (27%). The most common ineffective strategies mentioned were increasing the course workload or difficulty level (18%) and use of pre-recorded lectures (15%). The most common behaviors cited as making students feel the instructor cared about their success were exhibiting leniency and/or flexibility regarding course policies or assessments (29%) and being responsive and accessible to students (25%). The most common behaviors cited as conveying the instructors did not care included poor communication skills (28%) and increasing the difficulty of the course (15%). University actions students found helpful included flexible policies (41%) and moving key services online (e.g., tutoring, counseling; 24%). Students felt universities should have created policies for faculty and departments to increase consistency (26%) and ensured communication strategies were honest, prompt, and transparent (23%). Conclusions To be prepared for future emergencies, universities should devise evidence-based policies for remote operations and all instructors should be trained in best practices for remote instruction. Research is needed to identify and ameliorate negative impacts of the pandemic on STEM education.

Multimodal Warnings in Remote Operation: The Case Study on Remote Driving

Developments in sensor technology, artificial intelligence, and network technologies like 5G has made remote operation a valuable method of controlling various types of machinery. The benefits of remote operations come with an opportunity to access hazardous environments. The major limitation of remote operation is the lack of proper sensory feedback from the machine, which in turn negatively affects situational awareness and, consequently, may risk remote operations. This article explores how to improve situational awareness via multimodal feedback (visual, auditory, and haptic) and studies how it can be utilized to communicate warnings to remote operators. To reach our goals, we conducted a controlled, within-subjects experiment in eight conditions with twenty-four participants on a simulated remote driving system. Additionally, we gathered further insights with a UX questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Gathered data showed that the use of multimodal feedback positively affected situational awareness when driving remotely. Our findings indicate that the combination of added haptic and visual feedback was considered the best feedback combination to communicate the slipperiness of the road. We also found that the feeling of presence is an important aspect of remote driving tasks, and a requested one, especially by those with more experience in operating real heavy machinery.