Automated sliding drilling

An automated sliding drilling controller for controlling a drilling system—wherein the drilling system comprises a drillstring extending from a surface location down into a borehole being drilled by the drilling system, an angled component, a bottomhole assembly including a bit, and a downhole means for rotating the bit—to perform slide drilling, the automated sliding drilling controller comprising:

• a toolface sensor configured to measure a downhole toolface from an orientation of the drillstring with respect to a geophysical field of the earth;
• and
• a telemetry system in communication with the toolface sensor and a terminal;
• wherein the terminal is configured to:
• process a borehole trajectory of the borehole from the downhole toolface measurement,
• determine whether the borehole trajectory is within an acceptable range relative to a planned borehole trajectory,
• measure reaction of the drillstring to adjusting parameters to be applied to the drill string,
• display a depth weighted average of the downhole toolface direction;
• and
• adjust parameters applied to the drillstring at the surface to adjust the downhole toolface if the borehole trajectory is determined to be not within the acceptable range, wherein the adjusted parameters applied to the drillstring at the surface provide for a first sequence of alternately rotating the drillstring in one direction until a first torque magnitude is reached and in an opposite direction until a second torque magnitude is reached where the first and second torque magnitudes differ until the downhole toolface is measured such that the trajectory of the borehole is within the acceptable range, or based on simulation or experience is anticipated to be within the acceptable range if the trajectory is outside of the acceptable range, and further provide for a second sequence of alternating direction and magnitude of rotations to the drillstring if the downhole toolface produced by the first sequence of alternating direction and magnitude of rotations is measured such that the borehole trajectory is outside of the acceptable range.