# US 11,028,684 B2 · System and method for determining the location of a bottom hole assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,028,684 B2 - Document ID: US11028684B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/242,564 - Filed: 2019-01-08 - Published: 2019-05-09 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-22 - Assignees: Motive Drilling Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Motive Drilling Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Todd W. Benson; Teddy Chen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11028684B2 ## CPC - E21B 47/09: Locating or determining the position of objects in boreholes or wells {, e.g. the position of an extending arm}; Identifying the free or blocked portions of pipes - E21B 7/04: Directional drilling - E21B 7/06: Deflecting the direction of boreholes - E21B 7/10: Correction of deflected boreholes - E21B 44/00: Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions - E21B 47/12: Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling - E21B 45/00: Measuring the drilling time or rate of penetration - E21B 47/024: of devices in the borehole (determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022) - E21B 47/026: of penetrated ground layers - E21B 47/04: Measuring depth or liquid level - E21B 47/18: through the well fluid {, e.g. mud pressure pulse telemetry} - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS ## Abstract A system and method for surface steerable drilling are provided. In one example, the system receives toolface information for a bottom hole assembly (BHA) and non-survey sensor information corresponding to a location of the BHA in a borehole. The system calculates an amount of incremental progress made by the BHA based on the non-survey sensor information and calculates an estimate of the location based on the toolface information and the amount of incremental progress. The system repeats the steps of receiving toolface information and non-survey sensor information and calculating an amount of incremental progress to calculate an estimate of a plurality of locations representing a path of the BHA from a first survey point towards a second sequential survey point. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for determining a location of a bottom hole assembly, comprising: receiving, by a computer system, first toolface update from a bottom hole assembly (BHA) located in a borehole during drilling of the borehole, wherein the first toolface update comprises first toolface orientation of the BHA, and wherein the first toolface update is received between a first measured survey point that has been passed and a second measured survey point that has not been reached; receiving, by the computer system, a second toolface update from the BHA located in the borehole during the drilling of the borehole, wherein the second toolface update comprises second toolface orientation of the BHA, and wherein the second toolface update is received a time period after the first toolface update is received; receiving, by the computer system, a plurality of differential pressure measurements of a pressure difference of a drilling fluid across a drill bit; determining, by the computer system, an average differential pressure over a toolface update period using the plurality of differential pressure measurements, wherein the toolface update period is a length of time between the first toolface update and the second toolface update; determining, by the computer system responsive to the average differential pressure, an average rate of penetration (ROP) of the BHA for the toolface update period; determining, by the computer system responsive to the average ROP, a borehole depth increase; determining, by the computer system responsive to the second toolface update, a borehole trajectory calculation; and determining, by the computer system, a spatial estimate of borehole position, responsive to at least one of the second toolface update, the borehole depth increase, and the borehole trajectory calculation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: determining, by the computer system, whether survey data has been received for any measured survey point after the first measured survey point, and, if so, using the survey data for the measured survey point after the first measured survey point to update the spatial estimate of borehole position, and if survey data for the measured survey point after the first measured survey point has not been received, then receiving non-survey information obtained while drilling, wherein the non-survey information is received between the first measured survey point and the measured survey point after the first measured survey point, determining, responsive to at least the non-survey information, a second spatial estimate of borehole position, wherein the second spatial estimate of borehole position specifies at least one of a current borehole position, a drill bit position along the borehole, and a trajectory of the borehole. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the average differential pressure is calculated or acquired from a database. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the average ROP for a formation using the BHA at the average differential pressure is calculated or acquired from a database. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the borehole depth increase is determined by applying the average ROP over the toolface update period. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the average differential pressure is used to estimate a force on the drill bit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the force on the drill bit is used to determine a distance the drill bit should have drilled in a formation. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the borehole trajectory calculation comprises a plane of arc for a borehole curvature projection and the plane of arc is obtained by applying a minimum curvature method. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the borehole trajectory calculation comprises at least one of a straight line calculation, a tangential calculation, a balanced tangential calculation, a radius of curvature calculation, and a spline curve calculation. ### Claim 10 A system for determining a location of a bottom hole assembly, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing a plurality of instructions for execution by the processor, the plurality of instructions including: instructions for receiving, by the system, a first toolface update from a bottom hole assembly (BHA) located in a borehole during a drilling of the borehole, wherein the first toolface update comprises first toolface orientation of the BHA, and wherein the first toolface update is received between a first measured survey point along the borehole that has been passed and a second measured point that has been reached; instructions for receiving, by the processor, a second toolface update from the BHA located in the borehole during the drilling of the borehole, wherein the second toolface update comprises second toolface orientation of the BHA, and wherein the second toolface update is received a time period after the first toolface update is received; instructions for receiving, by the processor, first non-survey information obtained while drilling, the first non-survey information comprising a plurality of differential pressure measurements of a pressure difference of a drilling fluid across a drill bit; instructions for determining, by the processor, an average differential pressure over a toolface update period using the plurality of differential pressure measurements, wherein the toolface update period is a length of time between the first toolface update and the second toolface update; instructions for determining, by the processor, an average rate of penetration of the BHA at the average differential pressure; instructions for determining, by the processor, a borehole depth increase; instructions for determining, by the processor, a trajectory calculation to use in a borehole projection; and instructions for determining, by the processor, a spatial estimate of borehole position, responsive to at least the second toolface update, the borehole depth increase, and the trajectory calculation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions for calculating a spatial estimate of borehole position include instructions for estimating a vector specifying a three-dimensional location and a three-dimensional orientation of the drill bit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein toolface information is obtained at a plurality of pre-defined time intervals. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the average differential pressure is calculated or acquired from a database. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the average rate of penetration for a formation using the BHA at the average differential pressure is calculated or acquired from a database. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the borehole depth increase is calculated by applying the average rate of penetration over the toolface update period. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the average differential pressure is used to estimate a force on the drill bit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the force on the drill bit is used to determine a distance the drill bit should have drilled in a formation. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein a plane of arc is obtained by applying a minimum curvature method. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the trajectory calculation comprises at least one of a straight line calculation, a tangential calculation, a balanced tangential calculation, a radius of curvature calculation, and a spline curve calculation. ### Claim 20 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions for determining, by the system, whether survey data has been received for any measured survey point after the first measured survey point, and, if so, using the survey data for the measured survey point after the first measured survey point to update the spatial estimate of borehole position, and if survey data for the measured survey point after the first measured survey point has not been received, then receiving non-survey information obtained while drilling, wherein the non-survey information is received between the first measured survey point and the measured survey point after the first measured survey point, determining, responsive to at least the non-survey information, a second spatial estimate of borehole position, wherein the second spatial estimate of borehole position specifies at least one of a current borehole position, a drill bit position along the borehole, and a trajectory of the borehole.