US 2022/0178241 A1Published application

Slide Drilling Control Based on Top Drive Torque and Rotational Distance

AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation

InventorsNathaniel Wicks, Ginger Hildebrand

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for controlling slide drilling based on torque and rotational distance of a top drive connected with an upper end of a drill string. A method may comprise operating a processing device that receives torque measurements indicative of torque output by the top drive, receives rotational distance measurements indicative of rotational distance imparted by the top drive, causes the top drive to rotate the drill string while the drill string is off-bottom, determines a reference torque based on the torque measurements received while the drill string is rotated off-bottom, causes the top drive to alternatingly rotate the drill string based on the reference torque to perform slide drilling, determines a reference rotational distance based on the rotational distance measurements received during the slide drilling, and causes the top drive to alternatingly rotate the drill string based on the reference rotational distance to perform the slide drilling.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising:

a control system for controlling rotation of a top drive configured to connect with an upper end of a drill string, wherein the control system comprises:
a torque sensor operable to facilitate torque measurements indicative of torque output by the top drive to the upper end of the drill string;
a rotation sensor operable to facilitate rotational distance measurements indicative of rotational distance imparted by the top drive to the upper end of the drill string;
and
a processing device comprising a processor and a memory storing computer program code, wherein the processing device is operable to:
receive the torque measurements;
receive the rotational distance measurements;
cause the top drive to rotate the drill string while the drill string is off-bottom;
determine a reference torque based on the torque measurements received while the drill string is off-bottom and rotated by the top drive;
cause the top drive to alternatingly rotate the drill string in opposing directions based on the reference torque to perform slide drilling operations;
determine a reference rotational distance based on the rotational distance measurements received during the slide drilling operations;
and
cause the top drive to alternatingly rotate the drill string in the opposing directions based on the reference rotational distance to perform the slide drilling operations.

10 more elements

A method comprising:

commencing operation of a processing device operable to control rotation of a top drive configured to connect with an upper end of a drill string, wherein the operating processing device:
receives torque measurements indicative of torque output by the top drive to the upper end of the drill string;
receives rotational distance measurements indicative of rotational distance imparted by the top drive to the upper end of the drill string;
causes the top drive to rotate the drill string while the drill string is off-bottom;
determines a reference torque based on the torque measurements received while the drill string is off-bottom and rotated by the top drive;
causes the top drive to alternatingly rotate the drill string in opposing directions based on the reference torque to perform slide drilling operations;
determines a reference rotational distance based on the rotational distance measurements received during the slide drilling operations;
and
causes the top drive to alternatingly rotate the drill string in the opposing directions based on the reference rotational distance to perform the slide drilling operations.

6 more elements

A method comprising:

commencing operation of a processing device operable to control rotation of a top drive configured to connect with an upper end of a drill string, wherein the operating processing device:
receives torque measurements indicative of torque output by the top drive to the upper end of the drill string;
receives rotational distance measurements indicative of rotational distance imparted by the top drive to the upper end of the drill string;
causes the top drive to rotate the drill string while the drill string is off-bottom;
determines a reference torque based on the torque measurements received while the drill string is off-bottom and rotated by the top drive;
causes the top drive to alternatingly rotate the drill string in opposing directions based on the reference torque to perform a calibration stage of slide drilling operations;
records the rotational distance measurements during the calibration stage of the slide drilling operations;
determines a reference rotational distance based on the recorded rotational distance measurements, wherein the reference rotational distance is or comprises an average rotational distance of the alternating rotations of the drill string caused by the top drive;
and
causes the top drive to alternatingly rotate the drill string in the opposing directions based on the reference rotational distance to perform a post-calibration stage of the slide drilling operations.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.