Control system for automating drilling operations

A system comprising:

• equipment used to control a process of drilling a wellbore into a subterranean formation;
• a plurality of devices with one or more devices coupled to each piece of equipment, each device having a processor and configured by the processor to:
• generate at least one selected from a group comprising a relay variable, a measurement variable, and a control variable;
• generate a message having a device address, a network address, or both;
• a library module configured by a processor to:
• classify the relay variable, the measurement variable, or the control variable based on a parameter, a value, or both;
• identify a category or a category and sub-category from a plurality of categories and sub-categories based on the parameter, the value, or both;
• catalogue the relay variable, the measurement variable, or the control variable based on the category or the category and the sub-category;
• an analysis module configured by a processor to:
• select from a library of catalogued relay variables, measurement variables, and control variables, at least one selected from a group comprising a parameter and a value;
• a pattern recognition module configured by a processor to:
• identify at least one pattern using a statistics based algorithm, the statistics based algorithm using a standard operating procedure, classified procedures and recommendations, at least one semantic category, and the at least one selected from the group comprising the parameter and the value, the at least one pattern indicating a deviation in the standard operating procedure;
• and
• a predictive engine configured by a processor to:
• generate predictive results used to control at least one piece of equipment.

A method comprising:

• generating, at a device mounted to equipment of a drilling system, at least one selected from a group comprising a relay variable, a measurement variable, and a control variable;
• generating, at the device mounted to equipment of the drilling system, a message having a device address, a network address, or both;
• classifying the relay variable, the measurement variable, or the control variable based on a parameter, a value, or both;
• identifying a category or a category and sub-category from a plurality of categories and sub-categories based on the parameter, the value, or both;
• cataloguing the relay variable, the measurement variable, or the control variable based on the category or the category and the sub-category;
• selecting from a library of catalogued relay variables, measurement variables, and control variables, at least one selected from a group comprising a parameter and a value;
• and
• identifying at least one pattern using a statistics based algorithm, the statistics based algorithm using a standard operating procedure, classified procedures and recommendations, at least one semantic category, and the at least one selected from the group comprising the parameter and the value, the at least one pattern indicating a deviation in the standard operating procedure.