Methods, systems, and media for controlling a toolface of a downhole tool

4:

• A method of controlling a toolface of a downhole tool, comprising:
• when a drill bit is off-bottom relative to a wellbore:
• determining a total amount of reactive rotation to be introduced to a drill string connected to the drill bit;
• and
• performing a first toolface control operation comprising rotating the drill string by an off-bottom amount of reactive rotation;
• after performing the first toolface control operation, determining that a touchdown condition has been met;
• and
• in response to determining that the touchdown condition has been met, performing a second toolface control operation comprising further rotating the drill string by an on-bottom amount of reactive rotation so as to counteract a reactive torque acting on the toolface, wherein the total amount of reactive rotation is equal to a sum of the off-bottom and on-bottom amounts of reactive rotation.

5:

• The method of claim 4, wherein determining that the touchdown condition has been met comprises:
• measuring a differential pressure;
• and
• determining, based on the measured differential pressure, that the touchdown condition has been met.

9:

• The method of claim 4, wherein determining the total amount of reactive rotation comprises:
• determining a difference between a differential pressure setpoint and an initial differential pressure;
• and
• determining the total amount of reactive rotation based on the determined difference.

11:

• The method of claim 4, further comprising, before performing the first toolface control operation, performing a toolface correction operation comprising:
• determining that a current toolface is outside an expected toolface range;
• and
• based on determining that the current toolface is outside the expected toolface range, performing one or both of:
• rotating the drill string by an initial amount of rotation to bring the toolface toward the expected toolface range;
• and
• increasing the expected toolface range.

12:

• The method of claim 11, wherein determining that the current toolface is outside the expected toolface range comprises:
• determining the expected toolface range based on a difference between the current toolface and a toolface setpoint;
• and
• determining that the current toolface is outside the expected toolface range.

13:

• The method of claim 4, wherein performing the second toolface control operation comprises:
• monitoring a differential pressure;
• and
• rotating the drill string by the on-bottom amount proportionally to the differential pressure.

14:

• The method of claim 4, wherein performing the second toolface control operation comprises:
• monitoring a differential pressure and a differential pressure setpoint;
• and
• completing rotation of the drill string by the on-bottom amount by the time the differential pressure reaches the differential pressure setpoint.

15:

• The method of claim 4, further comprising:
• monitoring a differential pressure;
• after performing the second toolface control operation, determining that the differential pressure has reached a differential pressure setpoint;
• and
• in response to determining that the differential pressure has reached the differential pressure setpoint, setting the differential pressure setpoint equal to a reactive pressure.

17:

• The method of claim 4, further comprising, after performing the second toolface control operation:
• determining a toolface error based on a difference between the toolface of the downhole tool and a toolface setpoint;
• adjusting, based on the toolface error, one or more drilling parameter setpoints;
• and
• inputting the one or more adjusted drilling parameter setpoints to one or more drilling controllers for controlling the toolface of the downhole tool.

18:

• The method of claim 17, wherein adjusting the one or more drilling parameter setpoints comprises:
• selecting, based on the toolface error, one or more drilling parameter setpoints from among multiple drilling parameter setpoints;
• and
• adjusting the selected one or more drilling parameter setpoints.

19:

• A system for controlling a toolface of a downhole tool, comprising:
• one or more drilling sensors for obtaining sensor readings during a drilling operation;
• a drill string comprising a downhole tool at a downhole end thereof;
• a drill bit connected to the downhole tool;
• and
• a toolface controller for controlling, based on the sensor readings, the toolface of the downhole tool, the toolface controller comprising computer-readable memory and one or more processors, wherein the compute-readable memory comprises computer program code configured, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the one or more processors to control one or more apparatuses to perform a method comprising:
• when the drill bit is off-bottom relative to a wellbore:
• determining a total amount of reactive rotation to be introduced to the drill string;
• and
• performing a first toolface control operation comprising rotating the drill string by an off-bottom amount of reactive rotation;
• after performing the first toolface control operation, determining that a touchdown condition has been met;
• and
• in response to determining that the touchdown condition has been met, performing a second toolface control operation comprising further rotating the drill string by an on-bottom amount of reactive rotation so as to counteract a reactive torque acting on the toolface, wherein the total amount of reactive rotation is equal to a sum of the off-bottom and on-bottom amounts of reactive rotation.

20:

• A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer program code configured, when executed by one or more processors, to cause the one or more processors to control one or more apparatuses to perform a method of controlling a toolface of a downhole tool, comprising:
• when a drill bit is off-bottom relative to a wellbore:
• determining a total amount of reactive rotation to be introduced to a drill string connected to the drill bit;
• and
• performing a first toolface control operation comprising rotating the drill string by an off-bottom amount of reactive rotation;
• after performing the first toolface control operation, determining that a touchdown condition has been met;
• and
• in response to determining that the touchdown condition has been met, performing a second toolface control operation comprising further rotating the drill string by an on-bottom amount of reactive rotation so as to counteract a reactive torque acting on the toolface, wherein the total amount of reactive rotation is equal to a sum of the off-bottom and on-bottom amounts of reactive rotation.