Session: 11-01-01 Well Drilling Technology-1

Paper Number: 78451

78451 - Modeling and Algorithm Development for Well Trajectory Plan and Real-Time Trajectory Control 

Drilling automation has become one of the principal targets that the drilling industry has proposed to reach at high levels in the following years. The construction and control of the trajectory plan in real-time operations is a challenging topic where a simulator can be handy. Our study has developed a Rotary Steerable System (RSS) Simulator, where the drilling calculations, including bit force, bit position, trajectory control, and corrections, are handled without any human interaction.

The in-house RSS simulator, developed in Python, is based on two general functions: the Trajectory Control Optimizer (TCO) and the RSS model. The TCO builds a planned and optimized trajectory (low dogleg severity and short length), controls the bit’s location, and corrects the trajectory if it has deviated from the plan. The RSS model simulates the bit’s behavior and displacement following the three-axial rate of penetration (ROP) model developed by the University of Stavanger (UiS).

The RSS Simulator has been tested using one well from the Industry Steering Committee on Wellbore Survey Accuracy (ISCWSA) examples. The simulation results show that the proposed trajectory control algorithm can correct and steer, automatically and optimally, the bit direction, especially in the curvature sections. Moreover, the TCO’s effect is observed by executing a simulation without activating the TCO, resulting in significant deviations between the planned trajectory and the simulated one. The comparison shows the importance of the automated deviation control of the simulator in reaching the final target as close as possible.

The implementation of the RSS Simulator models could represent a novel approach within the automation control area that would benefit the drilling industry in its efforts of reducing risk, errors, and drilling time consumption.

Presenting Author: Luis Saavedra Jerez University of Stavanger

Authors:

Luis Saavedra Jerez University of Stavanger
Dan Sui University of Stavanger