Automatic Measurement of Drilling Fluid and Drill Cuttings Properties

Saasen, Arild; Omland, Tor Henry; Ekrene, Sigbjorn; Brévière, Jérôme; Villard, Eric; Kaageson-Loe, Nils; Tehrani, Ahmadi; Cameron, Jacqueline M.; Freeman, Michael; Growcock, Fred; Patrick, Andrew; Stock, Tore; Jørgensen, Terje; Reinholt, Frode; Scholz, Norbert; Amundsen, H. E. F.; Steele, Andrew; Meeten, G.H.

doi:10.2118/112687-ms

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 10 publications

(9 reference statements)

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“…Continuous measurement systems are being developed by all the major drilling fluids suppliers, and are becoming available for modern rigs. Such a system is described in (Saasen et al, 2009). These efforts are working to make available in real-time measurements such as rheological properties, electrical stability, fluid-loss properties, density, fluid pH, H2S contents, cuttings analysis (cuttings flow-rate, morphology, size distribution) and mineralogy analysis.…”

Section: Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent developments in sensor technology, as reported by repoted by (Saasen et al, 2009) are making available new sensor technology for real-time measurements of such properties as rheology, density, fluid loss, pH, electric stability of oil drilling fluid and H2S content are being developed, as well as real-time analysis of distribution and properties of solids, including drilling fluid additives and cuttings. This development will make drilling fluid properties available in real-time, enabling more rapid drilling fluid diagnostics and processing, thereby providing potential for automation of such processing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Towards Closing the Loop on Drilling Fluid Management Control

et al. 2015

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The important task of managing the drilling fluid during drilling operations is traditionally performed by highly qualified mud engineers at the rig site, following the constraints of the drilling fluid program, designed prior to commencing drilling operations. Due to uncertainty in planning data, the fluids specification may in many cases be unsuitable for the actual conditions in the well, requiring manual adjustments. However, ongoing developments in mechanization, robotics and real-time sensor technology for drilling fluids processing on the rig are making possible a revolution in fluids control. Based on such new and developing technology, we here consider the possibility of computer enabled closed loop real-time optimization of the drilling fluids property management on the rig.Automated drilling fluids optimization may be performed within the constraints of the parameter ranges of the drilling fluid program, and with respect to more complex downhole behavior such as hole cleaning efficiency, affected by the combination of multiple fluids properties. Computationally inexpensive local optimization algorithms are sufficient for our purpose, requiring input from fluid compositional models. Such models are briefly reviewed. Standard interfaces are further required in order to apply input from third party models or correlation tables. We consider mixing scenarios where the domain of the optimization problem is constrained by the type and quantity of additives available on the rig site, and where automated sensors and computer controlled mixing technologies currently becoming available are assumed applied.Examples of drilling fluids optimization control functionality are presented. The applied methods and algorithms can take advantage of highly instrumented surface installations, but may also be adapted to a more conventional set-up with limited real-time measurements, at the cost of lower accuracy. Correlations between composition and the various optimization targets may be visualized as an aid in the supervisory decision process. Requirements with regards to modelling and methods of control are discussed, and the status of development of enabling technology is presented, indicating also perceived technology gaps. Finally, results from simulations with a software prototype are reported.The presented methodology complements recent efforts made in the field of drilling fluid mixing automation: while previous focus has often been on robotization of the process and on supervised control, such as maintaining a specified fluid density, the described approach allows for automatic redesign of the fluid composition. It is particularly well-suited for situations where down-hole conditions change rapidly, as they are accounted for in the optimization procedure.

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Section: Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards Closing the Loop on Drilling Fluid Management Control

et al. 2015

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“…The newly developed discrete sensor packages were yard-tested and critically stressed in formal projects at the Cubility Test Centre in Sandnes, Norway in both November 2007 (Saasen et al 2008) and December 2010. Following the yard tests, different components of the automated measurement suite were deployed on three different rigs, including the Scarabeo 5 semi-submersible, drilling critical wells for three separate operators in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.…”

Section: Development Programmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Development and Successful Application of an Automated Real-Time Drilling Fluids Measurement System

et al. 2012

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The technically challenging development of the marginal resources in the mature fields in the North Sea requires new levels of planning and execution to control the drilling process.Over the past few years, improved dataflow between drilling rigs and shore-based operator and service providers support organizations has created a renewed interest in automated monitoring of drilling parameters. Development of data transmission systems like InterACT and data formats like WITSML have initiated the search for and the development of new sensors that can be used for automated real-time monitoring of critical drilling fluid parameters.Increased focus on HSE in general and the use of harmful test chemicals, vapors and the risk of explosions in particular also has been an important driver for this development. Introducing a level of automation described in this paper can reduce by 70-80% the exposure time of fluids engineer in the rig laboratory without compromising service quality.Moreover, the development and use of advanced hydraulic simulation programs frequently employed for extended reach drilling and managed pressure drilling (MPD) have increased the focus on more reliable and more frequent operational inputs. The precision of modern simulation software represents a sharp contrast to the current practice of manual rig testing and reporting.This paper details the selection of fluid parameters considered most important for automation. The authors will describe the sensors developed for monitoring the most important parameters, including Electrical Stability (ES), density, temperature, water content in invert emulsion drilling fluid, XRF elemental analysis, in-line particle size distribution (PSD) and full 3D rheology tests. The parameters that could be monitored with existing sensor technologies used in other industries will be discussed, as well as those requiring development based on current field equipment. In addition, the paper will describe the installation and first field experiences with a full range of automated instruments on various rigs in the North Sea. Software System and InterpretationOne of the primary reasons more operators and oilfield service companies have renewed their interest in real-time monitoring of fluids data is the ensuing development of new data transmission possibilities, including widely available high-capacity broadband internet access to drilling rigs. Early in the automated fluids measurement project, WITSML was chosen as the preferred infrastructure for sending and receiving data between the rig and operations centers for the operator and the service providers. Today, WITSML servers are available worldwide with proven ability to send and receive large data volumes at a reasonably high speed for distribution to all knowledge hubs involved in the operation.All of the instruments purposely designed and built for this development project were equipped with individual IP addresses and the ability to communicate directly through WITSML servers, as Fig. 12 illustrates. Operational communica...

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“…Considering the vast online technological market, few devices have been designed to monitor drilling fluids (Caenn and Chillingar, 1996). Saasen et al (2009) built a large-scale drilling fluid flow loop to measure several drilling fluid properties, including viscosity. The authors also used a Couette viscometer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Broussard et al (2010) developed their own density and viscosity meter; both measurements were done in the same apparatus. Unlike Saasen et al (2009), the authors compared online measurements directly with offline ones obtained in standard bench devices. Their results showed agreement, as well as disagreement, during certain periods of trial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of Continuous Rheological Measurements in Drilling Fluids

Filho

Folsta

Noronha

et al. 2017

Braz. J. Chem. Eng.

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-Drilling an oil well involves using drilling fluids that perform cleaning and cooling functions, but that most importantly maintain the fluids of the geological formation contained by hydraulic pressure. A fundamental role in predicting the hydraulic pressure of the well consists of monitoring the fluid's rheological behavior. This paper summarizes an ongoing effort to measure, by evaluating the performance of two online viscometers, drilling fluids' rheological behavior in real time. One online method proposes a modified Couette system. The other consists of a standard pipe viscometer with default modeling. The performances of the online devices were compared with an offline method -a Couette device commonly used in oilfields as a benchmark. For Newtonian fluids, agreement between the rheological behaviors was found for all instruments, validating the methodology proposed. For non-Newtonian fluids, there were divergences, which were investigated and their probable causes determined to be the following: homogeneity, slippage effects, and interaction in the fluid/gap interfaces. A case study demonstrated that these divergences were not significant during the prediction of hydraulic pressure, meaning that the methodology proposed has the potential to improve overall drilling performance.

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Automatic Measurement of Drilling Fluid and Drill Cuttings Properties

Cited by 26 publications

References 10 publications

Towards Closing the Loop on Drilling Fluid Management Control

Towards Closing the Loop on Drilling Fluid Management Control

The Development and Successful Application of an Automated Real-Time Drilling Fluids Measurement System

Study of Continuous Rheological Measurements in Drilling Fluids

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