Design of Telerobotic Drilling Control System with Haptic Feedback

Abstract

The paper deals with the design of control algorithms for virtual reality based telerobotic system with haptic feedback that allows for the remote control of the vertical drilling operation. The human operator controls the vertical penetration velocity using a haptic device while simultaneously receiving the haptic feedback from the locally implemented virtual environment. The virtual environment is rendered as a virtual spring with stiffness updated based on the estimate of the stiffness of the rock currently being cut. Based on the existing mathematical models of drill string/drive systems and rock cutting/penetration process, a robust servo controller is designed which guarantees the tracking of the reference vertical penetration velocity of the drill bit. A scheme for on-line estimation of the rock intrinsic specific energy is implemented. Simulations of the proposed control and parameter estimation algorithms have been conducted; consequently, the overall telerobotic drilling system with a human operator controlling the process using PHANTOM Omni haptic device is tested experimentally, where the drilling process is simulated in real time in virtual environment.

Robust and adaptive control design of a drilling rig during the operating modes

“…Draw-works and top-drive actuators, hoisting system, mud effect, drilling and cutting process, drill string, and BHA, are the important equipment in a drilling rig, which must be modeled mathematically. The governing equations for the motion of a drill string and drill bit, as presented in many works, 6,32,33 are as follows…”

“…The CPID, ADRC, and SMC controllers have been applied in many works and presented in the literature. 6,9,12,30,34–39 The design of the LSC and FEL controllers applied on the model is another novelty of this work. The design process of all the controllers is described in detail.…”

“…In equation (2), which describes the rotational motion of drill string, the variable ''v'' is the rotational velocity, the variable ''I'' is the moment of inertia of drill string and BHA, the variable c is the torsional stiffness of the drill string, ''t T '' is the torque applied by the top-drive, the variable ''T'' is the torque on bit, and ''D v '' is the external disturbance effecting on the rotational motion. During the drilling operation, the variables, WOB and torque on bit, are calculated as 6,32,33…”

“…Design of control approaches for the vertical drilling operation is studied by Shah. 6 The author presents a robust servo controller design, based on the existing mathematical models of drill string systems and rock cutting process that successfully tracks the reference vertical motion velocity. Saldivar 7 presents a model to describe the behavior of the drill string during drilling operation and control design for the stabilization of the drilling system.…”