IADC Code Upgrade: Bit and BHA Forensics Using Rig-Based Photographic Documentation Practices

Watson, William; Dupriest, Fred E.; Witt-Doerring, Ysabel; Pastusek, Paul; Sugiura, Junichi; Procter, Ray; Daechsel, Dustin; Abbas, Raafat; Shackleton, David

doi:10.2118/208707-ms

Cited by 15 publications

References 31 publications

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Drill Bit Failure Forensics Using 2D Bit Images Captured at the Rig Site

et al. 2022

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Identifying the root cause of damage of a pulled bit as soon as possible will aid in preparation for future drilling operations. Today, bit damage analyses are often time-consuming, delayed, subjective, and error prone. A novel automated forensics approach is presented in this paper for polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bit damage root cause analysis using 2D bit photos that can be easily captured on a phone or camera at the rigsite. A labeled data set consisting of 125 actual bit images and 800 synthetic images was first created with the cutters appropriately identified and labeled. Using this data set, a convolutional neural network (CNN) along with other image processing techniques was applied to first identify the individual cutters and their positions on the bit and then to quantify the damage to the cutters. A cutter detection accuracy of over 97% and a damage quantification accuracy of 97% were achieved. A separate classifier was then trained to directly identify the root cause of failure from the bit images. This classifier utilized a separate data set that consisted of multiple bit images from 25 distinct bit runs. This data set was labeled into different types of failure mechanisms through analysis by a subject-matter expert. The trained classifier developed could properly identify the root causes of failure when the bit photo quality met certain minimum standards. One key observation was that bit images are not always captured appropriately, and this reduces the accuracy of the proposed methodology. By identifying the potential root causes of PDC damage through image processing, drilling parameters can be optimized to prolong future bit life.

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Drill Bit Failure Forensics Using 2D Bit Images Captured at the Rig Site

et al. 2022

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IADC Code Upgrade: Data Collection and Workflow Required to Conduct Bit Forensics and Create Effective Changes in Practices or Design

Watson

Dupriest

Witt-Doerring

et al. 2022

Day 3 Thu, March 10, 2022

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This paper introduces a forensic workflow that may be used to link drill bit and bottom hole assembly (BHA) damage to drilling dysfunction. This paper will also discuss the data that should be collected and how it should be processed to enable the operational practices and engineering design changes to address these issues. There is a vast amount of data collected in all drilling operations that can be used to improve performance if utilized within an effective forensic workflow. Several drilling forensic case studies were developed and critically reviewed by subject matter experts from across the industry. From the causal analysis for each case study an assessment was performed on what information was (A) available, (B) required to diagnose the cause and (C) not available but would have been preferred. The way the team communicated and acted on the data was also documented. By combining the learnings from these case studies, it was observed that a guided approach can improve data collection and lead to a more consistent, accurate, timely causal analysis with appropriate remedial actions. The process discussed within has been refined to support data collection for forensic analysis and provides a reference for field and office-based drilling professionals. These practical guidelines have been developed to offer a foundation for a drilling forensic data collection methodology as well as training for the industry - they have been created such that they can grow organically and, in the future, can be used for developing subsequent industry publications. The work described in this paper is part of a joint International Association of Drilling Contactors (IADC) / Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) industry effort to revise the IADC dull grade manual.

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IADC Code Upgrade: Data Collection and Workflow Required to Conduct Bit and BHA Forensics to Create Effective Changes in Practices or Design

Watson

Dupriest

Witt-Doerring

et al. 2023

SPE Drilling &Amp; Completion

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Summary This paper introduces a forensic workflow that can be used to link drill-bit and bottomhole assembly (BHA) damage to drilling dysfunction. This paper will also discuss the data that should be collected and how it should be processed to enable operational practices and engineering design changes to address these issues. There is a vast amount of data collected in all drilling operations that can be used to improve performance if utilized within an effective forensic workflow. Several drilling forensic case studies were developed and critically reviewed by subject matter experts from across the industry. From the causal analysis for each case study, an assessment was performed on what information was (1) available, (2) required to diagnose the cause, and (3) not available but would have been preferred. The way the team communicated and acted on the data was also documented. By combining the learnings from these case studies, it was observed that a guided approach can improve data collection and lead to a more consistent, accurate, timely, and causal analysis with appropriate remedial actions. The process discussed within has been refined to support data collection for forensic analysis and provides a reference for field- and office-based drilling professionals. These practical guidelines have been developed to offer a foundation for a drilling forensic data collection methodology as well as training for the industry—they have been created such that they can grow organically and will form part of the International Association of Drilling Contactors (IADC) Bit Dull Grading Recommended Practice to support the IADC dull grade manual. In the future, these can be used for developing subsequent industry publications. The work described in this paper is part of a joint IADC/Society of Petroleum Engineers industry effort to revise the IADC dull grade manual.

show abstract

IADC Code Upgrade: Bit and BHA Forensics Using Rig-Based Photographic Documentation Practices

Cited by 15 publications

References 31 publications

Drill Bit Failure Forensics Using 2D Bit Images Captured at the Rig Site

Drill Bit Failure Forensics Using 2D Bit Images Captured at the Rig Site

IADC Code Upgrade: Data Collection and Workflow Required to Conduct Bit Forensics and Create Effective Changes in Practices or Design

IADC Code Upgrade: Data Collection and Workflow Required to Conduct Bit and BHA Forensics to Create Effective Changes in Practices or Design

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