IMoDD: Intelligent Mapping of Downhole Dynamics

Abstract

With the ever-increasing pressure to drill wells efficiently at lower costs, the utilization of downhole sensors in the Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) that reveal true downhole dynamics has become scarce. Surface sensors are notoriously inaccurate in translating readings to an accurate representation of downhole dynamics. The issue of 1 to 1 interpretation of surface to downhole dynamics is prevalent in all sensors and creates a paradigm of inefficient drilling practices and decision making. Intelligent mapping of downhole dynamics (IMoDD) is an analytical suite to address these inefficiencies and maximize the use of surface sensors, thus doing more with less. IMoDD features a new zeroing beyond the traditional workflows of zeroing the surface sensors related to weight and torque at the connection. A new method, Second-order Identifier of Maximum Stand-pipe-pressure: SIMS, is introduced. The method examines changes in stand-pipe pressure and identifies the point before bit-wellbore contact, using a set of conditions. The resulting calculations of weight and torque are verified with measured values of downhole weight and torque, for multiple stands of drilling in vertical, curve-lateral drilling. After the new zero, the deviation of torque-weight correlations is further examined to reveal the downhole weight changes confirmed also by the downhole sensor data. It is demonstrated that an intelligent mapping system that improves downhole characterizations would improve decision making to facilitate smoother energy transfer thus reducing Non-Productive Time (NPT) and increasing BHA life span.