If knowledge is power, then knowledge while drilling is a powerful tool for well construction.
Wouldn't it be great if you could know exactly what was happening at the drill bit thousands of feet down in the ground? Acquiring data right near the actual bit would be of great benefit in designing bits with optimal downhole dynamics. Reed-Hycalog, a Schlumberger company, has designed just such a system.
Traditional methods of measuring bit dynamics have included mathematical models, laboratory testing and real-time surface data. But today, by placing sensors close to the bit, drillers are able to see downhole events that are nearly impossible to monitor from the surface. The Drilling Research Tool (DRT) is made up as part of the bottomhole assembly (BHA). It stores data about lateral, vertical and rotational vibrations, along with weight on bit (WOB), torque, rotations per minute (RPM), mud pressure and temperature. Data are retrieved for later analysis after tripping out of the hole, and much information can be derived about stick-slip, bit whirl and vibration when compared to surface data.
It turns out that dampened WOB and torque data collected at the surface can be significantly different from actual downhole conditions measured with the DRT.
In one field case involving stick-slip of a roller-cone bit, torque and RPM data sampled every 10 seconds at the surface showed a flat line. DRT data collected downhole at the same time showed sharp peaks in torque and RPM, indicating violent episodes of sticking and slipping, which can tear up the bit's gauge inserts. Reed-Hycalog is using the data to engineer gauge inserts with new materials for longer life.
Figure 1 shows the eccentric bit orbit caused by bit whirl. The torsional and lateral vibrations can reduce bit life, and this was confirmed when the same bit was brought to the surface, revealing chipped and broken PDC cutters. Based on the DRT data and visual bit inspection, Reed-Hycalog was able to recommend switching from a DS110 PDC bit to a DS147 bit, which worked much better.
Net collaboration
The Internet is the future of data transfer and knowledge management, and therefore it is the key to improved drilling performance. Well Data Technologies of Aberdeen, Scotland, has embraced Internet technology in creating a collaborative knowledge management tool for the drilling industry called Well-Inform.
Drillers have often criticized daily report systems as time-consuming with no tangible benefits to the originator. The technical aspects can be daunting to personnel, resulting in poor data quality. Additionally, licensing costs increase proportionally to the number of active participants.
In contrast, knowledge management systems such as Well-Inform involve the entire team, from drilling supervisor to mud engineer to major subcontractors and even government regulatory bodies in the collection and dissemination of drilling data. There is no software to install at the well site because anyone can connect to the single global database (Oracle or Microsoft SQL) using a Web browser. The system ensures that the minimum bandwidth is used as it only transfers information to the main database when required. Information from older client-server systems such as DIMs can be easily transferred to Well-Inform.
Well-Inform can be accessed via satellite, direct link or telephone lines or even hosted by an application service provider via secure Web servers. A firewall allows authorized parties to have secure entry to the system at any time. As more team members, partners or regulatory entities become involved, they can be added to the roster of users easily and inexpensively. Because data can be viewed in real time, drillers and operators can automatically track costs, equipment and personnel, adjusting drilling and completion plans according to well status.
Ian Thomson, Well Data Technology's managing director, said, "Most reporting software is both cumbersome and expensive and gets in the way of the job at hand. Well-Inform frees the well site supervisor to supervise the well while building a base of knowledge for use by the whole organization ."
In oil and gas drilling it is vitally important to capture knowledge and make it accessible to the entire organization. That is why a WellKnowledge module is integrated with Well-Inform to capture the negatives, such as operational problems and failures, and the positives, such as ideas, thoughts and suggestions, tracking back to the actual daily record where the lesson was learned. Everyone can see what happened before and after an event, what the BHA was, what formation was being drilled, and even who was at the well site.
Well Data Technologies has developed a unique business model for licensing this software to encourage more people to use it. The contract is based on the number of drilling units operating rather than the number of users, or seats. A day rate is charged for each operating drilling rig with no limitations on the number of users on the rig or at the home office. For more information, visit www.welldatatech.com.

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