RIG CONTROL SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE AND METHOD

• US 20100147589A1
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (SLB)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (SLB)
• Inventors: Wingky, Mochammad Faisal
• Granted Patent: US 8,131,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/40
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 44/00 Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

The present application discloses a method and framework for drilling rig supervisory control automation that includes replication and aggregation of drilling rig supervisory control panels, a mechanism to manipulate the supervisory control panel parameters using one or more smart algorithms and a method and technique to access the supervisory control panels from a remote location. The system and method further includes recording, editing, and playing back a drilling rig'"'"'s supervisory control parameter sequence during any typical drilling rig operation. Such a sequence includes recording all of the actions involved in a specific operation of the drilling rig operator. This sequence is saved, and can be edited to optimize the sequence, and further played back on the rig from which it was recorded, or on any other rig in the network.

Claims

1. A rig control system, the system comprising:

a rig station including a plurality of subsystems, the rig station further including;

a rig console having a graphical user interface and control for each of the plurality of subsystems, wherein each graphical user interface and control has a unique operating protocol; and

a rig control node, the rig control node including a single graphical user interface and control for monitoring and operating the plurality of subsystems with a common operating protocol;

a secure network coupled with the rig control node;

a remote client station coupled with the secure network wherein the single graphical user interface and control of the rig control node is accessed through the secure network and replicated on the remote client station, such that each substation of the rig can be monitored and operated by a user from the remote client station or the rig control node;

a storage medium configured to store a set of executable code; and

a processor configured to execute the set of executable code, wherein when the set of code is executed, the monitoring and operation of the system is effectuated.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an operational support center including a plurality of remote client stations and a terminal server, wherein the terminal server is configured to include the storage medium and the processor configured to store the set of executable code and execute the same.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a maintenance support center including the plurality of remote client stations and the terminal server, wherein the maintenance support center is physically separate from the operational support center.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the maintenance support center is physically configured in the same location as the operational support center.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a monitoring and data delivery system coupled with the network, the monitoring and data delivery system including the storage medium and the processor, and configured to effectuate the one-way communication a set of monitoring data from the rig control node to the remote client station.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a user accesses the remote client station to operate any one of the plurality of subsystems, an operational control communication effectuated through the network is bi-directional.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the secure network can be any one of the following:

an intranet, the internet, a local area network, and a wide area network.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote client station and the rig control node are configured to record, modify, and playback an operation sequence carried out by a rig operator.

9. A method of rig monitoring and supervisory control, the method comprising:

connecting a rig control node to a secure network;

connecting a remote client station to the secure network;

replicating a user interface and control for each of a plurality of subsystems of a rig station from a rig console onto a single user interface of the rig control node;

accessing the single user interface from the remote client station through the secure network;

operating any of the plurality of subsystems by a user from the remote client station; and

updating the user interface for each of the plurality of subsystems in response to the operating step.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising operating any of the subsystems by a user from the rig control node.

11. The system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising monitoring a set of data from any of the plurality of subsystems from the remote client station or the rig control node.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the monitoring step is effectuated by a monitoring and data delivery system coupled with the network, wherein the monitoring and data delivery system is configured to effectuate the one-way communication of monitoring data from the rig control node to the remote client station.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing remote supervisory control for any of the plurality of subsystems from the remote client station.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing maintenance monitoring and operational control for any of the plurality of subsystems from the remote client station.

15. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising configuring a plurality of remote client stations into a support center, the support center including a terminal server.

16. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein when the remote client station is utilized by a user to perform the operating step, the operational control communication effectuated through the network occurs bi-directionally.

17. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the secure network can be any one of the following:

an intranet, an internet, a local area network, and a wide area network.

18. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein method further comprises:

recording an operation sequence carried out by a driller operating the rig console;

modifying any portion of the operation sequence; and

playing back the operation sequence on any rig station, wherein any of the steps can be carried out at the remote client station or the rig control node.

19. A method of rig automation control, the method comprising:

replicating a user interface and control for each of a plurality of subsystems of a rig station from a rig console onto a single user interface of the rig control node;

accessing the single user interface from the remote client station through the secure network;

recording an instrument sequence conducted by a driller at the rig station;

saving the instrument sequence to a recipe list;

editing the instrument sequence to optimize the efficiency of the instrument sequence; and

playing the instrument sequence back at the rig station.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the recording, saving, editing and playing back steps can be carried out from the remote client station or the rig control node.

21. The method as claimed in claim 19, further comprising writing an instrument sequence in lieu of the recording step.