DRILLING CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20120109382A1
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Dashevskiy, Dmitriy, Rudat, Jens
• Granted Patent: US 10,253,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• 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

Abstract

A system includes a control unit including a model of the system that includes model parameters and operational conditions. The system also includes an assembly that includes one or more sensor modules and a second processor, the second processor including definitions of the model parameters and configured to determine the model parameters based on information received from the one or more sensors. The system also includes a communication medium communicatively coupling the control unit and the assembly.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a control unit including a model of the system that includes model parameters and operational conditions;

an assembly, the assembly including one or more sensor modules and a second processor, the second processor including definitions of the model parameters and configured to determine the model parameters based on information received from the one or more sensors; and

a communication medium communicatively coupling the control unit and the assembly.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the assembly is a bottom hole assembly.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication medium is drilling mud.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the bottom hole assembly further includes:

a communication device coupled to the communication medium.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the communication device is a pulser

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the communication device generates electromagnetic waves and the communication medium is at least partially formed by a drill string.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit further includes:

a model-based control system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the model-based control system is configured to control the operation of drilling rig.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is located at a surface location and the assembly is located in a downhole region.

16. The bottom hole assembly of claim 8, wherein the communication apparatus generates electromagnetic energy and transmits the model parameters through a drill string.

10. A bottom hole assembly comprising:

one or more sensor modules;

a first processor including definitions of the model parameters and configured to determine model parameters based on information received from the one or more sensors; and

a communication apparatus configured to transmit the model parameters to a control unit at a surface location.

11. The bottom hole assembly of claim 10, wherein the communication apparatus is a pulser configured to transmit the model parameters through drilling mud.

12. The bottom hole assembly of claim 11, in combination with the control unit.

13. The bottom hole assembly of claim 12, wherein the control unit includes a model-based control system.

14. The bottom hole assembly of claim 13, wherein the model-based control system is configured to control the operation of drilling rig.

15. The bottom hole assembly of claim 10, wherein the control unit is located at a surface location and the bottom hole assembly is located in a down hole region.

17. A method of modeling a parameter of a system in real time, the method comprising:

forming a model of the system, the model including model parameters and operating conditions;

providing definitions of the model parameters to a processor located in a bottom hole assembly;

receiving, at the processor, measured values from sensor modules in the bottom hole assembly;

calculating the model parameters in the processor; and

transmitting the model parameters to a control unit.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein transmitting includes transmitting through a mud-pulse telemetry system.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the control unit is at a surface location and the bottom hole assembly is located in a downhole region.

20. A system comprising:

a control unit including a plurality of models of the system that includes model parameters and operational conditions;

an assembly, the assembly including one or more sensor modules and a second processor, the second processor including definitions of the plurality of models and configured to determine which one of the plurality of models most closely matches information received from the one or more sensors; and

a communication medium communicatively coupling the control unit and the assembly;

wherein the assembly transmits an identification of the one of the plurality of models to the control unit through the communication medium.