Identifying Forces in a Well Bore

• US 20140260592A1
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BP Exploration Operating Company Limited (BP PLC)
• Original Assignee: BP Exploration Operating Company Limited (BP PLC)
• Inventors: Mason, Colin James, Streeter, Edward James
• Granted Patent: US 9,512,710 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/152.59
• 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: E21B 47/00 Survey of boreholes or wells monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/007 Measuring stresses in a pipe string or casing for locating blocked portions of pipes E21B47/09

Abstract

A member is moved within a well bore in a plurality of cycles, each cycle including holding the member in slips, releasing the slips, moving the member within the well bore and applying the slips. The hook load is measured at multiple points during each of these cycles and the plurality of measured values are used to identify data indicative of the forces on the member within the well bore.

Claims

1. A system for identifying a force on a member being moved within a well bore by a rig, the rig comprising a moveable unit to which the member is attached so as to be moved within the well bore, and slips for holding the member,

wherein the member is moved in a plurality of cycles, each cycle comprising, in sequence, holding the member in the slips, releasing the slips such that the member moves within the well bore, and applying the slips such that the member is again held by the slips, and

the rig comprises a measurement unit arranged to measure a force imparted by the member onto the moveable unit, and being arranged to output first data indicative of a plurality of load values, each data item of said first data being indicative of a said force measured at each of a plurality of points during a said cycle,

the system comprising:

an interface arranged to receive data from the measurement unit; and

a data processing system arranged, for each of a plurality of said cycles to;

identify a plurality of said load values from the received data, each load value corresponding to a different point in time in respect of the cycle;

determine second data indicative of a force on the member from the identified plurality of load values; and

determine a trend in the second data whereby to determine whether the force on the member is increasing.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second data is indicative of a viscous drag force on the member as it is moved within the well bore, and wherein the data processing system is arranged to identify a monotonic change in the plurality of values over the cycle, and to determine a magnitude of the monotonic change whereby to determine the second data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processing system is arranged to identify a linear trend in the plurality of values, and to determine a difference between a value of the trend at the beginning of the cycle and a value of the trend at an end of the cycle, or to determine a gradient of the linear trend whereby to determine the second data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the force is friction between the well bore and the member, and wherein the data processing system is arranged to determine a variation of the plurality of load values whereby to determine said second data.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processing system is arranged to:

identify a period of time in the loading cycle, the period being between the slips being released and the slips being applied; and

identify a set of said load values corresponding to points in time during said identified period of time whereby to identify said plurality of said load values.

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9. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

16-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A method for identifying a force on a member being moved within a well bore by a rig, the rig comprising a moveable unit to which the member is attached so as to be moved within the well bore, and slips for holding the member,

wherein the member is moved in a plurality of cycles, each cycle comprising holding the member in the slips, releasing the slips such that the member into moves within the well bore, and applying the slips such that the member is again held by the slips, and

the rig comprises a measurement unit arranged to measure a force imparted by the member onto the moveable unit, and being arranged to output first data indicative of a plurality of load values, each data item of said first data being indicative of a said force measured at each of a plurality of points during a said cycle,

the method comprising:

receiving data from the measurement unit; and

for each of a plurality of said cycles;

identifying a plurality of said load values from the received data, each load value corresponding to a different point in time in respect of the cycle;

determining second data indicative of a force on the member from the identified plurality of load values; and

determining a trend in the second data whereby to determine whether the force on the member is increasing.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second data is indicative of a viscous drag force on the member as it is moved within the well bore, the method comprising identifying a monotonic change in the plurality of values over the cycle, and determining a magnitude of the monotonic change whereby to determine the second data.

26. The method of claim 24, comprising identifying a linear trend in the plurality of values, and determining a difference between a value of the trend at a beginning of the cycle and a value of the trend at an end of the cycle or determining a gradient of the trend, whereby to determine the second data.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein the force is friction between the well bore and the member, the method comprising determining a variation of the plurality of load values whereby to determine said second data.

33. The method of claim 31, comprising comparing said plurality of load values to a predicted load value or comprising identifying an average value from said plurality of load values and a minimum value from said plurality of load values and comparing said average value and said minimum value whereby to determine said second data.

36. The method of claim 31, comprising calculating a risk value indicative of the probability of the member becoming stuck in the well bore from said second data.

37. The method of claim 31, comprising:

identifying a period of time in the loading cycle, the period being between the slips being released and the slips being applied; and

identifying a set of said load values corresponding to points in time during said identified period of time whereby to identify said plurality of said load values.

38. The method of claim 37, comprising detecting a change in the load values between a level indicative of the member being held in the slips, and a level indicative of the member being supported by the moveable unit, whereby to identify said period of time.

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32. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

35. (canceled)

39-46. -46. (canceled)

47. A computer readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions thereon for execution on a computing system to implement a method for identifying a force on a member being moved within a well bore by a rig, the rig comprising a moveable unit to which the member is attached so as to be moved within the well bore, and slips for holding the member,

wherein the member is moved in a plurality of cycles, each cycle comprising holding the member in the slips, releasing the slips such that the member into moves within the well bore, and applying the slips such that the member is again held by the slips, and

the rig comprises a measurement unit arranged to measure a force imparted by the member onto the moveable unit, and being arranged to output first data indicative of a plurality of load values, each data item of said first data being indicative of a said force measured at each of a plurality of points during a said cycle,

the method comprising:

receiving data from the measurement unit; and

for each of a plurality of said cycles;

identifying a plurality of said load values from the received data, each load value corresponding to a different point in time in respect of the cycle;

determining second data indicative of a force on the member from the identified plurality of load values; and

determining a trend in the second data whereby to determine whether the force on the member is increasing.

48. The computer readable storage medium of claim 47, wherein the second data is indicative of a viscous drag force on the member as it is moved within the well bore, and wherein the method comprises identifying a monotonic change in the plurality of values over the cycle, and determining a magnitude of the monotonic change whereby to determine the second data.

49. The computer readable storage medium of claim 47, wherein the method comprises identifying a linear trend in the plurality of values, and determining a difference between a value of the trend at a beginning of the cycle and a value of the trend at an end of the cycle, or determining a gradient of the trend whereby to determine the second data.

54. The computer readable storage medium of claim 47, wherein the force is friction between the well bore and the member, and wherein the method comprises determining a variation of the plurality of load values whereby to determine said second data.

56. The computer readable storage medium of claim 54, wherein the method comprises:

comparing said plurality of load values to a predicted load value, or identifying an average value from said plurality of load values and a minimum value from said plurality of load values, and comparing said average value and said minimum value, whereby to determine said second data.

59. The computer readable storage medium of claim 54, wherein the method comprises calculating a risk value indicative of the probability of the member becoming stuck in the well bore from said second data.

60. The computer readable storage medium of claim 54, wherein the method comprises:

identifying a period of time in the loading cycle, the period being between the slips being released and the slips being applied; and

identifying a set of said load values corresponding to points in time during said identified period of time whereby to identify said plurality of said load values.

61. The computer readable storage medium of claim 60, wherein the method comprises detecting a change in the load values between a level indicative of the member being held in the slips, and a level indicative of the member being supported by the moveable unit, whereby to identify said period of time.

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