SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MITIGATING STICK-SLIP

• US 20160138382A1
• Filed: 11/17/2014
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nabors Drillling Technologies USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tesco Corporation US (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Badkoubeh, Amir, Strand, Alex, Greening, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 9,689,250 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 3/035 with slipping or elastic transmission
• 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 44/04 in response to the torque of the drive ; Measuring drilling torque E21B44/06 takes precedence; measuring stresses in a well bore pipe E21B47/007

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for rotating a drill string to mitigate stick-slip oscillations. An embodiment includes a method of rotating a drill string driven by a drive system using a control system. The method includes measuring torque values of the drive system with a torque sensor. The method also includes determining a frequency of stick-slip oscillations at the drive system based on the torque values using the control system. The method also includes determining an estimated instantaneous rotational speed of the drive system with the control system based on at least the frequency of stick-slip oscillations and a characteristic impedance of the drill string. The method also includes adjusting the estimated instantaneous rotational speed based on changes in the torque values to define an adjusted estimated instantaneous rotation speed with the control system. The method also includes providing an output signal representing the adjusted estimated instantaneous rotational speed to the drive system. The method also includes controlling rotation of a quill of the drive system based on the output signal.

Claims

1. A method of rotating a drill string driven by a drive system using a control system, comprising:

measuring torque values of the drive system with a torque sensor;

determining a frequency of stick-slip oscillations at the drive system based on the torque values using the control system;

determining an estimated instantaneous rotational speed of the drive system with the control system based on at least the frequency of stick-slip oscillations and a characteristic impedance of the drill string;

adjusting the estimated instantaneous rotational speed based on changes in the torque values to define an adjusted estimated instantaneous rotation speed with the control system;

providing an output signal representing the adjusted estimated instantaneous rotational speed to the drive system; and

controlling rotation of a quill of the drive system based on the output signal.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising determining the characteristic impedance of the drill string with the control system based on a shear modulus of the drill string, a cross-sectional polar moment of inertia of the drill string, and a speed of torsional waves along the drill string.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the estimated instantaneous rotational speed is based on determining an effective mass moment of inertia of the drive system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the effective mass moment of inertia of the drive system comprises conducting a running test of the drive system when the drive system has no load.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the estimated instantaneous rotational speed is based on adjusting a normalized mobility factor.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising filtering the torque values with a filter having a cut-off frequency lower than the frequency of stick-slip oscillations to provide filtered torque values, wherein adjusting the estimated instantaneous rotational speed is based on the filtered torque values.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein filtering the torque values comprises filtering with the filter having a torque feedback constant depending at least on the cut-off frequency of the filter and the frequency of stick-slip oscillations.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising

dampening the stick-slip oscillations at the drive system using the control system;

and

adjusting the control system so that the drive system absorbs at least a portion of torsional energy from the drill string at a frequency at or near the frequency of stick-slip oscillations.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the estimated instantaneous rotational speed is based on a normalized mobility factor, and adjusting the control system comprises adjusting the normalized mobility factor so that the portion of torsional energy absorbed by the drive system depends at least on the normalized mobility factor.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising determining a stick-slip index (SSI) for describing a severity of the stick-slip oscillations during a period of time based on the torque values of the drive system, wherein the SSI depends on variations of multiple torque values with respect to an average torque value during the period of time.

11. A system for rotating a drill string, comprising:

a drive system configured to rotate the drill string at variable rotational speeds based on control signals received by the drive system; and

a control system configured to transmit the control signals to the drive system, wherein the control system is configured to generate the control signals based on at least a frequency of stick-slip oscillations at the drive system, a characteristic impedance of the drill string, and torque values of the drive system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the drive system comprises a top drive configured to rotate the drill string based on the control signals.

13. The system of claim 11, comprising a torque sensor coupled to the drive system and configured to measure the torque values of the drive system.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the control system is configured to determine the frequency of stick-slip oscillations at the drive system based on output torque values of the drive system.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the control system is configured to determine a shear modulus of the drill string, a cross-sectional polar moment of inertia of the drill string, and a speed of torsional waves along the drill string for generating the control signals based on the characteristic impedance of the drill string.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the control system comprises a feedback controller and a PI controller, wherein the feedback controller is configured to receive the torque values of the drive system, and the PI controller is configured to update a proportional gain and an integral gain based on at least the torque values of the drive system.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the proportional gain is based on at least a shear modulus of the drill string, a cross-sectional polar moment of inertia of the drill string, and a speed of the torsional waves propagating along the drill string.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the integral gain is based on at least the frequency of stick-slip oscillations at the drive system and an effective mass moment of inertia of the drive system.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the feedback controller comprises a filter having a cut-off frequency lower than the frequency of stick-slip oscillations, wherein the filter is configured to receive the torque values of the drive system and to provide filtered torque values, and the control signals are based on the filtered torque values.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the filter comprises a torque feedback constant depending at least on the cut-off frequency of the filter and the integral gain of the PI controller.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the filter comprises an adjustment coefficient depending at least on the torque feedback constant of the filter and the proportional gain of the PI controller.

22. A control system, comprising:

an automation controller including a processor and a memory configured to supply a drive system for rotating a drill string with control signals based on at least a frequency of stick-slip oscillations at the drive system, a characteristic impedance of the drill string, and torque values of the drive system; and

a display visualization configured to display at least the frequency of stick-slip oscillations at the drive system, the characteristic impedance of the drill string, and the torque values of the drive system.

23. The control system of claim 22, wherein the automation controller comprises a feedback controller and a PI controller, wherein the feedback controller is configured to receive the torque values of the drive system, and the PI controller is configured to update a proportional gain and an integral gain based on at least the torque values of the drive system.

24. The control system of claim 23, wherein the feedback controller comprises a filter having a cut-off frequency lower than the frequency of stick-slip oscillations, wherein the filter is configured to receive the torque values of the drive system and to provide filtered torque values, and the control signals are based on the filtered torque values.

25. The control system of claim 24, wherein the filter comprises a torque feedback constant depending at least on the cut-off frequency of the filter and the integral gain of the PI controller, and an adjustment coefficient depending at least on the torque feedback constant of the filter and the proportional gain of the PI controller.