Well prog execution facilitation system and method

• US 7,860,593 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2007
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nabors Drillling Technologies USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Canrig Drilling Technology Limited (Nabors Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Boone, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartman, Jr.; Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US11/747,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20080281525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/83, 700/97, 705/7, 702/6, 702/9, 703/10
• US Class Current: 700/97
• 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: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

A prog analysis and execution system and method. The system includes a computer control system, an interface engine in communication with the computer control system, the interface engine being configured to receive prog information, and an action item development engine in communication with the control system, the action item development engine being configured to analyze received prog information and to determine corresponding action items. The system further includes a sensor engine in communication with the computer control system, the sensor engine being configured to receive input from at least one sensor for use in controlling a well drilling operation, and an operational equipment engine in communication with the computer control system, the operational equipment engine being configured to receive input from the computer control system and to control the well drilling operation in accordance with the determined action items in the prog.

Claims

1. A well prog analysis and execution system, comprising:

a computer control system;

an interface engine in communication with the computer control system, the interface engine being configured to receive prog information;

an action item development engine in communication with the computer control system, the action item development engine being configured to analyze received well prog information, identify a potential event, determine whether the potential event is an action item, mark the representative section of data for the potential event and, if the potential event is an action item, determine corresponding response items;

a sensor engine in communication with the computer control system, the sensor engine being configured to sense a parameter related to a well prog specification or a component of a well drilling operation for use in controlling a well drilling operation; and

an operational equipment engine in communication with the computer control system, the operational equipment engine being configured to receive input from the computer control system and to control the well drilling operation in accordance with determined action items in the well prog.

2. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 1, wherein interface engine comprises a document scanning device in communication with character recognition device, wherein the document scanning device and the character recognition device cooperatively operate to scan a well prog and to convert the information in the well prog into a computer readable format.

3. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 2, wherein the character recognition device comprises a software process run on the computer control system.

4. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 1, wherein the action item development engine further comprises an action item identification module and an action item development module.

5. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 4, wherein the action item identification module is configured to review the well prog according to a predetermined logic program to identify events from elements in the well prog.

6. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 4, wherein the action item development module is configured to determine what action is associated with each event identified from the well prog.

7. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 6, wherein the action item development module is configured to cooperate with an external operator to determine what action is associated with each event identified in the well prog.

8. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 7, wherein the action item development module is configured to present the external operator with user selectable options corresponding to actions to be taken in response to each identified event.

9. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 1, wherein the interface engine, action item development engine, the sensor engine, and the operational equipment engine are integrated into the computer control system.

10. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 1, wherein the sensor engine is configured to receive input from at least one activity, condition, circumstance, or sensor.

11. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 10, wherein the input is received from a remote operational area where information on the execution of the well prog occurs.

12. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 1, wherein the sensor engine allows the well prog analysis and execution system to detect the occurrence of an action item.

13. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 1, further comprising a database of events that are known to constitute action items.

14. The well prog analysis and execution system of claim 13, wherein the action item development engine is configured to identify and compare action items based on the database of events that are known to constitute action items.

15. A non-transitory computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, wherein the computer program is configured to control a method for analyzing a well prog, comprising:

receiving a well prog;

analyzing the well prog, determining and marking potential events, and determining action items corresponding to identified potential events in the well prog; and

controlling a well drilling operation in accordance with the determined action items from the well prog.

16. The computer program of claim 15, wherein receiving the well prog comprises scanning the well prog with a document scanner to generate an electronic image of the well prog.

17. The computer program of claim 16, wherein analyzing the well prog comprises conducting an optical character recognition process on the well prog to convert the electronic image into a computer readable document.

18. The computer program of claim 17, wherein analyzing further comprises searching the computer readable document for potential action items, and comparing identified potential action items to a database of defined actions corresponding to identified action items to determine a defined response action.

19. A method for controlling a well drilling operation, comprising:

receiving a well prog;

converting the well prog into a computer readable format;

assessing the converted well prog to identify action items;

associating a response with each identified action item; and

controlling a well drilling operation in accordance with the responses associated with each identified action item from the well prog.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the well prog comprises scanning a well prog document with an optical scanning device.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein converting the well prog into a computer readable format comprises running an optical character recognition process on a well prog document to convert a well prog document into a computer readable format.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein assessing the converted well prog to identify action items comprises comparing text strings in the converted well prog to a database of action items to identity action items in the well prog.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein associating a response with each identified action item comprises matching identified action items with corresponding responses in a database of predetermined responses.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein associating a response with each identified action item comprises an operator determining a response that corresponds to the identified action items.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein determining comprises the operator selecting the response from a list of possible responses presented to the operator on a screen.

26. The method for controlling a well drilling operation of claim 19, further comprising sensing a parameter related to a well prog specification or a component of a well drilling operation.

27. The method for controlling a well drilling operation of claim 19, further comprising saving an action item definition.

28. A system for controlling a well drilling operation, comprising

receiving means for receiving a well prog;

converting means for converting the well prog into a computer readable format;

assessing means for assessing the converted well prog to identify action items;

associating means for associating a response with each identified action item; and

control means for controlling a well drilling operation in accordance with the responses associated with each identified action item from the well prog.