Drilling scorecard

• US 8,510,081 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2009
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nabors Drillling Technologies USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Canrig Drilling Technology Limited (Nabors Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Boone, Scott G., Gillan, Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): Schechter, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON, LYNNE D
• Application Number:
  US12/390,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20100217530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 702/9, 702/182, 702/188, 175/27, 340/853.6
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/00 Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/024 of devices in the borehole determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022

Abstract

Method, system, and apparatus for evaluating drilling accuracy performance in drilling a wellbore that can include: (1) monitoring an actual toolface orientation of a tool, e.g., a downhole steerable motor, by monitoring a drilling operation parameter indicative of a difference between the actual toolface orientation and a toolface advisory; (2) recording the difference between the actual toolface orientation and the toolface advisory; and (3) scoring the difference between the actual toolface orientation and the toolface advisory.

Claims

1. A method of evaluating drilling performance in a wellbore, which comprises:

monitoring, during wellbore drilling, an actual toolface orientation of a downhole steerable motor by monitoring a drilling operation parameter indicative of a difference between the actual toolface orientation and a toolface advisory;

recording, at a plurality of times during the wellbore drilling, the difference between the actual toolface orientation and the toolface advisory;

scoring each of the differences between the actual toolface orientation and the toolface advisory by assigning respective values to the differences, each of the values representing drilling performance at the corresponding time at which the corresponding difference was recorded, each of the values depending on the corresponding difference;

generating a total score, the total score being based on a sum of the values, the total score indicating the degree to which the actual toolface orientation was kept in a correct orientation over the plurality of times during the wellbore drilling; and

providing at least the total score to an evaluator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scoring the difference is performed for each of a plurality of drillers that have operated the drilling rig.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording the difference is performed at regularly occurring length or depth intervals in the wellbore.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring an actual inclination angle of the downhole steerable motor by monitoring a drilling operation parameter indicative of a difference between the actual inclination angle and a desired inclination angle;

the recording comprises recording the difference between the actual inclination angle and the desired inclination angle; and

the scoring comprises scoring the difference between the actual inclination angle and the desired inclination angle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring an actual azimuthal angle of the downhole steerable motor by monitoring a drilling operation parameter indicative of a difference between the actual azimuthal angle and a desired azimuthal angle;

the recording comprises recording the difference between the actual azimuthal angle and the desired azimuthal angle; and

the scoring comprises scoring the difference between the actual azimuthal angle and the desired azimuthal angle.

6. The method of claim 1, which further comprises monitoring an actual weight on bit parameter associated with the downhole steerable motor by monitoring a drilling operation parameter indicative of a difference between the actual weight on bit and a desired weight on bit;

recording the difference between the actual weight on bit and the desired weight on bit; and

scoring the difference between the actual weight on bit and the desired weight on bit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the scored value for a first driller and a second driller are compared.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the scoring provides a non-linearly decreasing scored value based on the linear difference from an optimum drilling parameter.

9. A system for evaluating drilling performance in drilling a wellbore, which comprises:

means for monitoring, during wellbore drilling, an actual toolface orientation of a downhole steerable motor by monitoring a drilling operation parameter indicative of a difference between the actual toolface orientation and a toolface advisory;

means for recording, at a plurality of times during the wellbore drilling, the difference between the actual toolface orientation and the toolface advisory;

means for scoring each of the differences between the actual toolface orientation and the toolface advisory by assigning respective values to the differences, each of the values representing drilling accuracy at the corresponding time at which the corresponding difference was recorded, each of the values depending on the corresponding difference;

means for generating a total score, the total score being based on a sum of the values, the total score indicating the degree to which the actual toolface orientation was kept in a correct orientation over the plurality of times during the wellbore drilling; and

means for providing at least the total score to an evaluator.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for scoring the difference scores the difference for each of a plurality of drillers that have operated the drilling rig.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for recording the difference is adapted to record at regularly occurring length or depth intervals in the wellbore.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for monitoring comprises means for monitoring an actual inclination angle of the tool by monitoring a drilling operation parameter indicative of a difference between the actual inclination angle and a desired inclination angle;

the means for recording comprises means for recording the difference between the actual inclination angle and the desired inclination angle; and

the means for scoring comprises means for scoring the difference between the actual inclination angle and the desired inclination angle.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for monitoring comprises means for monitoring an actual azimuthal angle of the tool by monitoring a drilling operation parameter indicative of a difference between the actual azimuthal angle and a desired azimuthal angle;

the means for recording comprises means for recording the difference between the actual azimuthal angle and the desired azimuthal angle; and

the means for scoring comprises means for scoring the difference between the actual azimuthal angle and the desired azimuthal angle.

14. The system of claim 9, which further comprises means for monitoring an actual weight on bit parameter associated with the downhole steerable motor by monitoring a drilling operation parameter indicative of a difference between the actual weight on bit and a desired weight on bit;

means for recording the difference between the actual weight on bit and the desired weight on bit; and

means for scoring the difference between the actual weight on bit and the desired weight on bit.

15. A drilling-accuracy scoring apparatus for evaluating performance in drilling a wellbore, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to, during wellbore drilling, detect a drilling operation parameter indicative of a difference between an actual toolface orientation of a downhole steerable motor and a toolface advisory, and record, at a plurality of times during the wellbore drilling, the difference between the actual toolface orientation and the toolface advisory;

a controller configured to calculate and score each of the differences between the actual toolface orientation and the toolface advisory by assigning respective values to the differences, each of the values representing drilling performance at the corresponding time at which the corresponding difference was recorded, each of the values depending on the size of the corresponding difference, the controller being further configured to generate a total score, the total score being based on a sum of the values, the total score indicating the degree to which the actual toolface orientation was kept in a correct orientation over the plurality of times during the wellbore drilling; and

a display adapted to provide at least the total score to an evaluator.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a drilling operation parameter indicative of a difference between the actual inclination angle and the desired inclination angle;

and

the controller is configured to calculate and score the difference between the actual inclination angle and a desired inclination angle.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a drilling operation parameter indicative of a difference between the actual azimuthal angle and the desired azimuthal angle;

and

the controller is configured to score the difference between the actual azimuthal angle and the desired azimuthal angle.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, which further comprises a sensor configured to detect an actual weight on bit parameter indicative of a difference between the actual weight on bit and a desired weight on bit;

and

the controller configured to score the difference between the actual weight on bit and the desired weight on bit.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the evaluator includes a driller, a team of drillers, a drilling supervisor, or a combination thereof.