Method and system for drilling rig testing using virtualized components

• US 8,793,114 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Athens Group Services Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Athens Group Holdings, LLC
• Inventors: Shafer, Donald F., Price, Mark, O'Grady, William T. Jr., Fesas, Nestor
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivas, Omar Fernandez
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUU, CUONG V
• Application Number:
  US13/278,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20120173218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 703/10
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/62 characterised by parts, e.g. cutting elements, which are detachable or adjustable E21B10/64 takes precedence; for roller bits E21B10/20; for augers E21B10/44
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/00 Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0256 injecting test signals and analyzing monitored process response, e.g. injecting the test signal while interrupting the normal operation of the monitored system; superimposing the test signal onto a control signal during normal operation of the monitored system

Abstract

A method and system dynamically generates virtualized configurations of sensors and signals used in drilling system equipment. The virtualized configurations may be used for novel operational testing of automation systems on drilling rigs. The methods and systems may be configured to virtualize actual drill floor equipment in order to have enhanced fault coverage of the automation systems. A control network that is a component of the automation systems may implement a testing loop that accommodates virtualized equipment in a manner substantially similar to actual equipment. In this manner, the testing loop may be configured to control elements specific to the equipment under control, and generate testing results for those specific control elements.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing a drilling rig, comprising:

generating a first finite state machine of a drilling rig control system based on an actual design of the drilling rig, wherein the first finite state machine includes model objects representing drilling rig elements;

generating a reference comparison of the first finite state machine to a second finite state machine of the drilling rig control system based on a reference design of a reference drilling rig, wherein the second finite state machine includes the model objects;

determining by a computer, from the first finite state machine, failure states of the drilling rig that are attainable by the drilling rig control system; and

using the reference comparison for determining the failure states, wherein the failure states are indicative of items selected from a group consisting of new alarms and equipment failure states in the drilling rig control system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the model objects are obtained from an object library of drilling rig elements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a model object includes stimulus-response logic for interacting with other model objects in the first finite state machine.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a third finite state machine of the drilling rig control system based on a virtual design of the drilling rig, wherein the virtual design includes virtualized equipment for the drilling rig, and wherein the third finite state machine includes the model objects, including model objects representing the virtualized equipment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the third finite state machine includes the first finite state machine.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the virtualized equipment is configured to prevent a failure state of the drilling rig in the third finite state machine.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

introducing a virtual fault in the first finite state machine; and

monitoring the first finite state machine for an alarm generated in response to the virtual fault.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

based on the alarm, adding a first virtualized equipment to the virtual design, wherein the first virtualized equipment prevents the virtual fault from occurring in the third finite state machine.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a model object representing the first virtualized equipment is selected from a list consisting of model objects representing:

a sensor, an actuator, a control element, a signal processing element, and an interface element.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

based on an analysis of the third finite state machine, determining that an actual instance of the first virtualized equipment prevents a failure state in the actual design of the drilling rig.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

adding the first virtualized equipment to the drilling rig control system, wherein a model object representing the first virtualized equipment is used to generate output signals that are monitored by physical inputs to the drilling rig control system.

12. Non-transitory computer readable media for analyzing a drilling rig, including processor executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

generating a finite state machine for the drilling rig, including stimulus-response logic representing behavior of drilling rig elements;

generating a reference comparison of an actual design of the drilling rig with a reference design of a reference drilling rig; and

using the reference comparison, determining a failure state of the drilling rig that is attainable by a drilling rig control system configured to control the drilling rig, wherein the failure state is indicative of an item selected from a group consisting of a new alarm and an equipment failure state in the drilling rig control system.

13. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the reference design is based on an object library of virtual drilling rig elements representing actual drilling rig elements.

14. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the finite state machine represents actual drilling rig elements and virtual drilling rig elements.

15. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the drilling rig includes a zone management system configured to prevent physical collisions of drilling rig elements.

16. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the failure state includes collisions that are attainable by the zone management system.

17. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the operations include operations for:

based on an analysis of the failure state, generating a virtual design for the drilling rig, wherein the virtual design includes virtual drilling rig elements not present in the actual design.

18. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the virtual design is configured to eliminate the failure state.

19. A computer system for analyzing a drilling rig, comprising:

a processor; and

memory media accessible to the processor, the memory media including processor executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

generating a reference comparison of an actual design of the drilling rig with a reference design of a reference drilling rig, wherein the reference design is based on an object library of virtual drilling rig elements representing actual drilling rig elements;

using the reference comparison, determining a failure state of the drilling rig that is attainable by a drilling rig control system configured to control the drilling rig and wherein the failure state is indicative of an item selected from a group consisting of a new alarm and an equipment failure state in the drilling rig control system;

generating a finite state machine for the drilling rig, the finite state machine including stimulus-response logic representing behavior of drilling rig elements; and

based on an analysis of the failure state, generating a virtual design for the drilling rig, wherein the virtual design includes virtual drilling rig elements not present in the actual design, wherein the virtual design is configured to eliminate the failure state.