Navigating to failures in drilling system displays

• US 9,946,445 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Landmark Graphics Corporation (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Landmark Graphics Corporation (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Whalley, Andrew James
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitaro, Ryan F
• Application Number:
  US14/417,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,076 Days
• 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: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

A plurality of data records is stored in a memory. The data records include data about a drill string in a well. Each data record includes a depth zone, wherein the depth zone includes a range of depths in the well, a description of a component in the drill string in the depth zone for this data record, and a failure flag that, when set, represents a failure in the drill string at the depth zone for this data record. A processor with access to the memory generates and transmits for display on a graphical user interface a schematic of a portion of the drill string. The processor emphasizes on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface a representation of an emphasized depth zone, wherein a failure flag in a data record for the emphasized depth zone is set.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of data records in a memory, wherein the data records comprise data about a drill string in a well and wherein each data record comprises;

a depth zone, wherein the depth zone comprises a range of depths in the well,

a description of a component in the drill string in the depth zone for the data record, and

a failure flag that, when set, represents a failure in the drill string at the depth zone for the data record;

setting a failure flag for a data record for a depth zone when a change by a user to a drilling system parameter results in the failure in the drill string at the depth zone;

using a processor with access to the memory to generate and transmit for display on a graphical user interface a schematic of a portion of the drill string; and

using the processor to emphasize on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface a representation of an emphasized depth zone, wherein a failure flag in a data record for the emphasized depth zone is set; and

wherein, when emphasizing the representation of the emphasized depth zone, the processor displays text adjacent to the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the graphical user interface, the text indicating a type of failure and a range of depths at which the failure in the drill string occurred.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein, when emphasizing the representation of the emphasized depth zone, the processor shades the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the processor detecting the movement of a cursor over the text indicating the type of failure on the graphical user interface; and

, as a result;

the processor highlighting the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the processor detecting the movement of a cursor over the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface; and

, as a result;

the processor highlighting the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the processor detecting a selection of the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface; and

, as a result;

the processor displaying on the graphical user interface data from the data record for the emphasized depth zone.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the processor detecting a selection of the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface; and

, as a result;

the processor displaying on the graphical user interface data from the data record for the emphasized depth zone and data for depth zones adjacent to the emphasized depth zone.

7. A computer program stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer program comprising executable instructions that cause a processor to:

store a plurality of data records in a memory, wherein the data records comprise data about a drill string in a well and wherein each data record comprises;

a depth zone, wherein the depth zone comprises a range of depths in the well,

a description of a component in the drill string in the depth zone for the data record, and

a failure flag that, when set, represents a failure in the drill string at the depth zone for the data record;

setting a failure flag for a data record for a depth zone when a change by a user to a drilling system parameter results in the failure in the drill string at the depth zone;

generate and transmit for display on a graphical user interface a schematic of a portion of the drill string; and

emphasize on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface a representation of an emphasized depth zone, wherein a failure flag in a data record for the emphasized depth zone is set; and

wherein, when emphasizing the representation of the emphasized depth zone, the processor displays text adjacent to the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the graphical user interface, the text indicating a type of failure and a range of depths at which the failure in the drill string occurred.

8. The computer program of claim 7 wherein, when emphasizing the representation of the emphasized depth zone, the processor shades the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the graphical user interface.

9. The computer program of claim 7 further comprising executable instructions that cause the processor to:

detect the movement of a cursor over the text indicating the type of failure on the graphical user interface; and

, as a result;

highlight the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface.

10. The computer program of claim 7 further comprising executable instructions that cause the processor to:

detect the movement of a cursor over the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface; and

, as a result;

highlight the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface.

11. The computer program of claim 7 further comprising executable instructions that cause the processor to:

detect a selection of the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface; and

, as a result;

display on the graphical user interface data from the data record for the emphasized depth zone.

12. The computer program of claim 7 further comprising executable instructions that cause the processor to:

detect a selection of the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface; and

, as a result;

display on the graphical user interface data from the data record for the emphasized depth zone and data for depth zones adjacent to the emphasized depth zone.

13. A system comprising:

a memory operable to store a plurality of data records, wherein the data records comprise data about a drill string in a well and wherein each data record comprises;

a depth zone, wherein the depth zone comprises a range of depths in the well,

a description of a component in the drill string in the depth zone for the data record, and

a failure flag that, when set, represents a failure in the drill string at the depth zone for the data record;

setting a failure flag for a data record for a depth zone when a change by a user to a drilling system parameter results in the failure in the drill string at the depth zone;

a processor with access to the memory, the processor operable to;

generate and transmit for display on a graphical user interface a schematic of a portion of the drill string; and

emphasize on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface a representation of an emphasized depth zone, wherein a failure flag in a data record for the emphasized depth zone is set; and

wherein, when emphasizing the representation of the emphasized depth zone, the processor displays text adjacent to the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the graphical user interface, the text indicating a type of failure and a range of depths at which the failure in the drill string occurred.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein, when emphasizing the representation of the emphasized depth zone, the processor is operable to shade the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the graphical user interface.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is operable to:

detect the movement of a cursor over the text indicating the type of failure on the graphical user interface; and

, as a result;

highlight the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is operable to:

detect the movement of a cursor over the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface; and

, as a result;

highlight the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is operable to:

detect a selection of the representation of the emphasized depth zone on the schematic of the portion of the drill string on the graphical user interface; and

, as a result;

display on the graphical user interface data from the data record for the emphasized depth zone.