Abstract:
A downhole fluid flow control system includes a fluidic module (150) having a bridge network. The bridge network has first and second branch fluid pathways (163, 164) each including at least one fluid flow resistors (174, 180) and a pressure output terminal (178, 184). In operation, the pressure difference between the pressure output terminals (178, 184) of the first and second branch fluid pathways (163, 164) is operable to control fluid flow through the fluidic module (150).
Abstract:
An exit assembly comprises: a fluid inlet; an exit chamber; a fluid outlet; and a fluid diverter, wherein the fluid diverter is connected to the fluid inlet and the exit chamber, and wherein the shape of the fluid diverter is selected such that the fluid diverter is capable of displacing the pathway of the fluid from the fluid inlet into a first fluid pathway, a second fluid pathway, or combinations thereof. The fluid diverter increasingly displaces the pathway of the fluid from the fluid inlet into the first fluid pathway as the viscosity or density of the fluid decreases, or as the flow rate of the fluid increases, and the fluid diverter increasingly displaces the pathway of the fluid from the fluid inlet into the second fluid pathway as the viscosity or density of the fluid increases, or as the flow rate of the fluid decreases.
Abstract:
A downhole fluid flow control system includes a fluidic module (150) having a bridge network. The bridge network has first and second branch fluid pathways (163, 164) each including at least one fluid flow resistors (174, 180) and a pressure output terminal (178, 184). In operation, the pressure difference between the pressure output terminals (178, 184) of the first and second branch fluid pathways (163, 164) is operable to control fluid flow through the fluidic module (150).
Abstract:
A system includes different types of downhole sensing tools deployed in a borehole, wherein the different types of downhole sensing tools are optimized to identify a downhole condition based on a predetermined downhole evaluation plan that accounts for sensing tool availability and performance constraints. The system also includes at least one processing unit configured to analyze measurements collected by the different types of downhole sensing tools, wherein the collected measurements are analyzed together to identify the downhole condition. The system also includes at least one device that performs an operation in response to the identified downhole condition.
Abstract:
A system that includes a drillstring with a bottomhole assembly (BHA). The system also includes at least one stabilizer or reamer integrated with the BHA, wherein each of the at least one stabilizer or reamer includes a position adjustment assembly. The system also includes a processing unit that provides control signals to each position adjustment assembly, wherein the control signals are based on a cost function.
Abstract:
A stochastic control method includes determining a property of a solid present in a drilling fluid circulating within a mud circulation system and identifying a mud circulation model that dictates operation of the mud circulation system. The mud circulation model is based on one or more models of one or more uncertainties encountered during a wellbore drilling operation. The method further includes determining an accuracy of the mud circulation model based on a difference between the determined property of the solid present in the drilling fluid and a solid property of the drilling fluid as provided by the mud circulation model, and programming a controller of the mud circulation system based on the mud circulation model to modify operation of the mud circulation system.
Abstract:
Methods and systems for enhancing workflow performance in the oil and gas industry may estimate the properties of drilling muds (e.g., density and/or viscosity) located downhole with methods that utilize real-time data, estimated drilling mud properties, and mathematical models. Further, the methods described herein may optionally account for the uncertainties induced by sensor readings and dynamic modeling. For example, a method may include circulating a drilling mud through a mud circulation system; performing a plurality of measurements from various sensors in a mud circulation system; modeling in real-time drilling mud flow dynamics in the drilling mud using a mathematical dynamics model; predicting physical states of the drilling mud with the mathematical dynamics model, thereby producing model physical state predictions; inputting the measurements into the mathematical dynamics model; and adjusting discrepancies between the model physical state predictions and the measurements using the mathematical dynamics model.
Abstract:
A method of estimating a state of a rotary steerable drilling system comprising applying a control input to a rotary steerable drilling system, sensing an actual output of the rotary steerable drilling system, inputting the control input into a mathematical model of the rotary steerable drilling system, receiving an estimated output of the rotary steerable drilling system from the mathematical model, generating an error compensation signal based on a difference between the actual output and the estimated output, and applying the error compensation signal to the mathematical model.
Abstract:
Vibrational behavior of a wellbore operation can be characterized as a vibrational map relating a modeled or sensed vibration level of the operation's equipment to operational parameters of the wellbore operation. The operational parameters can be controllable by settings of the equipment. The map can include multiple contour lines, each representing a set of adjacent coordinates of operational parameters that have the same vibrational level. Tracing a contour line can include determining vibration at a pre-tracing coordinate, adjusting the operational parameters until the vibration level to be mapped is reached at a tracing origin coordinate, then varying the operational parameters while keeping the vibration level constant until the tracing origin or a bound of the operational parameters is reached. Vibration levels having multiple, non-intersecting contour lines can be found by repeating tracing from a different pre-tracing coordinate.
Abstract:
In some aspects, the present disclosure includes systems and methods for optimizing one or more of a number of sensors on a drillstring or the locations of the sensors on the drillstring, or the types of the sensors. The method includes determining a number of sensors to place on a drillstring, a location for each of the sensors based, and types of sensors based, at least in part, on one or more of a state reduction technique and an optimization framework. The method includes disposing the selected number of sensors along the drilling and performing a drilling operation.