IP Library Granted Patent US 12674381
Granted Patent B2
US 12674381 · App. 18/502,920 · Granted Jul 7, 2026

Technologies for controlling mud motor trajectory

Inventors: Shichao Xu (Singapore, SG); Nazli Demirer (Houston, TX); Vy Pho (Houston, TX); Yang Liu (Singapore, SG); Ketan C. Bhaidasna (Houston, TX)
Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
E21B44/00E21B7/04E21B47/024
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12674381
App. No.
18/502,920
Granted
Jul 7, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Techniques for controlling a trajectory of a mud motor directional drill. A system receives one or more inputs pertaining to constraints for a wellbore in a mud motor drilling operation. The system constructs, as a function of the one or more inputs, a discretized well depth horizon. One or more binary slide and rotate commands for controlling a directional drill within the wellbore is generated based on an analysis of the discretized well depth horizon. The system controls the directional drill according to the one or more binary slide and rotate commands.

Claims (11)

1 . A method comprising:

receiving one or more inputs pertaining to constraints for a wellbore and tool capability in a mud motor drilling operation,

constructing, as a function of the one or more inputs, a discretized well depth horizon,

generating, based on an analysis of the discretized well depth horizon, one or more binary slide and rotate commands for controlling a directional drill within the wellbore, and

controlling the directional drill according to the one or more binary slide and rotate commands.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating one or more toolface commands for controlling the directional drill, and wherein the directional drill is further controlled according to the one or more toolface commands.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising updating the one or more inputs after controlling the directional drill according to the one or more binary and slide rotate commands.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more inputs comprises system constraints, initial conditions of the directional drill, control objectives, and a well plan for the mud motor drilling operation.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising tracking, using the discretized well depth horizon, a position of a drill bit of the directional drill along a trajectory of the well plan over an incremental distance based on the received one or more inputs.

6 . The system of claim 5 , further comprising identifying one or more stand locations in the discretized well depth horizon.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein controlling the directional drill according to the one or more binary slide and rotate commands comprises transmitting control signals to steer a drill bit of the directional drill bit according to the one or more binary slide and rotate commands.