Granted Patent B1

US 12,442,267 · App. 18/787,266 · Granted Oct 14, 2025

Inventors: Nathaniel Pettibone (Houston, TX); Kody Carrillo (Sugar Land, TX)

Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation

E21B33/085E21B47/06

Abstract

Claims (52)

1. A control system for a rotating control device (RCD) for rotary drilling in a wellbore, comprising:

RCD equipment having an internal pressure P 3 , the RCD equipment being operably connected to a wellbore having a wellbore pressure P 1 ;

a wellbore pressure gauge operably connected to the wellbore and configured to read the wellbore pressure P 1 at the wellbore below the RCD equipment;

a return line leading toward a ground surface and having a return pressure P 2 , the RCD equipment being operably connected to the return line;

a return pressure gauge operably connected to the return line and configured to read the return pressure P 2 at the return line above the RCD equipment;

a regulator configured to adjust a fluid pressure supplied to the RCD equipment to control the internal pressure P 3 ; and

a software logic configured to automatically control the wellbore pressure gauge, the return pressure gauge, and the regulator, and

wherein the regulator is further configured to control the internal pressure P 3 based on the wellbore pressure P 1 read by the wellbore pressure gauge and the return pressure P 2 read by the return pressure gauge.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the regulator is further configured to control the internal pressure P 3 according to:

P

3

∝

P

1

P

2

.

3. A method for a control system for a rotating control device (RCD) for rotary drilling in a wellbore, the method comprising:

providing RCD equipment with an internal pressure P 3 ;

providing a wellbore with a wellbore pressure P 1 , the RCD equipment being operably connected to the wellbore;

providing a return line leading toward a ground surface, the return line having a return pressure P 2 , the RCD equipment being operably connected to the return line;

reading the wellbore pressure P 1 at the wellbore below the RCD equipment by a wellbore pressure gauge operably connected to the wellbore;

reading the return pressure P 2 at the return line above the RCD equipment by a return pressure gauge operably connected to the return line;

adjusting, by a regulator, a fluid pressure supplied to the RCD equipment to control the internal pressure P 3 ;

automatically controlling the wellbore pressure gauge, the return pressure gauge, and the regulator using a software logic; and

controlling the internal pressure P 3 by the regulator based on the wellbore pressure P 1 read by the wellbore pressure gauge and the return pressure P 2 read by the return pressure gauge.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising controlling the internal pressure P 3 , using the regulator, according to:

P

3

∝

P

1

P

2

.

5. A method for a control system for a rotating control device (RCD) for rotary drilling in a wellbore, the method comprising:

providing RCD equipment with an internal pressure P 3 ;

providing a wellbore with a wellbore pressure P 1 , the RCD equipment being operably connected to the wellbore;

providing a return line leading toward a ground surface, the return line having a return pressure P 2 , the RCD equipment being operably connected to the return line; and

adjusting, by a regulator, a fluid pressure supplied to the RCD equipment to control the internal pressure P 3 ;

using a hydraulic logic circuit to:

receive information corresponding to the wellbore pressure P 1 ; and

automatically control the regulator to control the internal pressure P 3 based on the wellbore pressure P 1 ; and

controlling the regulator, using the hydraulic logic circuit, to control the internal pressure P 3 according to:

P

3

∝

P

1

P

2

.

Assignments (1)

References Cited (20)