IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,136,884
Granted Patent B2
US 11,136,884 · App. 16/483,164 · Granted Oct 5, 2021

Well construction using downhole communication and/or data

Inventors: Shunfeng Zheng (Katy, TX); Benjamin Peter Jeffryes (Histon, GB); Mochammad Faisal Wingky (Garches, FR)
Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
E21B47/12E21B44/02H04L65/80H04L67/125
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,136,884
App. No.
16/483,164
Granted
Oct 5, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Apparatus and methods pertaining to a processing system operable to determine a change to an operation of a well construction system based on an indication of a quality of transmitted communication between downhole equipment of the well construction system in a wellbore and surface communication equipment of the well construction system transmitted during the operation, a projected effect of the operation on future communication between the downhole equipment and the surface communication equipment, downhole data related to one or more conditions in the wellbore, or a combination thereof. The processing system is operable to cause the change to the operation of the well construction system to be implemented.

Claims (53)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processing system comprising a processor and a memory including computer program code, wherein the processing system is operable to:

receive an indication of a quality of transmitted communication between downhole equipment of a well construction system in a wellbore and surface communication equipment of the well construction system transmitted during an operation of the well construction system;

in response to determining that the indication of the quality indicates that the communication has one or both of low fidelity and low reliability:

identify a probable cause of the low fidelity or the low reliability;

determine one or more changes to the operation that will improve the quality of the transmitted communication;

and

cause the change to the operation of the well construction system to be implemented.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the processing system is a first processing system;

the apparatus further comprises a second processing system communicatively coupled to the first processing system and comprising a processor and a memory including computer program code;

the first processing system is further operable to develop an updated job plan to cause the change to the operation of the well construction system to be implemented; and

the second processing system is operable to interpret the updated job plan and issue one or more commands to one or more equipment controllers of surface equipment to implement the updated job plan.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processing system is further operable to cause the change to the operation of the well construction system to be implemented by issuing one or more commands to one or more controllers of surface equipment.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the determination is based on the indication of the quality of the transmitted communication, and wherein the indication of the quality is based on noise in a signal of the transmitted communication.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the determination is based on the indication of the quality of the transmitted communication, and wherein the indication of the quality is based on a content of the transmitted communication relative to a previous communication.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the determination is based on the projected effect of the operation on the future communication.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the determination is based on the downhole data.

8. An apparatus comprising:

equipment of a well construction apparatus;

one or more equipment controllers operable to control the equipment; and

a processing system comprising a processor and a memory including computer program code, wherein the one or more equipment controllers and the processing system are communicatively coupled to a network, wherein the processing system is operable to:

identify an operation of the equipment;

receive an indication of a quality of transmitted communication between downhole equipment in a wellbore and surface communication equipment that is transmitted during an operation of the well construction apparatus;

in response to determining that the indication of the quality indicates that the communication has one or both of low fidelity and low reliability:

identify a probable cause of the low fidelity or the low reliability;

determine one or more changes to the operation that will improve the quality of the transmitted communication; and

cause the change to the identified operation to be implemented.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising surface communication equipment operable to communicate with downhole equipment in the wellbore, wherein:

the surface communication equipment is communicatively coupled to the network; and

the downhole data includes measurement data measured in the wellbore by the downhole equipment and communicated to the surface communication equipment.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising one or more sensors on the surface communicatively coupled to the network, wherein the downhole data includes data obtained from the one or more sensors on the surface.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processing system is operable to identify the operation based on a job plan.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processing system is operable to identify the operation based on one or more commands to be issued to the equipment.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a human-machine interface communicatively coupled to the network, where the processing system is operable to identify the operation based on input to the human-machine interface.

14. A method comprising:

operating a processing system comprising a processor and a memory including computer program code, wherein the processing system is communicatively coupled to a network, wherein operating the processing system comprises:

identifying an operation of equipment of a well construction apparatus; and

receiving an indication of a quality of transmitted communication between downhole equipment in a wellbore and surface communication equipment that is transmitted during an operation of the well construction apparatus;

in response to determining that the indication of the quality indicates that the communication has one or both of low fidelity and low reliability:

identifying a probable cause of the low fidelity or the low reliability;

determining one or more changes to the operation that will improve the quality of the transmitted communication; and

operating the equipment of the well construction apparatus based on the one or more changes, wherein operating the equipment comprises controlling the equipment using one or more equipment controllers communicatively coupled to the network.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising initiating operating the operation of the equipment before the change is determined, wherein the operating the operation is on-going when the change is determined.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the operation is identified before the operation is initiated.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the change includes delaying or rescheduling issuance of one or more commands to the equipment controllers.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the change includes changing operational parameters of the equipment.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the identified operation is a drilling process operation; and

the equipment includes a top drive and a drawworks.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein:

operating the equipment includes initiating, ramping up, or maintaining a rotating speed of the top drive; and

the change includes a change, relative to the identified drill process operation, to one or more parameters relating to the initiating, ramping up, or maintaining the rotating speed of the top drive, one or more commands to be issued to at least one of the one or more equipment controllers operable to control the top drive, or a combination thereof.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 5, 2019
From: ZHENG, SHUNFENG; JEFFRYES, BENJAMIN PETER; WINGKY, MOCHAMMAD FAISAL
To: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 049955/0120 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200003046A1 · Jan 2, 2020