IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,410,706
Granted Patent B2
US 12,410,706 · App. 18/661,901 · Granted Sep 9, 2025

Drilling rig control system and method

Inventors: Loic Hoarau (Houston, TX); Ricardo Quirch (Katy, TX); Njaal Aarsland (Vigrestad, NO)
Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
E21B47/12E21B47/26E21B2200/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,410,706
App. No.
18/661,901
Granted
Sep 9, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method for controlling a drilling rig, of which the method includes receiving a first message-based command from a supervisory system at a first gateway, determining a first system-specific command based on the first message-based command using the first gateway, and transmitting the first system-specific command from the first gateway to a first system-specific controller. The first system-specific controller is configured to execute the first system-specific command by controlling first rig equipment, but is not configured to execute the first message-based command.

Claims (45)

1. A method for controlling a wellsite system, comprising:

communicating a first message-based command or a first message-based signal between a supervisory system and a first gateway;

communicating a first system-specific command or a first system-specific signal between the first gateway and a first system-specific controller coupled to a first equipment of the wellsite system, wherein the first system-specific command is associated with the first message-based command and not associated with others of a plurality of different message-based commands; and

translating between the supervisory system and the first system-specific controller via the first gateway, wherein the translating comprises at least one of: translating between the first message-based command and the first system-specific command, translating between the first message-based signal and the first system-specific signal, or a combination thereof, via a first map of the first gateway,

wherein the first message-based command or the first message-based signal is incompatible with the first system-specific controller, or

wherein the first system-specific command or the first system-specific signal is incompatible with the supervisory system, or a combination thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

communicating a second message-based command or a second message-based signal between the supervisory system and a second gateway;

communicating a second system-specific command or a second system-specific signal between the second gateway and a second system-specific controller coupled to a second equipment of the wellsite system; and

translating between the supervisory system and the second system-specific controller via the second gateway, wherein the translating comprises at least one of: translating between the second message-based command and the second system-specific command, translating between the second message-based signal and the second system-specific signal, or a combination thereof, via a second map of the second gateway,

wherein the second message-based command or the second message-based signal is incompatible with the second system-specific controller, or

wherein the second system-specific command or the second system-specific signal is incompatible with the supervisory system, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first map of the first gateway maps commands between the plurality of different message-based commands of the supervisory system and a plurality of system-specific commands of one or more system-specific controllers including the first system-specific controller, and the first map of the first gateway maps signals between a plurality of different message-based signals of the supervisory system and a plurality of system-specific signals of the one or more system-specific controllers including the first system-specific controller.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising implementing a well plan using the supervisory system, wherein the first message-based command is configured to cause an action of the well plan to be executed.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first equipment comprises at least one of a top drive, a drawworks, a mud pump, an autodriller, or a depth manager.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first message-based command comprises a command to report a status of or feedback from the first equipment.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising validating a prospective connection between the supervisory system, the first gateway, and the first system-specific controller manually using one or more certificates.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a plurality of system-specific commands that implement the plurality of different message-based commands in the first gateway.

9. A control system for a wellsite system, comprising:

a supervisory system configured to implement a well plan using equipment of the wellsite system at least partially by first communications of a message-based command or a message-based signal between the supervisory system and a gateway;

a system-specific controller coupled to the gateway and to the equipment, wherein the system-specific controller is configured to control or monitor operation of the equipment at least partially by second communications of a system-specific command or a system-specific signal between the gateway and the system-specific controller, wherein the system-specific command is associated with the message-based command and not associated with others of a plurality of different message-based commands; and

the gateway configured to translate the first communications and the second communications between the supervisory system and the system specific controller by at least one of: translating between the message-based command and the system-specific command, translating between the message-based signal and the system-specific signal, or a combination thereof, via a map of the gateway,

wherein the message-based command or the message-based signal is incompatible with the system-specific controller, or

wherein the system-specific command or the system-specific signal is incompatible with the supervisory system, or a combination thereof.

10. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the map of the gateway maps commands between the plurality of different message-based commands of the supervisory system and a plurality of system-specific commands of one or more system-specific controllers including the system-specific controller, and the map of the gateway maps signals between a plurality of different message-based signals of the supervisory system and a plurality of system-specific signals of the one or more system-specific controllers including the system-specific controller.

11. The control system of claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of system-specific controllers including the system-specific controller, wherein each of the plurality of system-specific controllers includes the gateway that maps the message-based command with the system-specific command.

12. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the message-based signal is mapped to the system-specific signal representing feedback from or a status of the equipment.

13. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the equipment comprises at least one of a top drive, a drawworks, a mud pump, an autodriller, or a depth manager.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:

communicating a first message-based command or a first message-based signal between a supervisory system and a first gateway;

communicating a first system-specific command or a first system-specific signal between the first gateway and a first system-specific controller coupled to a first equipment of a wellsite system, wherein the first system-specific command is associated with the first message-based command and not associated with others of a plurality of different message-based commands; and

translating between the supervisory system and the first system-specific controller via the first gateway, wherein the translating comprises at least one of: translating between the first message-based command and the first system-specific command, translating between the first message-based signal and the first system-specific signal, or a combination thereof, via a first map of the first gateway,

wherein the first message-based command or the first message-based signal is incompatible with the first system-specific controller, or

wherein the first system-specific command or the first system-specific signal is incompatible with the supervisory system, or a combination thereof.

15. The medium of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise:

communicating a second message-based command or a second message-based signal between the supervisory system and a second gateway;

communicating a second system-specific command or a second system-specific signal between the second gateway and a second system-specific controller coupled to a second equipment of the wellsite system; and

translating between the supervisory system and the second system-specific controller via the second gateway, wherein the translating comprises at least one of: translating between the second message-based command and the second system-specific command, translating between the second message-based signal and the second system-specific signal, or a combination thereof, via a second map of the second gateway,

wherein the second message-based command or the second message-based signal is incompatible with the second system-specific controller, or

wherein the second system-specific command or the second system-specific signal is incompatible with the supervisory system, or a combination thereof.

16. The medium of claim 14 , wherein the first map of the first gateway maps commands between the plurality of different message-based commands of the supervisory system and a plurality of system-specific commands of one or more system-specific controllers including the first system-specific controller, and the first map of the first gateway maps signals between a plurality of different message-based signals of the supervisory system and a plurality of system-specific signals of the one or more system-specific controllers including the first system-specific controller.

17. The medium of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise implementing a well plan using the supervisory system, wherein the first message-based command is configured to perform an action of the well plan.

18. The medium of claim 14 , wherein the first equipment comprises at least one of a top drive, a drawworks, a mud pump, an autodriller, or a depth manager.

19. The medium of claim 14 , wherein the first message-based command comprises a command to report a status of or feedback from the first equipment.

20. The medium of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise determining a plurality of system-specific commands that implement the plurality of different message-based commands using the first gateway.

Continuity (3)
Continuation 17905334
Provisional Application 62985477 · Mar 5, 2020
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