An Engineering Simulator for Drilling: Part I

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper (Part 1) reports on the development of an Engineering Simulator for Drilling (ESD), an analytical system's approach to planning and analyzing drilling systems in real or faster than real time. It is shown that a complex drilling system can be subdivided into component parts of geology, the drilling rig, wellbore, fluid system, and the drill string. Representing each subsystem with the appropriate set of algorithms that best depict the physics of the system, and interacting the various algorithms with other systems an accurate representation of the complete drilling process is achieved. Each subsystem is described, showing the causality of some of the major algorithms. The use of previous analytical and laboratory drilling research in the development of some of the algorithms is cited. The Engineering Simulator system is described, including the overall top down design of the operating system, the use of interactive color graphics, and the special use of the simulator computer hardware. How the simulator is used to initialize and operate a drilling system is explained. The Engineering Simulator for Drilling (Part 2)1 goes into the operating levels of the ESD and how a drilling person would use it. Part 2 also gives an example of how a drilling system could be evolved and operated using the interactive graphics menus and pictures.