Automation in Drilling: Future Evolution and Lessons From Aviation

Abstract

Summary Automation of the drilling process has been gathering pace over the last 10 years, with progress made on many fronts: from choke control in managed-pressure-drilling (MPD) operations through a new generation of autodrillers to intelligent systems that prevent the driller from exceeding parameters that might cause downhole problems. Given the current state of automation in drilling, it is clear that in the case of MPD, automation has resulted in closer and more stable control of a process than can be achieved by a manual system. Autodrillers combined with downhole rotary-steerable systems have resulted in improved progress rates compared with manual systems. By contrast, modern rigs with highly mechanized pipe-handling systems are still controlled manually with a crewing arrangement that has changed little, although the technology has evolved dramatically. These developments pose a number of questions: In what direction is automation likely to evolve in the future, and why? Can the drilling community avoid the mistakes of other industries, and how? This paper reviews developments of automation in aviation and describes some of the problems that have arisen. It then outlines the analogous efforts in drilling and identifies lessons that could be learned. This paper presents a rationale on which further automation initiatives might be based and some of the related changes that might be necessary as a result.