Drilling Rig Research Articles

Design of a Hybrid Electric Power-Split Transmission for Braking Energy Recovery in a Drilling Rig

Despite the promising potential of the hybrid electric power-split layout, its broader market penetration is prevented by the large number of feasible solutions and the constructive complexity, which overcomplicate the design process. Moreover, due to the lack of relevant literature references, the power-split transmissions design is even more difficult if concerning applications outside the automotive and agricultural sectors. In this paper, a general parametric model already available in the literature to design a single-mode power-split transmission with up to two planetary gear sets and six ordinary gear sets was applied to hybridize an oil drilling rig to recover energy braking during the gravity-driven lowering phases. This is the first power-split electric hybridization of a drilling rig. Two solutions differing in engine power size are presented. Thanks to the modularity of the model, the procedure enabled the optimization of the ICE, the electric machines, and the gear sets through decoupled design phases.

Installation Analysis of Mechanical Equipment of Offshore Drilling Rig Module

Installation Analysis of Mechanical Equipment of Offshore Drilling Rig Module

Contribution for a root pile installation control approach using a digital odometer

A root pile is a form of injection pile (cast-in-place with pressure, with very distinct construction aspects from the known micropile type). During the mortar shaft development, these piles are inserted using distinct injection pressures of up to 500 kPa. Static load tests are typically used to control root piles, which can be an expensive and time-consuming testing procedure. Static load tests were performed on eight monitored piles with diameters of 350 and 410 mm to investigate root pile performance control during pile installation. This research presents a refined and developed alternative methodology for confirming root pile performance using a digital odometer attached to the drill rig’s rotatory head. The methodology consists of monitoring variables obtained during pile installation related to pile bearing capacity. Moreover, empirical equations with simple and relevant applications to estimate root pile bearing capacity during installation are proposed. The developed equations produced results consistent with the values obtained from static load testing on the test piles. Therefore, the results suggest that the proposed methodology is a viable alternative for root pile performance control.

Technology Focus: Health, Safety, and Environment (August 2022)

This year’s selections for the HSE Technology Focus feature demonstrate that, while the upstream industry continues to incorporate and develop advances in automation and machine learning (ML), its professionals remain dedicated to safety and security, using these technologies to help maintain high standards and achieve new goals. One of the primary paper selections focuses on ML applications in rig-training enhancement. A methodology using both a biometric wearable and an ML algorithm monitors operators’ stress levels during a simulated well-control incident. This allows operators to identify areas of low situational awareness and situation-specific areas in need of improvement. This emphasis on ML and its effects on individual safety does not mean that familiar goals in HSE have changed, as the other two primary selections, focused upon mercury-contamination mitigation and solids management in produced fluids, illustrate. The former emphasizes a holistic approach, ranging from careful consideration of design parameters to speciation of mercury contaminants, to allow more-effective elimination. The latter discusses the problems posed by naturally occurring radioactive materials, and how these may be handled such that they come in minimal contact with offshore personnel. The authors use a North Sea case study to describe positive results experienced with a dual vessel desander with an interlocking valve design. Recommended papers also explore a breadth of HSE topics, including the challenges inherent in cyberdefense of offshore drilling rigs, where sophisticated security threats have outpaced existing defense frameworks. Another also is devoted to mercury and the protection of pipelines and topside equipment therefrom. Finally, the third recommended paper takes a comprehensive approach in reviewing both innovations and gaps in pump-room design following a deadly 2015 explosion aboard a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel. SPE provides a wealth of resources to assist industry professionals in bolstering and growing their HSE knowledge and their participation in professional development. The OnePetro online library is home to hundreds of relevant papers, and SPE Live offers dozens of in-depth interviews and discussions with industry HSE leaders. Both are valuable resources not only for professional advancement but also for the advancement of health, safety, and the environmental impact of the industry. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. OTC 31235 - Cyberdefence of Offshore Deepwater Drilling Rigs by Paola Rossi, NavalDome, et al. SPE 208475 - Mercury Contamination of Process and Pipeline Infrastructure—A Novel, All‑Encompassing Solution for the Evaluation and Decontamination of Mercury From Pipelines and Topside Process Equipment To Allow Safe Disposal by Stuart Baker, Qa3, et al. OTC 31639 - Guidance for Design and Operation of Pump Rooms Following the Explosion on the FPSO Cidade de São Mateus by Michael Duddy, MISC, et al.

Multi-Criteria Assessment of Bridge Sites for Conducting PSTD/ISTD: Case Histories

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has recently developed the Portable Scour Testing Device (PSTD) to improve scour analysis around bridge piers in cohesive soils as part of the NextScour project. The PSTD is a compact field erosion testing device that, apart from a drill rig and larger water pump, has a lot of similarity with the In-situ Scour Testing Device (ISTD) in mechanism and data acquisition. The purpose of this paper is to provide recommendations on the suitability of using PSTD and ISTD at sites that have cohesive subsurface soils. An overview of the capabilities and limitations of the PSTD/ISTD in relation to hydraulic considerations, soil types, depth coverages, and erodibility potential is given. A multi-criteria assessment methodology to evaluate site suitability for conducting PSTD/ISTD is presented. The assessment methodology was utilized to detect suitable sites among 30 Illinois bridge sites using soil layer information, boring locations, groundwater level readings, in-situ testing results, geospatial analysis, site accessibility, and aerial photos.

Model-based efficiency and emissions evaluation of a marine hybrid power system with load profile

In this paper, an efficiency and emissions evaluation framework for marine DC hybrid power systems is developed based on the physics- and data-based models of the power components. The proposed framework is tested under the operational profile of a real-case semi-submersible drill rig with all-electric propulsion and a suggetsed DC hybrid power system with batteries. The applied load profile, including propulsion, drilling, auxiliary, and hotel loads, shows high fluctuations, indicating the need for battery hybridization. In addition to the operational profile, the impact of the onboard power system configuration, sectionalized and common bus, on the emissions and efficiency has been studied. The results include the total energy efficiency of the ship powertrain from fuel to propulsion load and total CO2 emissions. For the considered vessel power system and operational profile, it is observed that the sectionalized bus configuration performs slightly better in terms of energy efficiency, and consequently fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Efficiency evaluation of a percussive drill rig using rate-energy ratio based on rock drilling tests

The drilling efficiency of a percussive drill rig which is widely used in rock engineering attracts great attention. The goal of a higher drilling rate and lower specific energy is pursued in the rapid and economical construction of projects. This study aims at clarifying the influence of drilling parameters on the drilling efficiency. To explore the variations of the drilling parameters, drilling tests were conducted for a rock block. Based on the drilling data, relationships between the drilling rate and the drilling parameters (the percussive pressure, the propelling pressure, and the rotary speed) were found. Besides, a specific energy model for the percussive drill rig was established through the theoretical analysis, and the specific energy was calculated by the drilling data. Furthermore, a rate-energy ratio was proposed to evaluate the drilling efficiency by coupling the drilling rate and the specific energy. Afterward, the influence of the drilling parameters on the rate-energy ratio was discussed. The results show that the main factors affecting the drilling rate are the propelling pressure and the percussive pressure. The specific energy for breaking the rock mainly comes from the impact energy. To increase the drilling efficiency, the propelling pressure should be set maximally in its reasonable threshold but the percussive pressure is not the higher the better.

Performability of electro-hydro-mechanical rotary head of drill rig in open pit mining: A case-study

The test subject is the electro-hydro-mechanical rotary-and-feed mechanism of roller-bit drill rigs with undermount rotary head. The goal of the research is the capacity stimulation, vibration reduction and reliability improvement of drill rig model SBSH-250MNA-32. The article describes the studies in the field of mining machines and the relevant engineering solutions. It is critical for Russia to preserve and replenish its mineral resources and mineral reserves to pursue social and economic advance. The priority growth of coal and gold production using the advanced open pit mining method can increase percentage of the latter in cumulative mineral mining by not less than 50%. Furthermore, it is necessary to cut down costs of production by 4–5%. The main and extremely labor consuming process in open pits in Russia is drilling which takes up to 40% of total mining cost [1–3]. The common method of drilling in rocks with the hardness factor of 6–20 on Protodyakonov’s scale in Russia is the roller-bit drilling [4–6]. This drilling processes is accompanied with high dynamic loading imposed on the rotary-and-feed mechanism [7–9]. One of the ways of reducing dynamic loads in the roller-bit drill rigs is redesigning of the rotary-and-feed mechanism to possess higher safety and anti-vibration properties, simpler structure, as well as better performability and longevity [7, 8, 10–13]. This article describes and substantiates the design and operating principle of the electro-hydro-mechanical rotary head, its prototype testing, the research program and procedure, the instrumentation preparation, the research objective as well as the test data processing and analysis as a case-study of drill rig model SBSH-250MNA-32.

Tensegrity laboratory drilling rig for earth and space drilling, mining, and exploration

Drilling operations are increasingly becoming a manufacturing process where repeatability, versatility, and speed matter the most for an operator or future space missions. Nonetheless, the ongoing energy transition efforts will undoubtedly shape the objectives and priorities of drilling operators into new markets with unexplored technical challenges. Versatility, mobility, and automated systems will play crucial roles in determining successful applications. This study explores and introduces the application of tensegrity-based structures, commonly used in space exploration, to Earth and Space drilling systems by modeling, designing, and building a tensegrity-based miniature drilling rig. Robust models for designing a drilling rig based on tensegrity structures and anticipated load conditions are presented. In addition, the drilling tests and experimental results described proving that the tensegrity could be applied to unusual applications such as drilling. The lightweight tensegrity-based structure is feasible for drilling applications on Earth and Mars by tuning design variables such as structure complexity, bar and string sizes, pre-stress, Etc. Tensegrity structures allow more volume-efficient, lightweight, and deployable mechanisms essential for space deployment. It also enhances rig mobility, reducing drilling costs and the environmental footprint of the Earth based-system by downsizing the site’s carbon expenditure.

Effect of Temperature Change on Acoustic Emission Signal in IGBT Transistors of Marine Propulsion System Converters

The article presents the results of tests related to failure analysis and finding ways to diagnose used semiconductor elements, among others, in power electronics converter systems on vessels and offshore facilities (drilling and production rigs and wind turbines). Diagnostic relationships were found between the temperature change in the above systems and the signals generated in the form of elastic waves of acoustic emission. The authors confirmed the influence of the transistor’s working temperature on its amplitude-frequency spectrum of acoustic emission signals emitted. The range of ‘safe temperatures’ was considered which means temperatures that do not directly affect the damage of the component.

E&P Notes (June 2022)

E&P Notes (June 2022)

Problematics of the issues concerning development of energy-saving and environmentally efficient technologies of well construction

Specialists of Dnipro University of Technology are among the leading researchers involved in studying the specifics of implementation and functioning of rational and energy-efficient schemes of organization of circulation processes while well drilling and operating. In particular, we have carried out thorough and comprehensive studies of physicochemical phenomena used while creating, preparing, and using the washing fluids. The purpose of the paper is to study and generalize the approaches to designing the parameters of hydraulic well washing programme under complicated geological and technical conditions, analysis of the factors of its correction basing on substantiation of analytical and research regularities of well circulation processes, and optimization of a component and quantitative composition of drill cleaning agents, which are aimed at the most efficient intensification of the bottomhole breaking processes. The development and implementation of a progressive complex hydraulic washing programme for wells under construction are analyzed involving modern methods of analytical analysis and experimental studies. The drilling circulation processes in a well were modelled in terms of experimental wells involving a drill rig UKB-4P and corresponding auxiliary tools and equipment.

Welding distortion investigation of rotary drill rig pipe with radial loading transition bars

Cylindrical drilling pipe is an essential component of the rotary drilling rig, and its fabrication accuracy will significantly affect the machine performance and service reliability. The paper investigates the fabrication distortion of drilling pipes during the welding processing. Given the effects of welding distortion induced by material heterogeneity and pipe diameters, the welding deformation of simplified drilling pipe components with a single long bar was first studied to clarify the mechanism of dimensional variation and determine the inherent strain by the Thermal Elastic-Plastic (TEP) method. The deduced inherent strain results were employed to estimate the welding distortion of complex welding drilling pipe structures. To mitigate the welding distortion of the drilling pipe, the influence of the welding sequence on the local deformation is examined in the hoop direction. Moreover, the discrepancy of distortion under each welding pass was demonstrated. Different welding strategies (rotate and symmetry) for the next welded bar are employed according to the pipe rolling action after one welding. The distortion results show an optimization welding sequence by the characteristics distribution of welding distortion.

New algorithm based active method to eliminate stick-slip vibrations in drill string systems

The drill string is always exposed to various types of vibrations among which, stick slip is one of the most important types. It is a severe state of torsional vibrations. This phenomenon can decrease the rate of penetration of drilling, wear of expensive equipment prematurely and cause catastrophic failures. In this paper, a novel adaptive sliding mode (SM) controller is proposed to eliminate stick slip in drill string systems. This proposed algorithm has a more robust capacity than existing 1st-order SM schemes in the literature regarding the robustness to parametric uncertainties, variations in weight on bit (WOB), variations in reference velocity and measurement noise. Moreover, the proposed controller does not require a priori knowledge of the upper bounds of parametric uncertainties, external disturbances and can be easily applied for any operating mode of the drill rig. A proof of stability based on the Lyapunov criterion of the system is given. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm suppresses the stick-slip while keeping good performances compared to other SM controllers. A comparative study between the proposed controller and classic SM controllers and other adaptive SM scheme is performed in order to assess the advantages of the proposed algorithm and illustrate the overall performance improvements. The obtained results show that the proposed controller succeeded to eliminate the stick-slip phenomenon with the best performance compared to the classic SM controllers. In fact, the proposed controller presented a reduction of nearly 26 in terms of overshoot and 1.6 times better settling time values while having the smoother input signal.

Strategi Manajemen Penanggulangan Pandemi Covid-19 Pada Kegiatan Pengeboran Lepas Pantai PT.COSL INDO

Thesis title is ‘’Management strategy and handling COVID-19 in oil and gas offshore drilling activity PT.COSL INDO.’’. Research Methodology by using qualitative and quantative. An interview were conducted to key person’s (Offshore Installation Manager, Offshore Installation Superintendent, HSE Advisor, Company man from PERTAMINA & doctor on duty) at Drilling Rig Asian Endevour 1 of PT.COSL INDO. To obtain the best strategy by using SWOT analysis and QSPM matrix analysis to determine which strategy is more applicable and proper. Whereas, to measure how staff’s perception about COVID-19 policy by distributed questionnaires to 77 workers. HIRARC method also utilized to identify hazard in some activity which may contribute in spreading COVID-19 as well as control measure implemented to mitigate the risks. The results of study comprises of: Rig AE1 PT.COSL INDO using client Standing Order and Corporate MERP to handle and to control of COVID-19, Key Person applied Collaborative strategy with its Subcontractors as well as Crewing Management to recruit local staff in lieu of expatriate and at least 12 activities most common frequent which found as potential virus contamination.

Study on Dynamics of Hydraulic Control System for Automatic Loading and Unloading of Drill Pipe of Geological Drilling Rig

With the increasing demand for resources, the task of the geological survey is growing rapidly. The automatic geological drilling rig, which can improve the efficiency of the geological survey, has become the mainstream development direction. In this study, the hydraulic control system for the automatic screw up and screw down of an automatic drilling rig is studied. Through the establishment of mathematical models such as the four-way slide valve controlled asymmetric cylinder model, drill pipe thread stress model, and steel wire rope elastic model, the hydraulic valve is used to limit the pressure of the hydraulic cylinder, closed-loop control to control rotation speed, and power head floating to prevent screw damage and realize the automatic control of drill pipe up and down of a geological drilling rig. The hydraulic control system is simulated by AMESim software. The simulation model verifies the mathematical model. It is concluded that the maximum transient force of steel wire rope is caused by the elastic coefficient K of steel wire rope, but the magnitude is independent of K. The transient force is the periodic motion force. The displacement, velocity, and acceleration of load are periodic functions related to time. By installing a small flow load sensing valve, the displacement of an asymmetric hydraulic cylinder can be accurately controlled, and then, the displacement of the drilling rig powerhead can be controlled. The combined action of drill pipe speed and power head displacement is adopted, and the power head displacement is followed by PID control through the feedback value of the drill pipe speed, which can realize the automatic loading and unloading of drill pipe and reduce the damage of drill pipe screw during loading and unloading of drill pipe. The research results of this study can provide a theoretical reference and design basis for the follow-up development of an automatic drilling rig.

Design of Adaptive Control System for Weight on Bit of Vehicle-Mounted Drilling Rig

Design of Adaptive Control System for Weight on Bit of Vehicle-Mounted Drilling Rig

Improving face decisions in tunnelling by machine learning‐based MWD analysis

AbstractIn Norwegian drill and blast tunnelling, contracts stipulate collecting Measurement While Drilling (MWD) data from all drillholes. The MWD approach is an objective way of collecting, processing and visualising advance drilling data that have been successfully used in making face decisions for many years in Norwegian tunnelling. MWD data collection consists of equipping drill rigs with sensors recording different drilling parameters, with subsequent near real‐time data processing for access by on‐site personnel and face engineers in decision‐making process. A deficiency in the MWD approach is still the subjective data interpretation necessary to translate visualised data into actual face decisions. Digital scepticism and a lack of digital knowledge are other obstacles in automating the process from data interpretation to decisions. Thus, MWD data are sometimes only used for nice visualisations and as‐built documentation. This study proposes machine learning (ML)‐based methods to characterise the rock mass from sensor data using data from five twin‐tube tunnels in a Norwegian highway project. Results show that the deep learning‐based method – convolutional neural network – is capable of translating complex patterns in MWD data to functional rock mass characterisation, thereby aiding face engineers with data analysis. The study is, to our knowledge, the first known attempt to use deep learning‐based computer vision techniques to interpret MWD data framed as images.

Development of an economic replacement time model for mining equipment: a case study

In mining operation equipment replacement represents a strategic decision problem. This paper presents an economic replacement time model for mining drill rigs. A total ownership cost minimization model was developed to optimize the lifetime of a drill rig used in Tara underground mine in Ireland. The developed methodology allows an innovative practical evaluation of the replacement process by applying sensitivity and regression analysis to rank the factors affecting the replacement time of existing and new models of the production drill rig. Compared to previous studies presented in the literature, the present study represents a further development in this field as it has resulted in a practical optimization model that can be used to estimate the economic replacement time of repairable equipment used in the mining and other production industries. The proposed model shows that the absolute economic replacement time of the drill rig investigated in this case study is 81 months and the mining company operating the rig can replace it with an identical one within an optimal replacement range of 6 months (i.e. from month 79–84) when the minimum total cost can still be achieved in practice. Sensitivity and regression analyses show that the maintenance cost has the largest impact on the economic replacement time of the drill rig. The study finds that decreasing the operating and maintenance costs of the drill rig will have the positive effect of increasing the economic replacement time linearly for a new model of the drill rig. The proposed model helps decision-makers to plan the replacement of old rigs and purchase new ones from an economic view point. Thus, this new model can be extended and used for more general applications in the mining industry.

A method to collect representative samples from water-driven percussion drilling techniques: examples from RoXplorer® coiled tubing drill rig

Water-driven percussion drilling techniques, such as that used by the RoXplorer® coiled tubing drill rig, return a rock sample as cuttings that are carried to the surface by the circulating drilling fluid. This drilling technique does not deliver a core sample. In order for the RoXplorer® to be effective as a mineral-exploration drill rig, it is critical to develop robust, representative and repeatable sampling techniques for the rock cuttings and to establish with confidence the depth interval from which the sample was derived. The RoXplorer® produces more than 7 kg/m of cuttings every few minutes (rate of penetration dependent) that are carried to the surface by the drilling fluid with a fluid return rate of 80–150 L/min. The cuttings, which range in size from <10 µm to 5 mm, require extraction from the drilling fluid and preparation prior to analysis. Subsampling of the fluid/cuttings stream can reduce the sample size to allow easier processing. A modified static cone splitter and ancillary flow-control system were designed and tested during field deployment of the RoXplorer® drill rig in South Australia in February 2017. We drilled a vertical hole with RoXplorer® starting 10 m to the northeast of an existing vertical diamond drill hole with well-characterised, shallow-dipping sedimentary and volcanic units. This allows comparison of drilling performance and sample quality against industry-standard drilling and sampling techniques. The performance of the splitter to take a representative continuous 1/8th subsample of drilling fluid and cuttings by volume was assessed based on its ability to resolve a 1 m interval of low-grade Cu mineralisation (0.74–1.03 wt% Cu) at 398 m that was detected in the reference diamond drill hole. The coiled tubing samples produced an equivalent and unbiased (chemistry and particle-size distribution) subsample, with sub-metre depth accuracy and comparable signal magnitude of the mineralisation at 398 m as detected in the diamond core. KEY POINTS Samples from the RoXplorer® drilling system were benchmarked against a twin diamond core hole that intersected a narrow band of copper mineralisation at 398 m depth A representative subsample was achieved through taking a split of cuttings as a slurry prior to dewatering Samples collected over key stratigraphic boundaries, including the narrow band of mineralisation, were accurately depth-constrained and had minimal carryover or mixing of cuttings when compared with the twin diamond core hole