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World Oil Magazine <--
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Future drilling technology: Closer than you thinkSafer, more automated drilling and with greater capabilities for managing difficult pressure environments than the best we have today-in other words, a reach into the future-is making good progress. Even remotely operated drilling is possible.
Steinar Strom, Mohsen Karimi Balov, Halvor Kjorholt, Rune Gaaso, StatoilHydro; Erlend H. Vefring , IRIS; Rolv Rommetveit , SINTEF Petroleum ResearchStatoilHydro believes that a new, fully Automated Drilling System (ADS), while a major technological effort, is achievable in the relatively near future. The company is pursuing various sub-systems for incorporation into an all-inclusive integrated system. Two different solutions are the Drilltronics (IRIS/NOV) and the eControl/eDrilling (SINTEF /HPD/Aker Solutions) concepts.
The Drilltronics system is based on mathematical computer models for dynamic real-time analysis of drilling processes; critical limits for operational parameters, such as drilling fluid pump rate, trip velocity and optimal process parameters are calculated. The result is used to control drilling equipment in real time. The new system has been field tested on the Statfjord C platform. Combining the new system with wired pipe, decision support programs and continuous measurements of drilling fluid parameters give synergy effects that, in the future, may allow remotely operated drilling systems.
eDrilling is an innovative system for real-time drilling simulation, 3D visualization and control from a remote drilling expert center and is the technology basis for eControl, which is a rig supervision, optimization and control system that will integrate 3D visualization of the wellbore with advanced drilling process models.
This article gives an overview of field-tested, pilot-tested equipment and the synergy effect when combing different technical solutions in future drilling scenarios.
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