Surfacedatasensorsduringdrilling

Byanalyzingcuttings,drillingmud(/Drilling_fluids),anddrillingparametersforhydrocarbonassociatedphenomena,wecandevelopagreatdealofinformationandunderstanding
concerningthephysicalpropertiesofawellfromthesurfacetofinaldepth.Acriticalfunctionindataanalysisisfamiliaritywiththedifferentsensorsusedforgatheringsurfacedata.
Theprimarytypesofsurfacedatasensorsarediscussedinthispage.

Contents
1Depthtrackingsensors
2Flowintrackingsensors
3Pressuretrackingsensors
4Flowouttrackingsensor
5Drillmonitorsensors
6Pitmonitorsensor
7Gasdetectionsensors
8Additionalsensors
9References
10Seealso
11NoteworthypapersinOnePetro
12Externallinks
13Category

Depthtrackingsensors
Currentdepthtrackingsensorsdigitallycounttheamountofrotationalmovementasthedrawworksdrumturnswhenthedrillinglinemovesupordown.Eachcountrepresentsa
fixedamountofdistancetraveled,whichcanberelateddirectlytodepthmovement(increasingordecreasingdepth).Moreover,theamountofmovementalsocanbetiedintoatime
basedcounter,whichwillgiveeitheraninstantaneousoranaveragerateofpenetration(ROP).
Somecompaniesstilluseapressurizeddepthtracking/ROPsensor.ThepressurizedROPsystemworksontheprincipleofthechangeinhydrostaticpressureinacolumnofwateras
theheightofthatcolumnisvaried.Thischangecanthenbeindirectlyrelatedtoadepthmeasurement.Again,atimebasedcounterisusedtocalculateaninstantaneousoraverage
ROP.
Accuratedepthmeasurementonoffshorerigssuchassemisubmersibles(/Semisubmersibles),submersibles(/Submersibles),anddrillshipsisaffectedbybothlateral(tidal
movement)andaxial(theupanddownmotionoftherig,alsocalledrigheave)effects.Toproperlycompensateforthis,mostoftheserigshavearigcompensatorsysteminstalled
ontheirtravelingblock.Astherigmovesup,thecompensatoropens,therebyallowingthebittostayonbottom.Similarly,astherigmovesdown,thecompensatormustshuttokeep
thesamerelativebitpositionandweightonthebit.
Thesamedigitalsensorsareattachedtothecompensatorssothatanychangeinmovementcanbetakenintoaccount,allowingaccuratedepthmeasurement(Fig.1).

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Fig.1Exampleofatypicaldepthtracking
system.

Flowintrackingsensors
Flowtrackingsensorsareusedtomonitorfluidflowratebeingapplieddownholeaswellasthepumpstrokesrequiredtoachievethisflowrate.Datagatheredfromthesesensorsare
essentialinputstocalculatingdrillingfluidhydraulics,wellcontrol(/Well_control),andcuttingslag.Monitoringchangesintrendsmayalsoindicatepotentialdownholeproblems
suchaskicks(/Kicks)orlossofcirculation(/Lost_circulation).
Twocommonlyusedtypesareproximityand/orwhiskerswitches.Aproximityswitch,activatedeitherbyanelectromagnet(coil)orapermanentmagnet,actsasadigitalrelay
switchwhenitincorporateselectricalcontinuity.Awhiskerswitchisamicroswitchthatisactivatedonlywhenanexternalrod(calledawhisker)forcesapistontoraiseaball
bearingtoinitiatecontactagainstit(Fig.2).Bothtypesaredigitalcountersanincreaseincountswillcorrespondtoaspecificincreaseinbothflowrateandpumprate.

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Fig.2Exampleofproximityandwhisker
switch.

Pressuretrackingsensors
Pressuretrackingsensorsareusedmainlytomonitorsurfacepressurebeingapplieddownhole.Datagatheredfromthesesensorsareusedeithertovalidatecalculatedvaluesorto
confirmpotentialdownholeproblemssuchaswashouts,kicks,orlossofcirculation.
Twotypesofsensorsareavailable,andbothmonitorpressurefromahighpressurediaphragmunit(knockonhead)locatedoneitherthestandpipeorthepumpmanifold.Thefirst
sensortypederivesitsphysicalinputfrommudpressureexpandingarubber(orvitonwhenhightemperatureisinvolved)diaphragmwithintheknockonhead.Thisexpansion
proportionallyincreasesthepressureinthehydraulicoilfilledsystemand,indoingso,relaysthemudpressuretotheappropriatetransducer.Thesecondsensortypemakesadirect
connectionwiththestandpipemanifolditself(i.e.,thetransducerfaceisincontactwiththemudseeFig.3).

(/File%3ADevol2_1102final_Page_649_Image_0002.png)

Fig.3Exampleofpressuretransducers.

Flowouttrackingsensor
Commonlycalledaflowpaddle,thissensormeasuresflowratecomingoutoftheannulususingastraingaugeanalogtransducer(Fig.4).Changesinresistancevaluesaredirectly
relatedtoeitheranincreaseoradecreaseinmudflowrate.Thissensorprovidesanearlywarningofeitherakickcondition(suddenincreaseinflowrate)oralossofcirculation
(suddendecreaseinflowrate).

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Fig.4Schematicofaflowpaddlesensor.

Drillmonitorsensors
Drillmonitorsensorsmonitorsurfacerevolutionsperminute(RPM)values,rotarytorque,andhookload.Thetorquesensorisaclamp(Fig.5)thatsitsaroundthemainpowercable
tothetopdrivesystem(TDS).ItworksontheprincipleofthedeformationofHalleffectchipsbythemagneticfieldproducedaroundthecableowingtothecurrentbeingdrawn
throughit(i.e.,thegreaterthetorquebeingproducedasthepiperotates,thegreaterthecurrentdrawnbytheTDSandthereforethegreatertheHalleffect).(Note:theHalleffectisa
transversevoltagecausedbyelectriccurrentflowinamagneticfield.)Torquechangescanthenberelatedtoeitherformationlithologyordownholedrillingproblems
(/Drilling_problems)suchaspipestick/slipormotorstalling.

(/File%3ADevol2_1102final_Page_650_Image_0002.png)

Fig.5Exampleofatorque(left)andanRPM
sensor(right).

Adigitalrotarysensorissimilartoaproximitysensorusedinapump.Itisshapeddifferentlybutactsonthesameprinciple.RPMchangesareusedtodrillthewellefficientlyand
minimizedownholevibrationeffects.
Thecombinedweightofthebit,bottomholeassembly(BHA),drillpipe,etc.,iscalledthestringweight(SW).Theblockweight(BW)istheweightofthelinesandblocks(including
topdriveorkelly).Whenthebitisonbottom(i.e.,drilling),thehookloadisseentoreduce.Theamountofweightsuspendedbythebottomoftheholeistheamountofweightonbit
(WOB),asshownbelow:
Hook Load = SW + WOB.

Thishookloadsensorusesthesametransducertypeasinapressuretrackingsensor.Asthedeadlineexperiencesstrain,thereservoirhasloadappliedacrossit,whichpressuresthe
hydraulicfluid.Thispressureincreaseistranslatedtoameasurementvalue(Fig.6).Thesemeasurementvaluesarethencorrelatedtopotentialdownholeproblemssuchaskicksor
stuckpipe(/Stuck_pipe).

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Fig.6Exampleofahookloadsensor.

Pitmonitorsensor
Mostpitmonitorsensorsuseultrasonictransittimetomeasuremudlevel.Thesensorismountedoverthepitabovethemaximummudlevel,andsendsasonicwavethatisreflected
backtothereceiver(Fig.7).Thetransittimemeasurementisthendirectlytransformedtoavolumemeasurement.Thiscriticalmeasurementisactivelyusedtomonitorpotential
kicks(rapidincreaseinpitvolume)orlossofcirculation(rapiddecreaseinpitvolume).

(/File%3ADevol2_1102final_Page_652_Image_0001.png)
Fig.7Exampleofasonicpitvolumesensor.

Gasdetectionsensors
Thegasdetectionsensorsconsistmainlyofagastrap,apneumaticlinelinkingthegastraptothegasdetectionequipment(whichisfoundinsideamudloggingunit),andthegas
detectioninstruments(chromatographandtotalgasdetectors).
Thegastrapisbasicallyafloatingchamberwitharotatingagitatorinside.Itworksontheprinciplethatmudflowingthroughthegastrapisagitated,therebyreleasingthevast
majorityofanygasescontainedwithinthemud.Thisgasisthenextractedfromthetrapthroughtheunitsamplelinetobeanalyzedintheunit(Fig.8).

(/File%3ADevol2_1102final_Page_653_Image_0001.png)
Fig.8Exampleofagastrap.

Theprinciplebehindgaschromatographyissimple.Thegasfromanoilwellconsistsofseveralhydrocarboncomponents,rangingfromlightgases(methane)tooil.Agas
chromatographthentakesasampleofgasandseparatesoutsomeofthesecomponentsforindividualanalysis.Typically,methane(C1)throughpentane(C5)arethegasesofinterest.
Thesecanbeplottedindividually,ortheymaybeusedingasratioanalysisforreservoircharacterization.
Mostloggingcompaniescurrentlyuseaflameionizationdetector(FID)gaschromatographandtotalgasdetector(Fig.9).TheFIDrespondsprimarilytohydrocarbonsandhasthe
widestlinearrangeofanydetectorincommonuse.Theoutputsignalislinearforagivencomponentwhenconcentrationsvaryfromlessthanonepartpermillion(ppm)topercent
levels,andwithcare,resolutioncanbeobtainedinthelowpartperbillion(ppb)range.Thetotalgasdetectorsamplesgasinamannersimilartothatofachromatograph,theonly
differencebeingthatthereisnocolumninthedetectorand,hence,noseparationofcomponents(i.e.,itburnsthetotalhydrocarbongassampleasone).Thisalsomeansthatthere
isnoinjectiontimeand,therefore,thegasisbeingsampledcontinuously(Fig.8).

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Fig.9ExampleofanFIDchromatographanda
totalgasdetector.

Additionalsensors
Inaddition,explorationandproductioncompaniesmayrequirespecializedservicessuchasformationpressuremonitoringanddrillingoptimization.Toeffectivelysupportthese
services,additionalsensorsmayberequiredsuchasfluidtemperature,density,andconductivity.InareasofhighH2SorCO2gas,correspondingsensorsthatexclusivelymonitor
thesegasesmayberequiredaswell.

References
Seealso
PEH:DrillingData_Acquisition(/PEH%3ADrillingData_Acquisition)

NoteworthypapersinOnePetro
BillLesso,MajaIgnovaetal.2011.TestingtheCombinationofHighFrequencySurfaceandDownholeDrillingMechanicsandDynamicsDataUnderaVarietyofDrilling
Conditions,SPE/IADCDrillingConferenceandExhibition,13March.140347MS.http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/140347MS(http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/140347MS).
Elliott,L.R.,Barolak,J.G.,Coope,D.F1985.RecordingDownholeFormationDataWhileDrilling,JournalofPetroleumTechnology,Volume37,Number7.12360PA.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/12360PA(http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/12360PA)

Externallinks
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