Paper: Real-time drilling fluid measurements provide value via data

SPE PAPER: Published on Pason Systems, June 27, 2024

Real-Time Drilling Fluid Measurements Provide Value Via Data-Driven Decision Making for Cost-Sensitive Unconventional Environments

A new approach to real-time automated drilling fluid measurement systems leads to enhanced collaboration and decision making between field and remote operations personnel. The approach is based on straight forward technology that can easily be understood by all, operated by field personnel, and robust enough for fast paced unconventional operations. The sensor information offers real-time actionable data without the demand to replicate the traditional daily mud report, streamlining wellsite activities for drilling fluid treatment as fluid conditions change.

The automated drilling fluid measurement system (mud skid) was designed for reliability and simplicity. The idea is to use trending data over the single data point mud check to drive real time decision making across teams. Rather than replace the fluids specialist on location it enhances their role to drive operational excellence and consistency in their day-to-day rig support. Everyday across multiple rigs, drilling fluids specialists use the data to adjust treatment schedules, optimize activities, and capture unplanned events as early as possible to lower treatment cost with the support of the remote operations center (ROC). The ROC's monitoring activities drive fluid enhancements across multiple locations via data transparency and analysis, sharing of best practices, and event detection. With a few proven and fit for purpose sensors, the mud skid adds value within the cost limits of the unconventional well market.

There is an opportunity for value generation via the use of economical drilling fluid sensors where costs traditionally limit full-scale automated drilling fluid measurements. The mud skid unit provides sufficient data to generate value without prohibitive expenses. The mud skid unit and the data collected are now part of standard operations across multiple rigs and basins. The data streams, available in real-time to everyone from the derrick hand to the drilling engineer, have created a new workflow for decision-making, fluid maintenance, trouble-shooting, and early event detection. As more events are captured by the sensors, there are additional opportunities to train machine learning algorithms and develop predictive models.

This paper will review the development process, deployment, and delivery of the mud skid unit with case histories demonstrating the advantages and opportunities for simple, real-time data streams.

Copyright 2023, Society of Petroleum Engineers

Credits

W. Petty, M. Offenbacher, R. Jara, C. Rabb, S. Unrau

Go to Paper >

The art of data science: Industry hones in on reliability, ease of use

ARTICLE: Published on Drilling Contractor Magazine, July 13, 2022

Recent efforts touch on standardization, aggregation from disparate sources, automated processing and customizable delivery to users.

Credits

Stephen Whitfield, Associate Editor

Go to Article >

Mechanical Specific Energy: Standardizing names and equations

SPE PAPER: Published on Pason Systems, May 2, 2022

This paper recommends standardized names and equations for the two most common uses of Mechanical Specific Energy (MSE) concepts: "Total MSE" and "Downhole MSE". These names and their equations should be used uniformly in all applications, including electronic drilling recorder (EDR) pick lists, rig site surveillance, engineering surveillance, data analytics, research, and technical publications.

Mechanical Specific Energy, used as a metric for drilling efficiency, is a mathematical calculation of the energy used per volume of rock drilled. The Downhole MSE equation calculates the efficiency of the bit alone, while the Total MSE equation includes both the bit and drill string. Those who use MSE in surveillance or analytics know the negative effects created by the lack of standardization over the years; it is certainly not a new problem.

The lack of standardized nomenclature has resulted in the use of the same name for different equations, or different names are given two equations that are identical. This affects the ability of drill teams to engage vendors in redesign of performance limitations or to communicate new operational practices between teams or rigs. In addition, this standard corrects a mathematical error that is common in calculating the Total MSE.

The concern with the inconsistencies has increased as MSE has become a key element in many automated optimization schemes. Inconsistencies or uncertainties in the basis of MSE values calculated in real time or shared in large data sets will affect the industry's ability to develop useful analytics or to automate rig control platforms and data-driven decisions.

This paper also includes a discussion of the MSE measurement errors and their effect on calculated values, which is of particular interest to controls engineers and those involved in data analytics. Examples are provided to illustrate how the two different MSE values are used in field operations. Also, a substantial reference list of current and potential future uses of MSE is included to encourage better MSE-based practices to potentially lead to the development of new uses in the future, including automation.

This ad hoc MSE Standardization Committee is a volunteer group with representation from operators, rig contractors, service companies, and data acquisition vendors. The guidance given reflects their shared experience in utilizing MSE in surveillance and analytics, and the recommended equations are technically correct.

Copyright 2022, IADC/SPE International Drilling Conference and Exhibition

Credits

Fred Dupriest, Texas A&M University; Paul Pastusek, ExxonMobil Upstream Integrated Solutions Company; Stephen Lai and Bob Best, Pason Systems; Michael Behounek, Apache Corporation; Bryan Cook, National Oilwell Varco; Wendell Basarath, Contractor; Chris Cutts, K&M Technology Group; Jared Collins, Occidental; Mohammadreza Kamyab, Corva; Dennis Moore, Marathon Oil Ret; Eric Pulpan, Marathon Oil; Austin Jeske and JJ Wilson, Pioneer Natural Resources; Jamie Sheets, Ensign Energy

Go to Paper >

DAS™ best practices

STORY: Published August 16, 2021

What is Pason DAS™?

DAS™ uses a combination of patented algorithms that enable real-time decision-making to increase drilling speeds, save money on downhole equipment repairs, and produce a higher quality wellbore. The system continually evaluates bit-to-rock interaction using a combination of data including rate of penetration (ROP) and mechanical specific energy (MSE). This results in: Faster drilling, reduced number of trips, and improved wellbore quality.

Read Story >

White Paper: Record breaking optimization results in Oman

PDF: Published on Pason, July 13, 2021

Halliburton Project Management’s innovative approach to drilling optimization resulted in a new field record in Oman, in part by utilizing Pason System’s automation solutions, realtime drilling optimization, and high-quality data for enhancing well construction rates.

As a global leader in the management and delivery of lump-sum turnkey (LSTK) projects, the Halliburton Project Management (HPM) team deploys a suite of technologies, engineering services, and industry expertise to deliver wells safely and efficiently. LSTK projects are often outsourced to vertically integrated service companies due to the complexity or size of the drilling program, and Halliburton has been awarded several projects worldwide based on their proven record of meeting or exceeding customer’s expectations.

In Oman, HPM was presented with challenging targets from the NOC, and HPM responded with a structured, targeted strategy for success. Over the first 12 months, HPM’s primary focus was on deploying the proper personnel and services, identifying challenges specific to the drilling field, and reliably identifying and tracking invisible lost time (ILT) and non-productive time (NPT) to better control and reduce off-bottom time. The second phase was to explore improvements in on-bottom performance and Rate of Penetration (ROP) using new technologies and collaborations with other industry leading specialists.

This paper describes the challenges and step-by-step chronology of solutions deployed to achieve continuous performance improvement and merits of integration amongst Halliburton and Pason for maximizing drilling performance. By effectively focusing on process execution, the project team was able to achieve field records for best composite time for oil-producing wells and for water-injector wells.

Open PDF >

Well Dashboard: Everything our customers need, nothing they don’t

STORY: Published June 11, 2021

At Pason, we're continually pushing out new features and software for our customers to ensure the best service and experience possible. Therefore, we are incredibly proud of our Well Dashboard, an upgrade to our existing Well Page that allows our customers to configure their features in a way that works for them.

Read Story >

Payroll Fetch: A user-friendly, simple-to-use app that delivers the best-quality data

STORY: Published December 9, 2020

Imagine an app where drilling contractors can schedule recurring tasks that will download payroll reports straight from our Pason DataHub, all while generating in a CSV format tailored to their unique payroll system.

Read Story >

Pason’s DAS™ dedicated to faster drilling, saving costs

STORY: Published October 7, 2020

Faster drilling. Reduced number of trips. Improved wellbore stability.

Read Story >