Abstract: Pump-off detection, and actions to avert a pump-off event from occurring, are described that may be implemented in a wireline control system while performing a pump-down operation to position a downhole tool within a wellbore. As part of the pump-down operation, the downhole tool is attached to a wireline coupling the tool to a wireline control device located at the surface above the wellbore.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments include systems and methods to perform automated drilling for both surface and downhole control. The method includes receiving a curvature reference set point, and calculating a curvature error with respect to the curvature reference set point. The method also includes providing the curvature error to a linear matrix inequalities based robust linear quadratic regulator controller. The method further includes determining one or more steering commands based on an output of the linear matrix inequalities based robust linear quadratic regulator controller. The method further includes providing the one or more steering commands to be implemented by a drilling tool during a drilling operation.

Abstract: A method can be used to determine the optimal inputs for a bottle test performed by a user for separating water from oil. The bottle test model for predicting inputs to achieve desired KPIs may decrease times required for a user to predict a demulsifier composition. The methods and model may then be utilized for predicting a demulsifier composition based upon inputs of a crude oil product to predict a demulsifier composition for most efficiently separating the oil from water for new production sites.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable media, for determining subsurface formation boundary information for a wellbore using a well drilling system. Primary boundary information for a formation bed boundary of a subsurface formation may be determined based on primary measurement data. Secondary measurement data may be obtained from one or more sensors of the well drilling system. The primary boundary information may be corrected using the secondary measurement data to determine corrected boundary information for the formation bed boundary of the subsurface formation. An uncertainty may be determined for the corrected boundary information. A drilling operation or a drilling attribute in the wellbore may be modified based on the corrected boundary information and the uncertainty.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for drilling a wellbore in a subsurface formation. The method comprises obtaining measurement data including a first measurement from a first sensor and a second measurement from a second sensor of a drilling assembly in the wellbore. The method comprises generating, based on the first measurement, a first control point indicating a geological feature and having a first confidence interval. The method comprises generating, based on the second measurement, a second control point indicating the geological feature and having a second confidence interval. The method comprises generating a curve indicating a formation bed boundary of the subsurface formation based on the first and second control points and the first and second confidence intervals. The method comprises performing a drilling operation in the wellbore based on the formation bed boundary.

Abstract: A method for calibrating a steering model may comprise estimating an initial condition for one or more variables in the steering model and calibrating the steering model with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo Simulation (MCMC). A drilling system may comprise a bottom hole assembly, a drill string connected to the bottom hole assembly, and an information handling system connected to the bottom hole assembly. The information handling system may be configured to process one or more measurements from the bottom hole assembly, calibrate a steering model based at least in part on the one or more measurements, adjust a control logic based at least in part on the steering model, and adjust the bottom hole assembly based at least in part on the control logic.

Abstract: In directional drilling, a nonlinear Delay Differential Equation (DDE) model may be used for its high precision in predicting how a borehole may be drilled according to a well plan. To address challenges associated with real-time control of a drill drilling wellbore, techniques of generalized feedback linearization, finite element concept, and zero-order hold discretization may be used to transform a nonlinear DDE model into discretized domain with a linear Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) form. Following this transformation, a novel optimization framework may be used to concurrently determine optimal control inputs and solve a linear complementarity problem (LCP). The validity of both the discretized model and the optimization strategy may be verified by comparing modeled results with real-world results.

Abstract: In directional drilling, a nonlinear Delay Differential Equation (DDE) model may be used for its high precision in predicting how a borehole may be drilled according to a well plan. To address challenges associated with real-time control of a drill drilling wellbore, techniques of generalized feedback linearization, finite element concept, and zero-order hold discretization may be used to transform a nonlinear DDE model into discretized domain with a linear Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) form. Following this transformation, a novel optimization framework may be used to concurrently determine optimal control inputs and solve a linear complementarity problem (LCP). The validity of both the discretized model and the optimization strategy may be verified by comparing modeled results with real-world results.

Abstract: An intuitive automated geosteering interpretation method and system that creates a geological model of a subterranean formation using an adaptive combined heatmap is provided. The adaptive combined heatmap is generated from individual heatmaps that each correspond to a specific type of drilling data (e.g. sensor readings) and then combined with adaptive weightings. An example of an automated method of drilling a target well using a well plan, includes: (1) generating at least two individual heatmaps for a subterranean formation using target well drilling data from a target well and offset well data from at least one offset well, wherein each of the individual heatmaps correspond to a specific type of drilling data, (2) generating an adaptive combined heatmap from the individual heatmaps, (3) determining a path of the target well in the subterranean formation based on the adaptive combined heatmap, and (4) updating the well plan according to the path.

Abstract: A method can be used to determine the optimal inputs for a bottle test performed by a user for separating water from oil. The bottle test model for predicting inputs to achieve desired KPIs may decrease times required for a user to predict a demulsifier composition. The methods and model may then be utilized for predicting a demulsifier composition based upon inputs of a crude oil product to predict a demulsifier composition for most efficiently separating the oil from water for new production sites.

Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to systems and methods of controlling a drill string having a steerable bit when drilling a wellbore through a substrate. A deterministic model of a directional behavior of the drill string is developed that includes a drill string state, one or more drill parameters associated with the drill string, and one or more substrate parameters associated with the substrate. A stochastic differential model of the directional behavior of the drill string is then developed by replacing the state and each of the parameters of the deterministic model with respective probability distributions and adding feedback. The stochastic differential model is reduced to a truncated stochastic model by substituting a predetermined number of terms of a generalized polynomial chaos expansion for each probability distribution and then evaluating the expectations.

Abstract: A method comprises retrieving geoscience data of a subsurface formation into which a wellbore is being drilled and retrieving drilling operation data for drilling the wellbore. The method includes determining at least one of an optimized target trajectory of a path of the wellbore to be drilled or a series of control operations for the drilling in order to follow the path of the wellbore to be drilled, independent of using waypoints as input and based the geoscience data and the drilling operation data. The method includes modifying geosteering of the drilling of the wellbore based on the at least one of the optimized target trajectory or the series of the control operations.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for drilling a curve section of a wellbore in a subsurface formation. The method comprises obtaining a curvature setpoint. The method comprises obtaining drilling process feedback from a drilling assembly drilling the curve section of the wellbore. The method comprises updating a scheduling parameter vector based on the drilling process feedback. The method comprises updating a controller, wherein the controller is configured with the scheduling parameter vector. The method comprises determining an error based on the curvature setpoint and the drilling process feedback. The method comprises inputting the error into the controller. The method comprises determining, via the controller, steering decisions based on the error and the scheduling parameter vector.

Abstract: A method and system for measuring health in a rotary steerable system (RSS). The method may include forming a bottom-hole assembly (BHA) model, taking a bending moment on bit (BOB) measurement from a sensor disposed in a BHA, and comparing the BOB measurement to the BHA model to determine if a steering actuator is malfunctioning, wherein the steering actuator is disposed on the BHA. The system may include at least one sensor disposed on the BHA, wherein the at least one sensor takes at least one bending moment on bit (BOB) measurement. Further, the system may include a plurality of steering actuators disposed on the BHA and an information handling system in communication with the BHA.

Abstract: Systems and methods for characterizing a subterranean formation that include a drill bit for drilling a deviated wellbore through the formation and that repeatedly changes direction. Also included is a directional drilling system and measurement equipment to detect a property of the formation. A trajectory control system is operable to: receive a well log; determine a property of the wellbore; segment the well log based on the property; and correlate one of the segments with the well log previous to the segment to determine a matching score for the segment. If the matching score is equal to or greater than a minimum threshold, the segment was taken in the formation and at the same stratigraphical true vertical depth (“STVD”). If the matching score is less than the minimum threshold, the segment was not taken in the formation and not at the same STVD and the STVD is estimated.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable media, for detecting downhole measured depth of a borehole are disclosed. A downhole imaging tool of a drilling system may obtain azimuthal borehole images from at least a first sensor and a second sensor of the downhole imaging tool. Image cross-correlation is performed on the azimuthal borehole images. A time delay is determined based on the image cross-correlation on the azimuthal borehole images. A velocity of the downhole imaging tool is determined based on the time delay. A downhole measured depth of the downhole imaging tool within the borehole is determined based on the velocity. The downhole measured depth may be determined dynamically downhole by the downhole imaging tool without communications with surface equipment of the drilling system.

Abstract: Systems and methods for characterizing a subterranean formation that include a drill bit for drilling a deviated wellbore through the formation and that repeatedly changes direction. Also included is a directional drilling system and measurement equipment to detect a property of the formation. A trajectory control system is operable to: receive a well log; determine a property of the wellbore; segment the well log based on the property; and correlate one of the segments with the well log previous to the segment to determine a matching score for the segment. If the matching score is equal to or greater than a minimum threshold, the segment was taken in the formation and at the same stratigraphical true vertical depth (“STVD”). If the matching score is less than the minimum threshold, the segment was not taken in the formation and not at the same STVD and the STVD is estimated.

Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to systems and methods of refining manually selected values of physical parameters associated with a manual dip of an azimuthal wellbore image. The method includes perturbating one or more of the manually selected values, selecting a portion of the azimuthal wellbore image based in part on the perturbated values, and performing a Hough transform of the selected portion of the azimuthal wellbore image into a parameter space comprising a plurality of points, thereby determining respective cumulative counts for one or more of the plurality of points in the parameter space. The method also includes selecting a point based in part on its respective cumulative count, calculating refined values of the physical parameters associated with the selected point, and returning the refined values as the physical parameters of a refined dip.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method to estimate a boundary of a downhole formation data includes obtaining an inversion model of a downhole formation. The method also includes defining a boundary of the downhole formation. The method further includes determining the boundary based on values associated with the inversion model. The method further includes organizing the boundary into one or more clusters. The method further includes determining uncertainties associated with the one or more clusters.

Abstract: Some implementations include a method for minimizing a ramp-up time of drilling equipment used to drill a wellbore through a subsurface formation, the method comprising: determining, via an optimization framework, an optimized ramp-up procedure for the drilling equipment with respect to one or more transient dynamics of a drilling fluid; and performing the optimized ramp-up procedure via the drilling equipment.