SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SCHEDULING AND EXECUTING MAINTENANCE
Systems and methods for coordinating efforts to maintain and repair drilling equipment are disclosed. A system for receiving and distributing scheduling information with respect to a drilling rig as a whole, and for individual components on the rig are disclosed. With equipment-specific scheduling, work orders for maintenance and repair can more quickly and efficiently be carried out. Sensors are used to measure actual statuses of the equipment and to infer available times when a work order may be carried out even when a schedule says otherwise
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application having Ser. No. 62/524,166 which was filed on Jun. 23, 2017. The content of this priority provisional application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDDrilling rigs are large, complex endeavors that employ many types of equipment to operate. Everything from major components such as top drives, mud pumps, draw works power, and hydraulic, to smaller pumps and electrical systems are used together to perform the tasks necessary in a drilling rig environment. Much of this equipment is subject to statutory/regulatory/certificate requirements for regular maintenance; however, the task of scheduling and executing maintenance and repairs can be difficult due to the complex interaction of the components in addition to the impact on drilling tasks. Many current rigs use an outdated system of verbal, reactionary communication to perform maintenance and updates that frequently are postponed due to the difficulty of scheduling. There is a need in the art for an improved way to schedule and perform maintenance on a drilling rig.
SUMMARYEmbodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods for coordinating schedules for executing work orders on an oilfield drilling rig. The methods include receiving a rig dynamic schedule that describes activities of the drilling rig as a whole, wherein the drilling rig comprises rig equipment, and receiving a plurality of work orders that describe maintenance work to be performed on the drilling equipment. The methods also include receiving an equipment-specific dynamic schedule for the rig equipment, wherein the equipment-specific schedule is coordinated with the rig schedule, and providing a composite dynamic schedule including the rig schedule and the equipment-specific schedule.
In still further embodiments, the methods include assigning an availability value for the rig equipment, assigning an invasiveness value to the work order, and assigning an interruption tolerance value to the rig schedule. The interruption tolerance value pertains to the harm associated with rendering the rig equipment unavailable due to the work order, and if a combination of the availability value and invasiveness value is sufficiently low and the interruption tolerance is sufficiently high according to predetermined values, authorizing the work order.
In other embodiments the present disclosure is directed to methods for receiving a rig planned schedule of events for a drilling rig, the rig having rig equipment configured to execute various tasks according to the rig schedule. A particular rig equipment or component is designated as idle or busy during certain times. The methods also include identifying a schedule of the various tasks for specific rig equipment according to the rig schedule, receiving a plurality of work orders describing work that is to be performed on the rig equipment, and monitoring the status of the rig equipment with a sensor deployed on the rig equipment. The sensor measures an observable parameter that dictates whether or not the rig equipment is in active use or is idle. If the status of the rig equipment is idle according to the monitoring status, authorizing a work order on rig equipment that is designated as busy according to the rig schedule.
In yet other embodiments the present disclosure is directed to an apparatus for use on a drilling rig including an operating portion configured to perform work related to a drilling operation, a sensor operably coupled to the operating portion, the sensor being configured to measure at least one observable parameter that is related to the operation of the operating portion. The apparatus also includes a communication component operably coupled to the sensor and configured to communicate the measured observable parameter of the operating portion to a remote computing device to indicate the status of the operating portion.
In still further embodiments the remote computing device of the apparatus includes a scheduler configured to receive a schedule of rig operations and to coordinate operations of the operating portion with the schedule of rig operations. The scheduler is configured to authorize execution of a work order pertaining to the operating portion based at least in part upon the measurements taken by the sensor.
Below is a detailed description according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The calendar and associated features shown and described in
In some embodiments there are a number of equipment components such as top drive 12, mud pumps 14, drawworks 16, power 18, and hydraulics 20. It is to be appreciated that this list is not exhaustive and that there can be any number and type of equipment listed in a given application, including duplicates of any one or more of the items. The equipment shown and described with respect to
The schedule 10 includes blocked-off times 30 identified as busy, standby, or any other unavailable (or partially unavailable) status. Idle time (available time) 32 for each piece of equipment shows times during which certain equipment is available for performing a WO. In some embodiments a WO can schedule a time for a piece of equipment; however, in most cases priority is given to critical operations and maintenance is given a secondary priority. Accordingly maintenance can be scheduled during available times, ensuring that maintenance is more timely performed and fewer components are allowed to skip their WO time frame due to lack of communication or other inefficiencies.
At 46 schedules for the WO can be received. The WO can include a time by which the work should (or in some cases must) be performed. In some embodiments the time for performing the WO is initially tentative and subject to availability. In some cases a WO can specify a high priority such as if the equipment may breakdown catastrophically without proper maintenance. In some embodiments an outside source of information such as the manufacturer of the equipment may issue a recall or a stop work order for their products because of new information coming to light in which case the WO can be given a high priority.
At 48 the method includes identifying time windows for the WO(s) to be executed. This can be achieved by looking at the schedules and finding an available time. The proposed time window can compute two numbers: first, a probability that the time window will actually occur based on past statistics which can be maintained in a database for analysis; and second a probability that the actual maintenance time will fit into the time window. In some embodiments the time availability of two or more components is coupled together to perform maintenance on both components at the same time if the WO dictates that there is an opportunity for efficiently avoiding duplicate efforts. For example, suppose there are two pumps that need a certain cleaning operation. If both pumps can be cleaned simultaneously the method can include looking for a time during which both pumps are available and, if possible, schedule the maintenance accordingly.
At 50 a check is performed to determine whether or not there is sufficient idle/semi-idle time to perform all WOs. This could be manual process (human decision) or an automated process based on probability rules. If yes, at 52 the WOs are scheduled and executed and the method terminates. If, however, there is insufficient time, at 54 a separate inquiry can be made to determine alternative available times for availability of equipment.
The computation component 68 can use this information to achieve a more detailed picture of whether or not a given piece of equipment is accessible for a given WO or not. For example, suppose a hydraulic component is scheduled as “busy” during a given day. Perhaps the rig operator is accustomed to having the hydraulic component ready for use in case of an emergency or another eventuality. Perhaps regulation or policy requires the hydraulic component to be available but in a standby mode. The sensors can be used to measure the actual use of the hydraulic component during the subject time period and can use this information to authorize a WO to be executed on the hydraulic component even though it is ostensibly “busy” during that time.
The computing component 68 can store the information for use over time and compile a probabilistic model of availability for the equipment. Suppose there is a component that is scheduled “busy” for a certain type of rig activity. The computing component 68 can access past, similar operations and may find that the data shows that 80% of the time during this process this component is actually idle and therefore there is a good chance that a WO may be executed during this time period. In some embodiments the computing component 68 can issue a tentative authorization to perform a WO with an instruction that the equipment may actually be unavailable and that before performing the WO the status should be verified.
In some embodiments the WO can include a description of the level of invasiveness of the work to be performed as per the WO. Some maintenance requires dismantling of equipment or other significant operation that cannot easily be reversed if an urgent, unexpected need to access the equipment arises. Other maintenance work can be terminated mid-stream quickly and the subject equipment can be returned to duty relatively quickly. The WO can provide a numerical value describing the invasiveness of the WO, or a description of the time, equipment, location, personnel or other aspects that will be required to return the subject equipment to service. If the combination of the probability the subject equipment will be needed and the invasiveness of the action is favorable, the WO can be executed with higher confidence that it will not disrupt normal operations of the rig as a whole.
At 90 the WO executing party can initiate the WO. In other embodiments the WO can come from another party. The WO can be stored in a database and can include information necessary to allow proper scheduling of equipment and personnel to execute the WO. At 92 the rig activities are scheduled. The rig activities can include macro scheduling operations such as “drilling” “trip out” and other common rig-wide activities. The schedule can be delivered to the database for access by other relevant components and parties. At 94 the schedule is accessed by the WO executing party 86. The WO executing party 86 can read the schedule to determine if there is available time to execute the WO in a manner similar to what was described above with respect to
In some embodiments at 100 “monitoring equipment” can include accessing a database for information describing past usage information for similar tasks to infer availability when even when the schedule may report “busy.” Accordingly, the WO is more likely to be executed in a timely, rapid manner using the systems and methods of the present disclosure. Monitoring the equipment allows use and access based on actual measurements of equipment.
The foregoing disclosure hereby enables a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the disclosed systems without undue experimentation. Certain examples are given to for purposes of explanation and are not given in a limiting manner.
Claims
1. A method for coordinating schedules for executing work orders on an oilfield drilling rig, the method comprising:
- receiving a rig schedule that describes activities of the drilling rig as a whole, wherein the drilling rig comprises rig equipment;
- receiving a plurality of work orders that describe maintenance work to be performed on the drilling equipment;
- receiving an equipment-specific schedule for the rig equipment, wherein the equipment-specific schedule is coordinated with the rig schedule;
- providing a composite schedule including the rig schedule and the equipment-specific schedule.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the rig equipment for activity and updating the equipment-specific schedule according to the monitoring.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein monitoring the rig equipment comprises measuring at least one of temperature, movement, vibration, fuel consumption, position, chemical properties, and proximity to other components.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the rig equipment comprises a first component and a second component, wherein the work order comprises a description of work that can be performed simultaneously on both the first and second components, the method further comprising identifying a time during which both the first and second components are available for the work.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the rig equipment comprises at least one of a top drive, mud pumps, drawworks, a power component, and a hydraulic component.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether or not there is sufficient time to execute the work orders.
7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
- assigning an availability value for the rig equipment;
- assigning an invasiveness value to the work order;
- assigning an interruption tolerance value to the rig schedule, wherein the interruption tolerance value pertains to the harm associated with rendering the rig equipment unavailable due to the work order; and
- if a combination of the availability value and invasiveness value is sufficiently low and the interruption tolerance is sufficiently high according to predetermined values, authorizing the work order.
8. A method, comprising:
- receiving a rig schedule of events for a drilling rig, the rig having rig equipment configured to execute various tasks according to the rig schedule, wherein rig equipment is designated as idle or busy during certain times;
- identifying a schedule of the various tasks for specific rig equipment according to the rig schedule;
- receiving a plurality of work orders describing work that is to be performed on the rig equipment;
- monitoring the status of the rig equipment with a sensor deployed on the rig equipment, the sensor being configured to measure an observable parameter that dictates whether or not the rig equipment is in active use or is idle; and
- if the status of the rig equipment is idle according to the monitoring status, authorizing a work order on rig equipment that is designated as busy according to the rig schedule.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
- calculating an availability value for the rig equipment based at least in part upon the monitored status of the rig equipment; and
- using the availability value to authorize the work order.
10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
- calculating an invasiveness value based at least in part upon the work order that denotes the resources required to return the rig equipment to working order; and
- using the invasiveness value to authorize the work order.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the plurality of work orders comprises receiving a work order from a source located remotely from the drilling rig.
12. The method of claim 8 wherein the observable parameter is related to the nature of the rig equipment and denotes active use of the rig equipment.
13. The method of claim 8 wherein receiving a plurality of work orders comprises receiving a description of the resources required to execute on the work order.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the resources required include at least one of time, personnel, and parts required.
15. An apparatus for use on a drilling rig, comprising:
- an operating portion configured to perform work related to a drilling operation;
- a sensor operably coupled to the operating portion, the sensor being configured to measure at least one observable parameter that is related to the operation of the operating portion; and
- a communication component operably coupled to the sensor and configured to communicate the measured observable parameter of the operating portion to a remote computing device to indicate the status of the operating portion.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the operating portion comprises at least one of a top drive, a drawworks, a mud pump, a power component, and a hydraulic unit.
17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the remote computing device comprises a scheduler configured to receive a schedule of rig operations and to coordinate operations of the operating portion with the schedule of rig operations, wherein the scheduler is configured to authorize execution of a work order pertaining to the operating portion based at least in part upon the measurements taken by the sensor.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the scheduler is configured to calculate an availability score based on the measurements.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the scheduler is configured to store information on past measurements of the observable parameter and past operation of the operating portion, wherein the scheduler is further configured to identify a similarity between a past operation and an upcoming operation of the operating portion and infer availability of the apparatus based at least in part upon the past operations.
20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of sensors, each of which is configured to measure a different observable parameter related to a different aspect of operation of the operating portion.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 25, 2018
Publication Date: Apr 23, 2020
Inventor: Juan-Carlos YEPEZ (Katy, TX)
Application Number: 16/624,480