An eye tracking based framework for safety improvement of offshore operations

Offshore drilling operations consist of complex and high-risk processes. Lack of situational awareness in drilling operations has become an important human factor issue that causes safety accidents. Prolonged work shifts and fatigue are some of the crucial issues that impact performance. Eye tracking technology can be used to distinguish the degree of awareness or alertness of participants that might be related to fatigue or onsite distractions. Oculomotor activity can be used to obtain visual cues that can quantify the drilling operators’ situational awareness that might enable us to develop warning alarms to alert the driller. Such systems can help reduce accidents and save non-productive time. In this paper, eye movement characteristics were investigated to differentiate the situational awareness between a representative expert and a group of novices using a scenario-based Virtual Reality Drilling Simulator. Significant visual oculomotor activity differences were identified between the expert and the novices that indicate an eye-tracking based system can detect the distraction and alertness exhibited by the workers. Results show promise on developing a framework which implements a real-time eye tracking technology in various drilling operations at drilling rigs and Real Time Operation Centers to improve process safety

Bridging the Gap Between Humans and Machines for the Drilling Industry

Drilling is perhaps the most revolutionary advancement humanity has ever experienced. Since its invention, man has seen extraordinary and rapid improvements in quality of life. At the core of drilling’s rapid evolution are the deep motivations for improving performance, profit margins, and efficiency. But with all of the advances also comes more significant risks to humans and more demanding operational settings. One issue of late is the growing divide between drilling technologies and the humans who invented them. Human involvement in the drilling process is dramatically decreasing while all the new technological solutions keep moving in. Yes, machines and technology might be bearing more of the workload, but there will always be a need for humans during the drilling process – invention, input, intervention, and termination. Furthermore, as long as companies continue to preach “safety” and “efficiency,” there will always be a requirement for keeping humans in the loop of drilling’s future innovations. This thesis spans many essential topics from both sides of this growing divide. Perspectives helping push the human-centric concept forward include practical applications borrowed from cognitive psychology, design, human factors engineering, and crew resource management. The machine perspective is a review of drilling simulators and mathematical approaches, plus a proposal of the future of drilling machines due to spec-driven technological requirements and future drilling applications. This thesis also presents a series of drilling simulator experiments that test humans' communication and attention abilities, and the cumulative results suggest that the drilling industry might benefit from a standardized or universal drilling language. This thesis concludes with ideas for future research and a new framework to adopt. Above all, this thesis encourages a new paradigm that promotes innovation while bridging the gap between humans and drilling machines

HORIZONTAL FLOW LOOP DESIGN FOR THE STUDY OF DRILL STRING ROTATION EFFECTS ON CUTTINGS TRANSPORT

Exploration and Production companies are continually focusing more time, energy and resources into Extended Reach Drilling in order to maximize reservoir production while minimizing both environmental impact and development costs. These long laterals (2:1 Measured Depth: True Vertical Depth) are often more difficult to drill and can be severely impacted by inadequate drilling practices. Cuttings transport efficiency is a critical parameter of Extended Reach Drilling operations, and poor wellbore cleaning can lead to excessive torque, drag, and several other serious downhole problems. Although many studies have been performed that identify the importance of drill string rotation on cuttings movement, there is still much to be learned about the correlation between rotation and hole cleaning. This increase in transport cuttings efficiency is more pronounced in larger diameter holes, where often sudden increases in transport efficiency occur when drill string rotation nears both 120 and 180 RPM. This document presents a design of a flow loop capable of emulating downhole flow conditions and high RPM drill string rotation in a large diameter wellbore, which would allow for the study and better understanding of this phenomenon. This design will also be the first that allows drill string interchangeability and adjustment of drill string centerline within the casing, further increasing research capabilities. A comprehensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model has also been designed. This model will be used alongside the flow loop and will be refined and validated by future flow loop experiments. This flow loop and CFD model can be used to develop working correlations and provide real world predictive models. A strong comprehension of these step changes in cuttings removal rates could allow for the development of new technology or drilling practices that could replicate this effect, increasing transport efficiency dramatically. With the ever-increasing importance of successful Extended Reach Campaigns, companies are relying heavily on technological and operational breakthroughs to push the envelope of Extended Reach

Benefits of VTOL aircraft in offshore petroleum logistics support

The mission suitability and potential economic benefits of advanced VTOL aircraft were investigated for logistics support of petroleum operations in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Concepts such as the tilt rotor and lift/cruise fan are promising for future operations beyond 150 miles offshore, where their high cruise efficiency provides savings in trip time, fuel consumption, and capital investment. Depending upon mission requirements, the aircraft operating costs are reduced by as much as 20 percent to 50 percent from those of current helicopters

Cal Poly Heliodon

The purpose of the Heliodon project is to provide professors with a means to educate students about the movement of the sun and how that movement varies with location on earth and throughout the year

Data-Driven Numerical Simulation and Optimization Using Machine Learning, and Artificial Neural Networks Methods for Drilling Dysfunction Identification and Automation

Providing the necessary energy supply to a growing world and market is essential to support human social development in an environmentally friendly. The energy industry is undergoing a digital transformation and rapidly adopting advanced technologies to improve safety and productivity and reduce carbon emissions. Energy companies are convinced that applying data-driven and physics-based technologies is the economical way forward. In drilling engineering, automating components of the drilling process has seen remarkable milestones with considerable efficiency gains. However, more elegant solutions are needed to plan, simulate, and optimize the drilling process for traditional and renewable energy generation. This work contributes to such efforts, specifically in autonomous drilling optimization, real-time drilling simulation, and data-driven methods by developing: 1) a physics-based and data-driven drilling optimization and control methodologies to aid drilling operators in performing more effective decisions and optimizing the Rate of Penetration (ROP) while reducing drilling dysfunctions. 2) developing an integrated real-time drilling simulator, 3) using data-driven methodologies to identify drilling inefficiencies and improve performance. Initially, a novel drilling control systems algorithm using machine learning methods to maximize the performance of manually controlled drilling while advising was investigated. This study employs feasible non-linear control theory and data analysis to assist in data pre-analysis and evaluation. Further emphasis was spent on developing algorithms based on formation identification and Mechanical Specific Energy (MSE), simulation, and validation. Initial drilling tests were performed in a lab-scale drilling rig with improved ROP and dysfunction identification algorithms to validate the simulated performance. Ultimately, the miniaturized drilling machine was fully automated and improved with several systems to improve performance and study the dynamic behavior while drilling by designing and implementing new control algorithms to mitigate dysfunctions and optimize the rate of penetration (ROP). Secondly, to overcome some of the current limitations faced by the industry and the need for the integration of drilling simulation models and software, in which cross-domain physics are uni-fied within a single tool through the proposition and publication of an initial common open-source framework for drilling simulation and modeling. An open-source framework and platform that spans across technical drilling disciplines surpass what any single academic or commercial orga-nization can achieve. Subsequently, a complementary filter for downhole orientation estimation was investigated and developed using numerical modeling simulation methods. In addition, the prospective drilling simulator components previously discussed were used to validate, visualize, and benchmark the performance of the dynamic models using prerecorded high-frequency down-hole data from horizontal wells. Lastly, machine-learning techniques were analyzed using open, and proprietary recorded well logs to identify, derive, and train supervised learning algorithms to quickly identify ongoing or incipient vibration and loading patterns that can damage drill bits and slow the drilling process. Followed by the analysis and implementation feasibility of using these trained models into a con-tained downhole tool for both geothermal and oil drilling operations was analyzed. As such, the primary objectives of this interdisciplinary work build from the milestones mentioned above; in-corporating data-driven, probabilistic, and numerical simulation methods for improved drilling dysfunction identification, automation, and optimization

Design of a Kite-Powered Water Pump and Airborne Wind Turbine

The goal of this project was two-fold: to adapt the existing WPI Kite Power System to pump water, and to develop a new airborne energy system that harvests electricity from the wind using a turbine suspended from a large kite. A mechanical pump and a head simulation valve were successfully installed and tested on the existing WPI Kite Power System. A support frame for an airborne wind turbine was successfully constructed, installed and tested for use with a sled kite

Applications of aerospace technology to petroleum exploration. Volume 1: Efforts and results

The feasibility of applying aerospace techniques to help solve significant problems in petroleum exploration is studied. Through contacts with petroleum industry and petroleum service industry, important petroleum exploration problems were identified. For each problem, areas of aerospace technology that might aid in its solution were also identified where possible. Topics selected for investigation include: seismic reflection systems; down-hole acoustic techniques; identification of geological analogies; drilling methods; remote geological sensing; and sea floor imaging and mapping. Specific areas of aerospace technology are applied to 21 concepts formulated from the topics of concern

Flowrate Measurement Based on ECD Behavior in Cementing HPHT Well

Cementing in HPHT well is approach used by many players in the oil and gas industry nowadays. This is due to most of reserve is situated in deeper location compare with regular well drill before. In order to perform cementing process in this location, it is very challenging. This is because the HPHT well is high in reservoir temperature and pressure and narrow density window. Therefore, details study and analyze of well parameters should be taken into consideration in design and execute cementing process. This paper is objectively to measure the flow rate of slurry when cementing in HPHT well with regards the ECD behavior. This is being obtained through the cement design slurry by using Landmark software. The software used encompasses three module like COMPASS module, WELLPLAN module and OPTICEM module which well trajectory design through COMPASS module and cement design by using WELLPLAN module and OPTICEM module. Pertaining on that, the ECD behavior is tabulated. As a result, the optimum flow rate of the slurry is measured and recorded

System and method for controlling a drilling path based on drift estimates

A method includes receiving toolface information corresponding to a location of the bottom hole assembly (BHA) with respect to a target drilling path and drift information. The surface steerable system calculates a first toolface vector from a first location of the BHA to the target drilling path to create a convergence path to the target drilling path and calculates an adjustment of the first toolface vector to a second toolface vector to account for system drift defined by the drift information such that the BHA will converge with the target drilling path by drilling in accordance with the second toolface vector. The surface steerable system modifies at least one drilling parameter to alter a drilling direction of the BHA based on the calculated second toolface vector and transmits the at least one drilling parameter to the drilling rig to target the BHA in accordance with the second toolface vector.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste