Automatic drilling system
DC CAFC
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An automatic drilling system for automatically regulating the release of the drill string of a drilling rig during the drilling of a borehole, comprising:
- a drilling fluid pressure sensor;
a drilling fluid pressure regulator coupled to said drilling fluid pressure sensor, said drilling fluid pressure regulator measuring changes in drilling fluid pressure and outputting a signal representing those changes;
a relay coupled to said drilling fluid pressure regulator, said relay responsive to the output signal of said drilling fluid pressure regulator to supply a drill string control signal at an output thereof; and
a drill string controller coupled to said relay wherein a decrease in drilling fluid pressure results in said relay supplying a drill string control signal that operates said drill string controller to effect an increase in the rate of release of said drill string and an increase in drilling fluid pressure results in said relay supplying a drill string control signal that operates said drill string controller to effect a decrease in the rate of release of said drill string.
2 Assignments
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1 Petition
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Abstract
An automatic drilling system regulates the drill string of a drilling rig in response to any one of, any combination of, or all of drilling fluid pressure, bit weight, drill string torque, and drill string RPM to achieve an optimal rate of bit penetration. The automatic drilling system includes a drilling fluid pressure sensor, a bit weight sensor, a drill string torque sensor, and a drill string RPM sensor which deliver a drilling fluid pressure signal, a bit weight signal, a drill string torque signal, and a drill string RPM signal to a drilling fluid pressure regulator, a bit weight regulator, a drill string torque regulator, and a drill string RPM regulator. The regulators control a drill string controller in response to the above signals so that it manipulates the drilling rig to release the drill string at a rate which maintains the maximum rate of bit penetration.
146 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An automatic drilling system for automatically regulating the release of the drill string of a drilling rig during the drilling of a borehole, comprising:
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a drilling fluid pressure sensor; a drilling fluid pressure regulator coupled to said drilling fluid pressure sensor, said drilling fluid pressure regulator measuring changes in drilling fluid pressure and outputting a signal representing those changes; a relay coupled to said drilling fluid pressure regulator, said relay responsive to the output signal of said drilling fluid pressure regulator to supply a drill string control signal at an output thereof; and a drill string controller coupled to said relay wherein a decrease in drilling fluid pressure results in said relay supplying a drill string control signal that operates said drill string controller to effect an increase in the rate of release of said drill string and an increase in drilling fluid pressure results in said relay supplying a drill string control signal that operates said drill string controller to effect a decrease in the rate of release of said drill string. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An automatic drilling system for automatically regulating the releasing of the drill string of a drilling rig during the drilling of a borehole, comprising:
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a drilling fluid pressure sensor; a bit weight sensor; a drilling fluid pressure regulator responsive to changes in drilling fluid pressure for outputting a signal representative of those changes; a bit weight regulator responsive to changes in bit weight for outputting a signal representative of those changes; a first relay connected to said drilling fluid pressure regulator, said first relay responsive to the output signal of said drilling fluid pressure regulator to supply a first drill string control signal at an output thereof; a second relay connected to said bit weight regulator, said first relay responsive to the output signal of said bit weight regulator to supply a second drill string control signal at an output thereof; a relay selector connected to said first and second relay to select any one of said first drill string control signal, said second drill string control signal, and both of said first and second drill string control signals to control the release of said drill string; and a drill string controller coupled to said first and second relays wherein when said first drill string control signal represents a decrease in drilling fluid pressure, said drill string controller increases the rate of release of said drill string and when said first drill string control signal represents an increase in drilling fluid pressure, said drill string controller increases the rate of release of said drill string, and further wherein when said second drill string control signal represents a decrease in bit weight, said drill string controller decreases the rate of release of said drill string and when said second drill string control signal represents an increase in bit weight, said drill string controller decreases the rate of release of said drill string. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method for automatically regulating the release of the drill string of a drilling rig drill, comprising the steps of:
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measuring drilling fluid pressure; producing a signal in response to changes in drilling fluid pressure, said signal representing the changes in drilling fluid pressure; relaying said signal to a drill string controller; and controlling said drill string controller to increase the rate of release of said drill string when said signal represents a decrease in drilling fluid pressure and to decrease the rate of release of said drill string when said signal represents an increase in drilling fluid pressure. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A method for automatically regulating the release of the drill string of a drilling rig drill, comprising the steps of:
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measuring drilling fluid pressure and bit weight; producing a first signal in response to changes in drilling fluid pressure, said first signal representing the changes in drilling fluid pressure; producing a second signal in response to changes in bit weight, said second signal representing the changes in bit weight; selecting any one of said first signal, said second signal, and both said first and said second signals to control the release of said drill string; and relaying said selected signal or signals to a drill string controller which regulates the release said drill string in response to said selected signal or signals. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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Specification
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Litigation Data
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Current AssigneeMD/Totco (National Oilwell Varco Incorporated)
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Original AssigneeBobbie J Bowden
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InventorsBowden, Bobbie J.
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Primary Examiner(s)Britts, Ramon S.
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Assistant Examiner(s)TSAY, FRANK
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Application NumberUS08/050,527Time in Patent Office967 DaysField of Search175/24, 175/27, 175/52, 175/57, 175/162, 73/732, 73/790US Class Current175/27CPC Class CodesE21B 44/02 Automatic control of the to...
