198 patents
Utility
Side saddle traversable drilling rig
16 Jan 24
A land-based drilling rig includes a drill rig floor and a subfloor, the subfloor supporting the drill rig floor.
Padira Reddy, Denver Lee, Premkumar Mongattil
Filed: 27 Aug 21
Utility
Devices, systems and methods to calculate slide stability
2 Jan 24
Systems, devices, and methods for measuring toolface angles on a drilling rig and calculating a slide stability score are provided.
Colin J. Gillan
Filed: 11 Oct 18
Utility
System and Method of Automating the Alteration of Drilling Parameters or an Automation Configuration
21 Dec 23
A method that includes storing automated drilling-related workflows (“ADRWs”) in an electronic database, with each including a set of instructions to be executed by a controller so that a task is executed from beginning to end.
Austin GROOVER, Scott COFFEY, Drew CURRAN, Adam LACROLIX
Filed: 1 Sep 23
Utility
Controlling Operating Parameters of a Surface Drilling Rig to Optimize Bottom-hole Assembly ("Bha") Drilling Performance
14 Dec 23
Method(s) and apparatus according to which: a bottom-hole assembly (“BHA”) and a drilling rig together attempt to drill a wellbore segment along a planned trajectory while a test scenario is executed on the drilling rig by varying operating parameter(s) of the drilling rig in a predetermined manner during a predetermined time interval; performance characteristic(s) monitored by sensor(s) of the BHA during the predetermined time interval are then received; the predetermined manner in which the operating parameter(s) of the drilling rig were varied during the predetermined time interval is/are then compared to the received performance characteristic(s) monitored by the sensor(s) of the BHA during the predetermined time interval; and based on said comparison, the operating parameter(s) of a drilling rig (e.g., another drilling rig) are controlled while a BHA (e.g., another BHA) operably associated with the drilling rig attempts to drill a wellbore segment along a similar planned trajectory.
Scott BOONE
Filed: 16 Aug 23
Utility
Tubular Management System Error Detection
16 Nov 23
A method for conducting subterranean operations can include engaging a tubular with a pipe handler, moving the tubular with the pipe handler to a new location, disengaging from the tubular at the new location, determining, via a rig controller, an estimated location of the tubular based on the new location at which the pipe handler disengaged from the tubular, determining, via a machine learning module of the rig controller and one or more imaging sensors, a deviation from the estimated location of the tubular.
Pradeep ANNAIYAPPA
Filed: 12 May 23
Utility
Torque Ring Selection
2 Nov 23
A method for making up a tool joint in a casing string that can include operations of installing a first casing collar on a first end of a first casing segment, determining a first selection distance that is measured between a shoulder of the first end of the first casing segment and a shoulder of the first casing collar, and selecting a first torque ring based on the first selection distance.
Eric Couch, Julio Romero, Bradley W. Riley, John D. Polen, David Hasler
Filed: 28 Apr 23
Utility
Collapsible mud bucket
10 Oct 23
A mud bucket system including a base structure and a bellows with a longitudinal internal cavity, the base structure attached to one end of the bellows and a retention ring attached to another end, where the vertical movement of the retention ring lengthens or shortens the longitudinal internal cavity, and a method of using the system that can include coupling a mud bucket to a rig floor, raising a retention ring of the mud bucket, thereby elongating a longitudinal internal cavity of the mud bucket such that a connection of a tubular string is positioned within the longitudinal internal cavity, and unthreading the connection while the connection is positioned within the longitudinal internal cavity, where a tubular is connected to the tubular string at the connection and unthreading the connection disconnects the tubular from the tubular string and expels a fluid from the tubular into the longitudinal internal cavity.
Derek Patterson, David Siljeg
Filed: 30 Nov 21
Utility
Auto-filling tubulars
10 Oct 23
A method for performing a subterranean operation that can include operations of engaging a tubular with a pipe handler, calculating, via a processor, an internal volume of the tubular, determining, via the processor, a number of pump strokes required to fill at least a percentage of the internal volume with fluid, pumping the fluid to the tubular by running a pump the number of pump strokes, and filling the internal volume of the tubular to at least the percentage of the internal volume with the fluid.
David Hasler, Pradeep Annaiyappa, David G. Shackelford
Filed: 25 Feb 22
Utility
Controlling operating parameters of a surface drilling rig to optimize bottom-hole assembly (“BHA”) drilling performance
19 Sep 23
Method(s) and apparatus according to which: a bottom-hole assembly (“BHA”) and a drilling rig together attempt to drill a wellbore segment along a planned trajectory while a test scenario is executed on the drilling rig by varying operating parameter(s) of the drilling rig in a predetermined manner during a predetermined time interval; performance characteristic(s) monitored by sensor(s) of the BHA during the predetermined time interval are then received; the predetermined manner in which the operating parameter(s) of the drilling rig were varied during the predetermined time interval is/are then compared to the received performance characteristic(s) monitored by the sensor(s) of the BHA during the predetermined time interval; and based on said comparison, the operating parameter(s) of a drilling rig (e.g., another drilling rig) are controlled while a BHA (e.g., another BHA) operably associated with the drilling rig attempts to drill a wellbore segment along a similar planned trajectory.
Scott Boone
Filed: 21 Jun 21
Utility
Tubular detection system for a fingerboard
12 Sep 23
A system comprising a rig, a fingerboard, a first sensor, and a second sensor, with the first sensor positioned on an opposite side of the entrance from the second sensor, where the first sensor and the second sensor are used to detect when a tubular enters or exits the fingerboard and to detect a parameter of the tubular, such as diameter of the tubular, speed of the tubular, and an angle of entry of the tubular.
John Patterson, Scott Boone
Filed: 31 Dec 20
Utility
Method and apparatus for identifying a potential problem with a bottom hole assembly (BHA) combination using a feedback control loop system
12 Sep 23
An apparatus for, and method of identifying a potential problem with a bottom hole assembly (“BHA”) combination that is used in a drilling operation.
Austin Groover, Scott Coffey, Drew Curran, Adam Lacroix
Filed: 1 Aug 22
Utility
Methods and Apparatus to Create and Implement a Steering Command for a Rotary Steerable System
7 Sep 23
A method of identifying a steering command for a rotary steerable system (“RSS”) that includes identifying, by one or more processors, a solution arc for an upcoming drilling segment; automatically identifying, by the one or more processors and in response to the identification of the solution arc, the steering command for the RSS; and automatically identifying, by the one or more processor and in response to the identification of the steering command, downlink commands to be sent to the RSS.
Colin GILLAN, Mohammed ALSAQI
Filed: 2 Mar 22
Utility
Method and apparatus for automatically modifying a drilling path in response to a reversal of a predicted trend
15 Aug 23
A system and method of directionally steering a bottom hole assembly (“BHA”) by receiving data indicative of a directional trend of the BHA and a projection to bit depth; determining a location of the BHA based on the received data; comparing the location of the BHA to a planned drilling path to identify an amount of deviation; automatically creating a modified drilling path based on the amount of deviation and a predicted trend of a downhole parameter; detecting a trend of the downhole parameter while drilling along the modified drilling path; and automatically creating a further modified drilling path when the trend of the downhole parameter is a reversal of the predicted trend of the downhole parameter.
Scott Gilbert Boone, Brian Ellis, Colin Gillan, Beat Küttel
Filed: 1 Aug 22
Utility
Modeling friction along a wellbore
8 Aug 23
Systems and methods for subterranean drilling operations comprising: adjusting a wellbore parameter; measuring a time interval between adjustment of the wellbore parameter and a resulting change at a bottom hole assembly of a drill string; using the measured time interval and determining resistance in the wellbore; and modeling the resistance to form a friction model of the wellbore.
Pradeep Annaiyappa
Filed: 23 Aug 19
Utility
Torque measuring tool and method
1 Aug 23
The present disclosure relates to subterranean drilling, and more particularly to tools, systems, and methods used to measure torque applied by subterranean drilling machines, such as iron roughnecks, during the make-up and break out of drill pipe connections.
Hendrik Schalk Le Roux
Filed: 6 May 21
Utility
Rig Task Management
29 Jun 23
Systems and methods for performing subterranean operations include receiving a digital rig plan which comprises a sequence of at least a subset of available rig tasks for a rig, executing a rig task in the digital rig plan that involves a fluid, monitoring at least one parameter of the fluid during execution of the rig task, and continuing or stopping the rig task based on the monitoring of the at least one parameter of the fluid.
Scott BOONE
Filed: 30 Nov 22
Utility
Energy Storage System Control
29 Jun 23
A method for managing a power system is provided and can include energizing an alternating current (AC) bus via one or more generators, rectifying energy from the AC bus to power a direct current (DC) bus, powering one or more loads electrically coupled to the DC bus, monitoring a DC voltage of the DC bus, detecting a magnitude and a rate of change of the DC voltage or AC frequency from a predetermined value, and transferring an amount of power between the DC bus or the AC bus, and an energy storage system electrically coupled to the buses to return the DC voltage or AC frequency substantially to the predetermined value, wherein the amount of power is based on the magnitude and rate of change.
Kevin R. WILLIAMS
Filed: 6 Dec 22
Utility
Digital Twin for Rig Operations
29 Jun 23
A method for simulating a rig operation that can include creating a digital twin of a rig based on a rig plan for assembling/disassembling a rig; simulating, via the digital twin, a list of tasks for assembly/disassembly of rig components to assemble/disassemble the rig at a rig site.
Pradeep ANNAIYAPPA, Malini MANOCHA
Filed: 15 Dec 22
Utility
Digital Twin for Rig Operations
29 Jun 23
A method for simulating a rig operation that can include creating a digital twin of a rig based on a rig plan for assembling/disassembling a rig; simulating, via the digital twin, a list of tasks for assembly/disassembly of rig components to assemble/disassemble the rig at a rig site.
Pradeep ANNAIYAPPA, Malini Manocha
Filed: 21 Dec 22
Utility
Performance Management
29 Jun 23
A method for performing a subterranean operation that can include operations for controlling, via an individual driller, execution of at least a portion of a digital rig plan that is an implementation of a digital well plan on a rig; determining, via a rig controller, a first performance score of the individual driller for controlling the execution of the portion; and adjusting, via the rig controller, a second performance score of the digital rig plan based on the first performance score of the individual driller, where the second performance score indicates performance of the digital rig plan to the digital well plan.
Scott Boone, Pradeep Annaiyappa
Filed: 29 Nov 22