DrillTronics

DrillTronics software automates drilling process control, enabling drillers to optimize and enhance the safety of their drilling operations. Integrated with the rig’s drilling control system (DCS) machine controls for drawworks, top drive, and mud pumps, DrillTronics applies the same advanced modeling capabilities as DrillScene® to maintain wellbore stability and consequently reduce non-productive time.

Combining advanced modeling and control of key machinery, DrillTronics can help drillers avoid critical situations that might lead to significant economic losses.

DrillTronics can determine all possible combinations of a driller’s actions (string accelerations, velocities, rotation, pump start-ups and flow rates) that could cause the dynamic downhole pressure to reach or exceed wellbore stability and geopressure limits. Once this safe operating envelope has been established, DrillTronics can ensure that all drilling operations are conducted within the limits.

How DrillTronics can help

The primary focus for a DrillTronics installation is to enhance drilling operations and maximize productive time during drilling.

It achieves this by:

• Applying operational safeguards to the drilling control system. These ensure that pressure inside the wellbore remains within the geopressure window, even during transient operations such as starting the mud pump or tripping in or out of hole.
• Providing automatic safety mechanisms. These safety triggers react to drilling incidents (such as a pack-offs) and take corrective action to prevent problems from becoming more serious.
• Enabling automatic sequences while ensuring that the well is protected by using safeguards and automatic safety mechanisms. The automated sequences offer greater efficiency and consistency across a range of drilling operations. They allow the driller to focus on the most important information while executing standard operations. Predefined automatic functions implement the required operational sequences and manage associated parameters when operating the mud pumps, draw works and top drive.

DrillTronics: tailored to your needs

Drilling operations can be highly variable. Every borehole requires a different approach and places specific demands on the driller and the drilling system.

When activated, DrillTronics calculates safe limits and applies these to the Drilling Control System (DCS). The default setting is that all of the automated functions, safeguards and safety triggers are active during the operation, but the setup can be configured to fit the specific operation.

The DrillTronics functions to activate are:

• Safeguarded drill string movement
• Safeguarded and semi-automatic pump startup
• Safeguarded and automatic friction test
• Safeguarded and automatic reciprocation
• Automatic safety triggers for ov