The Utilization of the Massive Amount of Real-Time Data Acquired in Wired Drillpipe Operations

Abstract

Abstract Drilling data telemetry rates with the current commercial mud pulse MWD systems present a severe bottleneck to the users of downhole drilling data. Wired drillpipe (WDP) telemetry allows for a several orders of magnitude increase in data transmission rates. StatoilHydro tested WDP during the drilling of the horizontal section of a well on the Visund platform in the Norwegian North Sea. There were two aspects of this test: first, the hardware and process operation of the wired drill pipe with a full range of MWD and LWD tools, and second, the use of this data by a multi-disciplinary team in real-time to turn data into information so that better drilling decisions could be made. While this paper discusses both of these areas, it concentrates on the use of WDP data. High bandwidth downhole formation evaluation, wellbore, and drilling mechanics data from WDP telemetry were combined with standard surface drilling and depth data for transmission from the platform to an onshore support center. The WDP Enhanced Decision Team was deployed in a passive test mode adjacent to the center. The members of this team had expertise in geomechanics, petrophysics, geology, image interpretation, structural modeling, and drilling mechanics. The nature of the test was that the group could not directly make decisions, but could make recommendations to the Visund operations team who remained the sole authority responsible for the well. Several value cases were identified during the test, most of which were used in the drilling decision process. These could be broadly categorized into HSE, improved drilling operations, well placement/geosteering, and data transmission. The most obvious and immediate benefit of WDP technology was identified in the areas of fast downlinks and control of downhole tools. High-frequency, time-based data was also useful for real-time torque and drag analysis and borehole quality using real-time caliper data. Better monitoring of downhole formation and wellbore pressures provided a basis for improved well control and borehole stability. The ability to send significantly more curves with higher resolution enhanced the well placement/geosteering process, and may, in the end, represent an even more significant value potential for this technology. Future WDP wells may easily implement these technologies.