Terminert. Automated drilling fluid processing

The project has supported installation and demonstration of a testloop for drilling fluids in the Ullrigg test facilities of IRIS in Stavanger. This test-loop is intended used for research on drilling fluids processing, in addition to testing and demonstrations of sensors and mixing or blending systems, which will enable further development in automation of drilling fluids processing. The testloop consists of smaller tanks for mixing of test-fluids, fully instrumented valves and pumps, and automated sensors for measurement of drilling fluids properties. The sensors automatically measure drilling fluid properties, process the measurements, and communicate results to a central database for further use in the process management. Applications have developed for remote control of the testloop, data processing and visualization. With these applications, testing may be performed through remote control and observation. A demonstration of the facilities was performed in May 2014. A detailed plan for an automated system for drilling fluid processing has been developed. The system shall help manage the drilling fluid processing and blending through use of automatic surface and downhole measurements together with process models with predictive capabilities. A prototype drilling fluid property optimization tool has been developed for management of filtercake and hole-cleaning. This tool uses existing and further developed models for wellbore particle transport and filtercake as a function of drilling fluid composition and properties. A prototype drilling fluids simulator has been developed with the aim of development and demonstration of automation applications for drilling fluids management. Based on project results, a talk on drilling fluid processing automation was given at the DEA Europe 2014 Q3 meeting in Edinburgh: ?Automation of drilling fluids processing - brief technology status and requirements?. Further, two papers were presented at the SPE Bergen One Day Seminar in 2015, one on drilling fluids process control and optimization, and one on cuttings transport modelling. A manuscript on drilling fluids processing has also been submitted for review to the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurements Magazine. In the spring of 2015, two new applications have been developed; an advisory tool for cuttings transport and a dynamic standpipe pressure safety trigger for automated process safeguarding. The advisory tool is to help the support personnel and crew manage the drilling process, while the safety trigger shall help maintain well integrity. The advisory tool is based on cuttings transport models developed in the project. Both applications have been successfully demonstrated for Statoil operational personnel, and have received good response. Work on commercialization of the applications is ongoing.