Abstract

Asset integrity is vital for any rig activity, and the drillstring is a critical part of these assets. Monitoring and controlling the integrity of your drilling tubulars is important to prevent well control incidents and to reduce Non-Productive Time (NPT). It can also help reduce Invisible Lost Time (ILT), as having the correct information available will improve operational efficiency.

This paper describes procedures and available technologies that allow for efficiently managing drill pipe lifecycle integrity. The paper will discuss the possibilities that digital asset tracking provides, including location and details from the latest inspection, both at the rig site and while in service. The paper will show how the same technologies can feed the rig control system operating the pipe handling machines, where a software application will process the data of each asset. This integration increases safety by removing human interaction with the assets. The information is used to optimize pipe handling activities, resulting in faster connection times while maintaining control of all assets downhole and in the setback area. It can also be used to store pipe dimensions, which can be checked against equipment capacity so that the right auxiliary equipment (i.e., elevators) is properly engaged. These tools and procedures allow for placement optimization, ensuring integrity and optimizing the lifetime of the drillstring.

The tools presented in this paper permit identification of any incident on the connections and provide safer, more efficient asset management with reduced overall risk of failure and lost time.

The paper will also present how, if the right downhole data is available, such input could be incorporated into the final assessment of drill pipe use and string configuration. This proves to be important as severe drilling dynamics events could be the reason for premature fatigue failure, especially when combined with other factors like higher dogleg severity (DLS), abrasive formations, etc. Case studies will be presented for the different technologies, both from real life operations and simulator development work. Finally, the paper will discuss the next level of enhanced drill pipe handling practices by introducing robotics and how consistency within pipe handling and doping could play an important part in asset integrity.

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