Deploying a Managed Pressure Drilling System Based on NI LabVIEW and NI Compact FieldPoint

Author(s):
Jason Hannam - Impact Drilling

Industry:
Oil and Gas/ Refining/ Chemicals

Products:
Compact FieldPoint, LabVIEW, Control Design and Simulation Module, Real-Time Module

The Challenge:
Designing a flexible control system so that operators can retrofit existing equipment to achieve managed pressure drilling.

The Solution:
Using the NI LabVIEW graphical programming environment and National Instruments programmable automation controllers (PACs) to implement control algorithms and provide the necessary open connectivity to devices on existing drilling platforms.

Managed pressure drilling is a technique that tracks the complete pressure profile of a well during the drilling process while dynamically adapting to well conditions to meet desired drilling parameters. Impact Solutions Group, a leader in drilling and production technologies, developed a patented managed pressure drilling technology called Secure Drilling based on LabVIEW and National Instruments PACs. We have deployed our Secure Drilling technology in operations at numerous cocompanies including Petrobras, Chevron, PEMEX, and Schlumberger.

The Secure Drilling method is a managed pressure drilling system based on the patented Micro-Flux Control method that monitors the dynamic flow rates in and out of the well. With high-speed monitoring and advanced adaptive control technologies, the Secure Drilling system can automatically control the back pressure at the surface to maintain well control. This technique allows for nearly overbalanced or underbalanced drilling using constant bottom-hole pressure, constant injection pressure, and other control points as deemed necessary by drilling engineers. The benefits of managed pressure drilling include:

• Capability to drill wells that were previously challenging
• Increased protection for personnel, equipment, and formation
• Decreased drilling and completion time

Flexible Control Algorithms

Using LabVIEW, system designers implemented the adaptive and flexible control algorithms at the center of the Secure Drilling system. A state machine architecture was developed using the LabVIEW Real-Time Module to monitor six process variables and perform real-time data trending. The system functions in two modes: user controlled, with automatic alarm generation, or active control. In active control mode, the program uses one of three control algorithms:

• LabVIEW PID control algorithms with gain scheduling
• LabVIEW implementation of the Cybosoft Model-Free Adaptive (MFA) control software
• LabVIEW fuzzy logic control algorithms

Control Design and Simulation for Validation of Control Algorithms

With the flexibility of LabVIEW Real-Time, designers implemented advanced control techniques available in LabVIEW and from third-party vendors such as Cybosoft. System designers also selected the LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module to design and simulate the control algorithms before deployment. With these design tools, system designers collect real world-data and then pass this data to the control algorithms in development to simulate real-world conditions before deploying them to actual operating drilling rigs. With this process, designers test and validate the implementation of the control algorithms in the office instead of in the field.

A Single HMI and Logic Development Environment

The LabVIEW graphical development environment also offers the flexibility necessary to implement a control design and simulation system to test the algorithms and an integrated human machine interface (HMI) using the LabVIEW front panel. This single HMI and logic development environment of LabVIEW makes deployment of the control system simple because the HMI is built in the same environment as the control system.

Collaborative Computing using LabVIEW

LabVIEW provides for the integration of software components developed using various languages such as C/C++, C#, Lisp, and with LabVIEW, developers can distribute computing across networks and various platforms.

Functional examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Encryption algorithms written in C++ under the Visual C++ 6.0 IDE\

2. Data-management structures using STL developed in C++ under the Visual C++ 6.0 IDE

3. Incorporation of graphical indicators written in C# under the Visual C# 2005 IDE

4. Selected functionality of the .NET 2.0 framework for implementing FTP and TCP/IP protocols

5. Interaction with DB and process modeling server via RPC over TCP/IP

Open Connectivity to Industrial Hardware

The Secure Drilling system runs on an NI Compact FieldPoint real-time PAC that provides a rugged Class I, Div II control platform for deployment in harsh environments. The system relies on connectivity to existing hardware on the drilling rig. Depending on the fieldbus protocol, used connectivity is provided with Modbus TCP/IP to a protocol gateway for either Ethernet/IP or PROFIBUS. Device connectivity is provided through Modbus (RS485 or TCP) to numerous devices such as Emerson Coriolis flow meters and industrial motion controllers. Also, a custom serial protocol was implemented in LabVIEW to communicate with high-accuracy quartz pressure sensors.

Future Development

Additional work is being done to replace current hydraulic actuated drilling chokes controlled by pulse-width modulation (PWM) with a Bosch Rexroth servo motor controller, which would replace today’s hydraulic actuators driven by a PWM signal. In the future, we also plan to achieve higher distribution of processing, which means a greater number of developers to work along the critical path of the application through the integration of HTML interfaces. 

Learn more about using the NI platform for oil and gas industry solutions. 

Author Information:
For more information on this Case Study, contact:
Jason Hannam
Impact Drilling
jhannam@securedrilling.com

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