D-WIS: Drilling Process Protection

Increase safety and efficiency through the development of a standardized interface that enables collaborative automation of wellbore construction.

Drilling process protection is composed of at least three types of functionalities:

· Safe Mode Management (SMM): If for any reason, an automated control function fails or the connectivity between a 3^rd party app and the RigOS is lost, the RigOS applies a series of actions to put the drilling machines in a state that is safe for the current operation. This state lasts for at least a few tens of second in order to leave time for the human operator to regain control of the situation even though his situation awareness may have been low. In the context of DWIS, the only addressed SMM functions are those linked to the protection of the drilling process. i.e., SMM functions that deal with the protection of the drilling machines are outside the scope of DWIS.

· Fault, Detection, Isolation and Recovery (FDIR): If a drilling process incident occurs, it is important to respond as quickly as possible. FDIR functions monitor continuously the process and are capable of detecting when an abnormal situation has started. After detection, the FDIR function proceeds with an immediate response to keep the process as safe as possible. Then after identification of the cause of the dysfunction, it applies procedures to isolate the problem. Finally, when isolation has been successful, it applies procedures to recover from the problem and get ready to resume the original normal command. FDIR functions apply when automated control functions are active, but also when human operators control the machines. A failure of the isolation or recovery procedures may trigger SMM functions. In the context of DWIS, only FDIR functionalities that concern the drilling process are addressed. In other words, DWIS does not interfere with FDIR functionalities that protect the drilling machines. FDIR is a subfield of control engineering that concerns itself with monitoring a system, identifying when a fault has occurred, and pinpointing the type of fault and its location (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fault_detection_and_isolation)

· Safe Operating Envelope (SOE): Commands sent to the drilling machines shall be within acceptable limits with the regards to the tolerances of the drilling process. The RigOS combines the safe operating envelopes for the drilling process with the safe operating limits that protect the drilling machines. SOE functions apply for both human operator and automated function commands. It is not in the scope of DWIS to address SOE functionalities concerning the protection of the drilling machines.