US 12,264,573 B2
Method and apparatus for steering a bit using a quill and based on learned relationships
Scott Gilbert Boone, Houston, TX (US); Brian Ellis, Spring, TX (US); Colin Gillan, Houston, TX (US); and Beat Küttel, Spring, TX (US)
Assigned to NABORS DRILLING TECHNOLOGIES USA, LTD., Houston, TX (US)
Filed by Nabors Drilling Technologies USA, Inc., Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Jul. 12, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/351,250.
Application 18/351,250 is a continuation of application No. 17/878,475, filed on Aug. 1, 2022, granted, now 11,725,494.
Prior Publication US 2024/0044241 A1, Feb. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. E21B 44/00 (2006.01); E21B 7/02 (2006.01); E21B 7/04 (2006.01); E21B 44/02 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 44/02 (2013.01) [E21B 7/04 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of using a quill to steer a bit when elongating a wellbore, wherein the quill and the bit are coupled to opposing ends of a drill string, the method comprising:
receiving, by a controller, real-time data associated with being on-bottom of the wellbore before a connection, wherein the real-time data associated with the bit being on-bottom before the connection comprises data associated with:
actual toolface orientation;
surface-measured mud motor ΔP;
surface-measured quill torque;
surface-measured weight-on-bit (“WOB”); and
surface-measured quill position;
learning, based on the real-time data, relationships between:
surface-measured mud motor ΔP and surface-measured quill torque;
changes in surface-measured WOB and surface-measured quill torque;
and
changes in surface-measured quill position and actual toolface orientation;
recording, by the controller and after slips are set around a portion of the drill string but before a connection is made, a first surface-measured quill position;
referencing, by the controller, the first recorded surface-measured quill position to the learned relationships;
recording, by the controller and after the slips are set around the portion of the drill string and after the connection is made, a second surface-measured quill position;
accessing, by the controller and after learning the relationships, a desired toolface orientation;
wherein the desired toolface orientation is associated with the first recorded surface-measured quill position;
affecting, by the controller and based on the first recorded surface-measured quill position, a first change of the quill position to bring the surface-measured quill position to the first recorded surface-measured quill position;
returning, after affecting the first change, the bit to the bottom of the wellbore;
receiving, by the controller and after returning the bit to the bottom, real-time data associated with the bit being on-bottom after the connection, wherein the real-time data associated with the bit being on-bottom after the connection comprises data associated with:
actual toolface orientation;
surface-measured mud motor ΔP;
surface-measured quill torque;
surface-measured weight-on-bit (“WOB”); and
surface-measured quill position;
comparing, by the controller and after receiving the data associated with being on-bottom after the connection, the desired toolface orientation and the actual toolface orientation; and
affecting, by the controller and based on the comparison and the learned relationships, a second change of the quill position and one or more of
mud motor ΔP;
surface-measured quill torque; or
WOB.