US 12,012,841 B2
Automatically detecting and unwinding accumulated drill string torque
Ramakrishna Madhireddy, Cypress, TX (US); Wenshuai Hou, Richmond, TX (US); Seetharam Kothuru, Cypress, TX (US); and Jian Wu, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Appl. No. 17/906,540
Filed by Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
PCT Filed Mar. 15, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/022357
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 16, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/188432, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 23, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/991,088, filed on Mar. 18, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0184082 A1, Jun. 15, 2023
Int. Cl. E21B 44/04 (2006.01); E21B 3/02 (2006.01); E21B 47/12 (2012.01)
CPC E21B 44/04 (2013.01) [E21B 3/022 (2020.05); E21B 47/12 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
initiating operation of a control device to thereby receive measurements indicative of present value torque (TrqPv) currently being applied by a top drive to a drill string extending in a well that penetrates a subterranean formation; and
utilizing the operating control device to release torque accumulated in the drill string by:
determining polarity of the TrqPv; and
in response to a manual or automatic trigger, causing the top drive to perform an unwinding operation in a direction opposite to the determined TrqPv polarity,
wherein the operating control device generates the automatic trigger in response to an absolute value of present acceleration of the top drive not being less than a predetermined ramp rate (a0) for changing present speed of the top drive (ω) while either:
when the TrqPv polarity is positive, present set speed of the top drive (ω0) is greater than zero while an associated speed feedback value (ω1) is less than zero; or
when the TrqPv polarity is negative, the ω0 is less than zero while the ω1 is greater than zero.