Scientists from Perm National Research Polytechnic University (PNRPU) have implemented a technology for transmitting data through drilling mud. This solution provides for stable communication at great depths and reduces the negative impact of vibrations and noise; most importantly, it is 1.5–2 times cheaper than its foreign analogues. The study was carried out within the framework of the Priority-2030 strategic academic leadership program.
To successfully build an oil well, it is critical to precisely control the movement of drilling equipment (especially when the distance from the starting point to the oil-and-gas reservoir reaches several kilometers). Traditional methods of transmitting data about the condition of the well and its tool can be inefficient: cables can twist around the drilling tool and break, radio waves sometimes cannot pass through the thickness of the earth, and the noise of the equipment can drown out sound signals.
A solution has been discovered by the scientists from the Mining and Oil Faculty of PNRPU. For the communication channel, they decided to use drilling mud, which is used in well construction to cool down and lubricate the drilling tool, as well as to bring cuttings to the surface. For this purpose, a pulser was introduced into the intelligent wellbore trajectory control system on fiber-optic gyroscopes. The pulser is a mechanical plate which is attached to the drill barrel and blocks the flow of the drilling mud at a given frequency, creating hydraulic pulses (shocks). They are converted into a binary code (0 and 1), where each hydraulic shock serves as a signal. Similarly to Morse code, hydraulic shocks carry digital information on drilling parameters: for instance, a series of 0s means a long pressure surge.
Special software filters noise and deciphers data on the surface, displaying information about the movement on the screen. As a result, the operator receives an accurate 3D picture of the drilling trajectory on the monitor in real time.
“The main advantage of the technology is its versatility and reliability,” said Alexander Melekhin, candidate of technical sciences and associate professor at the Department of Oil and Gas Technologies of PNRPU. “The system operates at a depth of up to 3,000 meters, it does not require drilling stoppages for maintenance, using the infrastructure already available in the well. According to preliminary estimates, the previously created high-tech complex for well construction will become 1.5–2 times cheaper than foreign analogues thanks to this solution.”
