Method and system for operating a drilling plant

Abstract

A method for analyzing a drilling operation includes obtaining a first set of logged operational data from the drilling operation through a first time interval, obtaining a set of operational activity dividers that delimit second time intervals within the first time interval, allocating one of a plurality of pre-defined activities to each of the second time intervals, wherein a first activity is one of the plurality of pre-defined activities, calculating a first performance indicator parameter for the second time intervals which have been allocated to the first activity, generating a time-dependent profile of the first performance indicator parameter for the second time intervals, and outputting at least one calculated value of the first performance indicator parameter to an operator. The first performance indicator parameter is calculated as a function of a duration of a respective second time interval which has been allocated to the first activity.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 51 . (canceled) 
     
     
         52 . A method for analyzing a drilling operation, the method comprising:
 obtaining a first set of logged operational data from the drilling operation through a first time interval;   obtaining a set of operational activity dividers that delimit a plurality of second time intervals within the first time interval;   allocating one of a plurality of pre-defined activities to each of the plurality of second time intervals, wherein a first activity is one of the plurality of pre-defined activities;   calculating a first performance indicator parameter for the plurality of second time intervals which have been allocated to the first activity, the first performance indicator parameter being calculated as a function of a duration of a respective one of the plurality of second time intervals which has been allocated to the first activity;   generating a time-dependent profile of the first performance indicator parameter for the plurality of second time intervals; and   outputting at least one calculated value of the first performance indicator parameter to an operator.   
     
     
         53 . The method as recited in  claim 52 , further comprising:
 identifying a trend in the first performance indicator parameter over the plurality of second time intervals.   
     
     
         54 . The method as recited in  claim 53 , further comprising:
 using the trend to at least one of plan and carry out at least one of an investigation, an inspection, a corrective maintenance, a replacement, a crew training and a repair of a drilling plant.   
     
     
         55 . The method as recited in  claim 52 , further comprising:
 allocating a second activity to at least one of the plurality of second time intervals, wherein the second activity is one of the plurality of pre-defined activities; and   calculating a second performance indicator parameter, the second performance indicator parameter being calculated as a function of a duration of a respective one of the plurality of second time intervals which has been allocated the second activity.   
     
     
         56 . The method as recited in  claim 55 , wherein at least one of the first performance indicator parameter and the second performance indicator parameter is a function of at least one of an in slips time, an open slips time, a slips to slips time, a time between two drilled stands, a weight to slips time, and a slips to weight time. 
     
     
         57 . A computer program product which, when loaded into a memory and executed on a processing device, causes the processing device to perform the method as recited in  claim 52 . 
     
     
         58 . A system for analyzing a drilling operation, the system comprising:
 an input device for providing operational data of the drilling operation; and   
       a computer device comprising a memory and a processing device, the computer device being configured to perform the method as recited in  claim 52 . 
     
     
         59 . A method for analyzing a drilling operation, the method comprising:
 obtaining a first set of logged operational data from the drilling operation through a first time interval;   obtaining a set of operational activity dividers that delimit a plurality of second time intervals within the first time interval;   allocating one of a plurality of pre-defined activities to each of the plurality of second time intervals;   allocating a first activity to at least one of the plurality of second time intervals, wherein the first activity is one of the plurality of pre-defined activities,   calculating a first performance indicator parameter for the plurality of second time intervals, the first performance indicator parameter being calculated as a function of a duration of a respective one of the plurality of second time intervals which have been allocated to the first activity; and   comparing the first performance indicator parameter which has been calculated to a first pre-determined target performance indicator value, wherein the first pre-determined target performance indicator value is a threshold value which is indicative of a need for an inspection, a maintenance, a replacement or a repair of a machine involved in the drilling operation.   
     
     
         60 . The method as recited in  claim 59 , wherein the first performance indicator parameter is a function of at least one of an in slips time, an open slips time, a slips to slips time, a time between two drilled stands, a weight to slips time, and a slips to weight time. 
     
     
         61 . The method as recited in  claim 59 , further comprising:
 outputting at least one calculated value of one of the first performance indicator parameters to an operator.   
     
     
         62 . The method as recited in  claim 59 , further comprising:
 allocating a second activity to at least one of the plurality of second time intervals, wherein the second activity is one of the plurality of pre-defined activities;   calculating a second performance indicator parameter for the plurality of second time intervals, the second performance indicator parameter being calculated as a function of a duration of a respective one of the plurality of second time intervals which have been allocated to the second activity; and   comparing the second performance indicator parameter which has been calculated to a second pre-determined target performance indicator value, wherein the second pre-determined target performance indicator value is a threshold value which is indicative of a need for an inspection, a maintenance, a replacement or a repair of a machine involved in the drilling operation.   
     
     
         63 . The method as recited in  claim 62 , further comprising:
 using at least one of the first pre-determined target performance indicator value and the second pre-determined target performance indicator value to at least one of,
 perform a maintenance activity on a machine associated with a drilling plant carrying out the drilling operation, 
 replacing a component of the machine, and 
 replacing the machine. 
   
     
     
         64 . A computer program product which, when loaded into a memory and executed on a processing device, causes the processing device to perform the method as recited in  claim 59 . 
     
     
         65 . A system for analyzing a drilling operation, the system comprising:
 an input device for providing operational data of the drilling operation; and   a computer device comprising a memory and a processing device, the computer device being configured to perform the method as recited in  claim 59 .   
     
     
         66 . A method for analyzing a drilling operation, the method comprising:
 obtaining a first set of logged operational data from the drilling operation through a first time interval;   obtaining a set of operational activity dividers that delimit a plurality of second time intervals within the first time interval;   allocating one of a plurality of pre-defined activities to each of the plurality of second time intervals;   identifying a plurality of machine functions carried out during for each of the plurality of second time intervals; and   identifying a measured execution time for each of the plurality of machine functions which have been identified.   
     
     
         67 . The method as recited in  claim 66 , further comprising:
 identifying for each of the plurality of machine functions at least one of a start time and an end time.   
     
     
         68 . The method as recited in  claim 66 , further comprising:
 identifying a target execution time for each of the plurality of machine functions; and   comparing the measured execution time and the target execution time for each of the plurality of machine functions.   
     
     
         69 . The method as recited in  claim 68 , further comprising:
 outputting for each of the plurality of machine functions at least one of,
 the measured execution time, 
 the target execution time, and 
 the difference between the measured execution time and the target execution time to an operator. 
   
     
     
         70 . The method as recited in  claim 66 , wherein the plurality of second time intervals are second time intervals which have been allocated a same activity of the plurality of pre-defined activities. 
     
     
         71 . The method as recited in  claim 66 , further comprising:
 generating a time-dependent profile of the measured execution time for one of the plurality of machine functions over at least two of the plurality of the second time intervals.   
     
     
         72 . The method as recited in  claim 66 , further comprising:
 identifying for at least one of the plurality of machine functions a difference between a target execution time and a measured execution time; and   identifying a change in a duration of at least one of the plurality of pre-defined activities caused by the difference which has been identified.   
     
     
         73 . A computer program product which, when loaded into a memory and executed on a processing device, causes the processing device to perform the method as recited in  claim 66 . 
     
     
         74 . A system for analyzing a drilling operation, the system comprising:
 an input device for providing operational data of the drilling operation; and   a computer device comprising a memory and a processing device, the computer device being configured to perform the method as recited in  claim 66 .   
     
     
         75 . A method for analyzing a drilling operation, the method comprising:
 obtaining a first set of logged operational data from the drilling operation through a first time interval;   obtaining a set of operational activity dividers that delimit a plurality of second time intervals within the first time interval;   allocating one of a plurality of pre-defined activities to each of the plurality of second time intervals;   allocating a first activity to at least one of the plurality of second time intervals, wherein the first activity is one of the plurality of pre-defined activities,   calculating a first performance indicator parameter, the first performance indicator parameter being calculated as a function of a duration of a respective one of the plurality of second time intervals which have been allocated to the first activity; and   comparing a first value for the first performance indicator parameter with a second value for the first performance indicator parameter, the first value and the second value having been calculated for different second time intervals of the plurality of second time intervals.   
     
     
         76 . The method as recited in  75 , wherein,
 the first value is calculated from first logged operational data from the drilling operation when operated by a first drilling crew, and   the second value is calculated from second logged operational data from the drilling operation when operated by a second drilling crew.   
     
     
         77 . The method as recited in  75 , further comprising:
 allocating a second activity to at least one of the plurality of second time intervals, wherein the second activity is one of the plurality of pre-defined activities;   calculating a second performance indicator parameter, the second performance indicator parameter being calculated as a function of a duration of a respective one of the plurality of second time intervals which have been allocated to the second activity; and   comparing a first value for the second performance indicator parameter with a second value for the second performance indicator parameter, the first value and the second value having been calculated for different second time intervals of the plurality of second time intervals.   
     
     
         78 . The method as recited in  claim 77 , wherein,
 the first value for the second performance indicator parameter is calculated from first logged operational data from the drilling operation when operated by a first drilling crew, and   the second value for the second performance indicator parameter is calculated from second logged operational data from the drilling operation when operated by a second drilling crew.   
     
     
         79 . The method as recited in  claim 75 , wherein the first performance indicator parameter is a function of at least one of an in slips time, an open slips time, a slips to slips time, a time between two drilled stands, a weight to slips time, and a slips to weight time. 
     
     
         80 . The method as recited in  claim 75 , further comprising:
 outputting at least one calculated value of the first performance indicator parameter to an operator.   
     
     
         81 . A computer program product which, when loaded into a memory and executed on a processing device, causes the processing device to perform the method as recited in  claim 75 . 
     
     
         82 . A system for analyzing a drilling operation, the system comprising:
 an input device for providing operational data of the drilling operation; and   
       a computer device comprising a memory and a processing device, the computer device being configured to perform the method as recited in  claim 75 .