Methods, devices, and systems for diagnosing contaminants in drilling fluid

Abstract

A drilling fluid manager receives measurements of drilling fluid data over a period of time. The drilling fluid manager analyzes the time-series drilling fluid data to diagnose a contaminant type, contaminant concentration, and a rate of change of contaminant concentration. The drilling fluid manager develops a treatment plan with a treatment type, a treatment mass, and a treatment schedule for the contaminant type.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for drilling fluid management, comprising:
 receiving a plurality of fluid property measurements of a drilling fluid over a period of time;   identifying an increase in concentration of a contaminant over the period of time based on one or more of the plurality of fluid property measurements; and   determining a treatment plan for the contaminant based on the concentration of the contaminant.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 applying the treatment plan to the drilling fluid.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the plurality of fluid property measurements includes receiving the plurality of fluid property measurements from a drilling fluid return. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the plurality of fluid property measurements includes receiving different fluid property measurements at a time. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a collection frequency of the plurality of fluid property measurements is a measurement every one to five minutes. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the treatment plan includes determining a treatment type. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein determining the treatment plan includes determining at least one of a treatment mass of the treatment type or a treatment schedule of the treatment type. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein determining the treatment plan includes determining a return time for a treated fluid treated according to the treatment plan. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying the increase in the concentration of the contaminant includes identifying a rate of increase in the concentration of the contaminant. 
     
     
         10 . A method for drilling fluid management, comprising:
 measuring a first measurement of a drilling fluid property of a drilling fluid at a first time;   measuring a second measurement of the drilling fluid property at a second time;   diagnosing a contaminant based on a difference between the first measurement and the second measurement; and   based on the diagnosis of the contaminant, determining a treatment plan to remedy the contaminant.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 applying the treatment plan to the drilling fluid.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 measuring a third measurement of the drilling fluid property at a third time, wherein the difference is a first difference, and wherein diagnosing the contaminant is based on at least one of the first difference, a second difference between the first measurement and the third measurement, or a third difference between the second measurement and the third measurement.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 determining a rate of change of a concentration of the contaminant; and   based on the rate of change, determining a duration before the concentration of the contaminant increases above a threshold concentration.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein diagnosing the contaminant includes determining a probability of a contaminant type. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein diagnosing the contaminant includes identifying a contaminant type and a contaminant concentration. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein determining the treatment plan includes determining a treatment type and a treatment mass based on the contaminant type and the contaminant concentration. 
     
     
         17 . A system, comprising:
 a sensor;   a processor; and   computer-readable media, the computer-readable media including instructions which, when accessed by the processor, cause the processor to:
 receive a plurality of fluid property measurements of a drilling fluid over a period of time; 
 identify an increase in concentration of a contaminant over the period of time based on the fluid property measurements; and 
 determine a treatment plan for the contaminant based on the concentration of the contaminant. 
   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the sensor includes a rheometer. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the sensor is located in-line in one or more pipes transporting drilling fluid to a drill string. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the sensor has a collection frequency of at least a measurement every hour.