A new Baker Hughes service identifies potential drilling issues before they occur by pinpointing similar case histories in real-time using a global library of drilling practices and expert advice to provide operators with suggestions on how to respond or take corrective actions while drilling.

Baker Hughes’ WellLink Radar Remote Drilling Advisory Service is an integrated solution that uses case-based reasoning and event detection. It leverages Verdande Technology’s DrillEdge software to reduce uncertainty, minimize nonproductive time and increase safety. The service allows for the remote monitoring of multiple wells simultaneously and enhances drilling efficiency. This can reduce risk by limiting personnel on the rig.

Baker Hughes’ remote service engineers monitor real-time drilling operations around the clock, while the DrillEdge software looks for patterns based on similar situations where issues have occurred in previously drilled wells. When a similar situation occurs, the software automatically recalls relevant cases from the Baker Hughes’ knowledgebase of experience and best drilling practices. The engineers investigate, validate and determine the best course of action. They then make recommendations to avoid potential drilling challenges. New cases can be included in the knowledge base, allowing for the continuous enrichment of the service.

An independent operator successfully deployed the WellLink Radar Remote Drilling Advisory Service in a deepwater well, within a previously undrilled block of the Gulf of Mexico. The offset wells on a nearby block had experienced pack-offs, stuck pipe, lost circulation and influx of water. While drilling, the WellLink Radar Remote Drilling Advisory Service identified multiple events including pack-offs, overpull, maxed-out torque, hard stringers, string stalls and changes in pore-pressure. These events are known symptoms that could lead to drilling problems such as stuck pipe, twist-offs, lost circulation and influx. Based on matches with previous cases, the identification and validation of these potential events enhanced the risk assessment. By preventing these possible drilling problems, the WellLink Radar Remote Drilling Advisory Service potentially saved the operator an estimated $2 million for each incident avoided.