Abstract
Various advances in automated drilling fluid property measurement have been made within the drilling industry in recent years. The automated monitoring system presented in this paper was developed for continuous measurement of drilling fluid density and viscosity in a field environment. The design of this new system, termed as a density rheology unit (DRU), was undertaken to address the major technical challenges identified in previous case studies and technical papers. The system has been field tested on both land and offshore drilling rigs, with corresponding accuracy and reliability studies.
This paper presents the results of field validation and statistical analysis of the system. The accuracy of the measurements was confirmed versus the standards outlined in American Petroleum Institute (API) procedures. Making this technology available to operators can result in safer and more cost-effective drilling operations. Avoiding well problems caused by fluctuating drilling fluid properties helps reduce nonproductive time (NPT) and maximize rate of penetration (ROP) during drilling operations.
