New software solution helps streamline well construction process

Editor's note: This article first appeared in the July-August 2023 issue of Offshore magazine. Click here to view the full issue.

By Stig Trydal, Intellilift

As technological advancements continue, automating the well construction process is becoming more attractive and prevalent. It represents an opportunity for time and cost savings through more efficient and consistent execution. Wintershall Dea and OMV have engaged InteliWell to automate their drilling process. 

Offshore drilling contractor Transocean, INTELIE by Viasat, the global communications company, and Norwegian software company Intellilift, a subsidiary of Nekkar ASA, have joined forces to create the InteliWell joint venture. The result is a combination of automation, digitization and drilling experts that work together to develop new solutions for automating the well construction process.

The InteliWell platform is comprised of a suite of fully integrated applications which provide a workflow for the creation of the operations program; automated execution of the well construction tasks; and continuous smart well monitoring, with alarms and notifications for both the driller and the wider team, both offshore and onshore.

The platform provides a novel approach to automate well construction sequences with a low-code platform allowing drilling experts to quickly create sequences that replicate the best practices on a given rig. By acting as a “robotic driller” InteliWell can translate a well plan into a series of automated sequences that are executed and monitored by the drillers both offline (for stand-building) and online (for all tripping and drilling operations). Further, InteliWell’s open platform allows integration with third party applications to enhance performance even further while maintaining all safety features existing in the underlying original equipment manufacturer’s control system.

First deployment

Having been introduced to the InteliWell platform, Wintershall Dea and OMV opted in early 2023 to deploy InteliWell on the Transocean Norge. This rig is a harsh-environment semisubmersible capable of conducting drilling operations in water depths up to 3,000 meters and maximum drilling depth of 12,200 meters. The rig has recently commenced a multi-year joint contract with Wintershall Dea and OMV for work on the Norwegian continental shelf.

Wintershall Dea and OMV recognize the drillers on modern rigs as team leads, tasked with overseeing streams of complex data while manually operating the drilling equipment. By automating repeatable tasks combined with actual well limitations, the benefit of consistency and continuous improvement can only increase with the driller’s ability to ensure a safe and efficient drilling operation.

Transocean has embraced this same vision by developing multiple automation related systems and tools on its rigs in cooperation with leading vendors and suppliers. The goal has been to reduce the cognitive load on the driller and afford the driller more time to focus on what’s important (well control, planning and resource management, red zone management) while letting the developed systems safely execute more and more complex operations.

Recognizing the capability and flexibility of the platform, InteliWell was asked to firstly provide a solution to automate the offline stand-building process. The key intent was to simplify the process by significantly reducing the number of button pushes required to build stands of drillpipe and casing, maximize the efficiency of the process, ensure consistent performance independent of the experience level of the operator(s) and to remove any requirement for personnel to be in the red zone. The automated stand building has since been implemented for both drillpipe and casing and a trial period has successfully commenced. In tandem, development work on automating the entire tripping process has also commenced with commissioning planned during 3Q 2023.

Four applications developed