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Drilling Vibration Management

Tuesday, 13 September 2011 Read 6318 times
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Abstract
Over the years, substantial operator cost improvements have been gained by managing drilling dysfunctions through a range of techniques. Yet substantial differences in determining which techniques to apply in certain applications remain, and success has thus been limited. Understanding the limitations of the available data for analysis, and broadening the application for implementing changes has yielded an additional gain in progress. Due to knowledge and sensor varieties, the performance is generally poorly understood and therefore may not always be duplicated.

 

There are, however, processes which can lead to sustained performance improvement by considering the effects of modelling, measuring, and validating the process for improved performance. By capturing this knowledge we can continue to learn without catastrophic resultant failure. The actual techniques to improve utilization may be very different from field to field and rig to rig, but the process of testing theories and gathering evidence has shown itself to be more valuable than any flow chart of generality for vibration management.

Understanding the principals of vibration, we can identify the source and develop strategies for effective resolution. This requires a good understanding of the drilling components and their interaction in the environment for which they are utilized.

A series of simple techniques can be used to improve performance, by effectively evaluating the drillstring under the applied energy systems. The presentation will overview the types of dynamic drilling dysfunctions downhole, the means to identify the dysfunctions, need to understand the devices to properly interpret the data, and vibration mitigation techniques.

Biography
Alan Clarke graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a BSc in Earth Sciences in 1998. Since this time he has published numerous papers within the industry, and formed a career in vibration management and drilling optimization. Having worked as a MWD Engineer and a Directional Driller, Alan has been exposed to numerous applications for applying and testing mitigation theories. He later developed internal and external vibration training programs for several service companies, became a subject matter expert in the field of vibration optimization, and developed successful product lines to tackle the challenges of drilling optimization.

Today, Alan is the Director for National Oilwell Varco's Advanced Drilling Solutions group. He regularly travels the globe learning about drilling challenges and educating operators.

Congress Center of RF CCI. Start at 7 p.m.: