System and method for drilling mud analysis, logging and drilling control

Abstract

Analysis and logging of drilling mud using a mud analysis system and controlling drilling operations responsive to the mud analysis and logging. The system and methods may automatically sample and analyze drilling mud and control the drilling of a well responsive to the mud analysis. The mud analysis system may acquire measurements on a sample of the drilling mud during drilling and may send signals indicative of the drilling mud to a steering control system enabled to control the drilling.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for generating a mud log during drilling operations, the system comprising:
 a control system, wherein the control system is coupled with one or more control systems for a drilling rig drilling a wellbore;   a mud analysis system, coupled with the control system, wherein the mud analysis system is coupled with a drilling mud system;   wherein the control system comprises a processor and a memory coupled with the processor, and wherein the memory comprises instructions executable by the processor for:
 sending one or more control signals to the mud analysis system for sampling a drilling mud in the wellbore, wherein the one or more control signals determine a frequency of the sampling; 
 receiving information regarding the drilling mud from the mud analysis system for each of a plurality of samples of the drilling mud analyzed by the mud analysis system; and 
 logging the information regarding the drilling mud to generate a mud log. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein logging the information regarding the drilling mud comprises generating a mud log that associates the information regarding the drilling mud with measured depth of the wellbore. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 2 , further comprising instructions for correlating at least a portion of the mud log with a reference log. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 3 , wherein the reference log comprises a mud log, a gamma ray log, a resistivity log, or a combination thereof, from at least one reference well or from a portion of the wellbore that was previously drilled. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the frequency of the sampling comprises sampling at regular or irregular time intervals. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the frequency of the sampling comprises sampling based on drilling information, wherein the drilling information comprises one or more drilling parameters or a condition of the drilling mud. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the frequency of the sampling comprises sampling based on a volume of drilling mud circulated between sampling. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising instructions for adjusting one or more drilling parameters responsive to the information regarding the drilling mud. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein the one or more drilling parameters comprise one or more of the following drilling parameters: rate of penetration, weight on bit, differential pressure, rotational velocity of a drill bit, and mud flow rate. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the information regarding the drilling mud comprises one or more of the following: mud resistivity, mud viscosity, mud temperature, mud density, mud gamma ray level, mud pH value, mud chemical composition, mud particle size distribution, mud particle shape, mud magnetic susceptibility, and a mud weight. 
     
     
         11 . A method for controlling drilling operations, the method comprising:
 obtaining, by a mud analysis system, a plurality of samples of drilling mud during drilling of a wellbore;   analyzing, by the mud analysis system, the plurality of samples of drilling mud;   receiving, by a steering control system, information regarding the drilling mud from the mud analysis system, wherein the steering control system controls a frequency of a sampling of the drilling mud;   determining, by the steering control system, responsive to the information regarding the drilling mud, if a condition has occurred;   determining, by the steering control system, if an adjustment to one or more drilling parameters is indicated responsive to determining a condition has occurred; and   adjusting one or more drilling parameters responsive to the determination by the steering control system.   
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the frequency of the sampling of the drilling mud is at regular or irregular time intervals. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the frequency of the sampling comprises sampling based on drilling information, wherein the drilling information comprises one or more drilling parameters or a condition of the drilling mud. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the frequency of the sampling comprises sampling based on a volume of drilling mud circulated between sampling. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 11 , further comprising logging, by the steering control system, the information regarding the drilling mud to generate a mud log. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein logging the information regarding the drilling mud comprises generating, by the steering control system, a mud log that associates the information regarding the drilling mud with measured depth of the wellbore. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising correlating, by the steering control system, at least a portion of the mud log with a reference log. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the one or more drilling parameters comprise one or more of the following drilling parameters: rate of penetration, weight on bit, differential pressure, rotational velocity of a drill bit, and mud flow rate. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the information regarding the drilling mud comprises one or more of the following: mud resistivity, mud viscosity, mud temperature, mud density, mud gamma ray level, mud pH value, mud chemical composition, mud particle size distribution, mud particle shape, mud magnetic susceptibility, and a mud weight. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 17 , further comprising adjusting one or more drilling parameters responsive to the correlation of the mud log.