Adaptive auto-drilling for drilling applications

Abstract

A method of drilling a borehole into a subsurface region. The method includes identifying, based on a depth of the drill bit in the subsurface region, a collaring stage of drilling the borehole. A sensor a measured parameter of the drill during drilling. The method also includes identifying, based on the collaring stage, a reference value for a drilling parameter of the drill. The method also includes generating a difference between the measured parameter and the reference value. The method also includes determining, from the difference, an adjustment factor to the drilling parameter. The method also includes adjusting the drilling parameter according to the adjustment factor to generate an adjusted drilling parameter. The method also includes modifying, during drilling and with the drill controller, operation of the drill according to the adjusted drilling parameter to change the measured parameter to a new measured parameter.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of drilling a borehole, the method comprising:
 drilling, with a drill, the borehole into a subsurface region, wherein the drill comprises a drill string, a drill bit connected to the drill string, a hoist control connected to the drill string, and a drill controller for controlling at least one of the drill bit, the drill string, and the hoist control;   identifying, based on a depth of the drill bit in the subsurface region, a collaring stage of drilling the borehole;   sensing, with a sensor in operational communication with the drill, a measured parameter of the drill during drilling;   identifying, based on the collaring stage, a reference value for a drilling parameter of the drill, wherein the reference value is comparable to the measured parameter, and wherein the drilling parameter comprises a measured value of an operation of the drill during drilling;   generating a difference between the measured parameter and the reference value;   determining, from the difference, an adjustment factor to the drilling parameter;   adjusting the drilling parameter according to the adjustment factor to generate an adjusted drilling parameter; and   modifying, during drilling and with the drill controller, operation of the drill according to the adjusted drilling parameter to change the measured parameter to a new measured parameter.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 iterating, continuously, identifying the collaring stage, sensing, identifying the reference value, generating, determining, adjusting, and modifying until a stop condition is satisfied; and   stopping drilling when the stop condition is satisfied.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the stop condition comprises detection of a hazard. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the stop condition comprises a normal collaring stage, and wherein the collaring stage during the method is prior to the normal collaring stage. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the drill parameter comprises a pulldown force and a drill speed, and wherein the method further comprises:
 setting the pulldown force to a selected pulldown force and setting the drill speed to a selected drill speed.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the collaring stage comprises, at a given time, one of a slow collar one stage, a slow collar two stage, and a normal collar stage, and   the reference value is different at each one of the slow collar one stage, the slow collar two stage, and the normal collar stage.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the collaring stage comprises the slow collar one stage, and   the reference value comprises a first hoist speed, a first pulldown force, and a first rotation speed.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the measured value comprises a first measured hoist speed, a first measured pulldown force, and a first measured rotation speed, and   the adjustment factor is proportional to at least one difference between the measured value and the reference value.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the measured value comprises a first measured hoist speed, a first measured pulldown force, and a first measured rotation speed,   when the adjustment factor is greater than one, then the adjustment factor is applied to the first pulldown force, and   when the adjustment factor is less than one, then the adjustment factor is applied to the first hoist speed.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the adjustment factor limits the first pulldown force to a maximum comprising a reference pulldown force. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the collaring stage comprises the slow collar two stage,   the reference value comprises a second hoist speed, a second pulldown force, and a second rotation speed, and   the second hoist speed is higher than the first hoist speed, the second pulldown force is higher than the first pulldown force, and the second rotation speed is higher than the first rotation speed.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the collaring stage comprises the normal collar stage,   the reference value comprises a third hoist speed, a third pulldown force, and a third rotation speed, and   the third hoist speed is higher than the second hoist speed, the third pulldown force is higher than the second pulldown force, and the third rotation speed is higher than the second rotation speed.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein a rotation speed increases at each of the slow collar two stage and the normal collar stage, relative to the rotation speed at the slow collar one stage. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, from the measured parameter, that a broken ground condition is satisfied, wherein the measured parameter comprises a combination of a rotation speed of the drill bit and a vibration of at least one the drill bit and the drill string, and   slowing drilling, responsive to the broken ground condition being satisfied.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein slowing drilling comprises at least one of:
 floating the drill bit, and   reducing a hoist speed of the drill string.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 increasing, after slowing, the rotation speed of the drill bit.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the measured value comprises a combination of a penetration rate of the drill bit and a pulldown force of the drill bit, and wherein the method further comprises:
 determining that the penetration rate is less than a predetermined percentage of a predetermined collaring penetration rate,   determining that the pulldown force is greater than a predetermined collaring pulldown force,   determining that, responsive to both determining the penetration rate and the pulldown force, a competent ground condition exists, and   increasing a rotation speed of the drill bit to a drill phase rotation speed and increasing the pulldown force to a drill phase pulldown force.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 embedding data describing a plurality of holes previously drilled by the drill into a vector data structure, and   executing, by a processor, a machine learning model on the vector data structure to predict the reference value either prior to drilling or during drilling.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 further embedding the measured value into the vector data structure,   wherein executing is performed during drilling, and   wherein the reference value is predicted based on a combination of the plurality of holes and the measured value.   
     
     
         20 . A drill system for drilling a borehole into a subsurface region, the drill system comprising:
 a drill string;   a drill bit connected to the drill string;   a hoist control connected to the drill string;   a drill controller for controlling at least one of the drill bit, the drill string, and the hoist control;   a sensor in operational communication with the drill;   a computer processor in communication with the sensor;   a data repository in communication with the computer processor and storing:
 a collaring stage, 
 a measured parameter of the drill and a new measured parameter of the drill, 
 a reference value for a drilling parameter of the drill, wherein the reference value is comparable to the measured parameter, and wherein the drilling parameter comprises a measured value of an operation of the drill during drilling, 
 an adjusted drilling parameter, 
 a difference between the measured parameter and the reference value, 
 an adjustment factor to the drilling parameter, 
   a server controller executable by the computer processor to:
 command the drill to drill the borehole into the subsurface region, 
 identify, based on a depth of the drill bit in the subsurface region, the collaring stage of drilling the borehole, 
 sense, with the sensor, the measured parameter of the drill during drilling, 
 identify, based on the collaring stage, the reference value, 
 generate the difference, 
 determine, from the difference, the adjustment factor; 
 adjust the drilling parameter according to the adjustment factor to generate the adjusted drilling parameter; and 
 command the drill controller to modify, during drilling, operation of the drill according to the adjusted drilling parameter to change the measured parameter to the new measured parameter.