The promise of drilling systems automation is to increase well construction efficiency, delivering quality wells in a safe, reliable and predictable manner. This promise is achieved in part by creating a digital infrastructure that extends vertically from the drill bit to the remote enterprise, and horizontally from exploration to production. Critical to the success of automation is the unimpeded flow of quality data through this infrastructure. This paper focuses on studying only drilling systems automation, but the lessons learned can be applied to other disciplines such as completions and production. Due to the disconnected nature of the well construction business with multiple disciplines and companies involved, data silos and restrictions are numerous. This paper describes the development of a wellsite-based automation system consisting of an open data aggregator, with networked surface and downhole sensors and real-time applications for process monitoring, advice and control. The data aggregator is designed to allow all relevant parties to access and share data in a high-velocity deterministic environment. This access and sharing permits easy implementation of comprehensive drilling system automation, be it monitoring, advising or control, in a controlled, productive and safe manner. The paper also describes the implementation of automation applications using data from the aggregator, covering real-time drilling optimization and hydraulics. Operation of the data aggregator at the wellsite with connection to rig systems and remote operating centers is described. The data aggregator uses protocols that are international standards, and it is designed to be open and not proprietary. From an implementation standpoint, this allows easy interface of the aggregator to measurement and control systems, and access to copious third-party communication products, reducing development time and increasing reliability. Observations are that many rig instrumentation and control systems use either customized or proprietary protocols; common data information standards are lacking in the oilfield. In addition, data ownership and governance must be addressed at an industry level, as well as secure bi-directional flow of data between wellsite and town. While these topics are, to some extent, being addressed in industry road-mapping and guidance groups, progress is slow and this hinders the adoption of technology. The paper describes the development and implementation of an open data aggregator for the wellsite. The aggregator allows third-party real-time applications to use and share data, and to collaborate on industry standards. It further describes the development of automation applications riding on the data aggregator, and their use in drilling systems automation. This case study illustrates and examines issues that must be addressed at the company and industry level to move universal drilling systems automation closer to reality.

Automated systems are common in many industries, but remain a challenge for the drilling industry. Wellbores are drilled using an ad-hoc collection of equipment and services that are assumed to work together.Standards for oil-industry information exchange have existed for many years but they are, in many cases, inadequate to convey the detail required for automation of complex processes such as real-time drilling control. Advances in information and communications technology have enabled other industries to implement new work processes and data flows, connecting disparate systems from multiple vendors in a safe, secure and reliable manner. Autonomous automobiles and aircraft are now a reality. Coiled tubing brings the potential for true real-time control of downhole equipment; however, it must function as part of an integrated system that includes surface equipment and sensors from a number of suppliers working in conjunction with the technical applications for directional well control and reservoir navigation.In order to be widely adopted, integration solutions must be simple to implement and easily deployable -essentially an oil industry "plug-and-play" capability. History offers examples of previous oil industry standards that were over-engineered and too complex for simple and reliable implementation. Automation-enabling technology exists today, but oil industry-specific work must be undertaken to drive the adoption and implementation of these technologies in a fit-for-purpose manner. The focus must be to bring together the oilfield standards organizations to facilitate the definition and use of standards that will drive interoperability and automation.

Objectives/Scope Drilling operations rely on the collaboration of many participants, and the efficiency of this collaboration depends on timely exchange of information. The complexity and variability of this information make it difficult to achieve interoperability between the involved systems. Recent industry efforts aim at facilitating the many aspects of interoperability. A central element is semantic interoperability: the ability to correctly interpret the real-time signals available on the rig. This contribution presents an implementation of semantic interoperability using OPC UA technology. It translates the principles developed through joint industry efforts into actual drilling operations. Methods, Procedures, Process The process used the steps of characterizing the drilling real-time data with semantic graphs, and then developing methods to transfer this characterization to an operational real-time environment. A semantic interoperability API (application programming interface) uses the semantic modelling capabilities of OPC UA. Its objectives are to facilitate the acquisition and identification of real-time signals (for data consumers) and their precise description (by data providers). The different components of the API reflect the diversity of scenarios one can expect to encounter on a rig: from WITS-like data streams with minimal semantics to fully characterized signals. The high-level interface makes use of semantical techniques, such as reasoning, to enable advanced features like validation or graph queries. Results, Observations, Conclusions The implementation phase resulted in a series of open-source solutions that cover all the stages of semantic interoperability. The server part integrates real-time sources and exposes their semantics. Data providers can use dedicated applications to accurately describe their own data, while data consumers have access to both predefined mechanisms and to more advanced programming interfaces to identify and interpret the available signals. To facilitate the adoption of this technology, test applications are available that allow interested users to experiment and validate their own interfaces against realistic drilling data. Finally, demonstrations involving several participants took place. The paper discusses both the testing procedures, the results and insights gained. Novel/Additive Information The solutions described in this contribution build on newly developed interoperability strategies: they make on-going industry efforts available to the community via modern technologies, such as OPC UA, semantic modelling, or reasoning. Our hope is that the adoption of the developed technology should greatly facilitate the deployment of next generation drilling automation systems.