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A new drilling control system enhancement for real-time optimization and automation control has been installed on the rig and tested in passive mode in preparation for a full-scale drilling test. The testing has been performed on the Statfjord C platform in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The aim of the field test is to demonstrate that the incorporation of real time calibrated process models in drilling control can make the drilling process more reliable, increase efficiency, and improve safety for the drilling crew and with regards to control of the drilling process. The system, described previously, performs continuous optimization of operational parameters using calibrated dynamic process models. Safe operational windows are calculated, and operational sequences are automatically optimized through forward model simulations. The results are applied to machine control in real-time, providing process safe-guards and increasing process efficiency. A thorough description of the preparations and passive testing is given. The final test results are to be evaluated based on success criteria developed prior to the test in cooperation with field operator and drilling contractors. The implications for the work organization are also discussed, particularly in relation to control of data input, decision making and responsibility. This technology will allow for direct integration of the know-how and best current practices into the drilling control system. Automated procedures and tests are to provide improved control of well conditions. Direct integration of process models shall enable safe optimization in the short time scale. And coupling the system to remote input will enable optimization in the long time scale, while built-in monitoring and diagnostics may ensure safe application of optimised parameters. Introduction A full scale off-shore pilot test of a new control system enhancement for optimisation of drilling control is currently being performed on the Statfjord C platform on the Tampen basin in the Norwegian part of the North Sea. The system has been developed to assist in particular drilling challenges experienced in this area, which include such challenges as unstable formations leading to packoff situations and stuck pipe, regions of shale between sandstone layers leading to increased risk of fracturing during drilling, hole cleaning issues, hydraulics management and tripping control issues due to depletion in the producing formations, as this is a field which has been in production since 1979. Also, some sections may be drilled at high inclinations, leading to potential issues with barite sag. In the current drilling process, stress-cage technology, using CaCO3, is applied in order to achieve a larger pressure window to drill in, and standardisations of procedures have been developed to deal with the existing challenges, which are to be enforced by the drilling crews. The system developed is primarily to aid the crew in such enforcement.

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