Mitigating Nonproductive Time: A Novel Algorithm for Dsl Fault Detection

Abstract

Digital slickline (DSL) has been introduced to improve the efficiency of intervention operations in both onshore and offshore wells. DSL cables provide a real-time two-way-telemetry path between the acquisition system at the surface and the downhole sensors. Most nonproductive time (NPT) in DSL operations stems from telemetry issues due to cable faults despite the system's robustness. To address this, we developed a data-driven framework for identifying potential cable damage and its approximate location using the DSL logging telemetry data, including communication signals, pressure, and depth. We tested our method on 992 real-case downhole jobs across almost 30 countries. To validate our method, we compared the method predictions for 60 jobs with labeled potential faults (i.e., cable damage), reaching an accuracy of 98% when considering whether the job has a fault. Thus, our framework enhances cable management, reducing NPT and associated costs.