Well Seeker X: MWD Reporting Guide
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Well Seeker X improves the workflow for recording MWD information at the rig site, and adds a number of new features. This document is a guide to setting up and using the MWD reporting in Well Seeker X. By following this guide, users in the office and in the field can understand how to get the most from these features.
The Probe Catalog is an organization level record of the exact probe measurements that are uniform to the specific probes available to your organization, which is stored on your organization’s server database. It is usually the responsibility of your organization’s MWD Coordinator / Manager to maintain the MWD Probe Catalog.
Note: If you have a corporate license, you will only be able to access the Probe Catalog dialog when logged into your organization’s server database. If you attempt to access the Probe Catalog from a local database, you will receive the below error message:
When the DD or MWD Engineer at the rig site use the Data Fetch to pull well data into their local database, the Probe Catalog is also retrieved. The MWD Engineer can then use the probe data contained in it to construct the MWD probe string for their BHA. Using this method streamlines the MWD Engineer’s inputs, avoids potential errors by reducing manual entry, and allows your organization to maintain quality control.
Additionally, the Admin can also create MWD probe templates. These are pre-made, commonly used, MWD strings using the probes entered into the Catalog. The MWD Engineer at the rig site can then use these templates to build their probe strings at the click of a button, saving time and further reducing the need for manual entry.
The Probe Catalog should be populated on your organization’s server database. In order to do this, you will need login credentials and edit/create permissions. Follow the steps below to set up the Probe Catalog:
Log into your organization’s server database by clicking on the Server icon in the Home ribbon.
Once connected to the server, open the Tools ribbon click on MWD Probes in the Catalogs section.
Enter the probes owned by your organisation into the catalog.
Description: Enter a descriptive name for the probe.
System: Probes can be grouped into ‘systems’, which can then be filtered when picking probes to add into an MWD config.
Type: Select a probe type from the dropdown box.
Length: The length of the probe. This is always in inches.
Sensor 1 Type: If there is an L/MWD sensor in the probe, select it’s type from the dropdown box. If there is no sensor in the probe, select ‘none’.
Sensor 1 Distance from Bottom: If you selected a sensor type for any given probe, you can then enter the distance of the sensor from the bottom of the probe. The bottom is the end of the probe pointing towards the bit. This distance is always entered in inches.
Sensor 2 Type: If there is a second L/MWD sensor in the probe, select it’s type from the dropdown box.
Sensor 2 Distance from Bottom: The distance of the second sensor from the bottom of the probe.
Max number: The maximum number of this probe that can be included in a MWD config.
Required: If this is checked then at least one of this probe must be included in a MWD config.
Always on top: If this option is checked, this probe will automatically always be placed at the top of the probe string when added into an MWD Config.
Always on bottom: If this option is checked, this probe will automatically always be placed at the bottom of the probe string when added into a MWD Config.
An important point to note when adding a Pulser. If the transmitter is bottom mounted (i.e. a UBHO setup where the transmitter is the part of the probe string that is closest to the bit) the user should leave the Sensor 1 Type field as None.
If the pulser is top mounted (the transmitter is the farthest part of the probe string from the bit) the user should set the Senser 1 Type to Top Mounted Pulser Ref. In the Sensor 1 Distance from Bottom field, enter the distance from the bottom of the transmitter to the mounting point on the transmitter, where it is mounted to the drill collar. The program will place the probes inside the collars so that the mounting point lines up with the point defined by the “UBHO Pin to Set Screw (SS)” distance. See Appendix C for a more detailed breakdown of the top mounted configuration.
Click on Apply and then Close to save your changes and close the Probe Catalog.
MWD probe templates are created and stored on your organization's server database, and are pulled down at the same time as the Probe Catalog when the field engineers do a data fetch. Follow the below steps to set up a probe template.
The MWD Probe Templates dialog can be opened from within the Probe Catalog dialog by clicking on the Templates button in the bottom left corner.
Click on Add to create a new template. Enter a name for the template then click on Save.
The Catalog section contains the probes entered into the Probe Catalog. The dropdown box at the top can filter the list based on the system they were assigned to.
Use the Add and Remove buttons to add probes from the catalog to the template. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to re-arrange the order. Click on Save to save your changes.
Note: If a probe has the always on top or bottom cell checked then you will not be able to move this using the Move Up / Down buttons.
Note: Bit direction is down in the template, meaning that the bottom of the template should be the probe closest to the bit.
The following steps should be taken by the field personnel (i.e. the MWD Engineer) at the rig site while setting up the first BHA run. Subsequent BHA runs will need to repeat Step 3 onwards:
The engineers at the rig site should use the Data Fetch to retrieve the well from the server. Using this method will also pull down the MWD Probe Catalog and templates to the rig site computer.
This step is optional, but will make entering data easier in the following steps. Enter the details of the UBHO collars, non-magnetic drill collars, MWD probes and MWD surface system into the Inventory dialog. For the collars you should enter as much information as you can, but the MWD probes and surface system only need their Type and Serial Number entered. One of the collars, usually the UBHO sub, should have the type MWD/LWD.
Build your BHA in the Drill String Editor. In order to use the MWD Config, the BHA must include one component with the MWD/LWD type. In order to calculate the carrier length and insertion gear results in the MWD Config, you should also include the non-magnetic drill collars.
Note: In order to use the MWD Config, the MWD/LWD component must contain the word “UBHO” somewhere in its description.
In the MWD section of the menu ribbon, click on MWD Config. This will not be available to select unless you have an M/LWD component in the string.
In the MWD Config dialog, construct the M/LWD probe string that is being used in this BHA. If you have templates available, you can select one from the dropdown box in the Probe Config section to automatically populate the string.
If no templates are available, you will need to build the string manually. Use the Add and Remove buttons to add probes from the Catalog to the probe string. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to re-arrange the order.
Note: If a probe has the always on top or bottom cell checked then you will not be able to move this using the Move Up / Down buttons.
Note: Bit direction is down in the template, meaning that the bottom of the template should be the probe closest to the bit.
For each probe added to the probe string, enter a serial number and a version number. If you entered the details of the probes into the Inventory dialog, then the serial numbers will be available in dropdown boxes.
In the BHA section, fill in additional details for the probe string. Fields highlighted in green are editable.
Probe Length: The total length of the probes in the Probe Config section. This is automatically calculated and is displayed in the selected length unit.
Carrier Length: The length of the component above the MWD/LWD component, if the string is using a bottom mounted transmitter. If the string is using a top mounted transmitter, it will show the length of the component below the MWD/LWD component.
UBHO Pin to Set Screw: If the string is using a bottom mounted transmitter, this is the distance between the UBHO pin end and the set screw. The software assumes that the end of the last probe is sitting on the set screw. If the string is using a top mounted transmitter, this is the distance between the UBHO pin end and the anchor point on the transmitter.
UBHO Box to Set Screw: The difference between the pin to set screw value and the length of the UBHO / Transmitter Sub.
Bit to UBHO: The distance between the bit and the pin end of the UBHO.
Insertion gear: The distance between the top of the probe string and the end of the carrier component, and represents how much space you have left in your carrier. If this is a negative number, it means the probe string is sticking out of the end of the carrier. Refer to Appendix B to see how this value is calculated.
The rest of the inputs in this section do not have any effect on the sensor offsets, but can appear in reports:
Pulser type: Enter a description for the pulser type (e.g. positive pulse).
Helix type: The helix material.
MWD collar type: Choose from either Slick or Flex.
Telemetry Type: Choose from either MP (Mud Pulse), EM, Dual or Wired Pipe
Fin Size: Enter a size for the probe centralizing fins.
Stickup: Enter a stickup length for the MWD.
Gamma Correction: Enter the amount of gamma correction, if applicable.
Retrievable: Select whether the probe string is retrievable or not.
The Sensor Offsets section displays the sensor offsets. The sensors displayed here depend on the types of probes selected in the Probe Config section. The offset values are calculated using the probe length and sensor distance from bottom values entered in the probe catalog, along with the lengths entered in the Drill String Editor for the specific BHA.
Refer to Appendix A to see how these values are calculated for a standard UBHO configuration, and Appendix C for a top mounted configuration.
When you are finished, click on the Apply button to save your changes, and then Close to close the dialog. The sensor offset values will be sent to the MWD/LWD component in your drill string.
In the MWD section of the menu ribbon, click on Surface System.
In the MWD Surface System dialog, enter the serial numbers of each piece of the surface system, click on Apply to save your changes, and then Close to close the dialog. If you entered details for the surface system equipment into the Inventory dialog, the serial numbers will be available as dropdowns. Note that the data entered here will be applied to all BHAs on the well, not just the currently selected BHA so you generally only need to enter this data once.
Click on the Save icon in the menu ribbon to save your data.
The following steps should be taken by the MWD engineer at the start of, and during the BHA drilling run:
After picking up your tools, return to the Drill String Editor and click on MWD in the Run Data section of the menu ribbon.
In the MWD Run Data dialog enter the pre-run test results in the Test section, the battery plugin time in the Batteries section, and any other details in the Setup section. Click on Apply and then Close.
During drilling there is some information that the MWD can fill each day, in the Daily Data section of the Daily Reports – MWD Comments, MWD Type, MWD pulse height on btm and MWD pulse height off btm.
Once the BHA run is complete, the MWD engineer should perform the following steps:
Return to the Drill String Editor and click on MWD in the Run Data section of the menu ribbon.
Fill in the post-job test results in the Tests section MWD Run Data dialog, and enter the battery plug out time in the Batteries section.
Enter any relevant comments in the Run Summary section.
If there has been an MWD incident during the run, record it by checking the MWD Incident box. Select the probe type in the Incident Type dropdown and the specific component in the Component dropdown. Enter any relevant comments in the Incident Information and Shop Findings boxes.
Click on Apply to save your changes and the Close the dialog.
You can now print a MWD Performance Report from the options in the menu ribbon.
In addition to the features mentioned in the sections above, Well Seeker X includes two additional MWD tools – the Non-Magnetic Spacing Calculator and the Pressure Drop Calculator. These calculators can be accessed from the menu ribbon in the Drill String Editor.
The Non-Mag Spacing Calculator from Innova Engineering has been updated and added to Well Seeker X. This feature allows the user to predict the amount of non-magnetic material required above and below the directional sensor to keep interference from the drill string within an acceptable tolerance for uncorrected magnetic surveys. It can also evaluate whether the BHA meets these requirements.
To run the calculation, the following inputs are required:
A completed BHA in the Drill String Editor. This BHA must include:
An MWD/LWD component, with the directional sensor offset entered into the component properties.
The non-mag checkbox checked for all non-magnetic components.
Lengths and OD values entered for every component.
Geomagnetic values entered and marked as active in the Magnetics section of the Actual Wellbore Properties dialog for the well.
The Co-ordinate Reference System selected in the Filed Properties dialog.
Select Grid or True for the north reference in the Facility Properties dialog.
Enter a well location in the Well Properties dialog.
A survey or principal plan covering the desired depth interval.
In the Settings section, enter the depth interval of the BHA run in the Depth In/Out fields. If you wish to use your principal plan instead of your surveys, toggle the Use Wellplan option. In the Max Azi Error field, set your maximum acceptable error in the raw azimuth measurements. The default is 0.5.
The Pole Strengths section displays the pole strength in mWb of the components below (P1) and above (P2) the non-magnetic collars. This is based on their component type and OD. You can manually override these values by toggling the Auto option off.
For each survey/plan station, the table displays the following results.
MD: The measured depth of the survey/plan station.
INC: The inclination of the survey/plan station.
AZI (GRID/MAG): The azimuth of the survey/plan station, referenced to grid north and magnetic north, respectively.
AZI Err: The estimated error in the azimuth readings due to axial magnetic interference from the steel components in the BHA. This column will be colour coded depending on the Max Azi Error limit that you set. Green means the error is below the acceptable limit, orange means it violates the limit by a small margin, and red means it violates the limit by a large margin.
Dip/BTotal Err: The estimated error in the dip and field strength measured by the directional sensor, due to axial magnetic interference.
Req NM Above/Below: An estimation of the length of non-magnetic collars that would be needed above/below the directional sensor, in order to reduce axial magnetic interference enough to get the Azi Error below the Max Azi Error limit.
If any station violates the Max Azi Error limit, the calculator will conclude that there is not enough non-magnetic spacing. It will also report the largest Req NM Above/Below value, and compare it to the actual lengths of non-magnetic collars in the BHA.
The user can save their changes by clicking on the Save icon, and print their results using the Print icon.
The pressure drop calculator can be used to estimate the pressure drop across the transmitter.
Selected: Select a row and then click on apply. The inputs and results from the selected row will be added to the component properties of the MWD/LWD component.
Type: Choose either Poppet or Restrictor. This will affect the input and output columns available.
Orifice ID: Poppet only. Select the size of the orifice in inches from the dropdown.
Poppet OD: Poppet only. Select the size of the poppet in inches from the dropdown.
Restrictor Size: Restrictor only. Enter the restrictor size in 32nds of an inch – the same as a bit jet.
Flow Rate: Enter the estimated drilling fluid flow rate during the BHA run.
Mud Weight: Enter the mud weight for the BHA run.
Depth: Poppet only. Enter a measured depth value. This is used to calculate the surface amplitude result.
Pulse Width: Poppet only. Enter the pulse time in seconds.
Pressure Drop: The calculated pressure drop across the poppet/restrictor based on the above inputs.
Surface Amplitude: Poppet only. The estimated amplitude of the pulse when it reaches surface. Requires a value entered into the Depth field.
Error: If any required inputs are missing or have invalid values, an error message will appear in this column.
The below MWD config is an example of a standard probe configuration using a UBHO collar with a NMDC carrier above it.
The BHA for this example would look something like this:
The equation for finding the sensor offset in this configuration is as follows:
The above equation has the following assumptions:
The UBHO Pin to SS measurement assumes that the lower end/helix probe is sitting on the set screw with no overlap.
The Sensor distance from bottom value for the sensor probe is measured from the end of the probe pointing towards the bit, to the sensor on the probe.
The diagram below illustrates the sensor offset calculation.
The insertion gear value represents how much space is left in the Carrier collar, in a standard MWD config. If the Insertion Gear value is negative, this means that your probe string is sticking out of the end of the carrier. The equation for the insertion gear calculation is as follows:
Where the UBHO Pin to SS measurement assumes that the lower end/helix probe is sitting on the set screw with no overlap.
The diagram below illustrates the insertion gear calculation.
The below MWD config is an example of probe configuration using a top mounted pulser in a transmitter/pulser/gap sub, with a NMDC carrier below it. This configuration is activated by inserting a pulser that has Top Mount Pulser Ref selected in the Sensor Type column in the Probe Catalog.
The BHA for this example would look something like this:
In this configuration, the equation for finding the sensor offset is as follows:
The terminology used in the MWD Config dialog does not change, but when in a top mounted configuration, the following parts of the equation have different definitions:
UBHO = Although in reality the sub that the pulser is mounted in may have a different name, it is still referred to as the “UBHO” in the MWD Config.
Bit to UBHO = Bit to the Pulser Sub/Gap Sub. This collar is still referred to as the UBHO in the MWD Config dialog.
UBHO Pin to SS = Pulser Sub pin end to the mounting point on the Pulser Sub.
Sensor dist from bottom = The distance from the bottom of the pulser to the anchor point. The software will position the probe string inside the collars so that the anchor point on the pulser, and the mounting point on the pulser sub will line up. This is measured from the end of the pulser pointing towards the bit.
The diagram below illustrates the sensor offset calculation for a top mounted config:
