Rig States Guide
Introduces the user to the Rig States dialog, which is used in tandem with WITS to automatically populate the slide sheet.
1.0 - Introduction
During drilling operations, Well Seeker Pro has the ability to receive a WITS or WITSML feed from the rig site and use this data to automatically populate the Directional Driller’s slide sheet. To do this, Well Seeker Pro must use the WITS data to deduce the current operation on the rig – drilling, sliding, connection and so on – otherwise known as the rig state.
Well Seeker receives drilling parameters from the WITS/WITSML feed and compares them against user-defined thresholds. Depending on whether the incoming values are above or below the threshold, Well Seeker can infer what activity is currently happening on the rig. For example, if the string RPM is below the RPM threshold it can be inferred that the string is not rotating etc. Well Seeker then combines all of these parameters to deduce the current rig state.
The user can control this process by defining the drilling parameter thresholds in the Rig States Dialog. The purpose of this document is to introduce the user to the Rig States dialog in Well Seeker Pro, and detail the steps required to correctly setup and use it.
2.0 – Rig States Setup
Note that the Rig States dialog requires an incoming WITS or WITSML feed to function properly. For details on setting up a WITS/WITSML feed, see the following guide: WITS Setup & Remote Directional Drilling - Innova Drilling & Intervention (innova-drilling.com).
To auto-populate the slide sheet, the following channels need to be received from the WITS/WITSML feed:
Weight on Bit
RPM
Total GPM
Bit Depth
Hole Depth
Hookload
Block Position
Standpipe Pressure
ROP (Optional – for recording parameters only)
Torque (Optional – for recording parameters only)
In addition, if the user wants to receive survey and toolface data, the following channels are required:
Magnetic Toolface
Gravity Toolface
Survey Measured Depth
Survey Inclination
Survey Azimuth
The Rig States dialog can be configured before or after setting up the WITS/WITSML feed. To do this, follow the below instructions:
Configure the rig parameter Thresholds.
The threshold value acts as a switching point. Any value below the threshold is effectively off, while any value recorded above the threshold is on. It should be set low enough that there is a clear demarcation between each activity, but not to zero. This will stop erroneous WITS values from accidentally changing the activity.
RPM: If the incoming RPM value is below the threshold, the pipe is considered to be not rotating. If it is above, it is rotating. When drilling, this is used to decide if the string is sliding or rotary drilling.
Pump Pressure: If the incoming standpipe pressure value is above the threshold value, then the pumps are considered on. If it is below the threshold, the pumps are off.
Flow Rate: This threshold is obsolete and can safely be ignored.
Hookload (HKLD) Threshold: If the incoming hookload value is lower than the threshold, the string is considered in slips. If it is above, then it is out of slips.
On Bottom Delta: The program calculates the difference between the Bit Depth and the total Hole Depth. If this value is smaller than the On Bottom Delta, then the bit is considered on bottom. If it is larger, then the bit is off bottom.
Weight On Bit (WOB) Threshold: The incoming weight on bit value must be above this threshold before the program acknowledges that WOB is being deliberately applied by the driller.
If necessary, configure the RPM buffer. RPM values from the WITS/WITSML feed can fluctuate, so in addition to the RPM Threshold, the Rig States dialog also uses the RPM Buffer to determine if you are rotating or sliding.
The RPM buffer size sets how many of the most recent RPM values to keep in the buffer, and the RPM Buffer Threshold sets how many values in the buffer need to be above the RPM threshold before Well Seeker considers the string to be rotating.
As an example, with an RPM Buffer Size of 9 and an RPM Buffer Threshold of 3 the below would be true.
If there are 3 or fewer values in the RPM buffer that are > RPM Threshold then you are sliding.
If there are 4 or more values in the RPM buffer that are > RPM threshold then you are rotating.
In most cases, these values can be left as the default.
Once the thresholds have been set up, minimize the Rig States dialog. Do not close it.
Once both the Rig States and the WITS/WITSML feed have been set up, you can click on the green Auto Populate Slide Sheet button on the toolbar to start automatically recording rotate and slide activity, as well as drilling parameters.
The message “Live Rig States Running” will appear below the toolbar. You will NOT be able to manually edit the slide sheet while the slide sheet is auto-populating. To pause recording, click on the red Stop Auto Populating Slide Sheet button on the toolbar. This will allow you to edit the slide sheet again.
The thresholds can be changed while the slide sheet is auto-populating. If you feel that the slide and rotate activity is not being accurately captured, try adjusting some of the thresholds.
3.0 – Monitoring Rig States
While receiving WITS data, the Rig States dialogue can be used to view the incoming drilling parameter data and the rig state inferred from that data. These will display regardless of whether auto-populate is turned on or off.
The Current WITS Data and Drilling Params sections display the data values taken from the WITS feed. They will display the most recently received values.
In the Current Rig State section, Well Seeker takes the values from the Current WITS Data and Drilling Params sections, and compares them to the user defined threshold values to deduce the activities displayed:
On Bottom Delta >> On/Off Bottom
Pump Pressure >> Pumps On/Off
Hookload Threshold >> In/Out of Slips
These activities are combined with the direction of the travelling block to deduce the RigState output. The slide sheet can only record rotating or sliding activity, but the RigState output can deduce other activities, such as reaming in/out, tripping in/out and connection. See the Troubleshooting section below for the full list of activities.
If the WITS feed is also sending toolface data, this will be displayed in the Sliding TF section.
The Timers section displays the last time a Pumps On, In Slips, Off Bottom or Survey event was recorded. The Duration column records how long the event lasted.
4.0 – Troubleshooting
If the slide sheet is not auto-populating in the way you would expect, follow the below steps to troubleshoot the issue:
Check the Current WITS Data and Drilling Params sections. As a minimum, the following channels need to be received from the WITS/WITSML feed for the Rig States dialog to function:
Weight on Bit
RPM
Total GPM
Bit Depth
Hole Depth
Hookload
Block Position
Standpipe Pressure
If a channel is not receiving data, it will display a null value of -9999.25. If one or more channels are displaying this value, it could indicate that the WITS channels have not been mapped correctly. Consult with the rig and change the WITS mapping by going to Tools >> WITS Mapping. For more detailed information on WITS mapping, refer to the following guide: WITS Setup & Remote Directional Drilling - Innova Drilling & Intervention (innova-drilling.com).
If all channels are not receiving data, this could indicate that the WITS feed is not being received at all. Make sure that the WITS or WITSML reader is reading. If it is, check that the message box is showing incoming messages. If not, there may be an issue with your connection.
Check the physical connection between your computer and the rig WITS system. If you are using serial WITS, note that you should be using a null modem cable and not a regular serial cable.
Observe the Current Rig State section while rig activity is happening. If the activities being displayed in the section do not match with the activities on the rig, this can indicate that your thresholds have not been set properly.
Each state displayed in the RigState field corresponds to a specific combination of threshold values and travelling block direction. The combination required for each is displayed in the table below.
If a cell is filled in GREEN then the value is above the threshold. If it is filled in RED then it is below the threshold. Cells filled in grey can be either above or below.
If the combination of thresholds and block speed does not match with one of the rig states listed here, the displayed rig state will be UNKOWN.
4.1 – Contacting Innova
If having worked through all of the trouble shooting steps detailed above, you are still having issues, you can contact Innova support for assistance. When contacting Innova, to allow us to provide the most efficient support, please follow the below steps:
Create a debugging file: In the main Well Seeker window, open the Help menu and select Create Debugging File. This will create a .zip file containing a copy of the current database, a copy of your setup file and a txt document containing system information.
Clearly state the name of the well and Operator you are working in.
Create a log file: In the Slide Sheet window, open the Tools menu and toggle on Enable Error Logging. This will create a log file that captures incoming rig parameter data and logs any errors. Start reading with the WITS feed and open the Rig States dialog, and let them run for some time to collect some data in the log file. This should ideally be done whilst performing the next step.
Record a screen capture of your Slide Sheet and Rig States dialog: In the main Well Seeker window, open the Help Menu and select Start Screen Capture. This will begin recording a video of your screen. Note that it does not record any audio. Display your slide sheet and Rig States dialog on your screen, similar to the screenshot below, and begin auto-populating your slide sheet. Try to capture the issue occurring. When you are ready to stop recording, go back to the Help menu and select Stop Screen Capture.
Open the Help menu again and select Open Setup File Folder. In this folder, open the Debug folder. The log file rigStateLog.txt and the screen capture screenCapture.mp4 are located here.
Attach the debugging file, log file and screen capture file to an email, and send it to support@innova-drilling.com.
Include a detailed description of your issue.
Innova support will get in contact with you to provide assistance.
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