DI G ITAL TR AN S FOR MATION
Sensor advances enhance
data accuracy, drive more
automated workflows
Industry finding innovative ways to improve data collection for
applications like rig equipment monitoring and flow measurements
while prolonging sensor durability in harsh environments
BY STEPHEN WHITFIELD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
A mid the digitalization boom in drilling, the deployment of
accurate and effective sensor technology has become cru-
cial to companies’ efforts to monitor specific operational
parameters, whether for equipment maintenance on the rig or as
an enabler for increasingly data-dependent automation tools.
“Our drilling automation services fundamentally hinge on
robust measurement, interpretation and control systems, all
orchestrated to enhance well construction,” said Matthias Gatzen,
Well Construction Segment Digital Director at Baker Hughes.
Highlights
Battery-powered tri-axial sensors will be
tested on an ultra-deepwater drillship in
the US Gulf to automate vibration data
gathering, streamlining the equipment
condition monitoring process.
Manufacturers are deploying new materials
in sensor technologies to improve light
output and sensitivity, which enable faster
and more accurate measurements.
NBIR light sources, already used in things
like night vision goggles, have recently been
adopted for gas imaging and are enabling
better gas detection systems in the oilfield.
20 “Utilizing the right sensors, whether they’re proprietary sensors
that we design or third-party sensors that we select, allow us to
collect precise data at the right time and place. That’s essential
for marrying practical field operations with the advanced techno-
logical solutions we’re seeing more and more of in the industry.”
Sensors also play a valuable role in keeping people safe at the
rig site. New systems have been developed, for instance, to better
detect harmful gases that could be present on the rig, allowing
drillers to quickly investigate and prevent fires or explosions.
“In situations involving hazardous gases, it’s critical for facili-
ties to respond quickly to incidents, from detecting gas leaks as
they happen to making informed decisions and mitigating risks
wherever possible,” said Jessica Wood, VP and General Manager
– Industrial Processing and Safety at Honeywell. “If these leaks
are not detected, they could result in devastating injuries. It’s
really important for site managers to implement a layered gas
detection system in which independent, yet interrelated, layers of
protection work together through various technologies, including
sensors.” In this story, DC speaks with sensor manufacturers and an
offshore drilling contractor about new sensing technologies and
how their boundaries are being tested.
Automating data collection from primary
load path drilling equipment
Vibration is one of many types of data Seadrill uses within its
Asset Lifecycle Management (ALCM) platform to validate equip-
ment condition and identify when a major overhaul is required.
Currently, however, getting that data is a labor-intensive, manual
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DI G ITAL TR AN S FOR MATION
Above: Seadrill plans to conduct a proof-of-concept trial
with a third-party engineering firm on battery-powered tri-
axial vibration sensors on its West Neptune drillship . The sen-
sors will gather vibration data from the rig’s primary load
path equipment, which Seadrill’s Asset Lifecycle Manage-
ment platform can use to look for patterns that align with
equipment malfunction. Currently the data is taken manually
by rig crews, so automating the process will help to reduce
the workload of those personnel.
Right: Reuter-Stokes, a division of Baker Hughes, offers gam-
ma-ray sensing solutions utilizing scintillators filled with ce-
rium bromide and lanthanum halide crystals. These crystals
provide better light output, enabling faster data acquisition
with more accurate measurements.
process that can often disrupt the operation of primary load path
drilling equipment.
Automating that measurement process will be critical, both in
helping to mitigate the potential negative impacts of those disrup-
tions and to improve the ALCM platform, said John Dady, Director
of Technical Services at Seadrill. “We need to eliminate the need
for unnecessary manual data collection. That’s going to be big in
freeing up the rig crew to handle more critical preventative and
corrective maintenance tasks.”
To measure vibration specifically, Seadrill has been working
with a third-party engineering firm on a proof-of-concept trial
of a battery-powered tri-axial vibration sensor. The sensors can
be activated to take a sample vibration measurement via an
RPM setpoint detection algorithm. The vibration data gathered
by the sensors are first sent over a conventional Wi-Fi network
to the engineering firm’s cloud computing network for display
and status reporting, then to Seadrill’s cloud for analysis within
the ALCM platform. As the platform is directly connected to the
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