**6. Automated well control for conventional drilling operations**

Traditionally, well control is a manual safety critical process with reliance on the driller to shut-in the well once an influx is detected. It requires high cognitive workload from the driller who is also saddled with repetitive well construction tasks for extended periods. The driller is the member of the drilling rig crew responsible for operating drilling rig equipment on the rig floor. While the capacity and preparedness of the driller is enhanced by regular training and drills, unforeseen events can unsettle him; thus, making him vulnerable to error. The driller could also be distracted by extraneous factors which could adversely impact on his performance. The role of human errors in the occurrence of LOWC events has been considered crucial as 42% of published incidents between 2014 and 2021 were attributed to human factors [42]. This encompasses the skill of the drilling personnel in recognizing a well control situation and restoring well control. It has been noted that undue reliance on human intervention in well control situations could be dangerous. Thus, organizational, and human failures could be eliminated by increasing the level of automation in well control. Automating processes allows well operations to be more reliable and consistent, effectively improving the performance of drillers. Consequently, the implementation of automation within the well control envelope is expected to contribute significantly to enhance safety and efficiency. Even though full automation of the well control process is yet to be adopted within the industry, there are technological developments towards bridging this gap [5, 6, 42].

A system, known as Automated Well Control (AWC), which fully automates kick detection and shut-in sequences during drilling operations has been developed by Safe Influx. This system enables continuous real-time monitoring of the well and manages influx flow automatically by ensuring fast identification of the influx of formation fluids into the wellbore and rapid response via immediate decision-making; thus, ensuring the influx size is minimized and the risk to people and the environment mitigated [42]. This system is classified to be on level 2 according to the automotive automation classification [42, 43]. The topology of the AWC system is shown in **Figure 4**. The well control process is automated such that once a kick is detected, the AWC system will actively control the drilling rig by performing a series of commands. Firstly, the drill string is spaced out such that an incompatible pipe connection across the BOP valve to be actuated is moved to facilitate safely shutting in the BOP. Secondly, the top drive is stopped, and the rig pumps shut down. Thirdly, the BOP is shut-in [44]. The system footprint of the automated control system on the drilling rig is a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and a Human Machine Interface (HMI) screen. The HMI screen can be incorporated into the rig's existing HMI screen for ease of operation by the driller. The PLC uses control algorithms to accurately monitor the parameters from the existing sensor package and control the existing rig equipment [45].

**Figure 4.** *The AWC system topology [45]. N.B.: The automated steps are numbered.*

The space out of the drill string following kick detection is not trivial. A Well Control Space Out technology for this purpose has been developed. The technology comprises of an internet-of-things environment that links cameras and an edge server which implements deep-learning models for the real-time processing of video images recording the drill string above the drill floor. Automatic object detection is used to keep track of tool joints relative to known BOP dimensions; while video analysis of the recording is displayed on a dashboard detailing the state and steps to be followed in a well control incident without the need for any time-consuming, manual calculations. A regional convolutional neural network is used for image classification. This technology, which ensures that the BOP valve is not closed across a tool joint, is a key component towards the implementation of an automated closed-loop control system [3]. The technology is represented with a schematic in **Figure 5**.

Once the AWC system has been installed and tested, the driller is required to configure certain parameters prior to commencement of drilling operations. This includes the setup of space out parameters and the selection of the equipment whose control will be ceded to AWC system such as the top drive, mud pumps, drawworks, and BOP. This ensures that the Operator or Drilling Contractor policy can be implemented, so that the Operator and Drilling Contractor can be assured that for the duration of the well a robust assurance process is in place for well control [44]. In the case of an influx of formation fluids, the driller is alerted both visually and audibly at the HMI by the system, indicating that the AWC sequence has commenced. The system then takes control of the prior specified equipment that the human operator would have operated to regain well control [42].

The AWC system has been extensively tested on drilling simulators to verify how the system functioned in a wide range of scenarios. The system was also put to test at a well control training event involving a large group of drillers. Each driller performed a manual shut in on a particular well programmed into a well control simulator. Even though each driller had prior knowledge of an impending kick, the smallest influx volume shut-in by the drillers ranged from 1.27 m3 (7.99 bbl) to 5.08 m3 (31.96 bbl), with the typical volume being about 3 m3 (18.87 bbl). When the Automated Well Control system was activated to automatically shut-in the same influx volume, the shut-in volume was under 0.32 m3 (2.02 bbl), an order of magnitude less than any human driller achieved [42].

*Advances in Well Control: Early Kick Detection and Automated Control Systems DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106800*

#### **Figure 5.** *The well control space out technology illustrated [3].*

A full field trial of the was successfully conducted in Aberdeen, UK, where the minimum viable product of the AWC system was interfaced with a conventional land rig for the purpose of demonstrating automated well control. A series of 20 different tests were performed to test full functionality during normal drilling ahead operations and the effects of incorrect set up. The AWC system proved its functionality of the standard system under the different scenarios and operational requirements tested. Furthermore, the AWC system has been interfaced successfully with a MPD system. This integration of both systems provides automated primary and secondary well control, which allow wells to be drilled and constructed with a very high level of efficiency and integrity [46]. The AWC system is currently designed for the drilling phase with certification to operate on either a cyber-rig or a traditional rig [42].
