Drilling automation

Computer Vision Technology Monitors Safety Zones and Automates Drillpipe Tally

A pilot application using computer vision technology has been created to count and measure the pipe entering the wellbore and detect personnel movement in the red zone during pipe-delivery operations.

4K-resolution image (left) compared with a lower-resolution image
Fig. 1—4K-resolution image (left) compared with a lower-resolution image.

An indispensable item for every roughneck is the tally book, used to measure and count the drillpipe entering and exiting the wellbore. Traditional manual entry is prone to error, leading to potential mistakes in the calculated drilling depth and poorly sequenced lithologies. Computer vision technology has shown promise in other industries with its ability to automate similar recognition and counting tasks. A dual-use system has been developed in which the same cameras for pipe counting can be used for red-zone-entry detection, potentially enhance the safety of the drilling process.

A Dual-Use System: Monitor Safety Zones and Automate Drillpipe Tally

Drilling-depth measurement commonly is performed using the drillpipe itself, and it happens in two places.

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