Assignment-2

Topic: Rotary steerable system (RSS)

Name: Dhrumil Savalia

Roll no: 17BPE025

Introduction
RSS is a tool designed to drill directionally with continuous rotation from the surface, eliminating the
need to slide a mud motor. It is a new automatic technique of directional drilling developed in the late
1980s. RSS can automatically adjust the inclination and azimuth and keep the downhole system’s
stability while drilling. It is mainly composed of BHA and ground monitoring center. Downhole steering
tool is helpful in knowing borehole propagation and drilling trajectory control.

Application
It finds its application in directional drilling. Rotary steerable systems have progressed dramatically over
past few years as their reliability has improved and range of applications has increased. A new rotary
steerable system combines the drilling efficiency advantages of rotary assemblies with the course
control associated with bent-housing motor techniques. The system's downhole computer can
automatically guide the tool along a planned well path, and two-way communication between surface
operators and the downhole assembly permits adjustments to system parameters and the well path
without interrupting the drilling process.

Tool description
 RSS is mainly composed of ground monitoring center, MWD /LWD tools & downhole steering
tool.
 LWD measures geophysical paramaters of various formations encountered during drilling, it
transmits this information to surface through pressure pulses generated in mud, the receiver at
the surface converts the binary code carried through the pressure pulses to required output in
form of a graph.
 MWD measures drilling parameters such as inclination, azimuth, pressure etc.
 Downhole steering tools consists of Bias unit, drilling fluid control & stable platform
 Bias unit is used to supply power to active receiving antennas that are powered via the coaxial
cable of their RF(Radio frequency) output. It relies on wing rib and hydraulic cylinder.
 Drilling fluid control unit can regulate the lateral force that comes from hydraulic cylinder by
controlling the flux of drilling fluid and rotation angle of upper disc valve on control unit.
  Stable platform ensures the stability of downhole control system & signal transmission and thus
does not allow vibrational effects on the string to affect the bias unit.
 Stable platform consists of 2 turbine generators, electronic hardware, measurement & control
unit.
 Turbine generators generate power by converting kinetic energy to electrical energy.
 Electronic hardware consists of signal detection and transmission equipments.
 The bias unit can be static as well as dynamic
 Static bias refers to the bias unit that does not rotate with drill bit rather only provides lateral
force.
 Dynamic bias unit provides both rotation along with the bit & lateral force in the drilling
direction

1) Ground monitor system 2) Stable platform 3)Drilling Fluid control 4) Bias unit 5) PDC bit

Mechanism

 RSS changes direction from the wellbore by two principles: Push the bit & Point the bit
 Drilling unit changes direction through the power generated in the drill string due to pressure
difference between its inner & outer part
 Push the bit mechanism includes pushing the hydraulic cylinders with the help of bias unit on to
the borehole wall which generates a thrust force along the borehole wall due to the pressure
difference exerted by the drilling fluid control valve.
 As a result of thrust force generated by hydraulic cylinders on the borehole wall, a reaction
force is generated by the borehole wall onto the extendable pads, this ultimately forbids
directional change.
 When the setting direction is constant the length of the extendable pads throughout the length
of the borehole remains constant nullifying the thrust force generated previously.
 Point he bit mechanism is same as push the bit but the main difference is that it uses eccentric
shaft to control the drilling trajectory.
 Push the bit

Point the bit

Advantages of RSS
 It eliminates difficulties associated with oriented drilling.
 Improve hole cleaning: Rotary mechanical agitation of cuttings beds and the orbital motion of
the drill string means that cuttings are less likely to form cuttings beds as they are continuously
exposed, agitated and circulated out.
 Synergy with PDC bits: Orienting with a PDC bit is recognized as being difficult this can limit
optimal bit choice in certain formation.
 Increase average ROP: Rotary drilling consistently yields higher ROP leading to a reduced time in
drilling the section.
 Improve Borehole geometry: reduced tortuosity and smoother wellbore
 Reduced torque and drag
 Reduced hole problems like mechanical & differential sticking
Limitations of RSS

 Push the bit: It makes hole spiral in hold section & it is not used in unconsolidated formations
 Point the bit: It takes longer time interval for the drilling tool to change direction in case of this
method.

Examples
 A RSS designed by weatherford was used to drill different wells in different conditions inn
different areas
 The RSS designed by weatherford was named as revolution RSS
 In Abu Dhabi a horizontal injection well having diameter of 8.5in was drilled by an operator from
2200ft to 12918ft in less than 90hrs saving 41hrs of drilling time and achieve significant cost
savings without any non-productive time
 The same technology was used in a Saudi-Arabian field prone to lost circulation, differential
sticking and hydrogen sulfide challenges and it drilled a 3°/100ft dogleg section with6 1/8in-hole
in ERD horizontal injection well at a target depth of 16,856ft. Average ROP was 35ft/hr. This was
optimal ROP achieved, prior to this technology deployment it was difficult to reach this ROP
 This same technology was used in Bay of Bengal in India. The formation contained claystone,
interbedded sandstone, marl and calcareous clay.
 The system drilled 12.25in-gauge hole and then drilled to MD of 4918ft to improve the average
ROP and reduce the number of wiper trips, Drilling time was 192hrs with an average ROP of
25.6ft/hr
 Conclusion: The new technology developed in the RSS system enables power section placed on
RSS tool to provide additional torque and RPM. This is a hybrid type RSS technology used mainly
in middle east regions where the rocks are especially hard.

References
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308497960_Overview_of_rotary_steerable_system_
and_its_control_methods
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_steerable_system
 https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1Vx-LwIgo3awkInWcysnma7cq1TJYDcbx

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