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The Wara sandstone reservoir in the Minagish field of Kuwait Oil Company is a complex deposition of a typical pro-deltaic environment consisting of shaly-silty sandstone sequences W7-W1. Three sequences (W6, W5, and W3) were expected in the case study well. The objective was to set 9⅝-in. casing at the top of W6 and then drill through the Wara sequences to connect all of them and land and drill the lateral section within W3. The W6 sequence is typically the primary target in the Wara formation, being thick and consistent throughout the field. The next logical step in developing the Wara reservoir was to study and investigate the minor W5 and W3 members. Due to poor correlation of W5 and W3 channels in offset wells, the geological target was selected based on seismic Poisson impedance. Historically, targeting the Wara formation occasionally resulted in multiple sidetracks due to drilling challenges. A real-time geomechanics service was utilized to overcome drilling challenges and real-time 3D ultra-deep resistivity inversion was implemented to optimize well placement. An extensive pre-drilling study for geomechanical and ultra-deep resistivity inversion modelling helped to develop road map for an optimal and safe well-construction process. The study showed that utilization of real-time 3D ultra-deep resistivity (UDR) inversion would help to optimize well placement and maximize sweet-zone exposure. The original well design, mud properties, and drilling parameters were modified based on the geomechanical study. Additionally, real-time geomechanics services were utilized to monitor and control the drilling process to follow the road map, which helped to avoid drilling issues, geostop at the W6 channel, and finally to run the casing smoothly. Real-time 3D ultra-deep resistivity mapping in the lateral section helped the operator to drill through W6 and W5, land precisely, and drill the lateral in the W3 channel, which was well developed, as expected from seismic Poisson impedance analysis. Formation evaluation of lateral section showed an average porosity of 24 p.u., water saturation 11% and up to 3 D/cp mobility. The application of real-time 3D ultra-deep resistivity inversion helped to triple the planned formation exposure and to discover a geometric extension of the above deposited channels (W6 and W5), which will help for future field development. The flow test showed the highest production rates from W3 of the field. The integrated approach described above was recommended to be utilized for all future Wara wells.

The Great Burgan reservoir is the largest sandstone oilfield in the world, it has been developed and produced since the 1930s. Historically developed through deviated wells, a new project of horizontal wells was initiated recently to produce from the UB3 reservoir unit. A pilot hole is usually required to identify the presence of productive sublayers and the depth of the oil-water contact (OWC), which must be avoided in the horizontal section. Elimination of the pilot hole would help to minimize the time and cost of development (Al Khalifa et al. 2020). The azimuthal ultra-deep resistivity mapping service (UDR) has proven its capability to eliminate the need for pilot holes by mapping reservoir boundaries and OWC on the fly, earlier than with traditional methods. This facilitates real-time geosteering to land the well in a single drilling run in the productive zone. Additionally, it helps to reduce non-productive time by making it easier to stop drilling and set casing above a target layer and to help optimize future well planning in field development. A feasibility study performed on offset wells showed promising potential from application of this method in the UB3. Real-time UDR geomapping detected multiple thin sand lenses on top of UB3 but showed that they were not of commercial capacity. The decision was made to continue drilling deeper for a larger sand layer. The UDR detected a massive sand below the smaller lenses and the well was landed in it. Early mapping also helped to optimize the landing with the desired inclination and dog-leg severity. The OWC was detected ~35 ft TVD below the landing point. Without UDR it would have been impossible to detect the OWC and very challenging to perform an accurate landing. The target could have been missed by landing either too shallow or too deep or with the wrong inclination. Following the landing of the well the lateral section was drilled through upper and lower lobes of the massive sand with a total cut of 1649 ft MD. This comprised 450 ft MD of upper lobe, 350 ft MD of transition interval, and 637 ft MD of lower lobe inside BU3, with an average porosity of 30 p.u. and a water saturation of less than 10%. Formation pressure tests measured mobility of up to ~3.4 D/cp. This case study demonstrates that utilization of the ultra-deep resistivity mapping service enabled a new approach to drilling lateral wells in the Burgan field development, improving reservoir insight and reducing well drilling time and cost.

Continuous improvement initiatives prompted the deployment of a new way to drill smart wells combining the most recent technologies. The solution consists of a complete closed loop workflow utilizing an intelligent rotary steerable system (RSS) with high-frequency downhole measurements and processing capacity, an in-bit parameter sensing device, and a novel high-speed telemetry system guided by an autonomous drilling platform. Primarily focused on reducing human intervention and improving performance, the leading Key Performance Indicators (KPI) selected to benchmark the performance were drilling time, represented by Rate of Penetration (ROP), and flat time represented by casing running time. All while providing operational consistency and reducing Health Safety and Environment (HSE) risks. The autonomous drilling platform orchestrates the rhythm in which the RSS executes commands to stay on the planned well path. Another workflow links between well placement software and the autonomous drilling platform in case a change in well trajectory is required for well placement purposes. The new pilot workflow triggered a critical well process for the planning and design phase. A comprehensive pre-well modeling exercise was required as it was the first run in the country for most of the featured technologies. The in-depth exercise resulted in a scenario-based decision tree to ensure seamless workflow execution. Three primary functions were planned for automation with varying machine control levels, and limitations posed by the drilling rig. Those functions covered directional steering and trajectory control, vibration mitigation, and hydraulic management. The first section delivered a field record with a 30% faster ROP than the best offset achieving a 7deg /100feet dogleg seamlessly while adapting to formation behavior changes to meet well plan objectives. The section also achieved the fastest casing run time among similar profile wells, breaking the second KPI record. The automation platform provided steering control during the entire section, landing the well perfectly in the target reservoir, making the section best in class in the area. Meanwhile, the hydraulics management function provided a smooth hole profile that helped tripping and casing running time. The vibration modes recorded using in-bit sensors helped analyze and build with a more effective drilling roadmap for modeling/executing future wells with even higher accuracy. With the above performance, it is worth noting that the record section was delivered using one of the historically slowest rigs in North Kuwait. The paper focuses on the details of the automated drilling suite and the internal and external workflows developed with the operator to enable the deployment of such a system and help introduce a more innovative way to drill, resulting in breaking all the records achieved with conventional methods from the first trial. It also discusses the viability of applying such methodology to other projects of varying complexity.

We present OSM Ski Resort Routing, an app that combines the concept of pathfinding and navigation with skiing. It provides an interactive 2D and 3D visualisation of arbitrary ski resorts using OpenStreetMap data and can be used to compute and display the optimal route between any waypoints in the resort.

The impact of elastic modes limits the performance of position control of elastic bodies in a significant way. Local dampers are a typical way to suppress this issue, but lead to non-proportional damping and complex oscillation modes with varying nodal lines. To this end, the placement of the sensors is of major importance in high-precision applications. In this contribution, we present an optimal sensor placement algorithm which uses Gramian-based observability measures to overcome this issue. Singular sensing configurations with respect to the pose are avoided by considering the mappings’ local invertibility explicitly. Furthermore, we are in the position to cope with the highly relevant issue of constrained installation space and to handle complex 2D and 3D geometries by using model order reduction techniques. By means of an illustrative example, the significantly reduced influence of the elastic deformations on the controller is demonstrated at last.

Through decades of production and water injection, Umm Gudair reservoir fluid distribution have changed significantly, resulting in an increase of uncertainties on fluid levels and subsequent water cuts in production. Different well architectures have been implemented pilot holes, deviated wells or horizontals, but the development of such mature fields comes with inherent difficulties, as offset data does not necessarily reveal the current reservoir properties and fluid contact position. Frequently, costly and time-consuming additional operations such as cement plugs or sidetracks are required to resolve an unforeseen water saturation of the reservoir. However, these methods have a limited efficiency in reducing the water percentage over the time of well production. In this challenging environment, the Umm Gudair asset has implemented a different approach to well construction built upon the combination of an ultra deep resistivity tool with a previously unattempted benchmarking scenario for a look around inversion. Drilling a trajectory of 45° inclination in order to proactively identify the oil water contact (OWC) in the far field below, and confirm this forecast with an actual resistivity measurement during its penetration. This unprecedented process shows great opportunities in optimizing future well placement and production performances. The main inputs in this success come directly from the capability of the inversion of the electromagnetic measurements in various drilling conditions, as well as a thorough preparation and collaboration between the operator and the service company. Before implementing this technology, it is critical to assess the expected performance by understanding the different parameters which affect the performance of the tool. The study of the different offsets gave an overview of potential resistivity contrast between fluids and their contact positions. The pre-well study is therefore essential to optimize depth of detection (DOD) versus sensitivity through forward modeling of various frequencies and spacing selections. This phase is also necessary for the team to understand what can be expected from the service with the elaboration of different scenarios based on theoretical tool responses and communication protocol. This case study shows how an innovative scenario and collaboration between operator and service company reveals a new capability to place a well drilled at mid-angle in the lowest water saturated part of the reservoir using inverted resistivity measurements. The economic benefit and post job analysis conducted post well confirm the promising outlooks of utilizing an ultra-deep resistivity service in a mature field environment.

We determined factors that arise during an arc discharge and detected possibility of their use to accelerate protection against arc closure. This enables creation of a combined device for accurate determination of an arc discharge. In particular, we can expand the spectrum of sensitivity of an optical sensor by the use of ultraviolet radiation without its replacement. We considered possibility of acceleration of response of protection against arc closure operation due to refusal of its blocking with relay circuits for maximum current protection and reduction of an influence of solar radiation on operation of PAC (protection against arc closure). We substantiated possibility of development of a more advanced device for protection against arc circuits, which gives possibility to expand the spectrum of the optical sensor in the region of ultraviolet radiation. We proposed the solution of the problem of increasing of sensitivity of protection against arc closure. This is possible by converting the ultraviolet radiation into a visible part of the optical spectrum, which will expand the spectrum of sensitivity of the optical sensor to the region of ultraviolet radiation and, accordingly, increase its sensitivity. This is due to the fact that 70 % of an arc discharge radiation falls on the ultraviolet region and only 15 % on the visible and infrared spectra of the optical radiation. The obtained results give grounds to assert about possibility of realization of a device of combined protection for determination of arc circuits in industrial production, as well as expansion of spectral sensitivity of optical sensors. In addition, we developed a combined device for determination of an arc discharge through a use of an ultrasound system. Known developments devoted to determination of location of an arc discharge by comparing intensity of a signal from a flash at both ends of the ten-meter optical light conductor are characterized by the fact that the maximum difference between the arrival time of signals from a flash point to sensors at the ends of the optical fibers is 5ns. This is a very low temporal level compared to the light conductor length at the velocity of 300,000 km/s. The system proposed in this study uses the sound velocity, which reaches 342/s, to determine an arc discharge, which simplifies a time measurement device for determination of a short circuit greatly and increases accuracy of time measurement by three orders of magnitude (10 3 ).

The study has helped create a device by developing the design of a sensor to control the fire brightness of a coal burner as well as by using the electronic circuit of an information processing unit. The proposed optical fiber transformer design provides a comparison of the brightness of adjacent areas and the total area of a separate torch, and it increases the viewing angle of the sensor up to 20 degrees. A third channel has been introduced to correct measurements, taking into account the radiation of combustion products that hinder the accuracy of the measurement. The study has determined the radiation spectrum of combustion products in the furnace and their dependence on the temperature of the flame. It has been revealed that the developed optical fiber sensor increases the area of the controlled flame, which increases the accuracy of control. The presence of a “window” in the logic source block will help adapt the device to the temperature and location of burners in the furnace. The design of the optical fiber transformer and some nodes of the electronic unit can be used in the development of serial combustion control devices for coal burners. The use of CCD matrices will help achieve future two-coordinate control of the burner flame and increase the selectivity and performance of the device

In operation the results of study of influencing of uniform depositions and residual deformations of a diaphragm are introduced flow sensor of variable pressure differential on magnitude of coefficient of the expiration. The results are obtained by a numerical modeling of operation of the sensor by finite element method with usage of the program Ansys. The move of air in the channel of a constant cross-section was modeled. Statistical treating and analysis of the obtained results are fulfilled by facilities of the program Statistica Enterprise. The quantitative estimation of influencing of each of the indicated factors on magnitude of coefficient of the expiration is given.

(2008). Communicaton and Cognition [Obschenie i Poznanie, in Russian] Russian Journal of Communication: Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 476-480.

Modern fire-rescue turntable ladders are constructed in a lightweight mode to increase their maximum operation velocities, maximum length, and outreach respectively. Hence, the ladder has a limited stiffness and will be more and more subject to oscillations of deflection along with dominant overtones. This paper deals with the active oscillation damping of such ladders. A new feedforward and feedback control strategy is applied. The feedforward control is calculated through system inversion of a multi-body system utilizing its differentially flatness. The design of the feedback is based on partial differential equations (PDE) describing a Euler– Bernoulli model of a beam with a concentrated point mass at the end. The modal representation of the system is constructed based on the analytical form of the eigenfunctions. For active oscillation damping by feedback without a dynamical observer the ladder was equipped with a gyroscope additionally to strain gauges. Due to computational efforts and measurement noise a reduced state vector is disposed for stabilization. The proposed control approach allows damping the fundamental oscillation as well as the first dominant overtone and asymptotically stabilizing the system around the reference trajectory. Measurement results from the IVECO DLK 55 CS fire-rescue turntable ladder validate the good performance of the control.

In this contribution, a fuel cell-based power plant which uses water and methane to produce electrical power is considered. While earlier publications deal with the fuel cell only, this contribution takes the whole plant into account. The distributed modelling of the hydrogen producing reformer unit is presented. Methods are developed which allow for a fast and efficient simulation of the model equations. As the other parts of the power plant are of similar dynamical structure, the simulation methods are easily transferable. The identification of parameters for the power plant is performed on the basis of measurements and dynamic simulation. Sophisticated control concepts for the optimal operation of the power plant are proposed. They consider the whole plant and couplings between the various elements to maximise the plant's efficiency.

Für lineare parabolische Systeme mit verteilten Parametern und gleichverteiltem Eingriff wird ein flachheitsbasiertes Verfahren für den Steuerungs- und Regelungsentwurf vorgeschlagen. Als Ausgangspunkt wird die inhomogene Wärmeleitungsgleichung betrachtet. Die Flachheit, die Wahl eines flachen Ausganges und die Approximation der Strecke mit Potenzreihen werden diskutiert. Die Steuerungs- und Regelungsstrategie basiert auf der inversen Systembeschreibung und der Entkopplung der Ausgangsgröße vom Randeingriff. Das Verfahren wird am Beispiel der Automatisierung eines Glasvorherdes demonstriert.

This paper deals with distributed parameter systems being described by inhomogeneous parabolic partial differential equations in one space dimension with a distributed control. The distributed control is presented by the right part of an equation, i.e. the source function. The source function can depend on the time as well as spatial variable. The approach for design of a feedforward control for the purpose of exact output tracking is presented. The design of the feedforward control is based on the examination of inverse system dynamics. The proposed technique utilizes the method of the variables separation and the representation of a solution by the power series in the time domain. Some examples and numerical simulations are included and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach for developing the feedforward control.

We describe a 128 GHz electron-spin-resonance spectrometer based on heterodyne detection with double frequency conversion utilizing cryogenic Schottky-diode mixers. Together with other mm-wave components installed into a dilution refrigerator cryostat, the mixers comprise a bridge operating at 1.5 K. A miniature Fabry–Perot resonator is used to detect samples of bulk and surface-adsorbed atomic hydrogen gas at temperatures below 100 mK. The sensitivity is 2×109 spins/Gauss at the excitation power of 20 pW.

One of the challenges of modern oilfield development is integrating data acquired while drilling horizontal development wells into a geological framework. As part of an ongoing development program in the Kyrtael field, Komi Republic, a new integrated geosteering platform was introduced to assist in well placement and field development. The platform linked a structural model of the field to a real-time geosteering application, to allow rapid transfer of interpreted data between the real time well construction environment and the geological interpretive environment An example of the value of such a platform was demonstrated on a recent well. A previously unknown geological discontinuity was encountered in a well that was being actively geosteered. Although several geological interpretations of the discontinuity exist, the size and position are mapped in the existing wellbore and when transferred to the interpretive environment, consideration of that feature can be made during the planning process for two further upcoming wells. Understanding that the feature exists and its potential impact on upcoming wells adds significant value to the understanding and process of developing well plans. By integrating all of the data in a common environment enables rapid appraisal of new data and its impact on future development plan.

This paper describes the further development of a real-time directional drilling digital interface (DDDI) that dynamically illustrates many aspects of the directional drilling process, specifically those that apply to positive displacement downhole drilling motors (PDM), rotary steerable systems (RSS), and motor driven rotary steerable systems (MD-RSS) while operating downhole. The ongoing development of advanced drilling engineering packages and intelligent downhole drilling tools provides increasing amounts of available drilling-related data. The DDDI uses data supplied by means of an existing real-time, rigsitebased drilling information acquisition and database system to help to address many of the challenges encountered during directional drilling. The interface processes data based on engineering models, empirical knowledge, and technical data; it presents dynamic operating parameter information and graphical representations of functioning downhole drilling equipment. Subject matter experts located in diverse global areas can remotely access the interface to observe and to contribute to multiple drilling applications. This paper provides details about the further development of the existing interface and its application to better optimize the real-time directional drilling process and to promote a balanced downhole system approach. The results have included reduced drilling equipment wear and damage, greater reliability, and reduced drilling costs. In addition to downhole motor and rotary steerable system applications, the DDDI was used during downhole motor-driven rotary steerable system (MD-RSS) operations; benefits were realized through the simultaneous monitoring of both rotary steerable tools and PDMs. After achieving real-time benefits in diverse global locations through the additional technical capabilities of the enhanced version of the DDDI, the potential benefits of a Russian language version were identified. The Russian language version enhanced the collaboration between English- and Russian-speaking personnel. The most recent DDDI version aids in the comprehensive conceptualization, reporting, and control of directional drilling operations. It has a positive effect on the overall drilling process and expands the technical knowledge base, which provides additional support of the directional drilling expert system objective.

This paper deals with the active oscillation damping of the fire-rescue turntable ladder with a payload at the vertical plane. Because of the large length (25-50 m) the mathematical model of the ladder corresponds to a distributed parameter system. The payload at the end of the ladder is modeled by a concentrated end mass (lumped parameter system). The concept of the Euler-Bernoulli beam with the special boundary conditions describing the dynamics of the concentrated mass are proposed for the mathematical model of this hybrid system. The eigenfunctions of the corresponding boundary value problem were obtained analytically. Based on the analytical form of the eigenfunctions the modal description of the plant was constructed. For active oscillation damping by feedback without a dynamical observer the ladder was equipped additionally to strain gauges with a gyroscope. The designed feedback with the sensor signals allows to damp the fundamental oscillation as well as the first dominant overtone and asymptotically stabilize the plant with respect to its equilibrium. Some numerical simulations are included and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.

This paper deals with the modelling and optimisation of a so-called glass feeder. A feeder is a kind of a channel connecting in this case the smelting furnace and the forming device of container glass facilities. For conditioning it is possible to influence the glass velocity by changing the discharging at the end and the temperature by gas burners along the feeder. This process can be described as a distributed parameter system and modelled by a partial differential equation, the corresponding initial and boundary conditions. Special experiments at a real production lead to a simplified solution in the time domain and thus to an easy parameter estimation. Finally the objective is an energy-optimal operation for a certain product (steady state) and a time-optimal transient behaviour between two products.

In the paper the two degree of freedom control for a glass feeder is considered. The mathematical model of the plant is described by a time-varying partial differential equation in one space dimension with a source function corresponding to the control input. The control output is the temperature at the end of the feeder. The boundary input being an entrance temperature of the glass smelt is treated as a disturbance. The proposed strategy decouples approximately the control output from the boundary input as well as from the influence of the time-varying mass flow. The design of the control strategy is based on the system description with power series and flatness property. This description allows to develop the feedforward control and the decoupling part of the feedback. The stability of the closed loop system is analysed with the Lyapunov method. Some experimental results are shown and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed control strategy.

This paper deals with the control of heat and mass transfer processes. The mathematical model of these processes is presented by a distributed parameter system with a so called distributed control and described by an inhomogeneous parabolic partial differential equation in one space dimension. The actuators in these processes are located above the channel, through that the medium to be heated flows. The distributed control corresponding to the actuators in the one-dimensional mathematical model is presented by the right part of the equation, i.e. the source function. The approaches for design of the feedforward and feedback control for the purpose of exact output tracking are presented. The design of the feedforward control is based on the flatness approach and examination of an inverse system dynamics. The proposed technique utilizes the method of the solution representation by power series in the time domain. The design of the feedback control is based on the utilization of generalized PI-control providing robustness. Some numerical simulations are included and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approaches.

This paper deals with the control of heat and mass transfer processes. The mathematical model of a process is presented by a distributed parameter system described by inhomogeneous parabolic partial differential equations in one-dimensional space. The control input is represented by a source function, while the boundary inputs correspond to disturbances in the system of interest. The flatness of these systems is studied. In contrast to the systems with boundary control, the flat output for such systems does not coincide with the control output and cannot be uniquely defined. A part of the dynamic relations describes the influence of the boundary inputs, i. e. disturbances, on the control output. In the paper the approach for the decoupling of the control output from the disturbances on the bounds is proposed. The approach is based on the examination of the inverse dynamics of the system and the design of the observer for the state variables reproducing the influence of the disturbance. Some numerical simulations are included and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.

In glass industry, the energy for the manufacturing process plays an important role for the productivity of the plant. Till now, the process is mainly controlled based on experience of the operators. In the paper a method is presented for deriving optimized feedforward control strategies resulting in reference temperature profiles for the plant control. Therefore a dynamic model based on partial differential equation as an approximation for the glass feeder gate is derived. Measurements show a good agreement to the simulation model behavior. Next step is the development of a feedforward control based on an approach via a flat system description in combination with optimization techniques. The obtained result was an advantageous temperature profile, which leads to a reduction of gas consumption at the plant of approximately 6 to 8 %.

This work deals with a heat transfer process and an optimal control of an inhomogeneous partial differential equation describing this process. One considers a glass feeder gate, which is present at many glass manufacturers. The use of the offered study is a development of an optimal feedforward control for dynamic behavior of this heating process. A mathematical model of the glass feeder gate is presented by a nonlinear distributed parameter system. The control design is based on approaches of a flatness description of dynamic systems and a parameterization of a reference trajectory for the optimization of the dynamical behaviour. The control strategy must be sufficient for a number of requirements to process (e.g. output temperature at the end of the feeder gate) and must provide optimum quality criteria (consumption of power). Some simulation results are included and demonstrate the efficiency of the control.