Oil & gas companies are investing billions in algorithms across Deepwater drilling rigs,

automating many of the decisions made. One area is in handling the pipes for drilling.

Previously, men called roughnecks would manually handle the pipes making connections,

while the driller would align the pipe with machinery. Algorithms now take the best

connections as data sets to improve the process; the driller selects the algorithm mode and

everything from pipe alignment to turning pumps on is automated by machines.

Furthermore, using data from old wells, algorithms can change the drilling parameters like

the rotation of the drilling bit on the fly, to optimize the speed of drilling. This again means

many of the decisions the driller had to take before, are becoming automated. Service

companies have also faced automation. Directional engineers constantly spend time

changing the alignment of the drill bit and it’s rotation speed to achieve a well trajectory, as

new geology is drilled. Again, based on the vast data of wells drilled, algorithms inside the

drilling bit can now adapt on the fly the parameters to achieve the trajectory needed. A final

area is well control, which focuses on preventing unintended influxes of gas or oil into the

well while drilling. If these reach the rig they pose a fire hazard. Traditionally well control

is done by ‘mudloggers’ who carefully monitor fluid volumes coming in and out of the

well. Algorithms use data such as gas concentrations to detect influxes before they show in

the volumes monitored. There are various unintended consequence in the well control

example. Firstly, by using data sets to pre-empt well control issues, less ‘mud loggers’

would be needed to monitor the well, meaning job losses. Furthermore, if algorithms run

the show, less engineers are needed at the rig site – the whole process can be done from

land. If something goes wrong, this will have a negative psychological effect on the team;

the experts are not in person helping the crew solve the issue, destroying team moral.

Finally there is a safety issue as algorithms are not perfect. Wells are kilometres deep, and

geology is complex so no well is the same. Thus while old well data can be used to predict

influx of gas, this may fail. If this happens it can have catastrophic consequences.
Unmonitored gas can reach the rig floor, posing a fire hazard and kill hundreds of people.

Indeed, this was what happened in the Deepwater Horizon.