US 12,168,924 B2
Stall detection and recovery for mud motors
Fergus Hopwood, Whitefish, MT (US); and Christopher Robert Novosad, Bixby, OK (US)
Assigned to HELMERICH & PAYNE, INC., Tulsa, OK (US)
Filed by HELMERICH & PAYNE, INC., Tulsa, OK (US)
Filed on Aug. 24, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/822,088.
Application 17/822,088 is a continuation of application No. 16/415,505, filed on May 17, 2019, granted, now 11,466,556.
Prior Publication US 2022/0412204 A1, Dec. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. E21B 44/02 (2006.01); E21B 3/00 (2006.01); E21B 4/02 (2006.01); E21B 7/04 (2006.01); E21B 21/08 (2006.01); E21B 21/10 (2006.01); E21B 44/00 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 44/02 (2013.01) [E21B 4/02 (2013.01); E21B 7/046 (2013.01); E21B 21/08 (2013.01); E21B 21/103 (2013.01); E21B 44/00 (2013.01); E21B 3/00 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code that is executable by one or more processors of a stall detection system for causing the one or more processors to:
send a signal to a drilling mud system to provide a drilling mud to a mud motor coupled to a drill bit during drilling of a wellbore;
receive a plurality of differential pressure values of the drilling mud;
determine if a differential pressure value is at or above a first threshold value for a minimum of a first predetermined time period or if the differential pressure value increases to a second threshold value within a second predetermined time period, wherein the first threshold value and the second threshold value are based on a percentage value above a continuous operating pressure rating for the mud motor;
responsive to the determining, determining an indication of a stall when the differential pressure value is at or above the first threshold value for a minimum of the first predetermined time period, or if the differential pressure value increases to the second threshold value within the second predetermined time period, wherein the second threshold value is more than the first threshold value and the second predetermined time period is less than the first predetermined time period; and
in response to determining the indication of the stall, initiating a recovery operation comprising sending a signal causing automatic performance of one or more of the following:
ceasing rotation of a drill string to which the mud motor is attached;
ceasing pumping drilling mud into the wellbore;
releasing torque in the drill string; and
releasing pressure in the drilling mud.