Drilling advances

	Vol. 226 No. 10
LES SKINNER, PE CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

TRIZ and drilling. TRIZ (pronounced “treez”) is the English equivalent of a Russian acronym for “Theory of Inventive Problem Solving.” The concept was developed by Russian naval patent inspector Genrich Altshuller, who began examining the invention process in 1946.

Prior to his work, inventiveness was assumed to be psychologically motivated. From Altshuller’s examination of patents, he determined that a process exists for technical innovations, and that it could be documented and learned. Altshuller identified 39 parameters that inventors and their inventions address, such as the size, weight and shape of an object, strength, temperature, force, speed, tension (or pressure), stability, durability, energy expended by moving and stationary objects, power, energy waste, information loss, accuracy, reliability, adaptability, repair-ability and productivity.

Through his work, a standard algorithm was developed, known as ARIZ, Algorithm for Solving Inventive Problems (in Russian). Jack Hipple (jwhinnovator@earthlink.net), an industry expert in TRIZ, summarizes a simple version of the algorithm in this way:

1. State the ideal result, including the need for parts and system components
2. Evaluate the resources needed within the existing system and ask if any element can be eliminated with its function performed by another system component
3. Analyze contradictions
4. Resolve contradictions systematically using TRIZ
5. Recycle and refocus the contradiction analysis until resolved
6. Evaluate using ARIZ in the sub- and super-systems in which the primary system is embedded.

At first, this seems to be unwieldy. In fact, it streamlines the inventive process by focusing efforts, thereby avoiding reinventing the wheel (and examining hundreds of ideas with no potential application). The inventive process begins in the present looking to future technology, equipment and system development. Not only is the wheel not reinvented, it may be eliminated.

So what does all this have to do with drilling? Simple – the TRIZ process works on any system, any piece of equipment, any subset of either one and on any new area of technology.

One key aspect of TRIZ is its examination of existing components to learn if they are needed. As Hipple notes, engineers are notorious for adding to an existing system whenever deficiencies are discovered or expanded capabilities are required. The same can be said of drillers.

This practice can have severe consequences. Often, the rig’s capabilities have been expanded by individual component modifications, so that the rig, as a system, is overtaxed. Take, for example, the addition of pumps to the mud system. Mixing pumps, circulating pumps, pumps to transfer mud to and from tanks, separate pumps for jet guns, kill pumps, fill-up pumps, pumps to run the cellar jet and at least one back-up pump for each may be added to make sure the one problem the rig had on the Jones No. 1 well 10 years ago never happens again.

Unfortunately, nobody thought about the pumps’ demands on the rig’s electrical system. So, at some critical point (usually about 2:30 a.m. on the coldest night of the year), the rig’s electrical system suffers a catastrophic failure. Then, the drillstring gets stuck, the hole collapses, a low-flying aircraft runs into the unlit derrick . . . well, you get the picture.

Instead of developing patches for real or perceived problems, the TRIZ process requires the thought, “Can I leave out something and have its function performed by another system component?” Doing so can simplify the process, while reducing weight, size, complexity, cost, maintenance and replacement issues. How many times do drillers ask that question? Rarely. So we end up swatting flies with 12-lb long-handled hammers.

One of the most interesting aspects of this inventive process is reversing TRIZ to analyze and, hopefully, prevent failures. We are all familiar with accident prevention processes such as cause-and-effect analysis, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), and hazard and operability analysis (HAZOP). These attempt to look at all the possible failure sources, then prepare a contingency plan to deal with each, individually. The process is time-consuming, mentally draining and can be boring. Worse, not every single source of failure always is, or can be, identified by these processes.

Reverse TRIZ starts by identifying some negative impact, then asking, “How can we make this happen?” Hipple summarizes reverse TRIZ this way:

1. State the normal, expected condition (drilling ahead)
2. Invert the problem (sticking drillpipe)
3. Take the situation to the extreme (sticking pipe every day or on every tour)
4. Identify all the means and methods to achieve this situation (degenerating mud properties, stopping drillstring rotation, accumulating thick cuttings beds, drilling permeable zones with elevated mud density, etc.)
5. Identify the resources and procedures to ensure this negative result
6. Define methods for eliminating each resource and procedure, thus ensuring that the negative results cannot occur.

The process can involve such negative impacts as hazardous material spills, injuries, rig component failures and well control losses.

It would be wise, in my opinion, to involve rig operating personnel in the reverse TRIZ process. Engineers, rig managers, supervisors and specialists tend to focus on rig design and accepted procedures. Rig operations personnel are often better-suited to identify failure modes, since they may have experienced the consequences. They know the equipment and understand the rig’s vulnerabilities better than anyone. By including the hands, reverse TRIZ applied to a drilling rig will be much more comprehensive than other failure prediction methods.

We are now drilling in more remote areas, in deeper water and with longer reaches than ever before. We are constantly asked to stretch the operating envelope. Why not use a systematic approach like TRIZ to develop the tools, equipment and procedures needed to expand into frontier areas? If we are to do so effectively and efficiently, TRIZ can force us to think outside the box. 

(Thanks to Jack Hipple for contributing to this column. He is a principal in Innovation-TRIZ, of Tampa, FL, website: www.innovation-triz.com.)

Les Skinner, consultant, Houston, is a chemical engineering graduate from Texas Tech University, and has 32 years’ of experience in drilling and well control with major and independent operators and well-control companies.