Lessons Learned from Operating a Simulation-Based Drilling Smart Twin: A 10-Year and Over 600 Drilled Wells Journey
Authors: Martins A. L. , Tobisawa R. Y. I. , da Silva F. R. G. , dos Santos M. V. , Mendes G. L. , Fernandes A. A. , Spoladore I. P. B. , Silva V. G. 
Published: February 2025

Monitoring drilling operations is challenging, requiring the overcoming of numerous obstacles to develop a fully operational application with a proficient surveillance team. This work describes three fundamental pillars of a drilling smart twin used by a major oil company: a technology to support well-informed decision-making, a monitoring team, and a data storage and dissemination display. This paper details a decade of experience with a real-time solution that has been used to monitor hundreds of wells in Brazil, Colombia, and the United States of America. The technology incorporates advanced models for solids transport, thermo-hydraulics and torque and drag, designed to simulate drilling conditions. This technology can identify over 15 types of operational problems and offers more than 20 advisory modules based on real-time data processing and simulation. In recent years, several modules have been added to the tool, including drill bit change analysis, casing wear, discretized caliper profile for annular volume calculation, false kick identification, inference of sandstone consolidation, drilling performance optimization, and mud cap drilling simulation. A 24/7 monitoring team operates from a real-time operations center (RTOC) to analyze the smart twin's advice and assist the operator in a more informed decision-making. To improve communication and enhance the reliability of the monitoring system, a standard was established to guide the monitoring team's work and the execution of the smart twin. This standard outlines the guidelines for creating new projects in the tool, diagnosing operational anomalies, and the communication flow when a problem is identified by the solution. The diagnostics generated by the smart twin and addressed by the monitoring team are stored with detailed information on well identification, rig code, time and date of occurrence, and communication flow. This enables retrospective data analysis, offering valuable insights to rig crews, operational personnel, and management for future decision-making strategies. Additionally, a summarized compilation of data is displayed on a dashboard accessible to all company personnel. The three mentioned pillars have sustained a decade of successful results, providing crucial decision-making information and support to operations, such as faster operational problem identification and increase in efficiency and safety. The savings provided by the use of this solution reached around US$ 333 million in this period. The article's purpose is to present an integrated management strategy to guarantee optimal results for the proposed application. Proper service personnel training associated with a dynamic result publicity methodology allowed great visibility for the project at different technical and management levels assuring the implementation of required actions to enhance the final result. Furthermore, given the solution's success, there is an ongoing initiative to integrate it to control specific rig equipment, enabling the expansion of the tool scope in the direction of drilling automation.