Chief Scientist
- Bergen
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New measuring instrument for safer drilling operations
New technology is set to provide better measurements, ensuring drilling operations are safer and more efficient.

Source:
Elin Hovda Hageberg, NORCE
Project leader Jan Einar Gravdal says the new measuring instrument can contribute to prevent accidents that could harm people and environment.
Many wells are drilled worldwide, for oil and gas extraction, geothermal energy production, and heat storage. In the coming years, injection wells for CO2 storage will also be drilled. Many of these drilling operations take place in complex geological formations, requiring high precision and adherence to strict safety standards.
To ensure safety and efficiency of drilling operations, accurate measurements of the flow out of the well during drilling is important. The instrument currently being developed by researchers at NORCE is a new type of flow rate meter that measures the flow rate out of the well more accurately and without the main disadvantages of current sensors. This innovation is named the Flowrate Out Sensor.
What sets this measuring instrument apart is its accuracy and applicability to drilling operations. It provides better measurements without causing pressure drops. It also accounts for the possibility that the fluid may contain particles and gas, factors that affect the accuracy of flow rate measurements with other methods. This information is crucial for drilling operations to be safer and more efficient, as well as to facilitate the use of software for automated and autonomous drilling operations.
"During a drilling operation, we have relatively good control over what is pumped into the well, but we do not have equally good real-time measurements of what comes out. This measuring instrument, developed by NORCE researchers, aims to address that gap. It has significant potential to prevent accidents that could harm people and the environment," says Jan Einar Gravdal, the project leader for the commercialization project.
Researchers at NORCE are global leaders in developing software used to streamline drilling operations and ensure safety.
Funds from the Research Council of Norway are being utilized to verify the accuracy of the new flow rate meter and prepare the research idea for the commercial market.
Throughout 2023 and 2024, a series of tests have been conducted at the Ullrigg Test Centre in Ullandhaug, NORCE's full-scale test center for drilling operations.
"In addition to verifying accuracy down to 1% precision, we have also explored how to design the instrument to fit existing drilling rigs. This is a very exciting project with high potential usability for various industries," says Gravdal.
The development and improvement of the sensor is associated with the Center for Research-Driven Innovation SFI DigiWells and several of its industrial partners. SFI DigiWells is led by NORCE.