An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Drilling Automation & Autonomous Drilling Systems
Automating the Drilling Process
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,500
Starting From
24 Jan 2027
Drilling Automation & Autonomous Drilling Systems
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Drilling Automation & Autonomous Drilling Systems - DC-AUT-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC-AUT-PEA27 | 24 - 28 Jan 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours / Day |
Online |
USD |
3500 |
Need this for a group? We deliver the same course in-house — face-to-face at your location or online — tailored to your assets and team level. Contact info@peassociations.com
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Drilling Automation & Autonomous Drilling Systems
This course covers drilling automation and autonomous systems. Participants study automation levels and architecture, rig control systems, automated pipe handling, closed loop drilling control, downhole automation, advisory and autonomous decision systems, safety and interlocks, standards and interfaces, change management and the assessment of automation value.
Description
Drilling automation ranges from automated pipe handling and parameter control to closed loop systems that adjust drilling parameters without intervention and autonomous systems that execute whole sections. Each level changes what the crew does, what the control system must guarantee and where responsibility sits when something goes wrong.
This course covers the field. It starts with automation levels and the architecture that supports them, then covers rig control systems, sensors and the data foundation automation requires. It covers automated pipe handling and its safety systems, closed loop drilling control including parameter optimisation and vibration mitigation, and downhole automation in steering and measurement systems. It then covers advisory systems, autonomous sequences and the decision authority they assume, safety systems, interlocks and fail-safe design, standards and interfaces between operator, contractor and service company systems, the change management that automation requires of crews and organisations, and the assessment of where automation delivers value.
The control system is only as good as its sensors. Automated parameter control acting on a drifting weight indicator or a mis-calibrated flow meter will drive the well into trouble faster than a driller would, which is why sensor quality, validation and redundancy become critical once the human is out of the loop.
Automation changes the human role rather than removing it. The driller moves from continuous control to supervision and exception handling, which is a different skill and one that degrades if never exercised. Systems that keep crews engaged, and training that maintains manual competence, are part of automation design.
Value needs to be measured against a real baseline. Automation vendors demonstrate improvements against poor manual performance; the honest comparison is against a good crew on a good day. The gains that survive that comparison are usually consistency and reduced variability rather than peak performance, which is still valuable but a different argument.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Describe automation levels and their implications for crew and control.
- Describe drilling control system architecture and sensor requirements.
- Assess data and sensor quality requirements for automation.
- Describe automated pipe handling systems and their safety design.
- Explain closed loop drilling parameter control and optimisation.
- Describe vibration mitigation and automated response systems.
- Explain downhole automation in steering and measurement.
- Specify safety systems, interlocks and fail-safe behaviour.
- Apply standards and manage interfaces between automation systems.
- Manage the organisational change automation requires and assess its value.
The course is instructor-led. Automation systems are covered with architecture diagrams, control logic and field results from automated drilling programmes. Participants assess automation proposals against baselines and design the organisational changes required. Cases cover automation successes and incidents involving automated systems. Participants are encouraged to bring their own systems for discussion.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Assess drilling automation realistically against current performance.
- Improve consistency and reduce variability in drilling operations.
- Specify sensor and data quality adequate for automated control.
- Manage the crew and organisational change automation requires.
- Maintain safety as control moves from people to systems.
Participants will:
- Understand drilling automation levels and architecture.
- Understand closed loop control and its requirements.
- Be able to assess safety design and interlocks.
- Understand how automation changes crew roles.
- Be able to evaluate automation value against a credible baseline.
- Drilling engineers and supervisors
- Drilling contractor technical staff
- Rig control and maintenance personnel
- Digital and automation teams
- Drilling managers assessing automation
- Service company automation engineers
Module 1: Automation Levels and Concepts
- Levels from manual to autonomous
- What is automated today
- Crew role at each level
- Responsibility and accountability
- Industry status and direction
Module 2: Control System Architecture
- Rig control systems
- Sensors and instrumentation
- Data acquisition and networks
- Integration of third party systems
- System reliability requirements
Module 3: Sensors and Data Quality
- Measurement accuracy requirements
- Calibration and drift
- Redundancy and voting
- Validation before control action
- Consequences of bad data in automated systems
Module 4: Automated Pipe Handling
- Pipe handling systems and their operation
- Zone management and personnel exclusion
- Safety systems and interlocks
- Reliability and maintenance
- Performance and consistency gains
Module 5: Closed Loop Drilling Control
- Automated weight, rotation and flow control
- Parameter optimisation algorithms
- Objective functions and constraints
- Operator setpoints and limits
- Field results and evidence
Module 6: Vibration and Dysfunction Management
- Automated vibration detection
- Response strategies
- Stick-slip mitigation systems
- Integration with downhole measurement
- Performance evidence
Module 7: Downhole Automation
- Automated steering systems
- Downhole closed loop control
- Autonomous trajectory following
- Communication constraints
- Current capability
Module 8: Safety and Interlocks
- Fail-safe design principles
- Interlocks and permissives
- Override management
- Emergency stop and manual reversion
- Functional safety considerations
Module 9: Standards, Change and Value
- Standards and interfaces between systems
- Contractual and responsibility questions
- Crew training and competence
- Maintaining manual skills
- Measuring automation value against a real baseline
- Implementation planning
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
