Research Paper:
Hybrid Control for High-Accuracy Inclination-Azimuth Regulation of Directional Drilling Attitude
Zhen Cai*,**,***
, Qian Wang*, Xiang Wang*,**,, and Pei Fu*
*School of Computer Science, Wuhan City Polytechnic University
No.127 Nanli Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
**School of Automation, China University of Geosciences
No.388 Lumo Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
***Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Control and Intelligent Automation for Complex Systems
No.388 Lumo Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
Corresponding author
Precise orientation control of drilling tools is fundamental to directional drilling trajectory management. This study establishes a hybrid control framework for the high-accuracy regulation of inclination and azimuth. First, we derived a kinematic model characterizing the dynamic evolution of inclination and azimuth, explicitly addressing their coupled dynamics and azimuthal time-delay effects. A comprehensive downhole motion model was developed to capture system behavior. Distinct control strategies were formulated for the inclination and azimuth subsystems and integrated into a unified hybrid architecture. Stability analysis decomposes the system into individual control loops, with inclination stability ensured through conventional criteria, while azimuth stability is transformed into a solvable linear matrix inequality problem. Experimental validation demonstrates the superior robustness and engineering applicability of the method, achieving minimal attitude deviation under perturbed conditions. This control design provides a theoretically rigorous solution that bridges advanced control theory with practical well construction requirements.
Hybrid control of drilling attitude
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