Coordinated Control of Automatic Drilling Feed and Heave Compensation for Offshore Hydraulic Hoisting Systems: A Co-Simulation Study

Abstract

Offshore drilling operations face the critical challenge of maintaining precise weight-on-bit (WOB) control during automatic drilling feed while subjected to vessel heave disturbances. This study investigates an integrated closed-circuit hydraulic cylinder lifting system that combines full-stroke drill string compensation with potential energy recovery capabilities, addressing the control coupling problem inherent in traditional split-design systems. A longitudinal vibration model of the drill string is established using lumped mass, stiffness, and damping principles incorporating the Rayleigh method. A co-simulation model implementing nested PID control logic is developed on the AMESim platform to evaluate automatic drilling feed performance under both passive and semi-active compensation modes. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed integrated control strategy effectively mitigates bottom-hole WOB fluctuations, with top drive velocity accurately tracking set drilling feed rates (0.01–0.02 m/s) within a response time of approximately 10 s. The system maintains operational stability under sea conditions up to Grade 6 (heave wave height ≤ 4.578 m, period 14 s), beyond which accumulator piston limit-stroke collision risks emerge. These findings validate the feasibility of integrated hoisting-compensation design and establish quantitative operational limits, providing theoretical foundations for next-generation marine drilling systems targeting ultra-deepwater and natural gas hydrate exploitation.

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