Find BHA

By input of the profile points for tool records in the BHA tally, the BHA profile can be coded. Through this internal coding system (which is hidden from the user), it is possible to search the database for BHA's that fit a certain profile.

Select [Analysis] - [Find BHA...] in the main menu of the main form and the following dialog box will appear:

In this dialog box, various criteria that the BHA profile must meet, can be selected. Each item may be ignored (excluded from the search criteria) by unchecking the corresponding checkbox.

	BHA type criteria
	This section provides the primary criteria for the BHA; hole size and BHA type.

	Bit type criteria
	Here the bit type may be specified. For fixed cutter bits, a gauge length (not gauge OD) can be specified.

Bend angle criteria

To search for BHA's with a specific bend angle, these criteria may be set. Typically this would be the bend angle of a mud motor, but it could also be a bent sub or other tool. For searching on the position in the BHA (relative to bit face) a position may be selected from the drop-down list. Because searching on an exact position would not be practical, the BHA is - from the bit upwards - divided into 1 meter (~ 3 feet) slots. Select the slot in which the bend angle must be positioned for the BHA to meet the criteria.

Searching on an exact position is not practical. For example, consider searching on a value of 3.00 meter. If a BHA in the database would have the bend angle at 2.99 or 3.01 meter, the search would fail and the BHA would not be found, despite the fact that the bend angle is close enough for practical purposes.

A maximum of two bends (so-called double-bend assemblies) can be searched for. Again one or both bends may be ignored by unchecking the corresponding checkbox (both for angle and/or position.

	Stabilizer criteria
	Analogue to the bend angle criteria above, stabilizer criteria for the BHA may be defined. However, this is not limited to stabilizers only. Wear pads, (roller) reamers, offset pads or even protectors (run instead of a stabilizer sleeve) may be specified. As for bend angles, the position of the stabilization point is defined in 1 meter (~ 3 feet) slots from the bit upwards.

	Additional criteria
	Once the database is populated with more and more BHA's, a large number of BHA's will meet the requested criteria. However, often certain BHA's are not applicable for offset data as they were used in different circumstances (e.g. high or low angle wells, requiring high build rates, etc.). To narrow the search result, additional criteria such as minimum or maximum inclination may be specified. The Field column provides a drop-down list of criteria, whilst the Operator field determines how it should be compared to the Value provided. The unit of measurement (UOM) is determined by the current program settings.

Execute search

Once all criteria have been entered, click the [Get data] button to execute the database search. The result will be shown in the Search Result tab.

It is very well possible (also depending on the number of BHA's in the database) that the search result is empty (i.e. no BHA found). This will be caused either by erroneous criteria values (e.g. a 9.78° bend angle instead of 0.78°) or criteria that are too tight. If all criteria are confirmed to have correct values, exclude them - except one or two like hole size and/or BHA type - from the search criteria by unchecking the corresponding checkboxes and execute the search again. One by one add criteria until a small enough number of BHA's are found to complete the search.

After executing the search by clicking the [Get data] button, activate the Search Result tab to view the BHA's found. As in all other grids, data may be grouped, sorted or filtered.

Click the [Goto BHA] button to open the selected BHA so that it can be reviewed (objectives, results, etc.) and printed. When this function is used on another BHA in the list, it will open in the same form (i.e. replace the previous selected BHA in the form already displayed). However, it is possible to compare two or more BHA's side-by-side by opening the first BHA, pinning the form and then select [Goto BHA] for the next BHA. Now the two BHA's are be displayed together and can be compared.