Release 2.12 widens what Exebenus Spotter can see and sharpens how it reports it. Lateral vibration, which leaves almost no clear signature on surface gauges, is now covered, closing a gap that was effectively invisible to surface monitoring. Spotter's stuck pipe risk module gains string rotation stall detection, an additional risk symptom to complement the broad set it already tracks. The release also writes stuck pipe risk as continuous numerical scores in the WITSML log, and grades mechanical drag alerts by the confidence Spotter can place in them.
In short:
- Lateral vibration severity estimation: a real-time 0 to 1 severity score and smoothed trend curve for lateral vibration and chaotic whirl, published to WITSML alongside the existing stick-slip outputs. Seeing this in real time improves understanding of well conditions and lets the crew optimize drilling parameters and protect the BHA. New capability.
- Stuck pipe risk scores in WITSML: numerical risk scores for static friction, dynamic friction, and flow restriction, plus a combined score, written directly to the WITSML log. Includes a new interval-based score that separates the contribution of historical warnings at similar depths from real-time risk. The scores quantify how conditions and risk in the well change over time, show the effect of well conditioning activity, and act as a reminder of risk already identified in the hole. Enhancement.
- String rotation stall detection: "String rotation stalled" alerts during both on-bottom drilling and off-bottom rotation, distinct from regular torque risk events. Picking up micro-stalls, some of them barely visible in the data, adds context to stuck pipe risk and helps protect the BHA. Enhancement.
- Context-aware mechanical drag alerts: drag alerts without valid pick-up and slack-off weights are shown as informational notices, with a message explaining the reduced confidence. Enhancement.
Lateral vibration severity estimation
Lateral vibration, and chaotic whirl in particular, is a destructive drilling dysfunction and one of the hardest to detect from surface measurements. Unlike stick-slip, which produces visible oscillations in surface RPM and torque, lateral vibration has no clean surface signature. Left to run, it damages bits, stabilizers, MWD and LWD tools, and BHA connections, and a single missed incident can cost millions of dollars in equipment damage, fishing operations, or a sidetrack.
Release 2.12 adds lateral vibration severity estimation to Spotter's vibration coverage, extending it beyond stick-slip to this second, harder-to-see dysfunction. In real time, that supports parameter adjustment while there is still time to protect the BHA.
How it works: a machine learning model trained on historical downhole vibration measurements processes surface drilling parameters in real time. It reads signal characteristics from routinely available torque, ROP, RPM, WOB, standpipe pressure, hookload, and flow rate, and turns them into a severity estimate proportional to the likelihood and intensity of chaotic whirl downhole. The system is activity-aware: severity estimates are produced only during operations with rotation (on-bottom drilling, reaming, hole opening), so it stays quiet during connections, trips, and static periods.
The model learns the downhole signature of lateral vibration from historical downhole measurements, then produces its estimate in real time from surface data alone: no downhole tool is required while drilling. The result is a severity estimate. It tells you how much lateral vibration is likely developing on a simple normalized scale, not an exact downhole amplitude.
Stuck pipe risk scores in WITSML
Spotter's stuck pipe assessment previously produced qualitative alert states: warnings and status flags raised when risk indicators were identified. A new module in 2.12 continuously estimates numerical risk scores and writes them directly to the WITSML log whenever the stuck pipe risk aggregation service is active.
Five new curves:
- Static friction risk score: derived from the initial pipe movement after a connection (torque and drag). Anomalies indicate sticking between the BHA and the wellbore, and may be caused by sticky formations, differential sticking, or large cave-ins.
- Dynamic friction risk score: derived from dynamic torque and drag measurements. Anomalies indicate difficulty moving the pipe, and may be caused by excessive debris, wellbore tortuosity, or swelling formations.
- Flow restriction risk score: derived from analysis of flow pattern and ECD. Anomalies indicate poor hole cleaning, salt creep, or other flow restrictions in the wellbore.
- Combined stuck pipe risk score: composite stuck pipe risk combining all three estimators.
- Depth interval-based risk score: the contribution to the combined risk score from historical warnings at similar depths in this well.
The interval-based score separates real-time risk signals from residual risk at depths with a track record of trouble in this wellbore. When the combined score is elevated mainly through the interval-based contribution, the current depth has a history of issues even if no warning has fired recently. That informs decisions about preventative conditioning. The interval-based score is always at or below the combined score, and it is zero when no relevant warnings have been raised earlier in the open hole.
String rotation stall detection
Spotter's torque risk detection monitors the relationship between surface torque and rotary RPM to identify signs of rotational friction and sticking risk off-bottom. In 2.12 the detection is extended to recognize string rotation stall events: a distinct and more severe condition where the drill string comes to a near-complete rotational stop during on-bottom drilling or off-bottom rotation. Case studies show one or more stall events preceding severe stuck pipe incidents by minutes to hours.
What changes:
- A new alert, "String rotation stalled", is raised during both on-bottom drilling and off-bottom rotation (reaming and back-reaming).
- The existing "Torque risk detected" alert behaves as before for off-bottom intervals, and is still deliberately not raised during on-bottom drilling.
- On-bottom intervals now show stall warnings where appropriate.
The distinction matters on the rig floor. The response to a stall (reduce WOB, lift off bottom, circulate) differs from the response to elevated off-bottom drag, and presenting the two separately helps drillers prioritize. Surfacing stalls early also supports protection of the BHA.
Context-aware mechanical drag alerts
Spotter's drag detection compares measured hookload against pick-up and slack-off reference weights captured during free string movement, the natural friction baseline for the current interval. When no valid reference weight is available, early in a trip for example, or after a previous reference has expired, the system falls back to detecting relative weight changes without that check. The fallback is more prone to false alerts because it lacks the full friction context.
In 2.12, drag alerts triggered without a valid reference weight are presented as informational notices rather than full warnings, with distinct color coding and an alternative message indicating tracked reference weights are not currently available. Alerts backed by a valid reference weight behave exactly as before, with no change in sensitivity or presentation.
The result is less alarm fatigue on wells where reference weights are often absent, and a clearer signal of how much confidence to place in each alert.
Availability
Release 2.12 is dated June 2026. Lateral vibration severity estimation is available to users who have opted in to Spotter's vibration coverage. Contact your Exebenus representative to activate it, or to talk through what 2.12 changes for your monitoring setup.
