DrillDocs Co-Authors Paper Showing the Value of Real-Time Cuttings Measurement, Expands Deployment to Angola and Canada

HOUSTON, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- DrillDocs, the pioneering provider of real-time cuttings return rate (CRR) data using computer vision technology, has co-authored a paper with a major operator showing how the technology is being used to eliminate non-productive rig time worth thousands of dollars per well. The companies have also expanded the deployment of DrillDocs' CleanSight^® shaker surveillance system to Angola and Canada.

The technical paper, SPE 233,838, will be presented today at the Society of Petroleum Engineers' Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. It describes how computer vision was benchmarked against legacy manual cuttings return measurements and automated cuttings flow meters, then used to improve drilling-related decision making. The camera-based solution delivered superior situational awareness through its unintrusive footprint and real-time analysis, which allow continuous measurement at each of the rig's shale shakers.

While the new data stream has yet to be fully exploited, integration with the operator's proprietary borehole management system has already led to optimized clean-up cycles that save rig time and minimize the risk of stuck pipe. Using real-time CRR measurement as a standard operating practice is expected to reduce total circulating time by as much as twenty-five percent.

Following successful validation of CleanSight^® on the Noble Sam Croft and Noble Don Taylor in Guyana, the technology has now been installed aboard Valaris' DS-9 ultra-deepwater drillship in Angola and on the Hebron platform in Eastern Canada. These are DrillDocs' first deployments in either basin.

The new information delivered by CleanSight^® will allow drilling crews in Angola and Canada to react quickly to events happening in the wellbore, including real-time cavings alerts, significantly reducing the risk of pack-off and the non-productive time and costs incurred when recovering from stuck pipe events.

"Our groundbreaking computer vision technology turns cuttings return rate into a real-time drilling parameter that the drilling team uses just like hook load, standpipe pressure, or torque and drag," said Calvin Holt, founder and CEO of DrillDocs. "We're able to measure hole cleaning efficiency and detect drilling and wellbore stability issues as they are occurring, alerting the drilling team to take corrective action before they become much bigger problems. We're excited to extend our footprint into these new basins, collaborating with operators to find new ways of bringing this unique data to bear on regional offshore drilling challenges."

Describing the co-authored technical paper, DrillDocs' Chief Revenue Officer, Matt Bell, said, "We are grateful to our innovation partners for their willingness to deploy emerging digitalization technology and share their learnings with industry. The work we have jointly published today affirms the commercial value of CleanSight, which will continue to grow as it is increasingly layered into the operator's drilling practices. The paper underscores how advanced camera technology and AI can be combined with an operator's local knowledge to enhance drilling performance and safety while accelerating their journey toward automated – and ultimately, autonomous – drilling."

About DrillDocs

DrillDocs, established in 2020, supports an operator's understanding of borehole stability and cleanliness, in real time. By deploying a robust, easy-to-install and maintain, surface-based computer vision system on the rig's shale shakers, DrillDocs provides key data about the size, shape, and quantity of material returning to the surface. Through edge computing, data, alerts, and advice are delivered to drilling team members on the rig and in onshore support centers, allowing them to revise operations quickly and avoid costly downtime.

For more information, please contact:
Matt Bell, Chief Revenue Officer, [email protected], +1 (832) 607-6660

SOURCE DrillDocs