Managed Pressure Drilling Software
Plan wells, predict choke behavior, train crews, and automate reporting - all from a single platform built by the engineers who build the hardware.
Product Suite
From pre-job planning through post-well analytics - purpose-built by the team that designs the DynamiChoke controller.
Cloud-based MPD well planning tool with validated L1 adaptive controller prediction. See how your installed choke system will respond - not just generic hydraulics.
Real-time monitoring, advisory, and analytics for active MPD operations. Live pressure tracking, influx-loss detection, and automated alerts - connecting the rig floor to the engineering office.
High-fidelity simulation and digital twin of your MPD system. Runs locally for low-latency interaction, with compute-intensive batch simulation processed asynchronously in the cloud.
Enterprise analytics powered by the Digital Twin. Planned vs. actual comparison, post-well reporting, performance benchmarking, and fleet-level insights across your entire MPD program.
The Platform
Gradient turns MPD planning from a one-off calculation into a complete workflow platform - automating the document and data flows that engineers currently do by hand.
Replace Word docs, Excel sheets, and PowerPoint decks. GradientPlanner generates the complete well-on-paper package directly from model output - formatted to operator specifications.
Choke sizing, RCD rating, flowline configuration, BOP stack-up - rule-based recommendations from the wellbore geometry, pressures, and fluid properties already in your plan.
Predefined scenarios that teach operators how the L1 adaptive controller responds to pressure changes, setpoint steps, and kick events - before they touch the real system.
GradientRT connects to live well data, providing real-time hydraulics modeling, automated advisory, and performance monitoring throughout the drilling operation.
Automated close-out reports: planned vs. actual pressures, events log, lessons learned. Generated from GradientRT data - not manually assembled weeks after the well.
MPD-specific risk assessments, DWOP contributions, and regulatory submissions. Templated documents populated automatically from your project data.
Why Gradient
Most MPD planning tools compute generic hydraulics. GradientPlanner goes further - predicting how the actual installed DynamiChoke L1 adaptive controller will respond on your specific well.
Our controller model is a validated Python port of the production PLC algorithm - the same code running on rigs today. Same gains, same observer, same adaptive law, same saturation limits. Zero abstraction, zero approximation.
This means you can answer the questions that matter before mobilization: Will the choke overshoot? Will it oscillate? How fast will it settle? What happens if the setpoint changes mid-connection?
Competitive Landscape
Feature comparison across the major MPD planning platforms.
| Capability | GradientPlanner | LeidarPlan (Kelda) | SafeVision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controller Prediction | â Validated L1 | â | â |
| Steady-State Hydraulics | â | â | â |
| Rheology Models (BP + HB) | â | â | â |
| Scenario Comparison | â | â | â |
| Cloud Deployment | â | â Cloud-Only | â |
| Offline / Edge Capability | â | â | â Rig Package |
| Report Export (PDF/CSV) | â | â | â |
| Crew Training Scenarios | â | â | â |
| Digital Twin / Simulation | â Hybrid Edge+Cloud | â Beta | â |
FAQ
GradientPlanner predicts how your actual installed controller will respond - not just pressures, densities, and friction losses. We show you the DynamiChoke L1 adaptive controller's transient response: choke area, settling time, overshoot, and steady-state error. Our model is a validated port of the production PLC algorithm running on rigs today.
The L1 adaptive controller is the core algorithm inside every DynamiChoke system. It continuously adapts to changing downhole conditions to maintain precise pressure control. Being able to predict its behavior before drilling means you can validate setpoint schedules, identify potential instabilities, and build operator confidence - all before the equipment reaches the rig site.
Yes. Unlike cloud-only competitors, Gradient's architecture is edge-first. The entire planning tool can run locally without internet connectivity - critical for offshore rigs and remote land locations where bandwidth is unreliable. When connectivity is available, projects sync seamlessly to the cloud.
The Digital Twin is a high-fidelity simulation of your complete MPD system. It runs as a hybrid edge+cloud solution: the local interface provides low-latency interaction for engineers, while compute-intensive batch simulations (transient hydraulics, multi-scenario sweeps) are processed asynchronously in the cloud and returned when complete.
The platform automates the document workflows that MPD engineers currently do manually. Pre-job: the well-on-paper package, equipment selection, DWOP contributions, and risk assessments are generated directly from your plan data. Post-well: close-out reports with planned vs. actual comparisons, event logs, and lessons learned are produced automatically from GradientRT data.
Gradient Controls develops MPD software solutions for the drilling industry. Our planning tools are validated against production controller code, not theoretical models.