Performance has a complete line of hydraulic chokes, rotating control devices (RCD) and related accessory items. Compared to manual systems, the automatic system reduces response times to influxes or losses, minimizes the size of influxes from barrels to gallons, optimizes circulation rates out of the wellbore and increases the speed of the total drilling program.
This would be the case if one or more additional sealing elements within the RCD were to be employed as a "reserve" or protected sealing element, pile top drilling rig ready to be used as the new "main or sacrificial" sealing element should the original "main or sacrificial" sealing element fail.

Similarly, for those embodiments employing only multiple passive sealing elements, the pressures within each cavity may be adjusted such that selected sealing element(s) primarily withstand wellbore pressure during the drilling phase, whereas other sealing element(s) primarily withstand wellbore pressure while pulling the drill string out of the wellbore.
The success of this equipment and its application marks a significant point in the extension of MPD safety and operational enhancement capabilities into the high-risk, high-cost environment of deepwater drilling and specifically to drilling rigs that have dynamic positioning capabilities.
Is a cut away section elevational view of an RCD with an active sealing element and three passive sealing elements on a common RCD inner member above another independent active sealing element, sensors for measuring pressures and temperatures in the diverter housing and the RCD four internal cavities between these five sealing elements, four RCD internal cavity pressure regulators, ports in the RCD bearing assembly for communicating cavity fluid with each RCD internal cavity.

A proactive suite of managed-pressure drilling (MPD) methodologies that are bringing non-traditional solutions to complex deepwater drilling challenges such as dealing with uncontrollable losses or navigating narrow pore and fracture pressure windows.
Communicating a pressured fluid to said second cavity to provide a predetermined fluid pressure to said second cavity to reduce the pressure differential pressure between said predetermined first cavity fluid pressure and said predetermined second cavity fluid pressure on said one of said first and second sealing elements.
Based on the difficulties in the offset well, the operator and service company Weatherford implemented the MicroFlux MPD Control System, a closed-loop system that enables accurate detection and effective management of minute fluid influxes in challenging wellbores.

It should be noted that for all situations described above in which the pressures within the cavities are adjusted according to the phase of the drilling operation, or the timing of events, or according to operator selection, the monitoring and adjustment may be accomplished using manual control, using pre-programmed control via one or more PLCs, using programmed control to react to a sensor output (again via a PLC), or by using any combination of these.
Combined, all MPD riser stack components should be automatically controlled by a central intelligent control unit responding to the unique wellbore signals being monitored, including return flow, to enable immediate detection of changes in fluid flow.