US Patent 12012841 Automatically detecting and unwinding accumulated drill string torque

Methods, apparatus, and products for receiving measurements indicative of present value torque (TrqPv) currently being applied by a top drive to a drill string extending in a well that penetrates a subterranean formation, and releasing torque accumulated in the drill string by determining polarity of TrqPv and, in response to a manual or automatic trigger, causing the top drive to perform an unwinding operation in a direction opposite to the determined TrqPv polarity.