DONT =: my RUN = = = THOSE NEW == DRILL COLLARS FOR ADDITIONAL COPIES SPECIFY PUBLICATION NO. 56 Ml SES - = ii DRILCODRILCO’S INTEGRAL BLADE ° STABILIZERS DESIGN FEATURES Ribs contoured to minimize torque in driling and reduce SLEEVE TYPE damage to wall of hole. SOLD TYPE Longilife “pressed in” carbide compact hard facing. Stabilizer is furnished with sleeve construction where possible to facilitate economical replacement. DESIGN FEATURES (Solid Type) The solid type integral blade stabilizer is constructed with the ribs integral with the body. Flutes between the fibs are machined down to the neck or drill collar diameter for maximum circulation passage. This design is adaptable to small sizes where clearance between ¢rilleollar andhole wall is small. When the ribs are worn ‘out the body is either thrown away or it may be converted into a sub or other too! DESIGN FEATURES (Sleeve Type) The sleeve type integral blade stabilizer is consiucted with the nbs integral with a sleeve. The sleeve is attached othe body with a shrink fit. When the ribs are worn out the old sieeve can be removed with a cuting torch and a new sleeve can be shrunk on with proper heating equipment. No machining or welding is ) required. (Ask for brochure for complete instructions). ‘PRESSED IN” LARGE DIAMETER CARBIDE COMPACTS For additional publications on Drice products, please wrte fo Drlco and specty tho product. 70, Box eonde/Houson,Tenan/16740 Harcy SI. l/Phone (718) 449-9370/Cabe: "ORILCO”/TWX: 910881-2621/Telax 7.2517This Brochure is a reprint from a series of articles published in the Oil and Gas Journal March 1966. The information for recommended make up torque has been revised as of Sept. 1975. Don't Ruin those new drill collars! d READ THIS STATEMENT. 9 MAY SAVE YOU THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS: "A now string of drill collars should give many months of trouble-free service, but they can be ruined on the first trip down the hole if they aren't Oo properly cleaned ané lubricated, and made up with measured and controlled makeup torque. In fect, the threads or shoulders can be damaged in picking up on initial makeup, and be ruined before they are ever run into the hole. "Proper makeup torque, consistently measured and applied, is essential to satisfactory drill-collar joint performance. Nothing that is done in design and manufacture can obviate the necessity for rig- Oo ‘level makeup torque control. It has to be done on the rig!" (> THESE ARE THE WORDS OF A MAN GENERALLY (CO CREDITED WITH BEING ONE OF THE WORLD'S FOREMOST EXPERTS ON DRILL COLLARS. H, M. "Moak” Rollins wes a former vice-president and manager of engineering and manufacturing fer Drilco Oil Tools, Inc., at Midland, Tex. He is a mechanical-engineering graduate of Texas loyed by Hughes Tool Co. from 1947 until 1951, when he joined Drileo, Rollins has been a frequent speaker ot industry meetings and regularly teaches courses in drill-collar design, operation, and care. He participated in develop: ment of the shock-absorbing and bit-guiding tools which his company pioneered. Rollins first prepared this treatise on drill collors for publication in the Journal of Oct. 2, 1961. Reprints of that orticle met such an enthusiastic reception that we decided to have it revised and updated, and are now republishing it in its new form. H.M."Moak” ROLLINS A&M University and was enIn the first place . . . A MAN with a new set of tires on his car expects trouble-free service for many thousands of miles. Should he only partially inflate those tires, however, he can ruin them in the first mile or two. Tf he hits a curb and rin-cuts the new tire, he destroy it in an instant ‘This is analagous to the company with a new string of drill collars. The collars too, should aive many months of trouble-free service. They, too, can be ruined in the fiat tap down the hole if not properly cleaned and lubricated, or if not made up with measured and controlled makeup torgue Tn fact, the collar can be ruined before itis ever run into the hole, ‘Threads and shoulders can be damaged in picking up or in initial makeup, A well-made product . THE manufacturers of drill collars require steel mills to furnish top- quality stect bars. Certificated laboratory tests are made at the mill to insure ‘adequate strength, hardness, and toughness of the steel. For their own part the manufacturers use modern design criteria in selecting joints. They use the latest techniques in thread milling, stress-relief contouring, cold-working of thread roots, and application of gall-resistant coatings. These things insure good performance over a long and useful life "AIL this care on the part of the steel mill and the manufacturer is to ro avail if the collars are poorly handled or improperly made up on the first trip into the hole. The damage may be so extensive that the collars must be rethrcaded locally. Three “bad” examples: 1. Change the torque used [AS a case in point, take this recent experience in an overseas arca. The rig had been drilling with a string of 534-in. collars with 4%4-in, XH joints. These collars were replaced by a new string of 64-in. collars using the same 41-in. XH joints No effort was made to change the makeup torque (joint size was the same). In a few days, the joints were hard to break because of damage to shoulders and threads. Soon after, a broken pin caused a fishing job. "The ol collars would have performed satisfactorily with the 17,000 to 18,500- ftlb of makeup torque being used, The new collars, however, had wider shoulders. From 22,500 to 24,000 feib of makeup torque were required to compress the a shoulders enough to keep them tight, Unless factory-quality rethreading is available to this overseas user, his new collars will never give the service they could have if the new, factory-made joints hhad been properly made up! 2. Too little torque . . . THE case cited above was one where no effort was made to measure makeup torque and no allowance was made for the larger-size collars. Following is a case where an attempt was made to measure and control makeup torque but where {twas still to low. In this instance, a domestic operator had a new string of 64-in. Arill collars with 4¥5-in. XH joints “The erew used a line-pull-measuring device so that they could properly tighten the collars. Nevertheless, the collars were obviously operating loose. They began leaking. On inspection, the pin threads were found to be cracked ‘eecheck showed that the line-pull device to be at fault. It was 30% out of calibration, As a result. makeup torque was inadequate and another string of new Collars was damaged. Fortunately, these could be reconditioned to factory standards. GALL ON SHOULDER, in breakout direction, is characteristic result of too little makeup torque. Like gall occurs diametri- > cally opposite, and threads are domaged3. Still more torque needed . . . HERE is yet a third instance where new collars were operated loose and required repeated reworking before the problem was solved. Location was the U.S. Gulf Coast area. A string of 9-in. collars was putin ser- vice with 654-in. regular threads. This thread is normally used on 8-in. collars but this operator decided to use the 64-in. regular because he wanted to minimize crossover problems and to continue using existing handling subs and the like. Normal practice for 6%6-in. regular joints on 8-in, collars calls for torque from 38,000 to 42,000 ft-lb. When these collars were made up to this value and run, they began immediately to leak. The joints were hard to break out. After the first well, the collars had to be rethreaded because reads and shoulders had galled ‘The owner reasoned that the 9-in, collars are stiffer than 8-in. and, accordingly, place greater bending stress on the joint. With this in mind. he chose to reduce the stiffness in the area of the joint by turning 8¥%4-in, fishing necks on cach 9-in. collar. At the same time, torque was raised progressively. Finally at $5,000 ft-lb torque, it was possible to operate without the shoulders separating and leaking Consider that these 9-in. collars operated in soft formation and were turning at 250 rpm in 15-in, hole. Apparcatly, they were bending and flexing so greatly that the 6%4-in. regular joints could not hold the shoulders tight unless originally made up to an exceedingly high torque. When the right torque was reached and consistently used, the collars per formed satisfactorily despite the extreme operating conditions. Proper makeup torque, consistently measured and applied is essential to satisfactory drill-collar-joint performance. Nothing that is done in design and manufacture can avoid the necessity for rig-level makeup-forque con- {rol—it has to be done on the rig! “A UNDERSIZE JOINT, right, chosen to ease crossover problems, leaked badly at recom- mended torque, even after fishing neck was cut. Only with extremely high torque did leaking stop. Joint on left is proportioned properly for the big collars. A check list WHILE makeup is the most important single factor, it is only one of many rig-level practices necessary if new collars are to perform as they should. The following check list can be used as a guide for making up a new string of drill collars, 1. Unloading . ‘THE collars should be lifted off the truck and onto the rack using gin poles, handling them with a sling placed near the balance point. Collars should not be rolled off the truck or dropped onto the racks UFT, DONT ROLL, collar onto pipe racks; use support near balance point. In re- cellar is winched ento float, it is hard 10 prevent rear end from falling fo ground ond suffering damage. Moreover, as collar is pulled across tailboard of the float, there is a good chance of bending. protectors guard I Sgainst damage. Handling is cleo | ceatier; ¢ hook con be put in bail of the ‘pin protector 10 piek up collars or pull them around CAST-STEEL thread | 2. Thread protectors . . . ) HEAVY-DUTY thread protectors with a lifting bail should be Kept on the threads until the collar has been lifted onto the tig floor. The lifting bail makes the piek up stfer and casier ‘The pin protector mist be left in place 10 avoid damage to pin threads as the collar is pulled up the amp into the V-door. nn3. Cleaning and lubrication . THREAD PROTECTORS should be removed. rust-preventative coating washed off threads, and the threads dried. Then, a good-quality, viscous Iubrivant containing powdered metallic lead, copper, or zinc should be earefully applied to all the threads and Shoulders. Every surface must be lubricated in order 10 avoid galling on makeup. Do not rely on makeup to Spread a glob of lubricant applied to pin or box. Some carcful drillers make a practice of lubricating a new thread, making it up hand tight with the chain tongs, breaking it out, and relubricating it. Then it is ‘made up again with the chain tongs before the rig tongs ‘and high makeup forces are finally applied. This pro- cedure works the lubricant into the surfaces and avoids tualling of threads and shoulders on the initial makeup. WALKING IN NEW COLLAR with chain tongs, os this crew is doing, makes sure that new threads tend shoulders are not damaged on that critical First makeup. 4. Regulating makeup . . . USE the makeup torque recommended for the specific joint size, outside diameter, and bore of your new collars Make up the collars with a slow, steady line pull. Continue until reaching the required pull, with the tongs at a right tangle (90°) to the line pull The torque is determined by the line pull itself multiplied by the effective tong length measured at a right angle to the line pull. That is, a tong cocked at any other angle reduces the effective tong length, and, thereby, reduces the makeup torque applied. ' ‘Using a jerking action on the tong line momentarily increases the line pull but it may not move the collars ie of their great inertia. It is essential that line pull be measured when applicd with a slow, steady pull, Drill collars larger than 7-in. diameter usually require a double-line pull. That is, a pulley at the tong handle s needed to obtain adequate line pull. bee ONLY AT RIGHT ANGLES between tong arm and line pull do you get full torque possible. In using line-pull af. @ measuring device, get feading when arm is ot 3,000 Tb Fight angles to line. Take Fully effective tong orm care on small rig with torque is 4 ft. 3,000 Ib Show ‘tonger trouble fre- 12,000 f1-1b quently develops because torque is inadequate. 0 @! - STAND OF DRILL COLLARS “(a weighs as much as big | rock ond is just ov hard 3,000 1b to start moving, Trucks ond Ineffective tong am collars alike must be sone eee Shao Storied moving with a long 9.000 fr Ib Steady pull5. Breaking out . . DRILL COLLARS properly made up will break out at approximately the same line pull as used to make them up. If the shoulders are kept tight, the joint cannot leak, and the lubricant cannot be washed away. When joints are hard to break, it usu- ally means they have been operated loose so that lubricant has been washed away and replaced by drilling mud. To avoid hard-io-break joints, keep the lubricant in place by making the joint up tight enough that the shoulders never sepa- rate as the collars bend and rotate in the hole, & Z A LUBRICANT HAS WASHED AWAY from this join, causing high breakout torque and gallon shoulder. Hed jeint bean made vp tight enough originelly, Teor 5 cont would have remained tn place and ein) would be undamaged. 6. Handling subs © _t cso damaged, the hating sos thread inthe tllcotar see One ee proto be inal tn the pine ot Handling subs bulre the ar peed € LIFT SUBS MATE eventually with every box in ollor Firing ond deserves. the some care, Otherwise, they oy. demoge calor. joint D threads. Like drilleslor joint, handling subs de. € terve threcd protectors DROPPING the pin into the box threads with the Weight of the collars not supported, or stabbing the pin onto the box shoulder causes thread and shoulder damage. Collars are much heavier than drill pipe. Extra care must be taken in stabbing and spin up if such damage is to be avoided. DROPPING END OF PIN onto box shoulder during stabbing is quick way to destroy seal of drill-collar | it. Sines shouiders are only seal in the joint, such domage should be repaired immediately before it con get worse,8. Rotate the break ON TRIPS, the breaks should be rotated so that each joint can be ex- amined every second or third trip. The box shoulder should be wiped clean and examined for evidence of proper makeup. A shoulder that is bright and shiny all the way across, with small circumferential scratches like a phonograph record, properly. tightened. that has been A shoulder face is discolored around the outside or that has patches of bright spots iscolored blue or gray areas, has been operated loose. Fluid has bee: getting between the shoulders. Fluid cutting and erosion indicate a damaged shoulder or extremely loose connection, sa a 10. Transportation DURING transport, the drill collar should be sup- ported at cach end tind also at midlength. Tie-down chains should be applied only at points of supports. Thread protectors should be tightened lest they vibrate free and be lost in transit TIEDOWN CHAINS chovld be used only ot points of support. Handling rules for round collars apply olso 10P™ tqvare collars. DISCOLORATION of shoulder with bright spots, ebove, reveals Io08e operation. At left, fluid has eroded shoulder. Wipe each box shoulder clean, as at right, and ex amine it for evidence of improper makeup. 9. Laying down WHEN laying down drill collars, thread protectors should be installed on the rig floor. A “pickup” line to the end of the walk should support the collars in laying down, The walkway should be kept clear of other collars, pipe, and subs in order to prevent their bing struck snd damaged by the collar being laid down, PICKUP LINE guards against damage when collar is being laid down, 0 0Inspection and oy Repel is ced'in —-Figrlevel maintenance . . . N Bor moane! s inspection. If mag- DRILL-COLLAR-JOINT failures and resultant —— net is notched, one —_fishing jobs can be avoided by periodic inspection D | =| Ae ncrch tof tne threads, wing forvcent mnguete perce mn 5 w s ‘south pole and to detect cracks. This technique capitalizes on the the other is north principle of the bar magne pole. Cracks In Magnetic particles sprinkled on a bar magnct Srl collars behave ace attracted fo the poles of the magnet at cach pi at ina) § in same way if — end. If a bar magnet is notched, or cracked, each - ast magnetized. side of the notch becomes a pole of a magnet. Thus, particles are attracted to the crack. In applying this principle to drill-collar inspec tion, the inspector begins by carefully cleaning. the MAGNETIC parti. threads to remove all lubricant and dirt, He then cles build up checks the collar for its residual magnetic field. If around poles of it does not possess enough natural magnetism, he the “bar magnet” wraps a coil of wire around the end of the collar, created by mai Passing an electrical current through the coil con” netizing the drill- serts the collar into an electromagnet. collar joint. ‘The inspector then sprays onto the threads a fluid containing fluorescent magnetic particles. The threads are allowed to drain. The magnetic particles INSPECTOR sees are attracted to any crack and are held in place by crack this way the collar’s magnetic field. Under the inspector's since fluorescent ultraviolet black light, the magnetic particles glow Apericies makes it in the darkness. He searches the thread root for stand out brilliont- an accumulation of the particles, which indicates a ly under black crack. A magnifying mirror makes it possible to in- spect the box threads thoroughly, MOTOR-DRIVEN WIRE BRUSH enables inspector 10 remove all lubricant and dirt from threads of box. Similar cleaning is epplied to pin threads. Nozzle applies spray of kerosine to help cut oil and grease, MAGNETIZING COIL around collar impresses a magnetic field if natural magnetism of collar is insufficient. Spray contains fluorescent magnetic particles which are attracted to cracks in thread roots. HEAVY CANVAS HOOD helps inspector spot cracks ‘when viewing joint under black light. He looks for qEEuDHlations of ‘florescant” magnetic porticies which collect around cracks. Technique enables spotting cracks invisible to naked eye even in bril liant sunshine.Grinding cracks EVERY indication is checked by nding it out with a soft-fiber abrasive wheel, This wheel is rounded on the edges in order to leave a smooth, round. bottom thread root in the ground area Short, small, disconnected cracks can frequently be removed by grinding and the collar returned to service without shop repair. Confirmed major cracks are marked to be cut off and rethreaded in a shop. Other defects are noted and, where possible, repai hand-held power tools. ed in the field using ~ SHALLOW CRACKS can be ground out and thus avoid hauling collar fo shop. Cracks deeper than obov! 0.030-in, mean joint must be reworked. Fins .. . IF worn collars are not prop- erly beveled, fins frequently form fon them. These fins can be re moved by filing or grinding and then the shoulders may be re- prcton beveled. Care must be used to | Beiore avoid damage to the shoulder Fin} repoir { ~ ‘A FREQUENT SECURRENCE is 0 fica shelters paeey ars wea calare a aorers eliotn ute together seeedingly ponent voot these fn vaya bo romoved os soe oehey on tooo MAINTAINING ADEQUATE BEVEL fon shoulders prevents fins from building up. When they do occur, hey an esualy be fled ff with Ja flat file kept on the rig for that purpose. If not removed, fins may fold over and get caught between the two shoulders. Then, shoulders will not mate ner produce a seal no matter how tight you pull the joint up. For best shoulder facing . . . WHEN shoulders are galled or have been leaking, they can sometimes be repaired by field retacing tools. In imes past, hand-operated tools containing flat files were used for this purpose, Today, these have been largely 10 a FEET re en denise REC Wal LATEST SHOULDER-FACING ‘TOOL uses @ mandrel which placed by powered, shoulder seftcink "orl, screws onto threads to insure thot shoulders ore oligned threads to assure alignment with the joint Salih Jolnt: Electric driliriventinelng?tnol A bearing housing supported on this man- rel carries an abrasive cloth on a face plate. One can face off the shoulder, square with the axis of the threads, by driving the bearing hous ing with an electric drill Care should be used not to face off too much metal and not to reface the same joint repeatedly. After refacing, the joint face should be protected from galling by applying a chemical copper plate. This can be done by wiping the shoulder with a copper-sulfate solution. ABRASIVE CLOTH is ap- plied to face plate for refacing shoulder. Such repairs can often correct gall or leak, thus avoid ing hauling collar to shop. for mechining. Naturelly, field refacing must be done early before exten- sive damage occurs,Marking defects . AS A PART of the inspection record, the drill-collar serial number, fally length, OD at the box end, and ID at the pin end should be noted. Also, joint size, repairs made, and joims inspected should be recorded Joints requiring shop repair should be plainly marked to insure proper identification of the repair required. Red marking should be used. on cracked joints, Yellow marking should bbe made on collars with other defects rs ID AT PIN END, OD ot box end, tally’ length, ond serie! number should be made part of inspection record, PLAINLY MARKED collars rest on racks after inspection. Marking insures proper identification of repair to be made. Cracked jeint is marked to insure enough length is cut off before re- threading How drill collars operate Not like tool joint . IN modem rotary drillin heavy bit weights often improv: bit periormance. The drill-collar suring should contain cnough weight to produce all of the load esired at the bit, plus some addi- tonal weight to insure that the drill pipe remains in tension. ‘When drill pipe runs in ten- sion, it is held relatively straight. Bending and wear are a mini- mum, When run in compression, the pipe bends severely and both tool joints and pipe wear against the walls of the hole In addition, continual flexing produces fatigue failures in the ody of the pipe. Since the tool joint is stiffer and stronger, bend: ing is concentrated in the pipe and failures occur where the bending occurs. Drill collars are also subject to fatigue failure as a result of bending while rotating in. the Act 2 AZ Bel 8-2 Cl c2 hole. There’s a differenee, how ever. The body of the drill collar is stiffer than the joint, As a re- sult, most of the flexing occurs at the joint. Consequently, most drill-collar failures occur in the joint, ‘The thing to remember is that drill collars do bend while ro- in the hole. FUNCTION OF DRILL COLLARS is to provide the weight needed on bit. Sufficient length of collors (A-1) must be used to keep drill pipe in tension as in A-2. If there are too few collars for weight slacked off on bit (B-1), pipe runs in compression (8-2) wearing both tool joints ‘and pipe body. Because toal joints (C-1) are stiffest part of the.drill- pipe string, they bend little at all; bending is concentrated in the pipe body. As C-2 shows, the drillcollar joint ie the weakest pert of the collar string so that bending is concentrated there; for this reason, makeup torque must be sufficient to prevent shoulders from opening up under the bending load,From tension to compression .. . WHENEVER any tubvlar member is bent, the fibers on the outside of the bend are stretched in tension. Fibers on the inside of the bend are placed in compression. If the piece rotates while bent, each fiber passes from maximum tension to ‘maximum compression and back to tension during each revolu- tion. if stress level is high enough, minor surface defects begin to grow and get deeper each time the defect reaches the tension side of the bend. This progressive growth of surface defects into cracks is called fatigue failure. Fatigue failure may occur al- though average stress level is less than half the yield strength seo scatman | sets = ‘Stress concentration is the term used to describe such a Compression. condition where a local area is highly st ed because bending a — v AS COLLARS ROTATE, outer fibers cycle from maximum tension to maximum a. ‘compression. Any crack in surface tends to grow any time it comes to the tension side of the bend. This is called fatigue-crack growth. ® Wire break is example . . . STRESS concentration is illustrated by bending wire until it breaks. 1 held with the hands far apart, a wire can bend many times without breaking. If held by pliers and bent near the plact it is gripped, however, the wire may break after only 20 or 30 bends, when some surface defect will have progressed to failure. The flexing concentrates. near the point of support so the stress level is raised enough to produce allure. NNotch the surface of a wire and grip soit must bend at the notch— failure may occur in only a few bends. The stress level near the bottom of the notch is much higher than the average in the wire, so a fatigue failure develops rapidly from the surface defect. Collars are stressed . FOR the drill-collar joint, there are two areas of stress concentration. Take Stress first a properly made-up joint where the ‘concentration shoulder supports the pin in bending sree Maximum flexing occurs in the box threads just beyond the last engaged Ini thread at the end of the pin, Failures be- | ‘gin from the thread root on the inside of the box because the thread acts as a notch, Furthermore, these threads are ex- posed to corrosive drilling fluid. Result- ing corrosion pits in the thread roots \ become very sharp notches which are a ban stress raisers, BOTTOM-OF-BOX FAILURE, shown here, began with pits in TWO STRESS AREAS are those for the thread roots which became properly made-up joint. Insufficient| stress-raising notches. makeup stresses other oreas ot well.Loose-joint failures SECOND case is that of the joint not properly made up. The shoulders can separate so that the pin is not supported by the shoulder. It is, how- ever, restrained by the box threads. ‘Thus, maximum bending stress occurs in the thread roots of the first engaged thread near the base of the pin. Fatigue EEG cK N N \ Vii cracks develop in these thread roots CUPPING ON SHOULDERS This type of failure can be mini- marks pin feilure in loose mized by making the joint up tight joint. Enough lapping occurred ‘enough to stretch the pin and compress before pin failed to dish the the shoulders elastically. Thea, when shoulder. Boxes sometimes ————! the drill collar bends in the hole, the foil in loose joints, pertic FIRST OR SECOND THREAD shoulders never separate. Again, you larly in joints which are over near base of pin is common can see that controlled makeup torque sized for the collar; point of location of is essential to prevent pin fatigue fai failure is third or fourth operated loose ures. thread from shoulder. A balanced joint . . . A SIMILAR TYPE of failure can occur when the joint is too large for proper balance between pin and box strength. The pin may he s0 large that the box near the shoulder is very thin and cannot support the pin in bending, Instead, near its mouth, the box bends with the pin, Consider, however, as you move toward the thicker section 1% to 2¥4 in, from the shoulder, the box does begin to support the pin. Under these conditions, pin failures may occur'I%4 to 2¥% in, from the shoulder, with both pin and box breaking off ‘The drillcollar joint performs two necessary functions 1. It is a structural member joining two drill collars. It must be strong enough to withstand the pull attendant on coming out of the hole, the torsion applied in make up and driling, and the bending resulting from running the collars in compression 2. It is a pressure coupling which acts as part of a high-pressure pipeline to carry fluid to the bit, Obviously, the joint must not leak no matter how much the drill collars bend in the hole KJ rare eK KS [7 Rs SD ZG P> S Threads have clearance . . IN THINKING of the drill-collar joint as a high-pressure coupling. re- member that tool-joint threads differ from casing and tubing threads. Casing and tubing threads are designed for continuous contact of thread crest, root, and flanks in order to seal. They can be made up on taper until a seal is achieved, ‘Tool-joint threads cannot seal. They are designed to be made up even if the box is overflowing at the time of make up, with drilling fluid heavily laden with solids. Clearance must be provided at the crest and root of every thread in order to accommodate these solids. Otherwise the threads might bbe kept apart. The clearance at root and crest provides two channels from the end of the pin to the counterbore of the box. Through these channels fluid under pressure can flow. The shoulder prevents the additional makeup on taper which might deform the threads enough to close this clearance, Shoulder is Channel DIFFERENT SEALING MECHANISMS apply to dril-collar ioint (above) and to casing or tubing coupling (below). ot. ccar theeds must have clearance fo oecommodate Cesingiisint foreign matter.Only one seal... ‘THE shoulder is the only seal. The shoulders must not be per mitted to separate o the joint will leak. ‘You may think of the shoulders as a valve seat on a high-pressure valve. They must be kept as smooth, as clean, and as tight as a high- pressure-valve seat, To keep the shoulders together and to avoid leaking. enough elastic compression must be stored in the shoulders during makeup So that chey remain tightly in contact no matter how much the dri collars bend in the hole. Yet again it is proved: Controlled makeup torque is essential to avoid leaking joints Compression Drilling changes . . . d AS DRILLING CHANGES, makeup torque changes. Back when drill strings used few collars, makeup corque control was unimportant: Later, when up to 40 collars first became common, makeup torque control was keyed to strings rocated at 40 ot 80 rpm in hard formations where collars were near hole size, Now, With long collar strings used in softer formations, rotary speeds of 250 rpm. nd drill collars often much smaller than hole size, higher makeup torque is needed to keep shoulders tightly together. Higher rotary speeds enbance the importance of higher makeup tOrques. There's a limit on makeup torque, of course—you mustn't destroy the joint by stretching the pin and swelling the box when yield strength of the joint is excceded. These recommendations (1972) are suited for high-rotary-speed conditions in bard or soft formations. High rotary speed isn’t recommended for hard. broken formations which pro- mote fatigue in both collars and pipe because of vibration. NOTE: THE INFORMATION ON OPPOSITE PAGE FOR MINIMUM RECOMMENDED MAKE-UP TORQUE HAS BEEN REVISED AS OF OCT., 1972 How much torque? YOU HAVE SEEN that joints must be made up tightly enough to insure shoulder support for the pin and to obtain a shoulder seal. You should also realize that too much makeup torque stretches the pins and swells the boxes. This is particularly true on small joints where the range of satisfactory makeup torques is narrow, Recommended makeup torques are based on two cross-sectional areas: that at the thread root of the pin, %-in. from the shoulder and that in the box counterbore. ¥%-in. from the shoulder. Where ‘one member is weaker thaa the other, makeup torque for the weaker member must be used.(SANNOd-LOOS) 3NOYOL dN JNVW GaGNaNWODSYHow to recognize leaks . . . YOU can quickly identify a loose joint by several character~ istics: 1, The shoulder becomes dis- colored with a dull-gray or gun- ‘metal-biue color. This occurs ‘where fluid has been leaking past the shoulders and lapping the shoulder surface. Frequently, high spots develop. These appear bright and shiny. 2, Galls occur on the shoulder in the breakout direction. High friction generates heat during break out because the lubricant has been washed away, permit ting metal-to-metal contact. 3. Fluid erosion cuts grooves across the shoulder face. In severe cases, the threads may also be cut. 4. Dry drilling mud will have replaced the lubricant on the threads. This material collects as the fluid washes through the threads from the end of the pin toward the shoulder. Obviously, the friction of these muddy threads and shoulders exceeds greatly the friction on clean, well- lubricated threads and shoulders. Force required to unscrew such @ joint greatly exceeds that uscd 10 ‘make the joint up. Hard-to-break joints are the result of not mak ing joints up tightly enough when poing into the hole. Again: Con- trolled makeup torque is essen- tial to avoid hard-to-break joints. GALLS ON BOX shoulder are result of high friction heat generated during breakout because lubricant has been washed away. Almost all hard-to - break jeints are similorly caused. TWO HIGH SPOTS, top and bottom, are galled and torn. Tear is like 90% of galls i that it is in breakout direc- tion. These indications plus discoloration on shoulders indicate fluid hos been leaking pest. GROOVES on shoulder face in- dicate erosion caused by mud leak, In severe cases, threads ore cut and are left packed with dry mud solids. Thes solids are left be- hind as mud liquid flows out. What to look for in buying collars You get good material . . . DRILL-COLLAR manufacturers constantly try to improve their prod= uct by improving material and design, Nearly all use AISI 4145 chrome- Molybdenum ally steel with specified hardenabiity limits. In sizes larger then THE-in, the analysis is modified to increase the percentages of Ghromum and molybdenum; this insures better through-hardening of the steel Steel suppliers are required to submit certificates of mill-test results insuring appropriate chemistry and hardenability. They also are asked for hysieal teste to insure hardness from 277 to 341 Brinell and impact Erength above 30 fb in the Izod impact-est. ACTUAL MILL TEST SHEET accompanies delivery of drill ‘color steel to the manufacturer. Specifications on hardness, impact strength, and chemical composition insure best raw material for drill collars. It is then up to user to operate collars in best monner. Br peor oem yy( Toons ne , REGULAR & FULL HOLE| ma ae Inside diameter in inches E Recommended bore for hard rock drilling Selection from the upper half of zone for each connection favors box strength — selection from lower hell fevors pin strength Recommended bore for soft rock drilling T APH tool-joint bore What joint size? MANUFACTURERS recommend joint sizes based on a balance of pin and box strength and adequate shoulder width, An APE committee, including all. manufacgurers as well as users, las established a standard design prac- tice. In this standard, the polar-section modulus at the thread root of the box % in. from the end of the pin should be 2¥ times that for the pin at the thread root % in, from the shoulder. Experience shows this design practice gives good balance in service, and joint-scletion charts based on it ae frequently used. The joint-selection charts are divided into three sections, one for each thread form. Tt has been found that the IF and H90 thread forms are more satisfactory for drillecollar service than are the repular, and full-hole thread forms In areas where abrasive wear quickly reduces the diameter of the collar, this reduction should be taken into account. Usually, a smaller joint should be selected in ordcr to retain a good balance in pin and box strength after a year of service. Another good practice in abrasive arcas is to use a smaller bore for about 3 ft on the pin end of new collars. When the diameter of the collar has worn down, the collars can be rethreaded with a smaller joint. The “stepped bore assures adequate strength in the pin of the smaller joint. Hydraulic loss is small. For a string of ie Sunes 20 stepbore collars, the ere DQ SS loss is calculated as for 4 18 collars of the large bore and 2 collars of the smaller bore, ‘bo GOOD PRACTICE, in abrasive areas, calls for “stepped” bore, left. At center, eriti- cal points of strength ore near base of pin ond ot bottom of box. At right, flatter snoller 1-90 and IF threads bore care better for collars than sharp “V." APL inteenal rh (modified)SINGLE-POINT Vv: oan ee BOS) | Ee Thread cutting is critical . . . ALL USS. manufacturers of drill collars use the thread: milling technique for threading drill collars, in preference to lathe threading with a single-point tool The thread- milling cutter is ground to produce the desired thread form, lead, and taper. It insures that these critical elements. are ‘maintained. When threading with a single-point tool, thread form THREAD MILLED BY HOB is assured of exact thread-form contour. Cutter is precision ground to maintain correct form, lead, and taper. is left to the skill of the lathe operator and tool grinder. Lead is determined by the condition of the Lead screw Of the lathe, and taper by the taper attachment of the lathe. These lathe parts are subj ct to wear. The thread produced is more likely to be affected by threading error than are joints which are thread milled. Cold working ‘ONE good way to improve the fatigue life of drill-collar threads is to cold werk the thread roots, This can be done by cold rolling the threads or by peening the threads with tools designed to fit the thread root. Cold working smooths out minor surface de- fects and increases the strength of the steel. In addition, the surface fibers are left with a residual compressive stress. This means that a higher tensile or bending load can be applied before failure begins To prevent galls . After sling, ‘hese fibers | NEWLY CUT THREADS oppeor bright ‘ond shiny before being coated with gall-resistont compound. After im mersion in chemical bath, pin threads take on characteristic dark oppear- once, Coated surface ectually contains thousands of tiny pits which hold lubricant. Vv TO minimize galling of new threads when they are first made up, threads and shoulders are coated ‘by the manufacturers with a gall-resistant compound. This coating is usually an iron-maganese-phosphate coating pro- duced by immersing the thread in a hot chemical solution. Such a coating acts as a lubricant. It physically separates the metal surfaces during makeup, and it assists in holding lubricant in place under makeup loads.Stress relief THE API standardiza- tion committee has estab- lished a recommended prac tice of cutting stress-reliet grooves in the joint. These are located near the base of the pin and in the hot- tom of the box just beyond the last engaged thread of the pin. These relic are intended to reduce stress concentration in the critical bending arcas of the pin and box. They do. this by removing unnecessary threads, which are notches, and replacing them with smooth, large-radius con: tours, Tt is essential that the surfaces of the stress-relief areas be free of tool marks, stencil marks, or other notches. Another successful modi- fication of the box thecads is the Drileo “bore back.” This design consists of “a straight eylindrieal bore in the bottom of the box, Bore diameter is of a size to insure that the last thread root in the box is covered by the threads at the end of the pin. The smooth bore continues beyond the end of the pin and then is grad- ually contoured with large radii 10 the bore of the collar. \ machinist can produce a smooth surface in the stress-relief area with this bore-back des ily than he undercut design of the API stress-relief groove, The substantial leagth of uniform wall section dis- tributes the bending over a longer interval, Principle is the same as that illustrated earlier where a wire is held with the hands 8 in. apart. ‘The wire can be bent many times without failure I STANDARD JOINT CONFIGURATION, left, was made necessary by the manner in which drill-collar joints Used 10 be threaded in a machine shop using a single-point tool. The unengaged threads at the bare of the pin ond at the bottom of the box occur at unfartunate places They are points where siress concentration is moximum as a result of bending of the collars. These unengaged threads produce notches at the points where fatigue failures ore most likely to occur. API'S NEW STRESS-RELIEF GROOVE, center, is means of removing unwanted threads. Undercut stress-relief groove removes threads fram base of pin; similarly, undercut cemoves unwanted threads from bottom ‘of box. Notice that all corners are rounded to avoid notches in the critical areas. Grooves must be polished as smoothly as practical in the shops. BORE BACK BOX, right, uses a straight cylindrical bore in the bottom of the box. Bore diameter is sufficient 10 remove unwanted threads, cond continues well beyond the end of the pin. Then, it gradually is contoured to the bore of the collar. Generally machinists find this kind of stress-relief bore much easier to execute than more complicated undercut style. Moreover, the length of uniform wall section distributes bending over o longer interval.THREAD PROFILE GAUGE gives check fon thread form and lead in cases where lathe threading must be used. Milled threads should be checked with high quality, hordened-and ground gauges Watch field-shop work WHEN it becomes necessary to re in field shops, every effort sho the drill collar with a joint equival facturee’s new joint. To this end, many fie now equipped with high-quality, hardened-ank gauges, with thread-milling equipment, with cold-roll: ing tools, and with chemical-coating baths. You may use the following check list for insuring that field repair work on drill collars COLD ROLLING OF THREAD ROOTS prolongs drill-collor-joint is of high quality life, Roller has same contour as thread root ond is pressed into the root by hydroulie rom. 1. Straightness. Collars should be inspected by supporting near cach end and checking for run out. Col jars with more than 44-in. run should be straightened, 2. Threading. Threads should be made by thread milling and should be gauged with high-quality, hard: ened-and-ground gauges. If it is to use lathe ‘threading thread form and lead should be checked using a thread-profile gauge. Thread roots should be free from sharp notches, Cold working. Threads should cold worked in accordance with proced ‘ablished for rolling or Peening. Threads should be gauged prior to cold working. 4. Stress-relief contours. Cold working should be completed prior to cutting stress-relief contours so that the last scratch can be cold worked. Surfaces and radii must be of specified size and free of tool marks, 5. Gall-resistant coating. A gall- resistant coating should be applied to all newly cut threads or shoulders, Good practice GOOD shop practice, like good cannot remove the need for good operating practice inthe field, And the first rule of good field practice is that the collars must be made up to the proper, measured torque con sistently. Nothing done ig’ design and manufacture can change the need for rig-level -makeup-torque Control. It has to be done on the vig.