Rotary Drilling

Rotary Drilling is a drilling technique that uses sharp and rotational

drill bits to create holes in the earth’s crust. Rotary Drilling is one of
the fastest drilling methods. Oil and gas wells, natural gas extraction
wells and water wells are drilled using this technique. Englishman
Robert Beart invented the first rotary drill in 1845 and the technique
has been in use since 1901. The size of rotary drillers can vary from
small to huge. Rotary Drilling is a technique that is able to create
holes of small diameters. It is possible to drill through almost all rock
formations. It can reach over 40 meters depth.
The actual drilling in the rotary system of drilling is done by the
drilling bits. The bit is attached to the lower end of the drill collars.
The hole is drilled by lowering the drill string to touch the bottom and
then rotating it with the help of the rotary table. The number and type
of bits used in oil well drilling depends on the depth and the
formations encountered.
Types of Bits
Bits are classified on their basis of cutting action. Different types are
used for different formations. There are three types of formations:
soft, medium and hard. A soft formation includes unconsolidated
sands, clays, soft limestones, red beds and shale. Medium formations
include dolomites, limestones, and hard shale. Hard formations
include hard shale, calcites, mudstones, cherty lime stones and hard
and abrasive formations.
Two different types of drill bits exist: fixed cutter and roller cone. A
fixed cutter bit is one where there are no moving parts, but drilling
occurs due to shearing, scraping or abrasion of the rock. Fixed cutter
bits can be either polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) or grit
hotpressed inserts (GHI) or natural diamond. Roller cone bits can be
either tungsten carbide inserts (TCI) for harder formations or milled
tooth (MT) for softer rock. Rolling cutters bits usually have three
cones and are called tri-cone bits. Single and double cone are also
available for specialized applications. The manufacturing process and
composites used in each type of drill bit make them ideal for specific
drilling situations. Additional enhancements can be made to any bit to
increase the effectiveness for almost any drilling situation.
Milled-Tooth Bit
A Milled-Tooth Bit is a type of a rolling cutter bit that has tooth
cutters made up of steel which have been assembled as the parts of bit
cone. This bit is rotated to gouge or cut out the formations. Every bit
has a different kind of teeth based on the rock formation. It may use
inserts build-up of diamond or tungsten carbide on its gauge. The
Milled-Tooth Bit is used for enhancing durability, increasing the rate
of penetration and for excellent drilling performance. These teeth are
crafted with a wear-resistant material composed of tungsten carbide
crumbs which are dispersed in the steel matrix. The performance of
these bits is based on the material and toughness of their hardfacing
materials. The performance also depends on the bond between the
hardfacing and steel tooth.
Tungsten Carbide Insert (TCI) or Insert bits generally have tungsten
carbide inserts (teeth) that are pressed into the bit cones. The inserts
have several shapes such as long-extension shapes, round shaped
inserts, etc.

Teeth of the bits are different depending on the formation as follows:

Soft formation: Long-extension, chisel shape inserts
Hard formation: Short-extension, rounded inserts
Bit design method
The bit geometry and cutting structure engineering method of Bentson
has since 1956 been the root from which most roller-cone bit design
methods have been designed [1]. Although modern engineering
techniques and tools have advanced dramatically from those used in
1956, Bentson’s method is the heritage of modern design and
continues to be useful for background explanation.

Bit diameter/available space

Well diameter and the bit diameter required to achieve it influence
every design feature incorporated into every efficient bit. The first
consideration in the physical design of a roller-cone bit is the
permissible bit diameter or, in the words of the designer, available
space. Every element of a roller-cone bit must fit within a circle
representative of the required well diameter. The API has issued
specifications establishing permissible tolerances for standard bit
diameters.2 The sizes of journals, bearings, cones, and hydraulic and
lubrication features are collectively governed by the circular cross
section of the well. Individually, the sizing of the various elements
can, to an extent, be varied. Repositioning or altering the size or shape
of a single component nearly always requires subsequent additional
changes in one or more of the other components. In smaller bits,
finding good compromises can be difficult because of a shortage of
space.

Journal angle
“Journal angle” describes an angle formed by a line perpendicular to
the axis of a bit and the axis of the bit’s leg journal. Journal angle is
usually the first element in a roller-cone bit design. It optimizes bit
insert (or tooth) penetration into the formation being drilled;
generally, bits with relatively small journal angles are best suited for
drilling in softer formations, and those with larger angles perform best
in harder formations.

Cone offset
To increase the skidding-gouging action, bit designers generate
additional working force by offsetting the centerlines of the cones so
that they do not intersect at a common point on the bit. This “cone
offset” is defined as the horizontal distance between the axis of a bit
and the vertical plane through the axis of its journal. Offset forces a
cone to turn within the limits of the hole rather than on its own axis.
Offset is established by moving the centerline of a cone away from
the centerline of the bit in such a way that a vertical plane through the
cone centerline is brllel to the vertical centerline of the bit. Basic cone
geometry is directly affected by increases or decreases in either
journal or offset angles, and a change in one of the two requires a
compensating change in the other. Skidding-gouging improves
penetration in soft and medium formations at the expense of increased
insert or tooth wear. In abrasive formations, offset can reduce cutting
structure service life to an impractical level. Bit designers thus limit
the use of offset so that results just meet requirements for formation
penetration.
Teeth and inserts
Tooth and insert design is governed primarily by structural
requirements for the insert or tooth and formation requirements, such
as:
Penetration
Impact
Abrasion
Bearing lubrication
The bearing allow the cone to rotate on the pin and also help to lock
the cone in place. Bits with roller bearing, sealed bearing and friction
bearing are available. The different kinds of bits are roller bearing bits
have a roller ball arrangement of bearings on which the bit cone is
inserted. The ball bearings help to secure the journal. Roller bearings
are usually used in bits larger than 12 ¼ inch because such bits have
shorter life. They are also classified as sealed and non sealed. Non
sealed bearings are lubricated by the mud, whereas in a sealed bearing
bits are lubricated by a lubricant placed inside the bit.
In friction bearing bits, friction bearings are used in the nose section.
The friction bearing consists of a special hardened bushing pressed
into the nose of the cone. In this type of bits the pin is usually thicker
and hence the bit has longer life.