Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering xxx (xxxx) xxx

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Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering

journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/petrol

Research on the working mechanism of the PDC drill bit in

compound drilling
Yingxin Yang a, b, *, Yan Yang a, Haitao Ren a, b, Qingliang Qi a, Xinwei Chen a
a
School of Mechanical Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China
b
State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: A combined ground-driven and down-hole-driven motor significantly improves the penetration rate of poly­
PDC drill bit crystalline diamond compact (PDC) drill bits but greatly reduces bit life. By studying the mechanical behavior of
Compound drilling the drill string in compound drilling, a kinematics model of a PDC drill bit under compound drilling was
Numerical simulation
established, and the effects of transmission ratio, cutter layout, and drill string geometry on the cutting trajectory
Rock-breaking mechanism
Customized design
formed by the cutters were analyzed. Furthermore, a numerical drilling simulation of the PDC drill bit was
developed and enhanced to research the kinematics and cutting regularities of the PDC drill bit in compound
drilling. In addition to high rotation rate, nonparallel scraping of the PDC cutters and the unbalanced contact
state between the cutters and the rock are the prime reasons for improvement of the penetration rate of the PDC
bit in compound drilling. An error analysis comparing simulation and experimental results was performed and
the two agree to within <20%. Based on the working mechanism of the PDC drill bit in compound drilling,
technical ideas and implementation methods for customized designs of PDC drill bits are discussed.

1. Introduction
With the advantages of good stability, high rate of penetration
(ROP), and high design flexibility, polycrystalline diamond compact
(PDC) bits are widely used in exploration for and exploitation of oil and
gas (Dougherty et al., 2014; Zhu et al., 2015). Compound drilling is a
drilling method in which the ground-driven and down-hole-driven
motors are combined to drive the drill bit to break rock in oil and gas
drilling engineering. Using compound drilling with a screw drilling tool
combined with a PDC bit can relieve the back pressure on the drilling
string and enable the cutters to effectively penetrate the formation,
thereby improving rock-breaking efficiency (Azizov, 2011; Gaudin,
1991; Grindrod, 2002; Grandis, 2015; Warren and Lesso, 2005; Wang,
2015; Zhu et al., 2019). It is a very effective technique for speeding up
and increasing efficiency in drilling. However, because of the super­
position of the two motion states and the introduction of the motor
bending angle of the screw, eccentricity and deflection occur between
the actual center of rotation of the PDC bit and the center of the well
trace. Each of the cutters suffers from severe load distribution uneven­
ness and varying degrees of impact loading, which in turn can cause
failure of an individual cutter. Presently, classical means arranging PDC
bit cutters entails equal cutting volume and full coverage. Accordingly,
failure of individual cutters inevitably leads to a sharp increased
working load on the adjacent cutters of the drill bit, causing serious
failure modes such as balling, coring, and ring out (Clegg, 1992; Mor­
timer, 2010; Sinor and Warren, 1993).
Under the constraints of a casing program, formation conditions, and
bottom-hole assembly, identifying the rock-breaking mechanism for
PDC bits in compound drilling is a design precondition. Numerical
drilling simulation technology for PDC drill bits is a newly developed
effective technical means to simulate the interaction between the bit and
the formation rock, analyze the load distribution of cutters, and evaluate
the performance of the drill bit in underground complex conditions
(Zheng et al., 2016). By using this system, the influence of the casing
program and the geometry of the down-drilling string on PDC drill bit
cutters under the condition of compound drilling were studied, the
corresponding kinematics analysis equation was established, and the
simulation system was developed and improved. In addition, the effects
of factors such as the rotation speed ratio between the rotation speed of
the screw motor and the revolution speed of the rotary table, cutters
arrangement design of the drill bit, and bend angle of the screw on the
bottom-hole trajectory of the cutters were analyzed, analysis of the

* Corresponding author. School of Mechanical Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China.
E-mail address: yangyingxin@swpu.edu.cn (Y. Yang).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2019.106647
Received 26 June 2019; Received in revised form 18 October 2019; Accepted 3 November 2019
Available online 5 November 2019
0920-4105/© 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article as: Yingxin Yang, Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2019.106647
Y. Yang et al.
bottom-hole morphology was performed, and corresponding conclu­
sions were obtained. These research results improve our understanding
of the rock-breaking mechanism for PDC bits under the condition of
compound drilling and provide a reference for customized drill bit de­
signs. In particular, the simulation system considered the influence of
elastic deformation of the down-drilling string under the constraint of
the borehole wall on the working state of the PDC bit, and the research
results were close to the actual working conditions of the bit.
2. Establishment of kinematics model of PDC bit in compound
drilling
The numerical drilling simulation system is an integrated analyzing
tool for PDC bit. Based on the mechanical behavior analysis of down-
hole string and the kinematics model of PDC cutters, the kinematics
laws of PDC cutters under compound drilling can be studied via the
numerical drilling simulation system.
Fig. 1. Flow chart of the numerical simulation system.
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Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering xxx (xxxx) xxx
2.1. Research and development of numerical drilling simulation
technology for PDC bits
Based on MATLAB, an interaction model between the PDC bit and
the formation rock under compound drilling was constructed in the
simulation system. This model’s simulation strategy is based on process-
oriented weight on bit (WOB) equilibrium. In each simulation step, the
dynamic rock-breaking process for the PDC bit was transformed into a
static balance problem at every step, thus minimizing the calculation
amount and optimizing calculation efficiency. Results such as the tra­
jectory of the drill bit, variation of loading, and bottom-hole
morphology during the whole drilling process were thus obtained (Qi,
2015). Flow chart of the numerical simulation system is shown in Fig. 1.
2.2. Mechanical behavior analysis of down-drilling string
It was assumed that, in high-angle directional wells and horizontal
wells, the drill string was tangent to the lower shaft lining owing to its
weight, and the upper part of the drill string from the tangent point was
attached to the lower shaft lining, which was far away from the drill bit,
Y. Yang et al.
so that the effect of elastic deformation on the drill bit can be ignored
here. The down-drilling string from the tangent point to the drill bit was
simplified as a double-span continuous beam subjected to self-weight
and the lateral force of the bit under drilling fluid conditions (Su,
2001; Yang, 2017).
As shown in Fig. 2(a), the dogleg severity was 90� γ, the initial
bending angle of the screw was θm , the drill string was tangent to the
lower shaft lining at point C, and the contact between the elbow point
(point A) of the screw and the shaft lining was regarded as a fixed hinge
support. The down-drilling string from the elbow point (point A) of the
screw was disconnected, and the double-span beam was piecewise
handled in accordance with a static balance problem. The line masses of
the double-span beam were q1 and q2 , and the bit (point B) was sub­
jected to a lateral force FB from the shaft lining. Because the direction of
the WOB was along the axial line of the drill bit, the rotation angle and
flexibility of the drill string were less affected, so the effect of the WOB
was not considered here. The double-span beam will generate elastic
Fig. 2. Simplified model of a drill string under the condition of flexibility.
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Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering xxx (xxxx) xxx
deformation under the joint action of the forces mentioned and rotate
and flex. Because the bending angle of the screw was small, the defor­
mation of the double-span beam conformed to the conditions of small
deformation with linear elastic properties, so θ � sin θ � tan θ.
Fig. 2(b) shows a simplified mechanical model of the first span beam.
For the force analysis of the first span beam, the elbow point (point A)
was regarded as the fixed end. According to static equilibrium of the
beam, the fixed end was subjected to a bending moment MA and a
supporting force FA and the drill bit was subjected to a lateral force FB.
The AB segment beam was subjected to a uniform load and its line mass
was q1 . Under the joint action of the these forces, the first span beam
underwent elastic deformation with a rotation angle θ1 and a flex of wB1 .
Fig. 2(c) shows a simplified mechanical model of the second span
beam. For the force analysis of the second span beam, the elbow point
(point A) was regarded as a fixed hinge support, and it was subjected to a
bending moment MA and supporting forces FAW and FAX. Point C of the
beam was the tangent point with the lower shaft lining, and it was
Y. Yang et al. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering xxx (xxxx) xxx

subjected to a supporting force FC. The AC segment beam was subjected

to a uniform load and its line mass was q2 . Under the joint action of these
forces, the second span beam underwent elastic deformation with a
rotation angle of θ2 . Therefore, the force deformation of the down-
drilling string can be represented by Fig. 2(d).
According to the material mechanics principle of the bending
deflection of beam, the rotation angle θ and the flex w can be expressed
as
� Z
EIdw dx ¼ EIθ ¼ MðxÞdx þ C
f Z Z (1)
EIw ¼ dx MðxÞdx þ Cx þ D

According to the elastic mechanics principle of superposition, the

rotation angles θ1 , θ2 , the flex wB1 and the bending angle θt of the screw
under the flexible condition of the drill string (hereinafter referred to as
the flexible bending angle) were

q1 lm 3 cosðθm γÞ FB l m 2
θ1 ¼ (2)
6E1 I1 2E1 I1

8FB lm 3 þ 3q1 lm 4 cosðθm γÞ

wB1 ¼ (3)
24E1 I1

q2 a3 cos γ 8FB lm a 4q1 lm 2 a cosðθm γÞ Fig. 3. Absolute rotation speed of a bit in compound drilling.
θ2 ¼ (4)
24E2 I2
The kinematics equation (Guo, 2010) of the PDC bit in compound
θt ¼ θm þ θ1 =2 þ θ2 (5) drilling can be expressed as
In this formula, θt is a negative value, which indicates that the sec­ ½X; Y; Z; 1� ¼ ½x; y; z; 1� � T0 ð0; 0; vωtÞ
tion was rotated clockwise. It can be obtained that the force deformation (10)
cosðωtÞ þ 1
of the down-drilling string will reduce the bending angle of the screw. �Tx ½ φm � � � Tz ðωtÞ
2
The deflection wB of the B section is the superposition of the
deflection wB1 of the free end of the AB beam and the rigid-body In the numerical drilling simulation system, the above equations are
displacement caused by the rotation of the AB beam from the rotation used as the kinematics model of the PDC bit. Thus, analyses on the ki­
angle θ2 of the A section, namely, nematics and cutting mechanics of PDC cutters under compound drilling
condition can be performed.
wB ¼ wB1 þ θ2 ⋅lm (6)
Therefore, in compound drilling, the reamed borehole diameter Dt 3. Kinematics analysis on PDC cutters in compound drilling
and the wellbore expansion rate δ are
From the relationship between geometry and kinematics, the three-
Dt ¼ 2ðlm sinθm wB Þ þ Db (7) dimensional space state equation of PDC cutters at any time can be
obtained (Ren et al., 2010) as
Dt Db 2ðlm sinθm wB Þ
δ¼ ¼ (8)
Db Db x ¼ e cosω2 t þ r cosθt cos½ði þ 1Þω2 t�
f y ¼ e sinω2 t þ r cosθt sin½ði þ 1Þω2 t� (11)
In this formula, Db is the diameter of the PDC bit. z ¼ e=tanθt r sinθt cos iω2 t þ vz t

2.3. Establishment of kinematics model where e ¼ ðlm þh0 Þsinθt is the distance from the location points of the
cutters to the central axis of the wellbore, h0 and r are the location height
The geometric coordinate system for the PDC bit at the hole bottom and radius of the PDC cutters on the drill bit, and i is the ratio of the
was established according to the methods described in Chen (2016) and motor speed to the rotary table speed.
Yang (2003), and the kinematic model of the PDC bit under the condi­ From the above analysis, one can see that the cutter trajectories in
tion of flexible drill string was studied. compound drilling are affected by many factors, such as the position
In compound drilling, the absolute rotation speed n of the drill bit is coordinates of the cutter (h0 and r), structural parameters of the screw
the vector synthesis of the screw motor speed n1 and the rotary table (lm and θt ), and motor speed and rotary table speed i.
speed n2 , as shown in Fig. 3. This is one of the reasons why compound Taking a PDC bit as an example, and the simulation parameters were
drilling has such a high rate of penetration. taken as follows:
The feed rate of the drill bit was vz (m/h), the speed of the screw
motor was n1 (rpm), the speed of the rotary table was n2 (rpm), the arm (1) Drilling process parameters: speed of the rotary table speed is
length was lm , and the azimuth of the arm deflection was ϕm . Then the 30 rpm, speed of the screw motor speed is in the range of
absolute rotation speed n (rpm), absolute angular velocity ω (rad/min), 90–180 rpm, the drilling pressure is 12 kN, the mud density is
and the drilling depth per radian of the drill bit are 1.4 g/cm3, the dogleg severity is 0� , the footage of each circle is
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 2 mm, the bending angles are respectively 0.5� and 1� and the
n ¼ n1 2 þ n2 2 þ 2n1 n2 cosθt arm length are respectively 1 m and 1.2 m.
. qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
f (9) (2) Cutter parameters: the cutter diameter is 16 mm, the position
ω ¼ nπ 30 ¼ ω1 2 þ ω2 2 þ 2ω1 ω2 cosθt
coordinates of the three cutters are respectively (15.78 mm,
v ¼ 8:3vz =nπ
49.86 mm), (49.09 mm, 60.6 mm) and (80.08 mm, 59.42 mm)

4
Y. Yang et al.
where the cutters are respectively in the cone, in the shoulder and
in the gauge area of the PDC bit.
(3) Rock sample parameters: the friction coefficient is 0.2, the in­
ternal friction angle is 22� and the shear strength is 11 MPa.
3.1. Effect of rotation speed ratio
The rotation speed ratio i is equal to the ratio of the motor speed to
the rotary table speed, namely, i ¼ n1 =n2 . The rotation speed ratio i is an
important factor affecting the cutting tracks. Fig. 4(left) shows four
tracks of one PDC cutter in the cone region of the drill bit when the
rotation speed ratio i was taken as 3–6.
From the above figure, two conclusions can be obtained:
(1) The greater the rotation speed ratio i, the longer the cutter tra­
jectory. As the rotation speed ratio i increases, the number of
changes of the cutter direction increases but the curvature of the
cutter trajectory at the whirl becomes smaller. This indicates that,
as the rotation speed ratio i increases, the rate of change of the
direction of the cutter becomes slower.
(2) It can be seen from Fig. 4(right) that the cutting track of the cutter
in the cone area exhibits knotting. This indicates that, during the
scraping process, the direction of cutter motion and the contact
working face (curved face) of the cutter and the rock are
constantly changing. In the figure, a semicylindrical cutter cut
into the rock with an axial plane as the scraping face. During the
scraping process, the cutter continuously rotates with respect to
the rock, and the scraping face gradually transitions from the
axial plane to the side and then continues to rotate to the cylin­
drical surface (the back of the axial plane) and cut out again.
During the cutting and cutting out of the bottom hole, the
scraping face of the cutter changes by ~180� , and the cutter is
reversed with respect to the scraping direction of the rock. If the
cutter cuts into the rock at the front face, then the back side will
be reversely cut out.
This special movement of the cutters in the cone area of the PDC bit is
the primary reason why the PDC bit is cored in compound drilling, as
shown in Fig. 5 (Brett and Whirl, 1989; Rajabov et al., 2012).
3.2. Effect of position coordinates
The position coordinates of the cutter are determined by two pa­
rameters: the positioning height h0 and the positioning radius r. Ac­
cording to the kinematics simulation results for the cutter, the influence
of the positioning radius r on cutting tracks of different cutters is sig­
nificant, but the influence of the positioning height h0 is not obvious.
Fig. 4. Cutting tracks for different rotation speed ratios i and the knotting behavior of the cutter.
5
Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering xxx (xxxx) xxx
The three cutters are in the cone area, the shoulder area, and the gauge
area of the drill bit, and the cutting tracks are shown in Fig. 6.
According to the calculation results, cutter trajectories coincide with
the cutter trajectory of the inner cone region when r < e=cosθt , and
cutter trajectories are in accordance with the cutter trajectory of the
outer shoulder area when r > e=cosθt .
3.3. Effect of screw structural parameters
The structural parameters of the screw are the flexible bending angle
θt and the arm length lm .
Fig. 7 shows trajectories of PDC cutters when the rotation speed ratio
is i ¼ 4, the arm length is lm1 , and the flexible bending angle is θt2 , which
is greater than θt1 in Fig. 6. When the arm length lm is a constant, as the
flexible bending angle θt increases, the change in the direction of the
cutter in the inner cone region of the PDC bit becomes sharper, and the
radial fluctuation range of the trajectories becomes wider.
Fig. 8 shows trajectories of PDC cutters when the rotation speed ratio
is i ¼ 4, the flexible bending angle is θt1 , and the arm length is lm2 , which
is longer than lm1 in Fig. 6. When the flexible bending angle θt is con­
stant, as the arm length lm increases, the radial fluctuation range of the
trajectories becomes wider.
From the above simulation results, we can conclude that the impact
of the four factors on the trajectory of the cutter increases in the order of
positioning height h0 , arm length lm , flexible bending angle θt of the
screw, and positioning radius r of the PDC bit.
4. Working mechanism analysis on the PDC drill bit in
compound drilling
The kinematics analysis results show that the PDC bit removes rock
material more similar to “milling”. Taking the rock-breaking process of
the PDC bit in compound drilling as “milling”, both the kinematics and
cutting mechanics of the bit can be explained more reasonably.
4.1. Working principle of milling instead of drilling
In compound drilling, the “drilling” principle of PDC bits changes
significantly. Some of the cutters on the bits will participate in cutting
intermittently. Even if the cutters are not interrupted, at least their
cutting state will change periodically, and the cutting depth of each
cutter will change during the cutting process. Indeed, the combination of
rotation and revolution-driven mode with a bending motor makes the
PDC bit cut the rock more similar to milling instead of drilling. The
rotation of the drill bit driven by a bending motor is the main motion of
milling, while the revolution of the drill pipe becomes the feed motion.
In this special “milling instead of drilling” mode, the working state of
the cutters on the drill bit exhibits a certain degree of alternation, rather
Y. Yang et al.
Fig. 5. Failure mode for central cutters on a PDC bit.
Fig. 6. Cutting tracks for different position coordinates of the cutters.
Fig. 7. Cutting tracks for an elastic bending angle of θt2 .
than continuous scraping under ideal drilling conditions, and the cutting
tracks also change from concentric circles to helical trajectories (see
Fig. 9 (left)).
Fig. 9 (right) shows the numerical bottom-hole morphology obtained
by simulating the compound drilling process of the drill bit in the PDC
bit rock-breaking numerical simulation system. Obviously, the
morphology is distinctly different from that of the conventional bottom.
The nonparallel helical scraping trajectory by the cutters of the drill bit
and the undulating geometry bottom surface indicate that the drill bit is
indeed milling the rock. The unbalanced bearing of the drill bit and the
changing cutting work state are not unimaginable.
Another special morphological feature of the bottom hole is seen in
6
Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering xxx (xxxx) xxx
Fig. 8. Cutting tracks for an arm length of lm2 .
the central region. The central region has a higher degree of irregularity
than the outer region and has a multipeaked shape, which is signifi­
cantly different from that of the conventionally drilled bottom. This
feature provides a direct basis for a rational interpretation of the bit
cored failure phenomenon in compound drilling.
4.2. Penetration characteristics of cutters and nonparallel scraping status
From the observation of the bottom-hole morphology in compound
drilling, there are two main characteristics of PDC cutters: (1) The
interaction between the PDC cutters and the rock is a nonparallel cutting
process. (2) The nonparallel scraping creates a ragged rock ridge on the
bottom hole, so that the cutters can naturally penetrate the rock.
Because of the existence of the flexible bending angle of the screw,
the center of the drill bit deviates from the center of the borehole. The
eating depth on one side of the drill bit is larger than that on the other
side. At the same time, PDC cutters are not completely involved in
scraping and breaking rock (see Fig. 10). Therefore, the drill bit will
form an uneven and intersecting rock ridge at the bottom hole, which
will help the subsequent PDC cutters naturally penetrate the rock.
Compared with the concentric circular cutting in ideal drilling, the
nonparallel scraping in compound drilling is beneficial to the reduction
of cohesion of the rock unit, the generation and diffusion of small cracks
inside the rock, and the acceleration of the volume breaking of the rock,
thereby improving the rock-breaking efficiency and working life of the
PDC drill bit.
In addition, the Drilling Institute of Southwest Petroleum University
has found through nonparallel scarping experiments of PDC cutters
(Zhang, 2018) (Fig. 11) that the rock-breaking method of nonparallel
scraping is better than one-way concentric circular scraping, achieving
Y. Yang et al.
Fig. 9. Helical trajectory of the cutters and the bottom-hole morphology.
Fig. 10. Nonparallel scraping status of the cutters.
savings in both labor and energy. That is, under the condition of
nonparallel scraping, the axial and tangential forces on the PDC cutters
are both smaller than those in one-way concentric circular scraping.
Especially when the spacing of PDC cutters reaches 16 mm, axial labor is
reduced by up to 26.8%, and the tangential energy needed is reduced by
up to 29.4%. Therefore, the nonparallel mesh bottom hole formed in
compound drilling is conducive to the effective eating of PDC cutters on
rocks, so that the ROP of the PDC drill bit can be effectively improved,
thereby improving the rock-breaking efficiency.
4.3. Working mechanics analysis of PDC drill bits
Due to the existence of the angle in the screw motor, some cutters in
the drill bit are out of contact with the rock in a short period, i.e. the
Fig. 11. Photographs of the nonparallel scraping experiment and the rock ridge.
7
Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering xxx (xxxx) xxx
number of actual working cutters is smaller than the total cutter number.
The cutters periodically detach and enter in cutting, which makes the
cutting area and cutting force of each cutter change periodically.
Fig. 12 shows the actual number of PDC bit cutters in contact during
the drilling process, which ranges from 8 to 15 during the working
process. The total number of main cutting cutters on the drill bit is 26,
while the average actual number of effective cutters involved in the
cutting is 11.44, which is less than half of the total number of main
cutters.
Therefore, under the same drilling pressure, the average cutting load
of the effective cutters of the drill bit during compound drilling is higher
than that of conventional drilling. The axial force of the PDC cutters is
one of the important indicators of the difficulty of penetrating the rock.
From this point of view, the ROP of compound drilling should be higher.
Fig. 13 shows the cutting area curves of three PDC cutters in the cone
area, the shoulder area, and the gauge area, respectively. The cutting
area changes with time, and the variation range is quite large, and the
cutting area is often zero. The cutters periodically detach and enter in
cutting, which is a typical working state of compound drilling of the
cutters on the drill bit.
4.4. Error analysis of simulation results
Based on the above theories, to correct the numerical drilling
simulation technology of a PDC drill, a laboratory test of a 600 PDC bit
under eccentric working conditions was performed (see Fig. 14).
The experimental rock selected was Wusheng sandstone. The main
relationship among the lateral force, torque, and rock properties of the
bit under eccentric working conditions was determined. The eccentricity
was controlled to <1 mm in the experiment by adjusting the bolts on the
drill stand to test the lateral force, torque, and lateral force of the drill bit
Y. Yang et al. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 15. Torque curve obtained in the simulation experiment.

analysis of the simulation system is reliable.

Fig. 12. Cutter number vs. rotation angle.
5. Customized design of PDC dill bits under compound drilling
conditions

From the above analysis, it can be seen that the amplitude of vari­
ation of the cutting angle of the PDC cutters under compound drilling
conditions is large; especially, the cutters on the inner cone of the bit
have sharply knotting trajectories. In addition, the radial fluctuation of
the PDC cutter trajectories inevitably causes a large periodic variation of
the lateral force of the bit, which easily causes lateral vibration of the bit.
Therefore, the following design ideas are proposed:

(1) The cutters arrangement contour should be designed with a

shallow cone or a flat cone. By increasing the radius of curvature
of the contour, each area of the cutters arrangement contour can
smoothly transition, which can effectively relieve the backing
pressure effect of the cone and reduce the cutting load of the PDC
Fig. 13. Cutting area vs. rotation angle.
cutters on the cone area. At the same time, increasing the cutters
density of the cone and using a single blade with a multi-cutter or
interlaced cutters can improve the cutting ability of PDC cutters
on the inner cone of the bit.
(2) The cutters arrangement suitably introduces a negative bypass
angle. Setting the negative bypass angle for cutters areas where
the cutter trajectories change sharply can reduce the probability
of the cutters being subjected to a reverse cutting force and avoid
the occurrence of abnormal failure phenomena such as delami­
nation and breakage of the diamond layer.
(3) A customized design of the PDC drill bit can improve its stability,
enhance the ability of gauge protection, reduce the exposure
height of the cutters, or set the feathers like a cushioning cutter,
flat insert cutter, and reverse cutter. At the same time, all the
methods such as reducing the length of the gauge protection
section, enhancing the cutting ability of the gauge cutters, and

Fig. 14. Photographs of the PDC bit and the test laboratory.

(Yang, 2017). The average value of the torque received by the drill bit in
the simulation calculation was 651.16 N m (see Fig. 15) and it changed
periodically.
At the same time, a corresponding numerical model was established
in the simulation system, and the simulation parameters were controlled
as follows: Φ152.4 mm (bit) � 0.3 m þ Φ114 mm (drill pipe) � 20 m,
drilling pressure ¼ 16.2 kN, rotary table speed ¼ 30 rpm, mud density ¼
1.7 g/cm3, and dogleg severity ¼ 0� . The error was analyzed by com­
parison to the experimental results.
The average torque at the drill bit calculated by the experimental
recorder (see Fig. 16) in the bench test was 798.51 N m. This value is
within 20% of the simulation results, so it can be inferred that the Fig. 16. Torque curve obtained in the laboratory test.

8
Y. Yang et al.
improving the gauge cutters density can help the reduce the
torque response and depress the possibility of lateral vibration of
the drill bit.
6. Conclusions
(1) Based on the mechanical behavior of the down-drilling sting, a
numerical drilling simulation for a PDC drill bit was developed
and perfected. Based on this technology, a kinematics model of a
PDC drill bit under compound drilling was established, and the
effects of transmission ratio, cutter layout, and drill string ge­
ometry on the cutting trajectory formed by the cutters were
studied.
(2) The cutting track of the cutter in the cone area exhibits knotting,
and this special movement of the cutters in the cone area of the
PDC bit is the primary reason why the PDC bit is cored in com­
pound drilling.
(3) Under the condition of compound drilling, the PDC cutters break
the bottom rock similarly to milling, and the cutters are in an
unbalanced contact state. The number of effective working cut­
ters of the drill bit is less than the total number of cutters; the
scraping motion track of the cutters is no longer concentric but
follows a helical trajectory.
(4) Customized design of the PDC drill bit under compound drilling
conditions should be focused on preventing the abnormal failure,
improving the stability, and thus extending the service life of the
drill bit.
Acknowledgement
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for
the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work
was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
(Grant No. 51504209, No. 51374176), and China Postdoctoral Science
Foundation (2019M653479).
Appendix A. Supplementary data
Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.petrol.2019.106647.
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