Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Heriot-Watt University

17 Feb 2015

TSP BITS
by Jack ⋅ Leave a Comment
A further development of the PDC bit concept was the introduction in the later
1980’s of Thermally Stable Polycrystalline (TSP) diamond bits. These bits are
manufactured in a similar fashion to PDC bits but are tolerant of much higher
temperatures than PDC bits.

Thermally Stable Polycrystralline – TSP – Diamond bits were introduced when

it was found, soon after their introduction, that PDC bit cutters were sometimes
chipped during drilling. It was found that this failure was due to internal stresses
caused by the differential expansion of the diamond and binder material. Cobalt
is the most widely used binder in sintered PCD products. This material has a
thermal coefficient of expansion of 1.2 x 10-5 deg. C compared to 2.7 x 10-6 for
diamond. Therefore cobalt expands faster than diamond. As the bulk
temperature of the cutter rises above 7300 C internal stresses caused by the
different rates of expansion leads to severe intergranular cracking, macro
chipping and rapid failure of the cutter.

These temperatures are much higher than the temperatures to be found at the
bottom of the borehole (typically 1000 C at 8000 ft). They, in fact, arise from
the friction generated by the shearing action by which these bits cut the rock.

This temperature barrier of 7300 C presented serious barriers to improved

performance of PCD cutter bits. Manufacturers experimented with improving
the thermal stability of the cutters and Thermally Stable Polycrystralline
Diamond Bits were developed. These bits are more stable at higher temperatures
because the cobalt binder has been removed and this eliminates internal stresses
caused by differential expansion. Since most of the binder is interconnected,
extended treatment with acids can leach most of it out. The bonds between
adjacent diamond particles are unaffected, retaining 50-80% of the compacts’
strength. Leached PCD is thermally stable in inert or reducing atmospheres to
12000 C but will degrade at 8750 C in the presence of oxygen. Due to the nature
of the manufacturing process the thermally stable polycrystalline (TSP)
diamond cannot be integrally bonded to a WC substrate. Therefore, not only is
the PCD itself weaker, but the excellent strength of an integrally bonded
Tungsten Carbide (WC) substrate is sacrificed.Without the WC substrate, the
TSP diamond is restricted to small sizes (Figure 20) and must be set into a
matrix similar to natural diamonds.

17Feb 2015
PDC BITS
by Jack ⋅ 1 Comment
A new generation of diamond bits known as polycrystalline diamond compact
(PDC) bits were introduced in the 1980’s (Figure 5). These bits have the same
advantages and disadvantages as natural diamond bits but use small discs of
synthetic diamond to provide the scraping cutting surface. The small discs may
be manufactured in any size and shape and are not sensitive to failure along
cleavage planes as with natural diamond. PDC bits have been run very
successfully in many areas around the world. They have been particularly
successful (long bit runs and high ROP) when run in combination with
turbodrills and oil
based mud.

PCD
(Polycrystalline
Diamond) is
formed in a two stage high temperature, high pressure process. The first stage in
the process is to manufacture the artificial diamond crystals by exposing
graphite, in the presence of a Cobalt, nickel and iron or manganese
catalyst/solution, to a pressure in excess of 600,000 psi. At these conditions
diamond crystals rapidly form. However, during the process of converting the
graphite to diamond there is volume shrinkage, which causes the
catalyst/solvent to flow between the forming crystals, preventing intercrystalline
bonding and therefore only a diamond crystal powder is produced from this part
of the process.
In the second stage of the process, the PCD blank or ‘cutter’ is formed by a
liquid-phase sintering operation. The diamond powder formed in the first stage
of the process is thoroughly mixed with catalyst/binder and exposed to
temperatures in excess of 14000 C and pressures of 750,000 psi. The principal
mechanism for sintering is to dissolve the diamond crystals at their edges,
corners and points of high pressure caused by point or edge contacts. This is
followed by epitaxial growth of diamond on faces and at sites of low contact
angle between the crystals. This regrowth process forms true diamond-to-
diamond bonds excluding the liquid binder from the bond zone. The binder
forms a more or less continuous network of pores, co-existing with a continuous
network of diamond. Typical diamond concentrations in the PCD is 90-97 vol.
%.

If one requires a composite compact in which PCD is bonded chemically to a

tungsten carbide substrate (Figure 18), some or all of the binder for the PCD
may be obtained from the adjacent tungsten carbide substrate by melting and
extruding the cobalt binder from the tungsten carbide. The cutters can be
manufactured as disc shaped cutters or as stud cutters, as shown in Figure 19.
Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Heriot-Watt University

17Feb 2015
NATURAL DIAMOND BITS
by Jack ⋅ Leave a Comment
The hardness and wear resistance of diamond made it an obvious material to be
used for a drilling bit. The diamond bit is really a type of drag bit since it has no
moving cones and operates as a single unit. Industrial diamonds have been used
for many years in drill bits and in core heads (Figure 1).

The cutting action of a diamond bit is achieved by scraping away the rock. The
diamonds are set in a specially designed pattern and bonded into a matrix
material set on a steel body. Despite its high wear resistance diamond is
sensitive to shock and vibration and therefore great care must be taken when
running a diamond bit. Effective fluid circulation across the face of the bit is
also very important to prevent overheating of the diamonds and matrix material
and to prevent the face of the bit becoming smeared with the rock cuttings (bit
balling).

The major disadvantage of diamond bits is their cost (sometimes 10 times more
expensive than a similar sized rock bit). There is also no guarantee that these
bits will achieve a higher ROP than a correctly selected roller cone bit in the
same formation. They are however cost effective when drilling formations
where long rotating hours (200-300 hours per bit) are required. Since diamond
bits have no moving parts they tend to last longer than roller cone bits and can
be used for extremely long bit runs. This results in a reduction in the number of
round trips and offsets the capital cost of the bit. This is especially important in
areas where operating costs are high (e.g. offshore drilling). In addition, the
diamonds of a diamond bit can be extracted, so that a used bit does have some
salvage value.

17Feb 2015
DIAMOND BITS
by Jack ⋅ Leave a Comment
Diamond has been used as a material for cutting rock for many years. Since it
was first used however, the type of diamond and the way in which it is set in the
drill bit have changed.

17Feb 2015
ROLLER CONE BITS
by Jack ⋅ Leave a Comment
Roller cone bits (or rock bits) are still the most common type of bit used world
wide. The cutting action is provided by cones which have either steel teeth or
tungsten carbide inserts. These cones rotate on the bottom of the hole and drill
hole predominantly with a grinding and chipping action. Rock bits are classified
as milled tooth bits or insert bits depending on the cutting surface on the cones
(Figure 2 and 3).
The first successful roller cone bit was designed by Hughes in 1909. This was a
major innovation, since it allowed rotary drilling to be extended to hard
formations. The first design was a 2 cone bit which frequently balled up since
the teeth on the cones did not mesh. This led to the introduction of a superior
design in the 1930s which had 3 cones with meshing teeth. The same basic
design is still in use today although there have been many improvements over
the years.

The cones of the 3 cone bit are mounted on bearing pins, or arm journals, which
extend from the bit body. The bearings allow each cone to turn about its own
axis as the bit is rotated. The use of 3 cones allows an even distribution of
weight, a balanced cutting structure and drills a better gauge hole than the 2
cone design. The major advances in rock bit design since the introduction of the
Hughes rock bit include:

1. Improved cleaning action by using jet nozzles

2. Using tungsten carbide for hardfacing and gauge protection
3. Introduction of sealed bearings to prevent the mud causing premature failure
due to abrasion and corrosion of the bearings.
 

17Feb 2015
DRAG BITS
by Jack ⋅ Leave a Comment
Drag bits were the first bits used in rotary drilling, but are no longer in common
use. A drag bit consists of rigid steel blades shaped like a fish-tail which rotate
as a single unit. These simple designs were used up to 1900 to successfully drill
through soft formations. The introduction of hardfacing to the surface of the
blades and the design of fluid passageways greatly improved its performance.
Due to the dragging/scraping action of this type of bit, high RPM and low WOB
are applied.

The decline in the use of drag bits was due to:

– The introduction of roller cone bits, which could drill soft formations more
efficiently
– If too much WOB was applied, excessive torque led to bit failure or drill pipe
failure
– Drag bits tend to drill crooked hole, therefore some means of controlling
deviation was required
– Drag bits were limited to drilling through uniformly, soft, unconsolidated
formations where there were no hard abrasive layers.