Contents

 The Ideal Bit

 Drag Bits
 Fishtail Type
 Natural Diamond
 Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC)

 Relative Costs of Bits

1
 Rotary Drilling Bits

 Bit types available

 Criteria for selecting the best bit for a
given situation
 Standard methods for evaluating dull bits
 Factors affecting bit wear and drilling
speed
 Optimization of bit weight and rotary
speed
2
 Bit types available

 Drag bits (fixed cutter blades)

 Fishtail bit
 Natural diamond bits
 PDC Bits (Polycrystalline Diamond Compact)

 Rolling cutter bits (rock bits - with cones)

 Mill tooth bits
 Tungsten carbide bits

3
 The Ideal Bit *

1. High drilling rate

2. Long life

3. Drill full-gauge, straight hole

4. Moderate cost

* (Low cost per ft drilled)

4
 The Ideal Bit

“The Ideal Bit” will depend on the type

of formation to be drilled

 Hardness (soft, medium, hard)

 abrasiveness
 cuttings stickiness
 other considerations … e.g. cost

5
 Drag Bits

Drag bits drill by physically “plowing” or

“machining” cuttings from the bottom of
the hole.

6
 Drag Bits

Cutter may be made from:

 Steel
 Tungsten carbide
 Natural diamonds
 Polycrystalline diamonds (PDC)

Drag bits have no moving parts, so it is less likely

that junk will be left in the hole.
7
Fishtail type drag bit 8
 9
Natural Diamond Bits PDC Bits
Natural
Diamond
bit

junk slot
cuttings
radial flow

high Dp
across face
10
 Soft Forma-
tion Dia-
mond bit

 Larger diamonds
 Fewer diamonds
 Pointed nose

11
 Hard Forma-
tion Dia-
mond bit

 Smaller diamonds
 More diamonds
 Flatter nose

12
 Natural Diamonds

The size and spacing of diamonds on a

bit determine its use.

NOTE: One carat = 200 mg precious stones

What is 14 carat gold?

13
 Natural Diamonds

 2-5 carats - widely spaced diamonds are

used for drilling soft formations such as soft sand
and shale

 1/4 - 1 carat - diamonds are used for drilling sand,

shale and limestone formations of varying (intermediate)
hardness.

1/8 - 1/4 carat - diamonds, closely spaced, are

used in hard and abrasive formations.
14
 When to Consider Using a Natural Di-
amond Bit?
1. Penetration rate of rock bit < 10 ft/hr.
2. Hole diameter < 6 inches.
3. When it is important to keep the bit and pipe
in the hole.
4. When bad weather precludes making trips.
5. When starting a side-tracked hole.
6. When coring.
* 7. When a lower cost/ft would result
15
Top view of diamond bit

16
Side view of
diamond bit
17
 PDC
bits

Courtesy
Smith Bits

18
PDC Cutter

19
20
 PDC Bits

At about $10,000-150,000 apiece, PDC bits cost five to 15 times more

21
than roller cone bits
The Rise in Diamond Bit Market Share 22
 Coring
bit

PDC +
natural di-
amond
23
 Bi-Center bit

24
Courtesy Smith Bits
 Relative Costs of Bits

$/Bit

Diamond WC Insert Milled

Bits Bits Tooth Bits

• Diamond bits typically cost several times as much as tri-

cone bits with tungsten carbide inserts (same bit diam.)
• A TCI bit may cost several times as much as a
milled tooth bit. 25
 PDC Bits
Ref: Oil & Gas Journal, Aug. 14, 1995, p.12

 Increase penetration rates in oil and gas

wells
 Reduce drilling time and costs
 Cost 5-15 times more than roller cone bits
 1.5 times faster than those 2 years earlier
 Work better in oil based muds; however,
these areas are strictly regulated

26
 PDC Bits

 Parameters for effective use

include
 weight on bit
 mud pressure
 flow rate
 rotational speed

27
 PDC Bits

 Economics
• Cost per foot drilled measures Bit
performance economics
• Bit Cost varies from 2%-3% of total cost, but
bit affects up to 75% of total cost
• Advantage comes when
- the No. of trips is reduced, and when
- the penetration rate increases

28
 PDC Bits

 Bit Demand
 U.S Companies sell > 4,000 diamond drill
bits/year
 Diamond bit Market is about $200
million/year

 Market is large and difficult to reform

 When bit design improves, bit drills longer

29
 PDC Bits

 Bit Demand, cont’d

 Improvements in bit stability, hydraulics,
and cutter design => increased footage per bit

 Now, bits can drill both harder and softer

formations

 Formations in US are not as conducive to PDC bits

as formations in some other areas

30
 PDC Bits

 Bit Design
 General Electric introduced PDC in 1973
 Product Life = 2 years

 Improvements are a result of the following:

 Research
 Good Engineering Practices
 Competition with other PDC bit
manufacturers/rock bit industries
31
 PDC Bits

 Bit Design, cont’d

 Now, a speciality tool

 PDC bit diameter varies from 3.5 in to 17.5 in

 Goals of hydraulics:
 clean bit without eroding it
 clean cuttings from bottom of hole

32
 PDC Bits

 Bit design, cont’d

 Factors that limit operating range

and economics:
 Lower life from cutter fractures

 Slower ROP from bad cleaning

33
 PDC Bits

 Cutters
 Consist of thin layer of bonded diamond
particles + a thicker layer of tungsten carbide

 Diamond
• 10x harder than steel
• 2x harder than tungsten carbide
• Most wear resistant material
but is brittle and susceptible to damage
34
 PDC Bits

 Cutters, cont’d
 Diamond/Tungsten Interface
• Bond between two layers on cutter is
critical
• Consider difference in thermal
expansion coefficients and avoid
overheating
• Made with various geometric shapes to
reduce stress on diamond
35
 PDC Bits

4 Cutters, cont’d
• Various Sizes
• Experimental dome shape
• Round with a buttress edge for high
impact loads
• Polished with lower coefficient of friction

36
 PDC Bits
 Bit Whirl (bit instability)
• Bit whirl = “any deviation of bit rotation
from the bit’s geometric center”

• Caused by cutter/rock interaction forces

• PBC bit technology sometimes rein-

forces whirl

• Can cause PDC cutters to chip and break

37
 PDC Bits

Preventing Bit Whirl

• Cutter force balancing
• Bit asymmetry
• Gauge design

• Bit profile
• Cutter configuration
• Cutter layout

38
 PDC Bits

Applications

 PDC bits are used primarily in

• Deep and/or expensive wells

• Soft-medium hard formations

39
 PDC Bits

4 Application, cont’d
Advances in metallurgy, hydraulics
and cutter geometry
• Have not cut cost of individual bits
• Have allowed PDC bits to drill longer
and more effectively
• Allowed bits to withstand harder
formations
40
 PDC Bits

 Application, cont’d
 PDC bits advantageous for high rotational speed
drilling and in deviated hole section drillings

 Most effective: very weak, brittle formations

(sands, silty claystone, siliceous shales)

 Least effective: cemented abrasive sandstone,

granites

41
 Grading of Worn PDC Bits

CT - Chipped Cutter BT - Broken Cutter

Less than 1/3 of cutting More than 1/3 of cutting
element is gone element is broken to
42
the substrate
 Grading of Worn PDC Bits – cont’d

LT - Lost Cutter LN - Lost Nozzle

Bit is missing one or Bit is missing one or
more cutters more nozzles
43
 Table 7.7 - Commonly Used Bit Sizes For
Running API Casing
Casing Size Coupling Size Common Bit
(OD in.) (OD in.) Sizes Used (in.)
4 1/2 5.0 6, 6 1/8, 6 1/4
5 5.563 6 1/2, 6 3/4
5 1/2 6.050 7 7/8, 8 3/8
6 6.625 7 7/8, 8 3/8, 8 1/2
6 5/8 7.390 8 1/2, 8 5/8, 8 3/4
7 7.656 8 5/8, 8 3/4, 9 1/2
7 5/8 8.500 9 7/8, 10 5/8, 11
8 5/8 9.625 11, 12 1/4
9 5/8 10.625 12 1/4, 14 3/4
10 3/4 11.750 15
13 3/8 14.375 17 1/2
16 17 20
20 21 24, 26
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 END
of
Lesson 7
- Drag Bits -
45