Solving Hard/Abrasive Sedimentary and Igneous Formation Challenge: New PDC Bit Design Reduces 6-in Section Drilling Time by 47%

Peytchev, Peter; Malik, Sumit D.; Varghese, Roy; Doodraj, Sunil; Srinivasan, Sudarsan; Benny, Praveen Joseph; Raghav, Sanjeev; Narayanan, Shine

doi:10.2118/166750-ms

All Days 2013

DOI: 10.2118/166750-ms

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Solving Hard/Abrasive Sedimentary and Igneous Formation Challenge: New PDC Bit Design Reduces 6-in Section Drilling Time by 47%

Peter Peytchev¹,

Sumit D. Malik²,

Roy Varghese³

et al.

Abstract: The 6"hole section in Raageshwari Field NW India (onshore) is typically between 600–800m long and highly challenging in terms of formation strength and abrasiveness. Lithology in the upper part is composed of sandstone, claystone and weathered basalt with unconfined compressive strength (UCS) between 3–5kpsi. The lower section contains basalt, felsic and sub-felsic igneous formations with UCS range of 15–30kpsi. Historically, a two bit strategy was employed. First, a PDC bit on a positive displa… Show more

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Cited by 6 publications

References 23 publications

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Innovative Non-Planar Face PDC Cutters Demonstrate 21% Drilling Efficiency Improvement in Interbedded Shales and Sand

Stockey

DiGiovanni

Fuselier

et al. 2014

IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition

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Traditional polycrystalline diamond cutter (PDC) technology has made tremendous gains over the past decade with corresponding footage and rate of penetration (ROP) improvements in drilling performance. The remaining challenge is managing interbedded formations with competent stringers while maintaining drilling efficiency and the highest ROP potential, such as those present in the 6 to 6⅛-in. Pinedale Anticline production hole and the 12¼-in. Cana intermediate section. By modifying the standard planar PDC cutter face geometry with novel shallow recessed features, a demonstrated improvement in drilling efficiency was observed in these applications and an increase in attained footage. Extensive analysis in Pinedale runs indicated this cutter design benefits a lower mechanical specific energy (MSE) in the shale and sand, shorter day curves, and higher average ROP per unit of motor horsepower. Initial runs in the Tonkawa sands of the Cana intermediate have started to show similar trends. The successful field runs have been supported by in-depth analysis and study of cutting efficiency including, single-point cutter testing in a pressurized vessel, atmospheric vertical turret lathe testing, and full-scale PDC bit laboratory testing in a state-of-the-art downhole drilling simulator. The results of this work improved the understanding of the thermo-mechanical behavior of cuttings formed by the drilling action of a PDC cutter in these applications. This study is part of an innovative approach to manage rock cuttings, cutting efficiency, and thermal loads as it applies to PDC durability in state-of-the-art drill bit designs. The design changes have improved cutting efficiency and aggressivity, which has improved the ROP of bits in abrasive sand and in the shale sections. This paper provides documentation and visual demonstrations of the features and benefits seen in the single-point test apparatus, the downhole simulator in the laboratory and in the field with case studies compared to offsets of standard bits with planar PDC cutters.

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Innovative Non-Planar Face PDC Cutters Demonstrate 21% Drilling Efficiency Improvement in Interbedded Shales and Sand

Stockey

DiGiovanni

Fuselier

et al. 2014

IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition

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Deep Water Nigerian Field Challenge: Increasing ROP with Centrally Located Conical Diamond Element Saves Operator 26Hours Rig-Time, Agbami Field

Jopling¹,

Dikko²,

Obot

et al. 2015

Day 4 Thu, November 12, 2015

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Drilling a 12¼-in hole section in the Agbami field offshore Nigeria presents a number of challenges.The section contains abrasive sandstone and shale that are interbedded with sandstone and siltstone, and all have unconfined compressive strengths (UCS) that vary across the field. The abrasive sandstone/shale section has UCS of 12,000 psi, and the interbedded sandstone/siltstone section has UCS of 15,000 psi or higher. The variation in lithology, formation strength, and abrasion/impact index make ensuring shoe to total depth (TD) runs with consistent ROP difficult because the conditions dull the polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bit's cutting structure, leading to a significant reduction in ROP before reaching section TD. An operator wanted to drill the 12¼-in section from shoe to TD in a single run with a 45% improvement in average ROP compared with the four-well offset median of 38.26 ft/h. To accomplish the objectives, the operator required a PDC bit with a differentiating drilling action designed to increase penetration rates and extend bit life in heterogeneous formations. A finite element analysis (FEA)-based modeling system was used to experiment with cutter types and their placement to improve drilling performance. Based on the modeling work, design engineers recommended a conical diamond element (CDE) with a thick synthetic diamond layer. The diamond layer on the CDE is approximately twice as thick as a conventional PDC cutter and exhibits 25% more wear resistance with almost double the impact strength. The element's unique geometry delivers high point loading for effective formation fracture. To fully exploit the CDE's advantages, the PDC bit body was redesigned by selectively abbreviating the blades at bit center and positioning a single CDE in the void space. The modeling system was also used to generate an operating parameter roadmap to maximize performance. The new 12¼-in central CDE bit drilled the 2,320-ft section from shoe to TD at 92.06 ft/h, a 102% increase in ROP compared with the best offset rate of 45.64 ft/h over a 2,419-ft interval. The performance improvement, which was achieved on the first deployment of the bit in this application, reduced drilling time by approximately 26 hours, saving the operator USD 1.2 million in offshore rig time. The bit design was deployed in another well where a comparatively heavier mud weight was used, but the run still recorded an outstanding increase in ROP over the best offset.

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Integrated Efforts to Understand and Solve Challenges in 26-in Salt Drilling, Gulf of Mexico

Shi

Durairajan

Harmer

et al. 2016

Day 1 Wed, September 14, 2016

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Operators of Gulf of Mexico (GOM) wells frequently reported overtorque issue of bottomhole assembly (BHA) connections when drilling the 26-in. section through salt. Such overtorque often leads to costly tool damage beyond repair (DBR), additional trips, and high nonproductive time (NPT). The average DBR cost per BHA can be as high as USD 1 million. Combined with a complete BHA roundtrip, it can easily cost more than USD 3 million for operators if such failure happens. This has been a problem for several years and has caused significant damage: In 2014, of 15 26-in. PDC bit runs in salt, 40% had overtorque connections and 20% led to DBR. This paper discusses how an integrated multidisciplinary team identified the root cause of and the solution to the overtorque problem. Torsional vibration was believed to be the cause of such failure. Comprehensive drilling dynamics simulation software that is based on empirical bit design knowledge was used to design a new bit to reduce the vibration. A newly developed high frequency downhole recording tool used in the 26-in. section recorded high-frequency torque, acceleration, and RPM fluctuation downhole. This dataset became the key to understanding the downhole vibration in detail because it provided information that cannot be acquired by a traditional MWD tool. Field-recorded data were fed into drilling dynamics simulations to accurately calibrate the drilling dynamics model. The simulations resembled downhole drilling conditions and clearly identified the root cause. The simulations precisely predicted the torque along the entire drillstring and identified why overtorque is present in only a certain part of the drillstring. The calibrated model was used to compare old and new bit designs. The newly designed bit showed much lower torque amplitude with similar torsional vibration frequencies. The simulation indicated that the newly designed bit can significantly alleviate the overtorque issue. Implementation of the new bit mitigated the overtorque issue immediately. As of May 2016, there have been 18 runs with the new bit. Only one run had a slight overtorque issue whereas the rest showed no sign of overtorque connections. DBR and NPT related to overtorque were eliminated. As a byproduct, the average on-bottom rate of penetration increased by 9%. This case demonstrates the effectiveness of the integrated approach to solving drilling challenges.

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Solving Hard/Abrasive Sedimentary and Igneous Formation Challenge: New PDC Bit Design Reduces 6-in Section Drilling Time by 47%

Cited by 6 publications

References 23 publications

Innovative Non-Planar Face PDC Cutters Demonstrate 21% Drilling Efficiency Improvement in Interbedded Shales and Sand

Innovative Non-Planar Face PDC Cutters Demonstrate 21% Drilling Efficiency Improvement in Interbedded Shales and Sand

Deep Water Nigerian Field Challenge: Increasing ROP with Centrally Located Conical Diamond Element Saves Operator 26Hours Rig-Time, Agbami Field

Integrated Efforts to Understand and Solve Challenges in 26-in Salt Drilling, Gulf of Mexico

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