Chapter Drilling

1 Part 2 Bits

1
 Content
s OF DRILLING BIT
1. TYPES
1. Drag Bits
2. Roller Cone Bits
3. Diamond Bits
2. BIT DESIGN
1. Roller Cone Bit Design
2. PDC Bit Design
3. BIT SELECTION
1. Roller Cone Bits
2. Fixed Cutter Bits
4. ROCK BIT EVALUATION
5. BIT PERFORMANCE
2
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Having worked through this chapter the student will

be able to:

General:
• Describe the basic types of drill bit and the
differences
between a Diamond, Roller Cone and a PDC Bit.

3
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Roller Cone Bit Design:

•List the main characteristics which are considered
in the design of roller cone bits.
• Describe the: various types of bearing; design
features
of the cones; and types of nozzles used in roller
cone bits.

4
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

PDC Bit Design:

•List the main characteristics which are considered
in the design of PDC bits
•Describe the: cutting material; body material;
cutter rake; bit profile; cutter density; cutter
exposure; and fluid circulation features in PDC
and TSP bits
• Describe the differences between PDC and TSP
bits.
5
Bit Selection:
• Describe the process of roller cone bit
selection.
•Describe the fixed cutter bit selection process
and the selection charts used for these bits.
Bit Evaluation:
•State the value of having an evaluation
technique for drill bits.
• Describe the main causes of damage to bits.
•Describe the bit evaluation process and the
IADC evaluation system for various operating
parameters on the performance of a bit.
6
Bit Performance:
• Describe the techniques used to evaluate the
performance of a drill bit.
•Calculate the cost per foot of a bit run and
describe the ways in which the cost per foot
calculation can be used to evaluate the
performance of a bit run.
• Select a bit on the basis of previous bit run data.

•Describe influence of various operating

parameters on the performance of a bit.
7
INTRODUCTION
A drilling bit is the cutting or boring tool which
is made up on the end of the drillstring.
The bit drills through the rock by scraping,
chipping, gouging or grinding the rock at the
bottom of the hole. Drilling fluid is circulated
through passageways in the bit to remove the
drilled cuttings.
There are however many variations in the
design of drillbits and the bit selected for a
particular application will depend on the type
of formation to be drilled. 8
 INTRODUCTION
 The drilling engineer must be aware of these
design variations in order to be able to
select the most appropriate bit for the
formation to be drilled.
 The engineer must also be aware of the
impact of the operating parameters on the
performance of the bit.

9
 INTRODUCTION
 The performance of a bit is a function of
several operating parameters, such as:
weight on bit (WOB); rotary speed (RPM);
mud properties; and hydraulic efficiency.
 An understanding of various design features of
drill bits will be essential when selecting a
drillbit for a particular operation.

10
 When a section of hole has been drilled and
the bit is pulled from the wellbore the nature
and degree of damage to the bit must be
carefully recorded.
 A system, known as the Dull Bit Grading
System, has been devised by the Association
of Drilling Contractors - IADC to facilitate this
grading process.

12
1. TYPES OF DRILLING BIT

There are basically three types of

drilling bit:
• Drag Bits

• Roller Cone Bits

• Diamond Bits

13
Types of Drilling Bit

14
15
1.1. Drag Bits

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 16
 1.1. Drag Bits
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.
17
 1.2 Roller Cone Bits
 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 18
 1.2 Roller Cone Bits
 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 19
Bit Balling
20
Milled tooth bit Insert bit

21
 The cones of the tri-cone bit are mounted on
bearing pins, 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.

22
 The major advances in rock bit design since
the
introduction of the Hughes rock bit include:
 improved cleaning action by using jet
nozzles
 using tungsten carbide for hardfacing and
gauge protection
 introduction of sealed bearings to prevent
the mud causing premature failure due to
abrasion and corrosion of the bearings.
23
Elements of a rock bit
24
1.3 Diamond Bits

Diamond, for its hardness and wear resistance,

has been used as a material for cutting rock for
many years. The type of diamond and the way
in which it is set in the drill bit have changed.

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.
25
3. Diamond Bits
1. Natural Diamond Bits:
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 26
PCD damage and Bit balling
27
 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.

28
 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 specially 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.

29
1.3.2 PDC Bits:

 A new polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC)

bits

were introduced in the 1980’s.

 These bits have the same advantages and

disadvantages as natural diamond bits.

30
1.3.2 PDC Bits:
 PDC bits use small discs of synthetic diamond to
provide the scraping cutting surface.
 The small discs are not sensitive to failure along
cleavage planes as with natural diamond.
 PDC bits have been particularly successful (long
bit runs and high ROP) when run in combination
with turbodrills and oil based mud.

31
TurboDrill
 A rotary tool used in drilling oil or gas wells
in which the bit is rotated by a turbine
motor inside the well.
 The principal difference between rotary and
turbo drilling lies in the manner that power is
applied to the rotating bit or cutting tool.
 In the rotary method, the bit is attached to a
drill pipe, which is rotated through power
supplied on the surface.
 In the turbodrill method, power is
32
generated at the bottom of the hole by
TurboDril
l

33
Cleavage

in mineralogy, is the tendency of crystalline

materials to split along definite crystallographic
structural planes.
These planes of relative weakness are a result of
the regular locations of atoms and ions in the
crystal, which create smooth repeating surfaces
that are visible both in
the microscope and to the naked eye.
34
Green fluorite with prominent
cleavage 35
 1.3.3 TSP Bits:
 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.

36
Polycrystalline diamond compact bits

37
Hybrid bit ?
38
2. BIT DESIGN

Roller Cone Bits and PDC Bits are the most

widely used bits internationally and constitute
virtually the entire bit market and therefore
they are the only types of bits that will be
discussed in detail in this section.

39
1. Roller Cone Bit Design

The design of roller cone bits can be described

in terms of the four principle elements of their
design. The following aspects of the design will
be dealt with in detail:
• Bearing assemblies

• Cones

• Cutting elements

• Fluid circulation

40
2.1.1. Bearing Assembly
The cones of a roller cone bit
are mounted on journals as
shown in the left Fig. There
are three types of bearings
used in these bits:
•Roller bearings, which form
the outer assembly and
help to support the radial
loading (or WOB)
•Ball bearings, which resist
longitudinal or thrust loads
and also help to secure the
cones on the journals
•A friction bearing, in the
nose assembly which helps
to support the radial
loading. The friction bearing
consists of a special 41
Details of bearing structure
42
 The most important factor in the design of the
bearing assembly is the space availability. the
bearings must be balanced against the strength
of the journal(diameter) and cone
shell(thickness).
 The final design is a compromise to ensure
that the bearings will not wear out before the
cutting structure. However, the cyclic loading
imposed on the bearings will eventually
initiate a failure.
 When this occurs the balance and alignment
of the assembly is destroyed and the cones
44
lock onto the journals.
 There have been a number of developments in
bearing technology used in rock bits: The
bearing assemblies of the first roller cone bits
were open to the drilling fluid.
 Sealed bearing bits were introduced in the late
1950s, to extend the bearing life of insert bits.
 The sealing mechanism prevents abrasive solids
in the mud from entering and causing excess
frictional resistance in the bearings.
 The bearings are lubricated by grease which is fed
in from a reservoir as required. 46
 Journal bearing bits do not have roller bearings.
The cones are mounted directly onto the journal.
This offers the advantage of a larger contact area
over which the load is transmitted from the cone
to the journal.
 The contact area is specially treated and inlaid
with alloys to increase wear resistance. Only a
small amount of lubrication is required as part of
the sealing system.
 Ball bearings are still used to retain the cones
47
on the journal.
Sealed bearing bit Journal bearing bit
48
2.1.2. Cone Design
All three cones have the same shape except that
the No. 1 cone has a spear point. One of the
basic factors to be decided, in the design of the
cones, is the journal or pin angle.
The journal angle is formed between the axis
of the journal and the horizontal. The journal
angle specifies the outside contour of the bit.
The use of an oversize angle increases the
diameter of
the cone and is most suitable for soft formation
bits. Although this increases cone size, the
gauge tip must be brought inwards to ensure 49
Journal or pin angle

50
 2.1.2. Cone Design
 One important factor which affects journal
angle is the degree of meshing or interfit (i.e.
the distance that the crests of the teeth of one
cone extend into the grooves of the other).
 The amount of interfit affects several
aspects of bit design.

51
The amount of interfit affects several aspects of bit
design.
• It allows increased space for tooth depth, more
space for bearings and greater cone thickness
• It allows mechanical cleaning of the grooves,
thus
helping to prevent bit balling
•It provides space for one cone to extend
across the center of the hole to prevent
coring effects
•It helps the cutting action of the cones by
52
In some formations, it is advantageous to design
the cones and their configuration so that they
do not rotate evenly but that they slip during
rotation. This Cone slippage allows a rock bit to
drill using a scraping action, as well as the
normal grinding or crushing action.

Cone slippage
53
Cone slippage can be designed into the bit in
two ways. Since cones have two profiles: the
inner and the outer cone profile, a cone
removed from the bit and placed on a horizontal
surface can take up two positions . It may either
roll about the heel cone or the nose cone. When
the cone is mounted on a journal it is forced to
rotate around the center of the bit.
This “unnatural” turning motion forces the inner
cone to scrape and the outer cone to gouge.
Gouging and scraping help to break up the rock
in a soft formation but are not so effective in
harder formations, where teeth wear is 54
 Cone slippage can also be attained by offsetting
the axes of the cones.
 This is often used in soft formation bits.
 To achieve an offset the journals must be angled
slightly
away from the center.
 Hard formation bits have little or no offset to
minimize slippage and rely on grinding and
crushing action alone.
55
Offset in soft formation bits

56
2.1.3 Cutting Structure

 The selection of a milled tooth or insert bit is

largely

based on the hardness of the formation to be

drilled.

 The design of the cutting structure will be

based on the hardness of the formation for

which it will be used.

57
2.1.3 Cutting Structure

The main considerations in the design of the

cutting structure is the height and spacing of
teeth or inserts. Soft formation bits require
deep penetration into the
rock so the teeth are long, thin and widely
spaced to prevent bit balling.

The long teeth take up space, so the bearing

size must be reduced. This is acceptable since
the loading should not be excessive in soft
58
Bit balling occurs when soft formations are drilled
and the soft material accumulates on the
surface of the bit preventing the teeth from
penetrating the rock.

59
 Moderately hard formation bits are required to
withstand heavier loads so tooth height is
decreased, and tooth width increased.
 Such bits rely on scraping/gouging action
with only limited penetration.
 The spacing of teeth must still be sufficient
to allow good cleaning.

60
 Hard formation bits rely on a chipping action and
not on tooth penetration to drill, so the teeth
are shorter and stubbier than those used for
softer formations.
 The teeth must be strong enough to withstand
crushing/chipping action and sufficient numbers
of teeth should be used to reduce the unit load.
 Spacing of teeth is less critical since ROP is
reduced
and the cuttings tend to be smaller.
61
 Tungsten carbide hardfacing is applied to the
teeth of soft formation bits to increase
resistance to the scraping and gouging action.
 Hard formation bits have little or no
hardfacing on the teeth, but hardfacing is
applied to the outer surface (gauge) of the bit
(?).

62
 If the outer edge of the cutting structure is not
protected by tungsten carbide hardfacing two
problems may occur.
 The outer surface of the bit will be eroded by the
abrasive formation so that the hole diameter
will decrease. This undergauge section of the
hole will have to be reamed out by the next bit,
thus wasting valuable drilling time.
 If the gauge area is worn away it causes a
redistribution
of thrust forces throughout the bearing 63
Hard facing for gauge protections

64
2.1.4 Fluid Circulation
 As drilling fluid passes across the face of the bit it
carries the drilled cutting from the cones and
into the annulus.
 The original bits only allowed drilling mud to be
ejected
from the middle of the bit(bit balling and cone
erosion).
 A more efficient method was introduced. The fluid
is now generally ejected through three jet
nozzles around the outside of the bit body.
65

Fluid circulation Fluid circulation
through water through jet nozzles
course 66
 Jet nozzles are small rings of tungsten carbide
and are available in many sizes.
 The outside diameter of the ring is standard so
that the nozzle can fit into any bit size. The
size of the nozzle refers to the inner diameter
of the ring.
 Nozzles are available in many sizes although
diameters of less than 7/32" are not
recommended, since they are easily plugged.
 The nozzles are easily replaced and are fitted with
an “O” ring seal.
 Extended nozzles may also be used to improve
the 67
Jet nozzles Extended nozzles

68
Nozzle wrench for installing nozzles and o-ring
69
2.2 PDC BIT DESIGN:

The major components of PDC bit

design are
• Cutter Material

• Bit Body Material

• Cutter Rake

• Bit Profile

• Cutter Density

• Cutter Exposure

• Fluid Circulation
70
2.2.1 Cutter Material

The material used to manufacture the cutting

surface on PDC bits is called Polycrystalline
Diamond - PCD. This synthetic material is 90-95%
pure diamond and is manufactured into
compacts which are set into the body of the bit.
The high friction temperatures generated with
these types of bits resulted in the polycrystalline
diamond breaking up and this resulted in the
development of Thermally Stable Polycrystalline
Diamond- TSP Diamond. 71
PCD 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
72
 In the second stage of the process, the PCD blank
or ‘cutter’ is formed by a liquid phase sintering
operation. The diamond powder is thoroughly
mixed with catalyst/binder and exposed to
temperatures in excess of 1400℃ and pressures
of 750,000 psi.
The sintering operation
(1)dissolve the diamond crystals at their edges,
corners and points
(2)epitaxial growth of diamond on faces and at
sites of low contact angle between the crystals.
This regrowth process forms true diamond-to-
diamond 73
Thermally Stable Polycrystralline - TSP Diamond bits
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 730℃ internal stresses
caused by the different rates of expansion leads
74
to severe intergranular cracking, macro chipping
PDC cutters

76
2.2.2 Bit Body Material

The cutters of a PDC bit are mounted on a bit body.

There are two types of bit body used for PDC bits.
One of these is an entirely steel body and the
other is a steel shell with a WC matrix surface on
the body of the shell.

The cutters on a steel body bit are manufactured

as studs. Advantages of this are (1) it may be
removed and replaced if the cutter is damaged.(2)
it eliminates the need for a braze between the bit
81
body and the cutter.
2.2.2 Bit Body Material

Field experience with the steel body bit indicates

that face

erosion is a problem, but this has been overcome

to some extent by application of a hardfacing

compound.

Steel body bits also tend to suffer from broken

cutters as a result of limited impact resistance.

82
PDC stud cutter

83
Matrix body bits use the cylindrical cutter that is
brazed into a pocket after the bit body has been
furnaced by conventional diamond bit
techniques.

The advantage of this type of bit is that it is both

erosion and abrasion resistant and the matrix
pocket provides impact resistance for the cutter.

Matrix body bits have an economic disadvantage

because the raw materials used in their
manufacture are more expensive.
84
Setting of cutters

85
 2.2.3 Cutter Rake

The PDC cutters can be set at various rake

angles(back rake and side rake).
 The back rake angle determines the size of
cutting that is produced. The smaller the rake
angle the larger the cutting and the greater the
ROP for a given WOB.
 The smaller the rake angle , the more
vulnerable the cutter is to breakage should
hard formations be encountered.
86
2.2.3 Cutter Rake
 Conversely the larger the rake angle the
smaller the cutting but the greater
resistance to cutter damage.
 Back rake also assists cleaning as it urges the
cuttings to curl away from the bit body thereby
assisting efficient cleaning of the bit face.
 Side rake is used to direct the formation cuttings
towards the flank of the bit and into the annulus.

87
2.2.4 Profile

There are three basic types of PDC bit crown

profile:

 flat or shallow cone

 tapered or double cone

 parabolic

There are variations on these themes but most bits

can be classified into these categories.

88
2.2.4 Profile
 The flat or shallow cone profile evenly
distributes the WOB among each of the
cutters on the bit .
 Two disadvantages of this profile are limited
rotational
stability and uneven wear.
 Rocking can occur at high RPM, because of
the flat profile. This can cause high
instantaneous loading, high temperatures
and loss of cooling to the PDC cutters. 89
2.2.4 Profile

The taper or double cone profile allows

increased

distribution of the cutters toward the O.D. of the

bit and

therefore greater rotational and directional

stability and even wear is achieved.

90
2.2.4 Profile

 The parabolic profile provides a smooth

loading over

the bit profile and the largest surface contact

area.

 This bit profile provides even greater

rotational and directional stability and even

wear.

 This profile is typically used for motor or 91

Parabolic profile

Shallow cone profile

Double cone profile

92
 2.2.5 Cutter Density
 The cutter density is the number of cutters per
unit area on the face of the bit.
 The cutter density can be increased or
decreased to
control the amount of load per cutter.
 This must be balanced against the size of the
cutters.
 If a high density is used the cutters must be
small enough to allow efficient cleaning of the
93
face of the bit.
2.2.6 Cutter Exposure
 Cutter exposure is the amount by which the
cutters protrude from the bit body.
 It is important to ensure that the exposure is high
enough to allow good cleaning of the bit face but
not so high as to reduce the mechanical strength
of the cutter.
 High exposure of the cutter provides more space
between the bit body and the formation face,
whilst low exposure provides good backup and
94
therefore support to the cutters.
2.2.7 Fluid Circulation

The fluid circulation across the bit face must be

designed to remove the cuttings efficiently and
also to cool the bit face. These requirements
may be satisfied by increasing the fluid flowrate
and/or the design of the water courses that run
across the face of the bit. This increased fluid
flow may however cause excessive erosion of the
face and premature bit failure. More than three
jets are generally used on a PDC bit.
95
Mesh Generation of a PDC bit
96
Streamline Distribution around a PDC bit
97
4. ROCK BIT EVALUATION
As each bit is pulled from the hole its physical
appearance is inspected and graded according to
the wear it has sustained. The evaluation of bits
is useful for the following reasons:
• to improve bit type selection
•to identify the effects of WOB, RPM, etc.,
which may be altered to improve the
performance of the next bit
•to allow drilling personnel to improve their
ability to recognize when a bit should be
pulled (i.e. to correlate the performance of a
bit downhole with its physical appearance on
surface)
•to evaluate bit performance and help to
improve their design 98
 A bit record will always be kept by the
operating company, drilling contractor
and/or bit vendor.

This bit record is used to store the

following information about the bit after it
has completed its run:
 the bit size type and classification
 the operating parameters
 the condition of the bit when pulled
 the performance of the bit 99
The IADC Dull Grading system has recently
been

revised (1987) so that it may be applied to

all types of bit - roller cone or fixed cutter

(PDC, Diamond).

100
Bit
Record

101
IADC Dull Grading System

102
Bit Select Chart

103
Location of dull characteristics 104
Milled tooth bits

105
Inserts bit

106
PDC Bit Selection Chart

107
PDC bit selection chart

108
PDC bit selection chart

109
PDC bit selection chart

110
5. BIT PERFORMANCE

The performance of a bit may be judged on the

following criteria:
• how much footage it drilled (ft)

• how fast it drilled (ROP)

•how much it cost to run (the capital cost of the

bit plus the operating costs of running it in
hole) per foot of hole drilled .

112
 5. BIT PERFORMANCE

Since the aim of bit selection is to achieve the

lowest cost per foot of hole drilled the best
method of assessing the bits’ performance is to
calculate the cost per foot ratio, using the
following equation:

C = Cb + (Rt + Tt )Cr/F
Where:

C = overall cost per foot ($/foot) Cb = cost of

bit ($) Rt = rotating time with bit on bottom

113
 This equation can be used for:
 post drilling analysis to compare one bit run with
another in a similar well.
 real-time analysis to decide when to pull the bit.
The bit should be pulled theoretically when the
cost per foot is at its minimum.

Since penetration rate is one of the most

significant factors in the assessment of bit
performance this will be studied in greater
depth.
114
 5.1 Roller Cone Bits

In addition to correct bit selection the

penetration rate is a function of many
parameters:
 weight on Bit (WOB)
 rotary speed (RPM)
 mud properties
 hydraulic efficiency

115
5.1.1 Weight on Bit
 A certain minimum WOB is required to
overcome the compressibility of the
formation.
 It has been found experimentally that once this
threshold is exceeded, penetration rate
increases linearly with WOB .
 There are certain limitations to the WOB which
can be applied(hydraulic horsepower, type of
formation, hole deviation, bearing life and
116
tooth life).
Penetration rate vs. weight on bit

117
Penetration rate variation due to hole cleaning
120
 5.1.2. Rotary Speed
 The ROP will be affected by the rotary speed of
the bit and an optimum speed must be
determined.
 The RPM influences the ROP because the teeth
must have time to penetrate and sweep the
cuttings into the hole.
 Experience plays a large part in selecting the
correct rotary speed in any given situation.

124
 5.1.2. Rotary Speed

The RPM applied to a bit will be a function of :

 a. Type of bit

In general lower RPMs are used for insert bits

than for milled tooth bits.
 b. Type of formation

Harder formations are less easily penetrated and

so require low RPM. A high RPM may cause
damage to the bit or the drill string.

125
Penetration rate vs. rotary speed
126
5.1.3. Mud Properties

To prevent an influx of formation fluids the

hydrostatic mud pressure must be slightly
greater than the formation pressure.

This overbalance, or positive pressure differential,

forces the liquid portion of the mud (filtrate) into
the formation, leaving the solids to form a filter
cake on the wall of the borehole.

127
 5.1.3. Mud Properties
 When a tooth penetrates rock surface the
compressive strength of the rock is exceeded
and cracks develop.
 Between successive teeth the filter cake covers
up the cracks and prevents mud pressure being
exerted below the chip.
 The differential pressure on the chip tends to keep
the chip against the formation(static chip hold
down effect), and leads to lower penetration rates.
128
Static chip hold down effect
129
Dynamic chip hold down effect
130
To reduce the hold down effect:
 reduce the positive differential pressure by
lowering the mud weight (i.e. reduce the
overbalance to the minimum acceptable level to
prevent a kick).
 reduce the solids content of the mud (both clay
and drilled
solids).

Both static and dynamic hold down effects cause

bit balling and bottom hole balling. This can be
prevented by ensuring correct mud properties 131
2. PDC Bits :

1. WOB/RPM
 PDC bits tend to drill faster with low WOB and
high RPM.
 They are also found to require higher torque
than roller cone bits.
 The general recommendation is that the
highest RPM that can be achieved should be
used.

132
5.2 PDC Bits:
 When drilling in these sandy sections, or when
the bit drills into hard sections and penetration
rate drops, the WOB should be reduced but
should be maintained to produce a rotary
torque at least equal to that of a roller cone
bit.
 Too low a WOB will cause premature cutter wear,
possible diamond chipping and a slow rate of
penetration
133
 5.2.2 Mud Properties

The best ROP results have been achieved with oil

based muds but a good deal of success has been
achieved with water based muds.

Reasons for the improved performance in oil based

muds has been attributed to increased lubricity,
decreased cutter wear temperature and
preferential oil wetting of the bit body.

The performance of PDC bits in respect to other mud

properties is consistent with that found with roller
cone bits. 134
5.2.3 Hydraulic Efficiency
 The effects of increased hydraulic horsepower at
the bit are similar to their effect on roller cone
bits.
 However manufacturers will often recommend a
minimum flowrate in an attempt to ensure that
the bit face is kept clean and cutter temperature
is kept to a minimum.
 This requirement for flow rate may
adversely affect optimization of HHP.
135
 This is the end of Chapter 1.
 Thank you.

136