Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology
Volume 48, Number 6, June 2009, 60-65

Abstract

Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits have gained wide popularity in the petroleum industry for drilling soft and moderately firm formations. However, in hard formation applications, the PDC bit still has limitations, even though recent developments in PDC cutter designs and materials steadily improves PDC bit performance. The limitations of PDC bits for drilling hard formations is an important technical obstacle that must be overcome before using the PDC bit to develop competitively priced electricity from enhanced geothermal systems, as well as deep continental gas fields. Enhanced geothermal energy is a very promising source for generating electrical energy and, therefore, there is an urgent need to further enhance PDC bit performance in hard formations.

In this paper, the cutting efficiency of the PDC bit has been analyzed based on the development of an analytical single PDC cutter force model. The cutting efficiency of a single PDC cutter is defined as the ratio of the volume removed by a cutter over the force required to remove that volume of rock. The cutting efficiency is found to be a function of the back rake angle, the depth of cut and the rock property, such as the angle of internalfriction.

The highest cutting efficiency is found to occur at specific back rake angles of the cutter based on the material properties of the rock. The cutting efficiency directly relates to the internal angle of friction of the rock being cut.

The results of this analysis can be integrated to study PDC bit performance. It can also provide a guideline to the application and design of PDC bits for specific rocks.

Introduction

PDC bits have gained popularity in drilling for petroleum due to its long bit life together with its ability to maintain a high rate of penetration (ROP). The shearing action induced by fixed cutters has shown to be more efficient for penetrating rock than the crushing effect of the teeth or inserts on the rolling cones of a roller bit^(1-4). However, PDC bits have traditionally had limitations when encountering hard formations⁽⁵⁾. Therefore, PDC bits are not yet preferred for hard formations encountered with mining, petroleum or geothermal energy. Enhanced geothermal energy, i.e., geothermal energy from considerable (+3 km) depths, is seen as one of the promising energy sources in the U.S.⁽⁶⁾ Deep continental gas developments also suffer from a low rate of penetration and high bit wear for wells drilled.

The objective of this paper is to develop an analytical model to study the cutting efficiency of PDC bits in hard rock formations which can improve the future design of PDC bits and, thereby, improve the cost efficiency of wells in hard formations.

PDC Bit

Most PDC bits are composed of a hard matrix body which is milled out of a solid block of steel. The matrix body is milled out in such a shape that the bits contain blades where the actual PDC cutters are 'glued' or 'braced' on, and open areas where the cuttings and mud flow can escape to the annulus (Figure 1).

© 2009. Petroleum Society of Canada (now Society of Petroleum Engineers)

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History

• Original manuscript received: 26 March 2007
• Meeting paper published: 12 June 2007
• Revised manuscript received: 17 February 2009
• Manuscript approved: 28 April 2009