OTC-26357-MS

Hybrid Bit Produces Breakthrough Performance in Heterogeneous

Formations in China
S. Miao, and M. Blackman, Baker Hughes; J. Luo, Shell China Limited; L. Luo, PetroChina

Copyright 2016, Offshore Technology Conference

This paper was prepared for presentation at the Offshore Technology Conference Asia held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 22–25 March 2016.

This paper was selected for presentation by an OTC program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents
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Abstract
During the last seven years in the Changbei gas wells of China, operator utilized heavy-set roller-cone bits
in the 8 ½-in.lateral wells because of the hardness and abrasiveness of the rocks. After the project moved
from the southern to the northern part of the block, the formation became more heterogeneous, and the
ROP of the roller-cone bits dropped 40% on average. This challenged the project economically because
60% of the operating time is spent drilling this interval.
To improve performance in these wells, a hybrid bit combining PDC and roller-cone was proposed.
The intention was to improve ROP through the hard-to-drill intervals in the northern block and reduce bit
consumption. Claystone and other soft and plastically behaving rocks are drilled farther using PDC bits;
hard and abrasive sandstone, meanwhile, are drilled farther using roller-cone bits.
Field trials in Changbei gas wells were very successful. The client saved multiple standard Tungsten
Carbide Insert (TCI) runs and drilled 100% farther, achieving a rate of penetration (ROP) two times faster
than the best TCI bit run in the same well and area. Stable tool face control was also observed because
of the lower torque fluctuations which enabled the operator to reduce the amount of time sliding by up
to 15% versus using offset bits. The paper will present an analysis of the drilling data from the field and
provide a detailed description of the application’s achievement by comparing the performance of the
roller-cone, PDC and hybrid bits.
The paper will describe the planning and operational execution of drilling an 8½-in. horizontal lateral
with a hybrid bit in a challenging application, and conclude with the technical and economic benefits and
the potential of the new drill-bit technology.

Introduction
The Changbei gas field is located in north central China between Shaanxi Province and Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region as shown in Fig 1. The field is situated on the edge of the Maowusu Desert in the
Ordos Basin. The field supplies natural gas to markets in Hebei, Shandong, and Tianjin. Changbei is the
first gas field in the Ordos Basin to use horizontal/dual-lateral wells as the basic development concept.
(Bybee, 2008).
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Figure 1—Map of China

The red circle shows the location of Ordos basin in north central China.

Using the normal speed motor assemblies (BHA), the 8 ½ in dual lateral production intervals extend 2,000
m through the abrasive sandstone formation. In this formation, the polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits
consistently suffer from wear and a short bit life, while roller cone bits median performance is 250m distance
drilled at a ROP of 5m/hr. With the improvement on roller cone bit design, the target performance goal for
distance drilled by each roller cone bit set to 300 meters, which is around 20% increase.
However, since the operator moved to the northern part of the field, the penetration rate of TCI roller cones
dropped from 5m/hr to 4m/hr ~ a 20% decrease due to the more frequently encountered claystone formation.
The true vertical depth of these wells is deeper than 2,800 m, and therefore the time to trip is almost 20% of
the whole drilling process. Although PDC bit drills further and faster in claystone; the unpredictable length of
the claystone interval makes it a difficult decision whether to pull the BHA (bottom hole assembly) and change
to a PDC bit or stay with the roller cone and suffer low ROP. A bit that can enhance the drilling stability,
efficiency and reduce the overall drilling time is the most welcomed. A cross-functional team gathered to
deliver the hybrid bits and made it specifically for the application in Changbei field.
Geology Overview
The Permian Shanxi Formation forms the main pay zone in the Changbei field and contains a 5-40 meter
thick, massive braided channel sandstone reservoir. The low permeability reservoir comprises hard and
high abrasive sandstone formations, the middle and upper parts act as seals, with flood plain, dark
carbonaceous claystone interbedded with swamp coal layers. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS)
is approximately 25,000 psi and the friction angle is greater than 50° (Fig 2). Larger values of friction
angle are associated with higher degrees of grain interlockment (Spaar et al, 1995). In such abrasive and
hard sandstone, a friction angle larger than 42° indicates it is not drillable with PDC bits
OTC-26357-MS 3

Figure 2—Rock Strength Analysis Chart (Vertical Depth)

Design Application Review Team (DART)

The Baker Hughes DART™ team combines a carefully selected operation and engineering team,
extensive research, development, and testing, and custom solutions and concept designs to find the right
bit for each application. The team focused on meeting project objectives by improving drilling efficiency
and significantly reducing nonproductive time and drilling costs. The cross functional team of drill bit
experts bring more than a century of experience and exclusive technical resources to this project.
Depending on operational needs, the DART process can include on-location troubleshooting, laboratory
testing, downhole simulation and/or simulation on a full-scale research rig. In doing so, the root problem
is quickly and effectively identified for consistent performance throughout the operation.
Application Introduction
The Changbei field has been used for deep natural gas exploitation for more than 10 years. The well
structure is shown in Fig 3. The reservoir is drilled in the 8.5 in dual horizontal section at an interval of
more than 2,000 m. The measured depth (MD) of the well is approximately 5,400 m at the true vertical
depth (TVD) of deeper than 2,800 meters. The mud system is water-based drilling fluid with a density of
1.02~1.05 g/cm3 with a viscosity of approximately 60s~65s. In order to have the opportunity to adjust the
direction while drilling to interbeded claystone, the 6.75 inch motor with a 1.15° bent is preferred BHA.

Figure 3—Well Plan Schematic

Drilling with a flow rate of 1.8 m3/min (30 liters/sec), the normal speed motor with 0.074 revolutions/
liters would be producing 140 rev/min and adding 30 rev/min from the top drive the bit rotates around 170
rev/min. Normal drilling hours for the roller cone bit is around 60 hours, which means a total of 610k
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revolutions using the previous parameters. More than eight roller cone bits are used to drill the 2000 meter
horizontal section.
Weight on bit (WOB) applied for the 8 ½ inch lateral ranges from 14 to 17 kdaN tons. Because of drill
string friction, transferring weight to the bit towards the end of the lateral section becomes more and more
difficult with the increased length. The problems of weight on bit transfer have been identified as a
potential cause of chipping and breakage of inserts in the outer rows, which would lead to a round gauge
dull resulting in failed bearings and seals (Fig 4).

Figure 4 —Rounded Gage

Drill Bit Development Plan

The prioritized technology objectives include:
● Keep consistent drill bit performance in heterogeneous formation.
● Increase distanced drilled per each run consistently to 350 meters
● Reduce the wear on the outer rows of the TCI
The project goal was to increase the distance drilled by increasing ROP and extending the drilling
hours. This was especially important in the mixed sand and claystone formations. Normal speed motors
were used for roller cone bits. Bit life was extended by 35% by using low speed motors rotating 70-80
rev/min less than the normal speed motor. Low speed and high WOB parameters greatly improved the
hybrid bit performance.
When the first design (design 1, the first hybrid bit combining fixed-cutter and roller-cone) was
delivered, the roller cone bits had encountered the interbedded claystone formation and ROP dropped to
1m/hr. Design 1 drilled over 350 meters through the sandstone and mixed claystone with consistent ROP
of 6 m/hr. During the whole drilling process, parameters were constantly monitored to find the most
suitable system of drilling with the hybrid bits (shown in Fig 5).
OTC-26357-MS 5

Figure 5—Drilling Parameter Analysis

The second design (design 2) was a step improvement over design 1 by using enhanced diamond
shirttail protection on the legs and extra diamond on the gauge pads. The aim was to improve the
durability of the gauge pads on the PDC body and on the legs of the roller cone portion. To improve the
durability on the bits gauge area, the PDC cutters were replaced with the new dual chamfer cutters. The
dual chamfer increased the impact resistant of PDC cutters and extended the cutter life. Drilling practices
also required back reaming every stand in a highly abrasive formation, so a back reaming cutter was also
incorporated into design 2 as shown in Fig 6.

Figure 6 —Design 1 and Design 2

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Cutters with Dual Chamfer Introduction

The introduction of a secondary chamfer placed at a higher angle over and above the primary chamfer on
the diamond face of the cutter enables compression to spread across more area. Fig 7 shows how the dual
chamfer cutters work. The wear flat stays within the area of the first chamfer. The second chamfer
provides extended protection against chipping and spalling, thus extending the life of the diamond cutter
face and allowing the bit to drill for longer periods of time.

Figure 7—Dual-Chamfer Work Pattern

The cutting edge is in more compression and independent of cutter back rake angle. The higher
compression helps in fracturing the formation better, allowing improved borehole cleaning. However the
Dual chamfer cutter has a lower torque foot print and requires higher WOB to achieve the same ROP as
the standard cutter.

Performance & Results

Both designs were tested on the same rig in Changbei field. Results are summarized in Fig 8.

Figure 8 —Performance Summary Compare with Offset Well

OTC-26357-MS 7

Design 1 tested in three different wells in northern block:

● Drilled average interval 389m with ROP of 6.2m/hr.
● ROP increased by 68% when compared to Tungsten carbide insert roller cone bit in the same well.
In drilling abrasive sandstone formation in Changbei field, the hybrid bit has much higher drilling
efficiency when compared to the PDC bits. This is owing to the TCI roller cone engaging and breaking
the formation. The PDC cutters being constantly in contact with the sandstone will dull their cutting edge
and slow its ROP, the TCI cutters (only being in contact with the formation for a second) fractures the
rock and allows for a reduced work load on the fixed cutters. The PDC cutters increase the bit
aggressiveness compare to normal TCI roller cone bits. Therefore the performance of the hybrid bit is an
improvement when compared to previous PDC and TCI roller cone bit runs in Changbei field.
Design 1 was beyond the operator’s objective, drilling 350 meters at 6.0 m/hr in heterogeneous
formation. Although it would not be used again, design 1 served as a valid starting point. The operator
and service provider were assured that this was the correct technology chosen for the application.
Design 2
During field testing, it was found that design 1’s gauge pad would wear from the abrasive sandstone
formation and go under gauge; design 2 was implemented to minimize this issue. As in the previous
design 1 test a low speed motor was used to further extend the bit life.
● Drilled interval 469 meters at ROP 6.1m/hr.
● Bit running hours was extended to 76.4 hours per run with low speed motor. An increase of 27%
compared to previous original objective of 60 hours per run with normal speed motor.
No under gauge wear was found with design 2. Compared with offset wells, performance improved
substantially. Diamond shirttail protection on leg and extra diamond protection on gauge pads improved the
durability of the hybrid bit, which lead to longer bit life and increased distance drilled. It helped operator reduce
three trips compare to original eight TCI roller cone bits used to complete the 2000m horizontal lateral. It is
a performance breakthrough and the operator is quite satisfied with this hybrid bit optimization, which lead to
further reduction on operation days, cost savings and earlier production (show on Fig 9).

Figure 9 —8 1⁄2-in. Lateral Progress Tracking

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Conclusions
The development and optimization of drill bit products enabled continuous incremental improvement on
drilling performance and helped set new benchmarks. Collaboration and communication between the
operator and the service provider was critical to the success in enabling the team to work through the
complex challenges to deliver aggressive performance gains.
Compared with the offset well with the TCI bits, the footage of hybrid bit provide by service provider
increased 81% and the ROP improved by 68%. At the time of this publishing, the hybrid bit drilled the
longest distance 600 meters, which is 71% more than the original objective of 350 meters and it achieved
the longest distance drilled per bit run in the Changbei field.

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the management of Shell and Baker Hughes for their permission to
publish the data and other information contained within this paper. The authors would also like to thank
Alan Holliday, Jun Zeng and Mitch Rothe of Baker Hughes for their assistance.

References
1. R.Lee, F.Felderhoff, A.Richards, N.Samtoy, J.Zeng, I.Tan; Collaboration and Communication Lead to Continuous
Improvement in 8 1/2-in. Bit Design and Improved Drilling Efficiencies in Changbei Horizontal Application. Paper
SPE 131114 presented at the 2010 SPE International Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition in China, June 8-10, 2010
2. Spaar, J. R,. Ledgerwood, L.W., Goodman, H., Graff, R.L., Moo, T. J.1995. Formation compressive Strength
Estimates for Predicting Drillability and PDC bit Selection. Paper SPE 20397 presented at the SPE/IADC Drilling
Conference, Amsterdam, February 2nd March. DOI Number: 10.2118/29397-MS
3. Miller, C., Duerholt, R., Richards, A., Briggs, N.: ⬙A Structured Approach to Benchmarking Bit Runs and Identifying
Good Performance for Optimization of Future Applications⬙ Paper SPE 120622 presented at the 2009 SPE Middle
East Oil & Gas Show and Conference, Kingdom of Bahrain, March 15-18, 2009.