Republic of the Philippines

Batangas State University

College of Engineering, Architecture and Fine Arts

Petroleum Engineering Department

Research Work #1

Submitted by:

Ric Harold M. Alday

Pete-5102

Submitted to:

Engr. Roxanne M. Red

Instructor

November 26, 2018

Drill Bit

A drill bit is what actually cuts into the rock when drilling an oil or gas well. Located
at the tip of the drillstring, below the drill collar and the drill pipe, the drill bit is a rotating
apparatus that usually consists of two or three cones made up of the hardest of materials
(usually steel, tungsten carbide, and/or synthetic or natural diamonds) and sharp teeth
that cut into the rock and sediment below.

In contrast to
percussion drilling, which
consists of continuously
dropping a heavy weight in the
wellbore to chip away at the
rock, rotary drilling uses a
rotating drill bit to grind, cut,
scrape and crush the rock at
the bottom of the well. The
most popular choice for
drilling for oil and gas, rotary drilling includes a drill bit, drill collar, drilling fluid, rotating
equipment, hoisting apparatus and prime mover.

The prime mover is the power source for the drilling, while the hoisting equipment handles
lifting the drill pipe to either insert it into the well or lift it out of the well. Rotating equipment
is what sets the whole system in motion. Before the early 1900s, drilling equipment was
spun using livestock and a wooden wheel, but now, the rotating equipment is put in motion
by a rotary table, which is connected to a square-shaped hollow stem, called a Kelly.
Connected to the Kelly is the drill collar, which puts pressure and weight on the drill bit to
make it drill through the rock and sediment. Capping off the drill string is the drill bit, and
encompassing the drilling process is drilling fluid, which helps to provide buoyancy to the
drill string, lubricate the drilling process and remove cuttings from the wellbore.
The Ideal Bit

1. High drilling rate

2. Long life

3. Drill full-gauge, straight hole

4. Moderate cost

* (Low cost per ft drilled)

“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

Types of Drill Bits

There are a number of different types of drill bits. Steel Tooth Rotary Bits are the
most common types of drill bits, while Insert Bits are steel tooth bit with tungsten carbide
inserts. Polycrystalline Diamond Compact Bits use synthetic diamonds attached to the
carbide inserts. Forty to 50 times stronger than steel bits, Diamond Bits have industrial
diamonds implanted in them to drill extremely hard surfaces. Additionally, hybrids of these
types of drill bits exist to tackle specific drilling challenges.

Various drilling designs are also employed for different results, including core bits,
which gather formation cores for well logging; mill bits, which help to remove cuttings from
the well; and fishtail bits, which enlarge the drill hole above the drill bit.
 Different configurations
work better on different
formations; so a number of
different drill bits may be inserted
and used on one well. Additionally,
drill bits have to be changed due to
wear and tear. Drilling engineers
choose the drill bits according to
the type of formations
encountered, whether or not
directional drilling is required, for specific temperatures, and if well logging is being done.

When a drill bit has to be changed, the drill pipe (typically in 30-feet increments) is
hoisted out of the well, until the complete drill string has been removed from the well.
Once the drill bit has been changed, the complete drill string is again lowered into the
well.

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 hard facing 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 RPM and low WOB are applied.

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.
Types of Drag Bits

1. FishTail Type
A rotary bit used to drill soft formations.
The blade is flattened and divided, the divided
ends curving away from the direction of
rotation. It resembles a fishtail. Also called drag
bit.

2. Chevron Type

Chevron-type drag bits are recommended for

drilling in slightly harder and more consolidated materials
than step-type drag bits, such as hard shales,
limestones, and unconsolidated gravels

3. Step Type
Step-type drag bits come in a variety of wing counts, steps, and sizes to

accommodate drilling in a variety of formations, from sand and clay to shale,

limestone, gravel, and more.

 Three-Wing and Four-Wing - Three-wing bits tend to drill faster,

whereas four-wing bits are longer lasting, more durable, and drill

a straighter hole.

Regular Step and Heavy Step - Regular Step bits develop

smaller cuttings, whereas Heavy Step bits are more durable and

are used in harder formations. Heavy Step bits have longer and

wider steps and contain larger carbide for cutting. The quantity

of steps is largely determined by the size of bit.

4. Natural Diamond Bit Type

 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.
 5. PDC (Polycrystalline Diamond Compact) Bit Type
PDC is one of the most important material
advances for oil drilling tools in recent years.
Fixed-head bits rotate as one piece and contain
no separately moving parts. When fixed-head
bits use PDC cutters, they are commonly called
PDC bits. Since their first production in 1976, the
popularity of bits using PDC cutters has grown
steadily, and today they are nearly as common
as roller-cone bits in many drilling applications.

Roller Cutting Bits

Roller-cone bits are generally used to drill a wide variety of formations, from very
soft to very hard. Wide varieties of roller-cone bit designs are available. They provide
optimum performance in specific formations and/or particular drilling environments.
Manufacturers meticulously collect information on the operation of their bits to enhance
future production efficiency. Modern drill bits incorporate significantly different cutting
structures and use vastly improved materials compared with those used in the recent
past. As a result, bit efficiency has improved systematically through the years. Variations
in operating practices, types of equipment used, and hole conditions commonly require
design adjustments, and manufacturers usually work closely with drilling companies to
ensure that opportunities for design improvement are expeditiously identified and
implemented.

Roller-Cone Bit Design. Roller-cone bit design goals expect the bit to do the following:
• Function at a low cost per foot drilled.

• Have a long downhole life that minimizes requirements for tripping.

• Provide stable and vibration-free operation at the intended rotational speed and weight
on bit (WOB).
• Cut gauge accurately throughout the life of the bit.

To achieve these goals, bit

designers consider several factors.
Among these are the formation and
drilling environment, expected rotary
speed, expected WOB, hydraulic
arrangements, and anticipated wear rates
from abrasion and impact. The bit body,
cone configurations, and cutting
structures are design focal points, as are
metallurgical, tribological, and hydraulic
considerations in engineering bit design
solutions. (Tribology is a science that
deals with the design, friction, wear, and
lubrication of interacting surfaces in
relative motion.)

Soft, low-compressivestrength formations require long, sharp, and widely

spaced inserts/teeth. Penetration rate in this type of formation is partially a function
of insert/tooth length, and maximum insert/tooth depth must be used. Limits for
maximum insert/tooth length are dictated by minimum requirements for cone-shell
thickness and bearing-structure
size. Insert/tooth spacing must be
sufficiently large to ensure efficient
fluid flows for cleaning and
cuttings evacuation.
Requirements for hard, high-
compressive-strength formation
bits are usually the direct opposite
of those for soft-formation types.
Inserts are shallow, heavy, and
 closely spaced. Because of the abrasiveness of most hard formations and the
chipping action associated with drilling of hard formations, the teeth must be
closely spaced

Types of Roller Cone Bits

1. Tungsten Carbide Insert (TCI)

Tungsten Carbide Insert Bit, also known as a tungsten carbide bit is a cutting tool that
is primarily used in drilling applications to crush or cut rocks. Tungsten carbide consists
of equal amounts of tungsten and carbon atoms which make it a very hard metal as
compared to other metals and is thus, considered as a suitable material for manufacturing
of drilling bits. Due to equal amounts of tungsten and carbon atoms embedded in a soft
matrix of metallic cobalt, tungsten carbide is one of the hardest metals and is thus used
to manufacture drill bits. The hardness value of tungsten carbide is 1600 HV, which is ten
times higher than steel.

TCI design takes the properties of tungsten carbide materials and the geometric
efficiency for drilling of a particular rock formation into account. As noted, softer materials
require geometries that are long and sharp to encourage rapid penetration. Impact loads
are low, but abrasive wear can be high. Hard formations are, on the other hand, drilled
more by a crushing and grinding action than by penetration. Impact loads and abrasion
can be very high. Tough materials, such as carbonates, are drilled by a gouging action
and can sustain high impact loads and high operating temperatures. Variations in the way
that drilling is accomplished and rock formation properties govern the shape and grade
of the correct TCIs to be selected.
 2. Milled Tooth Bit

A Milled-Tooth Bit is a type of a rolling cutter

bit that has tooth cutters made up of steel
which have been assembled as the parts of
bit cone. This bit is rotated to gouge or cut
out the formations. Every bit has a different
kind of teeth based on the rock formation. It
may use inserts build-up of diamond or
tungsten carbide on its gauge. The Milled-
Tooth Bit is used for enhancing durability,
increasing the rate of penetration and for
excellent drilling performance.

Each Milled-Tooth Bit is different from the other as they are manufactured based on their
drilling applications. There are two types of formations for these bits:

 Hard Formation: In this type of formation, the teeth are short and closely placed.
They are used to produce tiny, more rounded, smashed or crushed ground cuttings
from the hard formations.
 Soft Formation: In this type of formation, the teeth are slender, long and widely
placed. They are used for producing cuttings which are freshly broken from the
soft formations.

These teeth are crafted with a wear-resistant material composed of tungsten carbide
crumbs which are dispersed in the steel matrix. The performance of these bits is based
on the material and toughness of their hardfacing materials. The performance also
depends on the bond between the hardfacing and steel tooth.