New Technology in Diamond Drill Bits Improves Performance in Variable Formations

摘要

drill through non-abrasive sections. This new type of diamondbit utilizes a three part cutting structure consisting of PDCcutters, diamond impregnated blades, and hot pressed diamondimpregnated inserts.Technological advances in the design and manufacture ofdiamond bits have greatly expanded the applications of bothPDC and diamond impregnated bits. However, there are stillmany intervals of hard rock drilling which have sections thatare too hard or abrasive for a conventional PDC bit, but alsocontain sections that are not sufficiently abrasive to beeffectively drilled with a conventional diamond impregnatedbit. Drilling these types of intervals with conventional drillbits has proven very costly. Operators have been forced tochoose between incurring expensive trip times, due to the needto frequently change out bits to maximize the rate ofpenetration (ROP) in the different formations, or sufferingthrough the very slow penetration rates typical of conventionalimpregnated drilling in non-abrasive formations.A very successful run has recently been completed with thisnew diamond bit in the Huamampampa formation in Tarija,Bolivia. In a long, 8 ?” hole size section, where the shalecontent ranged from 10 to 90%, this new bit type drilled to TDwith a higher overall rate of penetration than any offset. Thecombination of PDC cutters with hot pressed diamond impregnated inserts in a diamond impregnated matrix hasproven to be a very versatile cutting structure in variableformations.