Performances of a Stinger PDC cutter breaking granite: Cutting force and mechanical specific energy in single cutter tests

The Stinger PDC cutter has high rock-breaking efficiency and excellent impact and wear resistance, which can significantly increase the rate of penetration (ROP) and extend PDC bit life for drilling hard and abrasive formation. The knowledge of force response and mechanical specific energy (MSE) for the Stinger PDC cutter is of great importance for improving the cutter's performance and optimizing the hybrid PDC bit design. In this paper, 87 single cutter tests were conducted on the granite. A new method for precisely obtaining the rock broken volume was proposed. The influences of cutting depth, cutting angle, and cutting speed on cutting force and MSE were analyzed. Besides, a phenomenological cutting force model of the Stinger PDC cutter was established by regression of experimental data. Moreover, the surface topography and fracture morphology of the cutting groove and large size cuttings were measured by a 3D profilometer and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Finally, the rock-breaking mechanism of the Stinger PDC cutter was illustrated. The results indicated that the cutting depth has the greatest influence on the cutting force and MSE, while the cutting speed has no obvious effects, especially at low cutting speeds. As the increase of cutting depth, the cutting force increases linearly, and MSE reduces with a quadratic polynomial relationship. When the cutting angle raises from 10° to 30°, the cutting force increases linearly, and the MSE firstly decreases and then increases. The optimal cutting angle for breaking rock is approximately 20°. The Stinger PDC cutter breaks granite mainly by high concentrated point loading and tensile failure, which can observably improve the rock breaking efficiency. The key findings of this work will help to reveal the rock-breaking mechanisms and optimize the cutter arrangement for the Stinger PDC cutter.

Experimental investigation on the cuttings formation process and its relationship with cutting force in single PDC cutter tests

The single polycrystalline diamond compact(PDC)cutter test is widely used to investigate the mecha-nism of rock-breaking.The generated cuttings and cutting force are important indexes reflecting the rock failure process.However,they were treated as two separate parameters in previous publications.In this study,through a series of rock block cutting tests,the relationship between them was investigated to obtain an in-depth understanding of the formation of cuttings.In addition,to validate the standpoints obtained in the aforementioned experiments,rock sheet cutting tests were conducted and the rock failure process was monitored by a high-speed camera frame by frame.The cutting force was recorded with the same sampling rate as the camera.By this design,every sampled point of cutting force can match a picture captured by the camera,which reflects the interaction between the rock and the cutter.The results indicate that the increase in cutting depth results in a transition of rock failure modes.At shallow cutting depth,ductile failure dominates and all the cuttings are produced by the compression of the cutter.The corresponding cutting force fluctuates slightly.However,beyond the critical depth,brittle failure occurs and chunk-like cuttings appear,which leads to a sharp decrease in cutting force.After that,the generation of new surface results in a significant decrease in actual cutting depth,a parameter proposed to reflect the interaction between the rock and the cutter.Consequently,ductile failure dominates again and a slight fluctuation of cutting force can be detected.As the cutter moves to the rock,the actual cutting depth gradually increases,which results in the subsequent generation of chunk-like cuttings.It is accompanied by an obvious cutting force drop.That is,ductile failure and brittle failure,one following another,present at large cutting depth.The transition of rock failure mode can be correlated with the variation of cutting force.Based on the results of this paper,the real-time monitoring of torque may be helpful to determine the efficiency of PDc bits in the downhole.

Numerical simulation of rock-breaking and influence laws of dynamic load parameters during axial-torsional coupled impact drilling with a single PDC cutter

Axial and torsional impact drilling technology is used to improve the drilling efficiency of hard rock formation in the deep underground.Still,the corresponding theory is not mature,and there are few correlative research reports on the rock-breaking mechanism of axial and torsional coupled impact drilling tools.Considering the influence of the impact hammer geometry and movement on the dynamic load parameters(i.e.,wavelength,amplitude,frequency,and phase difference),a numerical model that includes a hard formation and single polycrystalline diamond compact cutter was established.The Riedel-Hiermaier-Thoma model,which considers the dynamic damage and strength behavior of rocks,was adopted to analyze the rock damage under axial and torsional impact loads.The numerical simu-lation results were verified by the experimental results.It was found that compared with conventional drilling,the penetration depths of axial,torsional,and axial-torsional coupled impact drilling increased by 31.3%,5.6%,and 34.7%,respectively.Increasing the wavelength and amplitude of the axial impact stress wave improved the penetration depth.When the bit rotation speed remained unchanged,increasing the frequency in the axial and circumferential directions had little effect on the penetration depth.However,as the frequency increased,the cutting surface became increasingly smooth,which reduced the occurrence of bit vibration.When the phase difference between the axial and circumfer-ential stress waves was 25%,the penetration depth significantly increased.In addition,the bit vibration problem can be effectively reduced.Finally,the adjustment of engineering and tool structure parameters is proposed to optimize the efficiency of the axial-torsional coupled impact drilling tool.

Cutting capacity of PDC cutters in very hard rock

An experimental programm of investigating the cutting capacity of PDC flat cutters in very hard rock has been performed. Experiments include both the cutting of PDC fixed at different angles on the granite core or bar and linear cutting with different static thrust on the block of granite. The effects of the rough degree of rock surface, cutting angles, and static thrust on the cutting capacity of PDC in very hard rock were investigated and analyzed. The results show that the single mode of rotary drilling using PDC cutters is not applied for very hard rocks.

Penetration and impact resistance of PDC cutters inclined at different attack angles

In order to develop a rotary percussive bit with diamond enhanced cutters assisted by high pressure water jets, it is necessary to study the damage mechanism and the penetration properties of PDC cutters subject to different impact load level and rock types. Therefore the impact experiments of the single PDC cutters with different attack angles in four rocks: black basalt, Missouri red granite, Halston limestone, and a very soft (Roubidoux) sandstone were carried out, and the effects of rake angles of PDC cutters on both the penetration and impact resistance of PDC cutters have been discussed in detail. Test results show that a PDC insert can withstand a very strong impact in compression but is easily damaged by impact shearing, the PDC cutters are more easily damaged by shearing if the attack angles are relatively small, the 45? PDC cutters have the least penetration resistance among the cutters tested. Thus it is suggested that the attack angles of PDC cutters should be larger than 30? for bits which must withstand impact from a hammer.

Failure modes of PDC cutters under different loads

The capability of several types of flat PDC cutters to withstand combined loads were tested and evaluated by the impact and cutting of single PDC cutter on granite in a linear impact cutting table. The primary failure modes of PDC cutters withstanding different combined loads were investigated and analyzed. The suggestions of enhancing PDC cutters to be suitable for drilling very hard rock have been made.

Evaluation on cutting performance of novel PDC cutter for pipe jacking machine

It is inevitable to cut reinforced concrete(RC)appeared in cross passage of city metro by cutting tools when constructing in densely populated area.The previous cutters employed to cut RC are insufficient and easily damaged,so a new polycrystalline diamond compact(PDC)cutter is used to solve this question.Based on the theoretical analysis of cutting mechanism,both circular and tapered PDC cutters with cutting edge angle of 90and negative front rack angle of 10are used to cut RC.The peeling and breaking patterns of cutting concrete are proposed,the nodular and grainy chips are the preferred modes in cutting steel bars.The LS-DYNA is employed to investigate the cutting performance in advance.The simulation results show that the average and peak cutting forces increase with the growth of penetration depth,cutting speed,and roundness,and subsequently the recommended penetration depth less than 1.2 mm is obtained to cut RC due to the existence of steel bars.Moreover,the linear cutting platform is adopted to investigate the force ability and damage state of PDC cutters.It is concluded that the cutting force increases abruptly and fluctuates heavily when cutting the coarse aggregates.The patterns occurred in both numerical and experimental results are generally similar.Notably,the steel bar is pulled out and the PDC cutter is damaged at the penetration depth of 0.8 mm,while a good cut occurs at the penetration depth of 0.3 mm.The tapered PDC cutter with a relatively low cutting force is prone to be broken compared with circular PDC cutter.It is suggested that the circular PDC cutter at the penetration depth of 0.3 mm should be used to cut RC in practical engineering.

PDC齿切削砾岩的细观损伤模拟

砾岩一般具有孔隙结构复杂、非均匀性严重等特点,PDC钻头钻进砾岩地层时破岩效率普遍较低,室内试验很难有效地研究PDC齿的破岩过程。为此,采用离散元软件PFC2D建立了PDC齿切削砾岩的数值模型,研究不同切削深度、前倾角及岩石非均质度情况下,砾岩的破碎形式和过程,引入破岩比功评价了砾岩切削过程中的破岩效率。研究结果表明:一定范围内增加切削深度,砾岩内部剪切裂纹更快萌生且剪切裂纹占比显著增加,主裂纹沿自由面方向和切削方向绕砾扩展;提高砾岩非均质度,岩石逐渐由塑性破坏转变为脆性破坏,非均质度过高会增加砾岩的整体强度,且使作用在PDC齿上的冲击破坏频率增加,不利于破岩;当PDC齿以1 mm切削深度、5°前倾角切削砾岩时,可获得最高的破岩效率。所得结论可为PDC齿设计及切削参数选择提供理论支持。

高压水射流辅助锥形PDC齿破碎花岗岩试验研究

深部地层岩石硬度高、研磨性强、可钻性差,地质条件复杂、施工难度大,高压水射流辅助钻井可有效延长钻头寿命,提高钻进效率。采用室内试验与理论分析相结合的方法,开展了高压水射流辅助锥形PDC齿破碎花岗岩试验,分析了高压水射流辅助锥形PDC齿和常规PDC齿破碎花岗岩特性,揭示了射流压力、喷射距离、喷嘴直径及喷射角度等因素对锥形PDC齿破岩效果的影响规律。研究结果表明:在高压水射流辅助破岩条件下,锥形PDC齿与常规PDC齿的破岩比能分别降低了17.36%与19.63%;射流压力越大,射流辅助锥形PDC齿破岩效果越好;在研究条件下,喷距范围为5~10 mm可使水射流辅助锥形PDC齿破岩效果最佳;当喷嘴直径为2 mm时,切削力离散系数最小;喷射角度为30°时,锥形PDC齿切削力与破岩比能达到最小值;喷射角度为20°时,切削力离散系数最小,切削力最稳定。研究结果可为适用于深部硬岩钻井的锥形PDC钻头水力结构设计与优化提供理论支撑。

五宝场硬塑性地层斧形曲面PDC齿破岩性能研究

为解决川东油气钻井中五宝场沙溪庙组硬塑性地层PDC钻头磨损严重、起下钻频繁的问题,开展了斧形曲面PDC齿在硬塑性地层破岩性能的研究。首先采用X射线衍射试验与三轴力学试验分别获取该地层岩石性质和力学参数,然后采用有限元仿真与试验相结合的方法开展斧形曲面PDC齿破岩性能研究。研究结果表明:斧形曲面PDC齿主要以剪切、挤压、犁切共同作用破岩;相较于常规PDC齿,斧形曲面PDC齿有更强的吃入岩石的能力和稳定性,能有效减小钻头异常振动,提高钻头寿命,并在不同磨损高度(0~3 mm)时,破岩比功降低2.2%~8.2%;根据试验得到斧形曲面齿较常规齿破岩性能提高了11.39%,且试验与仿真平均切削力误差仅为7.46%,验证了仿真模型的正确性。本研究表明斧形曲面PDC齿在硬塑性地层对提高破岩性能具有重要意义。

基于PFC的微波辅助PDC齿破岩数值模拟

微波辅助机械破岩是近年来提出的一种破岩新方法,为探索该方法辅助PDC钻头破碎难钻地层的可行性,本文基于离散元软件PFC的黏结颗粒模型(BPM),建立了微波加热下PDC齿与岩石互作用模型,研究了不同微波照射条件对PDC齿切削破岩的影响。结果表明:在相同微波照射时间下,照射功率较低时,切削破岩模式以PDC齿的挤压刮切作用为主,随着功率的提升,岩石内部热裂纹逐渐增多,破坏模式转变为微波诱导热裂纹所主导的脆性块状破坏为主;微波损耗功率达到3.51 kW、照射90 s后,平均切削力和破岩比功分别较常规切削时降低56.77%和73.9%,微波损耗功率越大,照射时间越长,破岩效率越高;微波照射可减小切削力的波动幅度,使切削力的变化更平缓,有助于提高PDC齿的工作寿命。

三棱形PDC齿破岩特性数值模拟研究

常规PDC钻头在研磨性地层中面临磨损严重、吃入困难、机械钻速低等问题。三棱形PDC齿较常规平面PDC齿具有更好的破岩效果,但是关于三棱形PDC齿的布齿参数、齿形参数的优选缺乏依据。为此,通过有限元仿真分析软件建立了破岩仿真模型,开展了三棱形PDC齿破岩机理研究,剖析了在垂向压入和刮切破岩时三棱形PDC齿的力学特性和破岩规律。研究结果表明:垂直压入破岩时,在相同压力作用下,三棱形PDC齿吃入岩石的深度大于常规平面PDC齿,当前倾角γ<15°时,三棱形PDC齿的破岩效果优于常规平面PDC齿;刮切破岩时,三棱形PDC齿的最优前倾角为10°,最优脊面倾角为3°,最优侧转角为2°。现场试验结果表明,在研磨性地层中三棱形PDC齿比常规平面PDC齿表现出更好的耐磨性和耐冲击性,三棱形齿PDC钻头的机械钻速达到常规平面齿PDC钻头的2.37倍。研究结果可为高研磨性地层的PDC钻头优选提供指导和参考。

布齿方式对PDC齿破岩特性影响

PDC钻头广泛应用于软到中硬地层,合理的布齿方式有利于提高破岩效率。针对不同PDC钻头布齿方式,设计PDC齿破岩试验方案,通过切削力变化特征、岩屑分布特征、切削槽形貌以及岩石微观破碎特征等探究PDC齿破岩特性与破岩机制。结果表明:合理的切削齿出露高度和布齿密度有利于降低破岩比能,提高破岩效率;切削深度影响切削槽表面的微裂纹分布和切削槽底部微裂纹层的厚度,且该裂纹损伤区产生的边界效应能够有效促进岩石破碎。

无镉钎料对PDC切削齿力学性能和微观形貌的影响

【目的】PDC钻头不仅是地质保障装备的重要组成部分,更是推动煤炭行业技术进步和效率提升的关键工具。针对目前PDC钻头采用含镉银钎料进行钎焊,而镉是污染性毒性元素,提出采用无镉环保钎料钎焊PDC钻头的新思路。【方法】从钎料与母材的润湿机制出发,采用高银含Sn、含Mn、Ni和只含Ni的Ag-Cu-Zn系钎料对PDC切削齿和钢进行火焰钎焊。分析了不同钎料的剪切强度和PDC切削齿的焊后性能。对熔化温度最高的钎料焊前和焊后PDC切削齿进行微观形貌、元素含量和拉曼光谱分析,探究钎焊温度是否会对PDC切削齿造成热损伤。在此基础上,分析了钎缝界面组织形貌、元素扩散情况、焊后断面特征和物相组成,阐述了无镉Ag-Cu-Zn系钎料钎缝形成机理。同时测量并计算了钎料与两侧界面的润湿角和化学亲和力参数,综合评价钎缝性能。【结果和结论】研究表明:(1)4种无镉Ag-Cu-Zn系钎料均能满足PDC切削齿钎焊强度要求,其中含Mn、Ni的Ag-Cu-Zn系钎料可获得322.989MPa的强度值。(2)含Sn的Ag-Cu-Zn钎料钎缝形成机理是界面处元素的微扩散;而含Mn、Ni或只含Ni的Ag-Cu-Zn钎料钎缝形成机理是在界面处形成扩散层,增加了界面处的键合力。(3)含3%Sn、含Mn、Ni和只含Ni的Ag-Cu-Zn系钎料为延性断口;含5%Sn的Ag-Cu-Zn系钎料为脆-韧混合断口。(4)Mn能降低两侧界面处富Cu相与母材的张力,而Ni只能降低钢界面处富Cu相的张力。因此,含Mn、Ni的无镉Ag-Cu-Zn系钎料强度最高。研究结果为环保型无镉钎料在PDC钻头钎焊方面的工程应用提供了理论和试验支撑,有力推动了PDC钻头的钎焊技术向更加环保、新型的方向转型升级。

PDC齿压入破岩过程的岩石裂纹特征试验研究

PDC齿是PDC钻头的重要破岩单元,其破岩过程包含压入和旋转切削,但现有研究忽略了压入过程的岩石损伤。为了研究PDC齿压入岩石的能力和探究岩石损伤机理,为PDC钻头的参数选择提供理论依据,采用室内试验方法研究了不同前倾角PDC齿压入青砂岩、花岗岩的破岩过程,采用岩石无损显微检测技术分析了岩石宏观及细观的裂纹。研究表明,砂岩的破碎方式为细小砂粒和黏结物的脱落,花岗岩的破碎方式为晶体的脆性破碎。岩石受载后会先在岩石内部薄弱地方萌生出单一的微裂纹,微裂纹连贯扩展形成主裂纹,主裂纹持续扩展形成宏观可见的裂纹;主裂纹附近为薄弱区域,其内部包含很多尚未成形的微裂纹;接触区域的齿尖处为应力集中区,主裂纹沿此开裂。岩石损伤过程随着前倾角的变化而变化,20°前倾角PDC齿压入青砂岩的能力最强,25°前倾角PDC齿压入花岗岩的能力最强;压入深度小于4 mm时,5°前倾角PDC齿压入岩石的能力最差。研究结果对于揭示岩石的细观与宏观损伤机理、建立PDC钻头破岩的评价方法和优化PDC钻头的设计参数及工作参数等具有重要作用。

锯形PDC齿破岩与温度特性数值模拟研究

目前关于PDC仿生齿的研究多集中在波浪齿形上,鲜有与锯形齿破岩特性相关研究的报道。鉴于此,基于弹塑性力学与Drucker-Prager岩石失效准则,建立锯形PDC齿与花岗岩相互作用的有限元模型,对锯形PDC齿的破岩以及破岩温度特性展开研究。研究结果表明:相比普通PDC齿,锯形PDC齿在破岩过程中所产生切削力峰值和均值更小,且该切削力均值减小约12.7%,机械比能减少约19%;后倾角增大情况下,锯形齿的机械比能和切削力均先减小后增大,最佳后倾角为10°时,锯形齿的机械比能和切削力最小,切削深度增加情况下,存在临界切削深度1.5 mm,超过1.5 mm后,切削力与机械比能呈现跳跃式增加,锯形齿在模拟范围内,最佳设计方案为3个锯齿。所得结论对钻头布齿和优化设计具有指导意义。

PDC混合布齿钻头破碎非均质花岗岩数值模拟

非常规油气资源所处地层复杂,开采难度大,钻井过程中钻遇地层密实度高,对钻头性能提出了更高要求。普通PDC钻头主要依靠切削齿剪切破碎岩石,攻击性弱,不仅导致钻头寿命和破岩效率严重下降,而且增加了钻井成本。为探究混合布齿PDC钻头的破岩机理和效果,提升PDC钻头破岩效率和寿命,建立了非均质花岗岩模型,使用有限元方法对比了斧形、三棱形和圆形PDC齿混合布齿的破岩效果,优选了最佳布齿方案,并使用响应面法优化了齿间距,对前后排齿不同高度差情况下的钻头破岩效果及规律进行了分析,最后结合钻头的现场应用对比分析了混合布齿、斧形齿和三棱形齿PDC钻头的破岩过程。研究结果表明:①斧形齿攻击性强,有利于吃入岩石,适用于刀翼前排,而三棱形齿更稳定,适用于刀翼后排;②混合布齿最佳方案为前排斧形齿,后排三棱形齿与斧形齿交替布置,后排齿距离前排齿的最佳横向距离为10.0 mm、10.1 mm,最佳纵向距离均为7.0 mm;③前排齿破岩后能释放岩石内应力,便于后排齿的破岩,但产生的应力区域有限,建议前后排齿高度差不超过1 mm;④围压条件下按照最佳方案布齿的PDC钻头相较于单斧形齿和三棱形齿的PDC钻头,钻井进尺分别提升了21.4%和44.1%。结论认为,混合布齿钻头兼具高破岩效率和稳定性,在深部和难钻地层具有较好的钻进效果,具有良好的现场推广应用价值。

东海深部高研磨地层冲击钻井PDC齿优选研究

东海盆地深部地层机械钻速(ROP)低、PDC钻头钻齿易磨损、单个钻头进尺数少的问题日益突出。为此,开展了岩石可钻性、硬度与塑性系数、强度、研磨性及组分检测试验,明确了导致该区域深部地层低ROP的主控因素,并对ROP变化规律进行了验证;设计了冲击载荷作用下PDC钻头异形齿破岩试验装置,开展了单齿破岩试验,利用3D扫描技术量化了三棱齿、斧形齿在不同冲击速度下的侵彻深度和破岩体积,计算了冲击破岩过程中的能量吸收效率以及破岩比功,对PDC钻头异形齿进行了优选;同时结合优选结果开展了现场试验。研究结果表明:岩石的高研磨性和高强度是东海盆地低ROP的主控因素,当冲锤冲击速度小于7.1 m/s时,三棱齿侵彻深度和破岩体积更大,提速效果较为明显;当冲锤冲击速度大于7.1 m/s时,斧形齿的破岩比功要小于三棱齿,且能量吸收效率更优,在高研磨地层作用下磨损较小,能更好地延长PDC钻头的寿命;现场试验也验证了该结论。研究成果可为东海盆地深部地层冲击钻井参数的确定以及PDC钻头钻齿的优选提供有效参考。

金刚石层倒角参数对PDC切削齿性能的影响规律

聚晶金刚石复合片(polycrystalline diamond compact,PDC)切削齿的综合性能受金刚石层倒角参数的影响较大,特别是其抗冲击性能,但影响规律不明。为探究金刚石层倒角参数对PDC切削齿性能的影响规律,优化PDC切削齿结构并提高PDC钻头的钻进效率,采用目前应用较广的平面型和微弧型PDC切削齿,分别制作0.2、0.3、0.4、0.5 mm 4种倒角尺寸和15°、30°、45°3种倒角角度的PDC,得出不同金刚石层倒角参数的PDC切削齿受热后的耐磨性和抗冲击韧性,并对其钻进效率和破损形式进行分析。结果表明:倒角尺寸对PDC耐磨性和抗冲击韧性的影响存在的临界值约为0.3 mm,当倒角尺寸≤0.3 mm时,PDC的磨耗比大、抗冲击韧性低、破损形式多为崩刃;反之倒角尺寸>0.3 mm时,PDC的磨耗比降低、抗冲击韧性提升近1倍,累计吸收功可达1 000 J以上,且破损形式多为脱层。倒角角度对PDC耐磨性和抗冲击韧性的影响基本为线性关系,即倒角角度越小,磨耗比越大,抗冲击韧性越低。

连续管钻井个性化PDC钻头降扭机理及试验研究

由于连续管自身管径小、柔性大等特性,在进行井下钻进时容易导致摩擦自锁和管柱屈曲,存在钻压施加困难、进尺低下等问题。为提高连续管在低钻压情况下的钻进能力,个性化设计了连续管钻井专用小尺寸PDC钻头。通过单齿切削试验、水平井钻柱微钻头破岩试验、全钻头破岩试验开展小尺寸PDC钻头的降扭机理研究,对比不同齿形对破岩效果的影响。研究结果表明:在PDC切削齿前倾角较小时,破碎相同体积的岩石,宽刃齿所受切削力平均值比常规齿小10.35%~24.56%;同机械钻速情况下,宽刃齿钻头的扭矩小于常规齿钻头,最高降扭37.64%;同转速和钻压情况下,宽刃齿钻头最高降扭28.58%,钻压越大,降扭效果越显著。个性化设计的宽刃齿PDC钻头更适用于连续管实现低钻压、低扭矩、高转速破岩。研究结果可为改善连续管钻井技术在低钻压钻进时的适应性提供新的解决思路和理论支撑。