Research and Development of Cemented Carbide Multifacet Drill for Drilling High Strength Steel

Aim To research on a solid cemented carbide multi facet drill for drilling high strength steel. Methods Assimilating some features of multi facet drill edge structures, through systematic drilling experiments, a new type of solid cemented carbide drill was developed and the drill geometry was optimized. Results With the new type drill,the drilling force decreases by 10%-20%, the drilling productivity (drilled holes per hour) increases by 2-3 times, and the drilling precision and surface finish increase by one level. Conclusion The new type drill possesses excellent drilling performance.

In situ strength profiles along two adjacent vertical drillholes from digitalization of hydraulic rotary drilling

Drilling speed and associated analyses from factual field data of hydraulic rotary drilling have not been fully utilized.The paper provides the reference and comparison for the utilization of drilling information from two adjacent vertical drillholes that were formed with the same hydraulic rotary drilling machine and bit.The analysis of original factual data is presented to obtain the constant drilling speed during net drilling process.According to the factual data along two adjacent drillholes,the digitalization results respectively include 461 linear zones and 210 linear zones with their constant drilling speeds and associated drilling parameters.The digitalization results can accurately present the spatial distributions and interface boundaries of drilled geomaterials and the results are consistent with the paralleled site loggings.The weighted average drilling speeds from 2.335 m/min to 0.044 m/min represent 13 types of drilled geomaterials from soils to hard rocks.The quantitative relation between drilling speed and strength property is provided.The digitalization results can statistically profile the basic strength quality grades of III to VI from soils to hard rocks.The thickness distributions of four strength quality grades are presented for each individual type of geomaterials along two drillholes.In total,50.2%of geomaterials from drillhole A are grade IV and 57.4%of geomaterials from drillhole B are grade III.The digitalization results can offer an accurate and cost-effective tool to quantitatively describe the spatial distribution and in situ strength profile of drilled geomaterials in the current drilling projects.

Influence of Drilling Fluid Components on Shear Strength at Cement-aquifuge Interface in Coalbed Methane Wells

The hydraulic fracturing is still an effective technology for the exploitation of coalbed methane （CBM）. However, after the hydraulic fracturing operation, the high water cut or sudden water flooding of CBM well usually occurs due to upward migration of bottom water, which is called water channeling （water inrush）. This problem has been severely limiting the hydraulic fracturing effect of CBM wells. Some studies show that the aquifuge and cement paste themselves will not crush under hydraulic fracturing pressure. Water channeling often occurs at cement- aquifuge interface （CAI）.

Assessing the range of blasting-induced cracks in the surrounding rock of deeply buried tunnels based on the unified strength theory

Blasting-induced cracks in the rock surrounding deeply buried tunnels can result in water gushing and rock mass collapse,posing significant safety risks.However,previous theoretical studies on the range of blasting-induced cracks often ignore the impact of the in-situ stress,especially that of the intermediate principal stress.The particle displacement−crack radius relationship was established in this paper by utilizing the blasthole cavity expansion equation,and theoretical analytical formulas of the stress−displacement relationship and the crack radius were derived with unified strength theory to accurately assess the range of cracks in deep surrounding rock under a blasting load.Parameter analysis showed that the crushing zone size was positively correlated with in-situ stress,intermediate principal stress,and detonation pressure,whereas negatively correlated with Poisson ratio and decoupling coefficient.The dilatancy angle-crushing zone size relationship exhibited nonmonotonic behavior.The relationships in the crushing zone and the fracture zone exhibited opposite trends under the influence of only in-situ stress or intermediate principal stress.As the in-situ stress increased from 0 to 70 MPa,the rate of change in the crack range and the attenuation rate of the peak vibration velocity gradually slowed.

An analytical model for estimating rock strength parameters from small-scale drilling data

The small-scale drilling technique can be a fast and reliable method to estimate rock strength parameters. It needs to link the operational drilling parameters and strength properties of rock. The parameters such as bit geometry, bit movement, contact frictions and crushed zone affect the estimated parameters.An analytical model considering operational drilling data and effective parameters can be used for these purposes. In this research, an analytical model was developed based on limit equilibrium of forces in a Tshaped drag bit considering the effective parameters such as bit geometry, crushed zone and contact frictions in drilling process. Based on the model, a method was used to estimate rock strength parameters such as cohesion, internal friction angle and uniaxial compressive strength of different rock types from operational drilling data. Some drilling tests were conducted by a portable and powerful drilling machine which was developed for this work. The obtained results for strength properties of different rock types from the drilling experiments based on the proposed model are in good agreement with the results of standard tests. Experimental results show that the contact friction between the cutting face and rock is close to that between bit end wearing face and rock due to the same bit material. In this case,the strength parameters, especially internal friction angle and cohesion, are estimated only by using a blunt bit drilling data and the bit bluntness does not affect the estimated results.

Research on Stress and Strength of High Strength Reinforced Concrete Drilling Shaft Lining in Thick Top Soils

High strength reinforced concrete drilling shaft linings have been adopted to solve the difficult problem of supporting coal drilling shafts penetrating through thick top soils. Through model experiments the stress and strength of such shaft linings are studied. The test results indicate that the load beating capacity of the shaft lining is very high and that the main factors affecting the load bearing capacity are the concrete strength, the ratio of lining thickness to inner radius and the reinforcement ratio. Based on the limit equilibrium conditions and the strength theory of concrete under multi-axial compressive stressed state, a formula for calculating the load-beating capacity of a high strength reinforced concrete shaft lining was obtained. Because the concrete in a shaft lining is in a multi-axial compressive stress state the compressive strength increases to a great extent compared to uni-axial loading. Based on experiment a formula for the gain factor in compressive strength was obtained： it can be used in the structural design of the shaft lining. These results have provided a basis for sound engineering practice when designing this kind of shaft lining structure.

Coupled effects of stress damage and drilling fluid on strength of hard brittle shale

During well drilling process,original stress state of hard brittle shale will be changed due to stress redistribution and concentration,which leads to stress damage phenomenon around the borehole.Consequently,drilling fluid will invade into formation along the tiny cracks induced by stress damage,and then weaken the strength of hard brittle shale.Based on this problem,a theoretical model was set up to discuss damage level of shale under uniaxial compression tests using acoustic velocity data.And specifically,considering the coupled effect of stress damage and drilling fluid,the relationship between hard brittle shale strength and elapsed time was analyzed.

Optimization of Drilling Parameters by Analysis of Formation Strength Properties with Utilization of Mechanical Specific Energy

By increasing the daily needs of human energy, human manipulation of natural energy sources is expanded and encouraged the human society to developing science, knowledge and technology. Mechanical specific energy required energy for drilling the unit of formation volume. This parameter can be used for functional analysis of drilling, drilling bit optimization and investigating of instability has been made during drilling operations. This parameter can be used for decreasing of drilling costs by increasing drilling speed, optimized the useful life of the drilling bit and determine the right time to replace the drilling bit, and in some cases reduced to a minimum amount. In South Pars field in Iran, many wells have been drilled;however detailed statistics processes hadn’t done for optimizing drilling parameters and their impact on mechanical specific energy. By results of these studies, we can analyze performance and drilling parameters such as weight on drilling bit, rotational speed, penetration rate, etc. In the most investigated cases, mechanical specific energy at the final period time of drilling on each wells has been increased gradually due to the speed movement reduction. Although by investigating middle formations in section of 12.25 inch, all existing wells on a platform in one of the phases of Iran’s South Pars field are being studied, which contains formations such as Hith, Surmeh, Neyriz, Dashtak and Kangan. Studies were done in two parts. In the first part, the range of optimized drilling parameters that is increasing drilling speed and reducing the required amount of energy for drilling formation. This process by investigating mechanical specific energy and its relationship with uniaxial compressive strength in five studied formation have been presented. In the second part, correlations to predict the mechanical specific energy in this area by statistical methods by SPSS software, presented and reviewed. Then, by the most appropriate relationship, the most influential drilling parameters on mechanical specific energy have been set. However, for drilling the next wells in this area drilling parameters with the most priority influences on mechanical specific energy, proposed in the optimum range, will be recommended.

Multistring analysis of wellhead movement and uncemented casing strength in offshore oil and gas wells

This paper presents a theoretical method and a finite element method to describe wellhead movement and uncemented casing strength in offshore oil and gas wells.Parameters considered in the theoretical method include operating load during drilling and completion and the temperature field,pressure field and the end effect of pressure during gas production.The finite element method for multistring analysis is developed to simulate random contact between casings.The relevant finite element analysis scheme is also presented according to the actual procedures of drilling,completion and gas production.Finally,field cases are presented and analyzed using the proposed methods.These are four offshore wells in the South China Sea.The calculated wellhead growths during gas production are compared with measured values.The results show that the wellhead subsides during drilling and completion and grows up during gas production.The theoretical and finite element solutions for wellhead growth are in good agreement with measured values and the deviations of calculation are within 10％.The maximum von Mises stress on the uncemented intermediate casing occurs during the running of the oil tube.The maximum von Mises stress on the uncemented production casing,calculated with the theoretical method occurs at removing the blow-out-preventer （BOP） while that calculated with the finite element method occurs at gas production.Finite element solutions for von Mises stress are recommended and the uncemented casings of four wells satisfy strength requirements.

METHOD OF EQUILIBRIUM DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION FOR ANALYSIS OF STRENGTH OF LARGE DEFLECTION DRILL STRING

To counter the strength problem of drill string in well of large curvature and small diameter, well axis was taken as datum mis. Based on description of deflection of well an's and on analysis of three dimensional forces of a small section of drill string, equilibrium differential equations of large deflection drill string were established. The internal forces were found by Longe-Kutta method. The stresses were found by using them and the strength prerequisite was established. Stresses of drill string in lateral horizontal well H767 were computed. The results are in agreement with those of finite element model and soft-rope rigidified model. But the method is simpler for computation than finite element model and is more perfect than soft-rope rigidified model. Curvature of the well is too large and there is stress concentration so that the fraction accident of drill string occurs.

Confined compressive strength model of rock for drilling optimization

The confined compressive strength(CCS)plays a vital role in drilling optimization.On the basis of Jizba's experimental results,a new CCS model considering the effects of the porosity and nonlinear characteristics with increasing confining pressure has been developed.Because the confining pressure plays a fundamental role in determining the CCS of bottom-hole rock and because the theory of Terzaghi's effective stress principle is founded upon soil mechanics,which is not suitable for calculating the confining pressure in rock mechanics,the double effective stress theory,which treats the porosity as a weighting factor of the formation pore pressure,is adopted in this study.The new CCS model combined with the mechanical specific energy equation is employed to optimize the drilling parameters in two practical wells located in Sichuan basin,China,and the calculated results show that they can be used to identify the inefficient drilling situations of underbalanced drilling(UBD)and overbalanced drilling(OBD).

Testing method of rock structural plane using digital drilling

The rock mass consists of rock blocks and structural planes,which can reduce its integrity and strength.Therefore,accurately obtaining the characteristics of the rock mass structural plane is a prerequisite for evaluating stability and designing supports in underground engineering.Currently,there are no effective testing methods for the characteristic parameters of the rock mass structural plane in underground engineering.The paper presents the digital drilling technology as a new testing method of rock mass structural planes.Flawed rock specimens with cracks of varying widths and angles were used to simulate the rock mass structural planes,and the multifunctional rock mass digital drilling test system was employed to carry out the digital drilling tests.The analysis focuses on the variation laws of drilling parameters,such as drilling pressure and drilling torque,affected by the characteristics of prefabricated cracks,and clarifies the degradation mechanism of rock equivalent compressive strength.Additionally,an identification model for the characteristic parameters of rock mass structural planes during drilling is established.The test results indicate that the average difference of the characteristics of prefabricated cracks identified by the equivalent compressive strength is 2.45°and 0.82 mm,respectively.The identification model while drilling is verified to be correct due to the high identification accuracy.Based on this,a method for testing the characteristic parameters of the surrounding rock structural plane while drilling is proposed.The research offers a theoretical and methodological foundation for precise in situ identification of structural planes of the surrounding rock in underground engineering.

Strength and Stability Analysis of Deep Sea Drilling Risers

In order to analyze the influence of vortex-induced vibration on the strength and stability of marine drilling risers, a simplified analytical model was established and a method for calculating vortex-induced dynamic response was developed. A case study indicated that at primary resonance, first-order dynamic displacement response is greater than higher-order mode responses, but the influence of dynamic moment and shearing force of higher-order modes cannot be ignored. The natural fi＇equency of risers decreased sharply with increasing length of the riser, but increased with increasing top tension. Various factors should be considered to avoid vortex-induced vibration in practical application, and the influence of vortex-induced vibration could be estimated by calculating the fatigue lifetime of riser.

Determination of the constant m_(i) in the Hoek-Brown criterion of rock based on drilling parameters

The constant m_(i) in the Hoek-Brown(H-B) criterion is a fundamental parameter required for determining the compressive strength of rock. In this paper, drilling parameters provide a new basis for determining the constant mi. An analytical relationship between the drilling parameters and constant miis established in consideration of the contact response between the drilling bit and the cut rock in the crushed zone.New models are developed to predict the triaxial compressive strength(TCS), internal friction angle φand cohesion c of rock. Drilling tests are carried out on 6 rock types to study the correlation between φ and m_(i). A comparison between the predicted values of rock mechanical properties and the measured values from the laboratory is performed to verify the accuracy of the proposed model(yielding an error less than 10%). The TCSs and constant m_(i) values of fifteen rocks are cited to validate the accuracy of the proposed model. The result shows that the proposed model predicts the TCS and constant m_(i) within a maximum error of 20%. The method can be conveniently applied to the rock mechanical properties.

Investigation on influence of drilling unloading on wellbore stability in clay shale formation

Wellbore collapse frequently happens in the clay shale formation.To maintain wellbore stability,appropriate mud pressure is a vital factor.When clay formation is opened,drilling unloading occurs,modifying rock structure and strength at the wall of borehole,which affects the selection of mud pressure.Currently,mechanism of drilling unloading is still poorly understood which in return will bring a concern to wellbore stability.Therefore,in this study,a combination of triaxial compressive test and ultrasonic wave test has been used to simulate drilling unloading and analyze its mechanism.Results indicate that more void space is created inside the clay shale sample due to unloading.This structure change leads to a decline of strength and acoustic amplitude.Additionally,unloading influence is depended on varying drilling unloading parameters.Small unloading range and fast unloading rate are able to enhance stability.With various degrees of unloading impact,collapse pressure equivalent density has a clear modification,proving that unloading is a non-negligible influencing factor of wellbore stability.Besides,the unloading effect is much stronger in large confining pressure,implying that more attention should be given to unloading when drilling is in extreme deep or high geostress formation.Findings in this paper can offer theoretical guidance for drilling in the clay shale formation.

Drilling Processes Using Drag Bits and Its Application

This paper proposes an analytical model to describe rock drilling processes using drag bits and rotary drills, and to induce relations among rock properties, bit shapes, and drilling parameters （rotary speed, thrust, torque, and stroke）. In this model, a drilling process is divided into successive cycles. Each cycle includes two motions： feed and cutting. According to this model, drilling torque includes four components generated from cutting, friction, feed, and idle running respectively, the first three items are all proportional to the UCS （uniaxial compressive strength） when the penetration rate is constant. Laboratory tests verified the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed model qualitatively. Especially, the influence of friction on the flank face and the idle running was confirmed. Field experiments were performed. The results showed good correlation between the torque, penetration rate, and UCS. The proposed model and equations engender the possibility of eliminating useless components of cutting forces when investigating the relation between mechanical data and physical properties of rocks.

Experimental Study of Engineered Cement Plug to Effectively Cure Losses While Drilling in Iranian Oil/Gas Well

Mud losses are one of the most severe problems encountered in drilling. This is commonly known as lost circulation. It can occur in naturally fractured formations and also can be induced in formations through drilling. Mud losses while drilling leading to cost overruns and HSE concerns, primary cement job failure due to not getting the cement up to the desired height resulting in subsequent sustained casing pressure and corrosion, not able to perform work over activity on certain wells due to losses. The objective of this paper is to explain extreme lost circulation problem and introduce cement plug formulation to cure or mitigate this problem. In addition, the cement plug has certain compressive strength that this is proper for use to control lost circulation in field. And finally, the application of a cement plug is described in one well of the Gas Field (National Iranian Oil Company).

On the Character and Mechanism of the Drilling Force For SiCw/Al Composite

The results of drilling experiments of SiCw/6061Al composite indicates that the parameter of drilling force F/M (ratio of thrust force to drilling torque) for SiCw/6061Al composite is more than doubled compared with that for 45 steel, the tensile strength of which is nearly the same as that of the composite. The results of tensile and compressive experiments show that the compressive strain is much larger than the tensile strain, and the compressive strength of the composite is larger than tensile strength, which is the reason why F/M for SiCw/6061Al composite is larger than that for 45 steel.

Stress Corrosion Cracking of High-strength Drill Pipe in Sour Gas Well

In high sour gas reservoir drilling process, it happens occasionally that high-strength drill pipe suffers brittle fracture failure due to stress corrosion cracking, and poses serious hazard to drilling safety. To solve this problem, this paper studied the stress corrosion cracking mechanism and infl uencing factors of highstrength drill pipe in sour environment with hydrogen permeation experiments and tensile tests. We simulated practical conditions in laboratory and evaluated the stress corrosion cracking performance of the high-strength drill pipe under conditions of high stress level. For the problems occurring in use of high-strength drill pipe on site, the paper proposed a technical measure for slower stress corrosion cracking.

A Gel-Based Solidification Technology for Large Fracture Plugging

Fault fractures usually have large openings and considerable extension. Accordingly, cross-linked gel materials aregenerally considered more suitable plugging agents than water-based gels because the latter often undergo contaminationvia formation water, which prevents them from being effective over long times. Hence, in this study, aset of oil-based composite gels based on waste grease and epoxy resin has been developed. These materials havebeen observed to possess high compressive strength and resistance to the aforementioned contamination, therebyleading to notable increase in plugging success rate. The compressive strength, thickening time, and resistance toformation water pollution of these gels have been evaluated indoors. The results show that the compressivestrength of the gel can reach 11 MPa;additionally, the related gelation time can be controlled to be more than3 h, thereby providing a safe construction time;Invasion of formation water has a small effect on the gel strengthand does not shorten the thickening time. All considered performance indicators of the oil-based gel confirm itssuitability as a plugging agent for fault fractures.