Drilling at a high penetration rate while maintaining durability to complete abrasive sand sections in the Riverside field of Pinedale, Wyo., has been a challenge. The introduction of a new line of drill bits into the Pinedale area using a combination of tungsten carbide inserts (TCI) and a steel tooth cutting structure has led to increased performance, reduced risk and cost savings for the operator.
By combining the two cutting structure types, the drill bit was able to attack the formation more efficiently while resisting abrasive wear in key areas to drill longer-footage intervals. Improving the durability of the drill bit also helped to reduce the risk of losing cones, decreasing nonproductive time lost to fishing.
A typical well is drilled with an S-curve profile to gain displacement from the multiwell pad. The 8 ½-in. roller cone bits are normally used to drill the directional part of the hole using directionally steerable downhole motor assemblies. Once the well has returned to vertical or reaches casing point, the bits are pulled.
Using the service company’s design application review team process, the team of engineers and field support personnel from the operator and service company was able to identify the key limiting issues and make recommendations for the design of two different drill bits. These limiting issues were related to erosion and coring of the center of the drill bit.
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