SPE 106582

Extendable Arm Drill Bit: A Novel Idea

Yash Gupta, SPE, and Sudeepto N. Banerjee, SPE, Maharashtra Inst. of Technology

Copyright 2007, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2007 SPE Production and Operations
Symposium held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.A., 31 March3 April 2007.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of
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Abstract
In conventional vertical drilling, the drill string is tripped in,
allowed to drill to the predetermined depth and tripped out so
that a bit of a smaller diameter can be attached to continue
drilling the hole.
Extendable arm drill bit is essentially a rotary drill bit in which
the roller cones can be extended so that the diameter of the bit
corresponds to the required diameter of the hole to be drilled.
This extension is done hydraulically by diverting some of the
pressure of the circulating drilling mud to compress an
assembly which would push down the roller cones, thus
increasing the diameter. Now as drilling continues, the
diameter of the bit can be adjusted by diverting a lesser
amount of circulating pressure on the bit thereby contracting
it to achieve a smaller diameter. It could be imagined like a
tripod standing on its three legs.
The idea behind this proposal is to save the time, power and
the cost of tripping operations of the drill string to change the
bit to a smaller diameter one, by reducing the frequency of
tripping the string, if not completely eliminating the process.
This would result in an increase in the overall rig efficiency,
both in terms of time and mainly money. Thus, the time and
money saved can be diverted, if required, towards problems
arising due to unexpected hole problems and pipe stuck-ups.
This paper gives the description of the most suitable design of
such a drill bit and the possible modifications of this concept
to be applicable in future developments.
Introduction
Through the history of oil well drilling, individual concentric
lengths of pipe are used to line the borehole. This process
results in stability of the hole and avoiding the hole from

caving in. But it also leads to structural redundancy of the

casing that is used as a bore-hole liner and results in an
increase in the cost of both the material and logistics involved.
During the drilling operation, there is a need to isolate sections
of the well depending upon a variety of geological factors
which range from abnormal pore pressure to wellbore
instability to hydrocarbon or water bearing zones.
From the time rotary drilling was employed, wells have been
drilled in a step-wise manner i.e. drilling a larger diameter
hole at the surface and proceeding to the reservoir with a
receding hole diameter. The bore-hole drilled is cased in
between changing of the bit to drill a smaller diameter hole. A
single diameter bore-hole cannot be drilled throughout its
entire length due to certain parameters arising largely due to
geothermal pressure gradients. But still, two techniques,
namely the expandable tubulars and drilling with casing
methods drift apart from the traditional drilling operations.
In cases where there is an uncertainty about the bore-hole
instability, simultaneous lining or casing of the hole alongside
drilling removes some concern. But this method, which is
employed in casing while drilling operations, reduces the
annular space between the casing and the bore-hole as it
involves drilling with concentric casing strings rather than the
traditional drill pipes.
Certain grades of steel have much greater ductility which
allows adequate plastic deformation to be achieved without
much harmful work-hardening, in such a way that it is feasible
to increase the diameter of a pipe uniformly and without any
uneven thinning of the cross section. The development of pipe
connections which are capable to accommodate this increase
in diameter has brought the concept of mono-bore wells in the
limelight.
One of the convenient methods for drilling a mono-bore well
is employed by the casing while drilling method. The drilling
BHA passes through the casing of restricted diameter to get
attached at the bottom of the casing to drill till the predetermined depth. Later the BHA is retrieved by wireline at
the end of drilling. But since the BHA has to pass through the
casing, the size of the pilot bit and the underreamers used
suffers. Also a smaller size of motor is used which reduces
power output and increases sliding drilling ratio due to its
flexibility.

Due to such reasons, there was a requirement to develop a

technology which would assist in completion of the first phase
of the mono-bore well dream. Though in its infancy, the
extendable arm drill bit would help in diverting some attention
towards development of a drill bit capable of opening up so
as to provide a larger or smaller hole size as and when
required. Further research and development would lead to
complete success of the extendable arm drill bit and
completion methods corresponding to it.
Also to cover up the more conventional aspect, the extendable
arm drill bit, once completely developed and tested in the
field, may prove to be a perfect substitute for conventional
drill bits, if not for all, then for at least a few intermediate
sizes. By employing this bit, the frequency of the tripping
operations could be cut down by a major factor. This would
result in phenomenal savings which would be in the form of
both time and money. Also this would resulting greater well
control, as most problems arise while tripping operations for
changing the bit and proceeding drilling.

SPE 106582

technical configurations like the bit offset and the journal

angle have to be dealt with care as we are using the same drill
bit to drill through different types of formations and through
different hole sizes. Figure 1 shows a schematic of the drill bit
arm along with the slots that are grooved in them.
As we are using hydraulic energy to operate the extendable
arm drill bit, we need some kind of a plunger system to
transform this hydraulic energy into mechanical energy. We
use a dual plunger mechanism for this specific function. Dual
because we intend to transform a small amount of hydraulic
energy to a proportionately larger amount of mechanical
energy. The plunger is filled with an incompressible fluid like
lube oil which acts as the medium for the transfer of energy
from the upper to the lower plunger. The lower plunger is
specially crafted so that it fits in to a slot especially machined
at the top of the arms. The arms are made to pivot at the top,
with the help of the bottom plunger. Thus, it can be said that
the basic movement of the arms is controlled by the dual
plunger installed in the drill bit. A schematic of the dual
plunger is shown in Figure 2.

Design Basis
The basic idea behind designing the extendable arm drill bit is
to provide simplicity and effectivity in the operation of the
BHA without any complications. Time and again different
mechanisms were thought over for performing the desired
function. These mechanisms varied from using energy
governors to external hydraulic jars to screw jacks. In the end
the idea came back to the fact that using hydraulic energy
would prove to be the most efficient method.
Using the hydraulic energy imparted by the circulating fluid
seems to be the most feasible method. It is simple to divert the
mud hydraulic energy to any BHA component and even more
convenient to control the energy imparted by the mud. The
diversion is possible by strategically placing valves wherever
required and energy application can be varied by changing the
density of the circulating mud.
The mechanism for extending the arms is hydraulically
actuated by pressure differential from the fluid flowing
through the bit. An internal coil spring is used to return the
arms to their initial closed position. This would take place
every time the mud circulation is stopped.
Bit components
The basic arrangement of the extendable arm drill bit is almost
similar to the conventional rotary bit with some additions. The
extendable arm drill bit consists of the normal rotary PDC
cutters which are attached to arms, which can be extended by
the use of hydraulic energy imparted by the circulating mud.
The arms are specially fabricated in this particular shape. The
arms have slots grooved in their body which helps in holding
the extended arm in place. These arms are made of the same
material as the normal bit i.e. carbon molybdenum alloy with a
variable amount of cobalt which helps in improving the steel
hardness. The PDC cutters are to be installed with tungsten
carbide inserts for application in areas of hard rock. The

Internal coil springs are used in the drill bit to hold the arms in
place once they are extended in the desired position. The coil
springs are released in the slots present in the arms and tend to
hold the arms in that certain position. The coils are so
calibrated that they would retract only when the force acting
on them is zero. This is possible only when drilling and mud
circulation are stopped. This means that the complete force of
drilling the formation acts on the coil strings installed in the
drill bit. The complete schematic setup of the drill bit is shown
in Figure 3.
Modus operandi
The main and probably the only source of energy for this
method is the hydraulic energy stored in the circulating mud.
The drill bit consists of the arms which pivot about their
rearmost end. This pivoting action is retained in a housing
which is attached to an outer hydraulic cylinder. This
hydraulic cylinder does not carry any axial drilling forces. The
hydraulic cylinder houses a dual plunger and bypass valves
controlled from the surface.
The drill bit is initially kept in closed position. Any kind of
opening of the arms is done by the circulating mud. The
bypass valves are located alongside the dual plunger and are
initially in the open position. Once the drilling has to start, the
drilling mud is pumped through. The bypass valves are closed
and the complete force of the mud is diverted over the plunger.
The amount of pressure being applied on the plunger can be
controlled by either changing the circulation rate or by
changing the viscosity of the mud. The bit is earlier tested in
the laboratory to open up under specific pressure conditions,
and accordingly calibrated. This information is available at the
field during the drilling operation to assist the driller in
applying the prescribed amount of pressure. The downward
movement of the plunger under the influence of pressure
differential draws the bit arms over a profiled surface, causing
them to open outwards, to the expanded position. Now as the

SPE 106582

arms move outwards, the internal coil spring comes into

action. The arms are retained in slots machined at the back of
the bit, as a means of transmitting the drilling torque. The
open position of the arms in the drill bit are shown in Figure
4. Retaining pins, mounted on the arms, act on grooves
machined into the arm to actively retract the cutters as the bit
closes. The entire drilling weight is directly applied to the
head of the bit and onto the PDC inserts in the rollers. The
arms are not directly loaded with any compressive forces
applied to the pivoting end. The pivot only acts as a means of
locating the rear end of the arms.
The internal coil springs hold the arms in their appropriate
position during drilling. These coil springs are pre-calibrated
so that they tend to close when the pressure differential acting
on them falls below a certain level. This great amount of
pressure differential is only achieved when the mud circulation
has been completely stopped. Pulling out of hole imparts a
down thrust onto the arms, promoting a closing a closing
action, in addition to that imparted by the return spring. This
procedure facilitates the opening and closing of the drill bit.
Further developments
The topic discussed in this paper is in a very crude form. The
performance of this drill bit cannot be assumed without
practical testing in the field. Further developments can be
sought after when the bit has been tested in the actual
environment. But at this theoretical level one can only assume
the improvements that should be made. Through the medium
of the paper so far, one can challenge the credibility of this
drill bit. Some of these challenges are discussed in this section.

As we are using a single drill bit to drill multiple size holes,

one can challenge the overall bit life due to continuous
interface with the formation rock. We are using the same drill
bit for both hard and soft formations, thus we have to design
the journal angle and the offset in such a way that it is efficient
for use in most of the formations. Also we would have to
consider the material used for manufacturing the different bit
components. As stated earlier, carbon molybdenum can be
used with variable proportions of cobalt to increase the
hardness of the bit, but the actual composition has to be
determined by considering the type of formation present at the
site. The type of formation can be assumed by the wild cat
wells or the earlier wells that have been drilled conventionally
in the area. Also the tungsten carbide inserts used in the PDC
rollers have to be designed for easy removal and replacement
of the inserts in case of any damage and wear & tear, which is
evident after constant use of the drill bit over a large interval.
Overall the design should allow the drill bit to be fully field
serviceable, with all mechanical components having an
extended operating life. Only the inserts would be replaced to
present a new cutting structure. The inserts could be supplied
with an individual cutting structure to suit particular drilling
parameters and also each set of rollers, and eventually the
arms, would enable a unique expansion ratio to be achieved
within the maximum design diameter. The rollers could also
be redressed with a new cutting structure a number of times
before eventual replacement. High strength corrosion resistant
alloys have to be selected for all component parts coming into
contact with drilling fluids, to improve reliability and extend
service life.
Conclusions

The first thing that one would challenge is the ability of the
internal coil springs to sustain the forces of drilling the
formation. The coil springs are especially designed to hold the
arms in their respective positions while drilling. This is
possible due to the tightly wound return spring in the coil. The
spring(s) retract in such a way that they attach into the grooves
made in the slots machined in the arms. The grooves are
machined in the slots at specific intervals which would
correspond to the opening of the arms at a particular diameter.
The coils are calibrated in the laboratory prior to any field
application. This calibration allows the coils to retract
automatically when the pressure acting in them falls below a
certain reading. This is only possible when circulation has
been completely seized and the required interval has been
drilled.
Another factor one would focus upon is the pressure
differential required to open the arms to a certain extent. The
drill bit is first tested in the laboratory and the results are noted
to be directly used in the field. One of the main results is the
calibration of the opening of the arms to a certain angle. This
opening would be directly related to the pressure differential
acting on the dual plunger. These calculations would be
available at the drill site with the driller to assist him in
choosing the appropriate circulating pressure to be applied.

The idea proposed in this paper is very much in its infancy and
it requires much research and thought both theoretically and
practically in the field. Due to lack of appropriate
infrastructural facilities, the required results and correlations
cannot be obtained. But this would be easily developed in the
industry amidst the more experienced and concerned
personnel, who would develop this idea into a field
application.
As the idea of the mono-bore well takes form, this idea would
possibly prove to be beneficial in developing single diameter
boreholes. After further finalising of the design and the
durability, the extendable arm drill bit would surely be
counted among technologies like casing while drilling and
solid expandable tubulars, which are currently being used in
drilling mono-bore wells. Along with the economic savings
incurred due to the drill bit in the form of saving of tripping
time, this bit could be combined with the casing while drilling
process to result in even greater economic efficiency. Further
developments of the extendable arm drill bit completely
depend on the competency of the bit in the field, but one can
surely count upon this idea as one of the possible method for
achieving economic stability in the field.

SPE 106582

Figures:

Figure 1. Drill bit arm

Figure 2. Dual Plunger Mechanism

Figure 3. Complete setup of the Extendable Arm Drill Bit

SPE 106582

Figure 4. Initial and operating positions of the bit