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Thk PWer .8, ml..tad !., we,ermlcm by an IACCISPE P,cq,an Commltee Mowing tiew d lnbrrm,lm Citaknd In a ab,trwl whmflmd by,h. .MI0,(3). Cuntmt% oftilePP.,,
- P,e,a,ed. have d ken MJewsd by ,W So.claly of Pet,olnu,n E,gin,em O, ,he I,tem,tl,,l timclal!or .1 Dn,llng Ca,@cWS and W, subjec+ ,. $orr@lnn by he author(,). Tim
,terkl, as P,,SO,,d, d,.e ,o!>,e_@y mllwi w F.M,b of !he UK ,, SP< S!,1, .31fl.cm, or mmbw. P.w,s P@w,e5 at l~C/SPE .6+Mw am ,bJect to Pblicakw
,evlw by Edi,m,d Commtlws d ,h, IADC and SPE, Pmi,,(., ,. cow h ,,str,d,d ,. m absl,aa of m! m,. mm .3c0 word,, IIIUSOMWS may M b, coP,,d. m, d+trac, should
cm!,! @rwicm Mnw,wgm,, O( wham and by whom ,W WWF h P,esun,m. WfitE Llbrar,m, SPE, P.O. s.<8s$936. W,hardsnn, TX 75083.3826 U.SA Tel,.. ,63245 SPET.
ABSTRACT heavy cost burden on the industry in terms of sub-
standard bit tierformance and drillstring tilure. .
Recent research has greatly enhanced the industrys
appreciation of drillstring dynamic behaviour but, as is An issue. as complex as vjbratiOn dOes Ot ied it~e[f
often the case, this work has raised more questions to a single, dramatic solution, however now that the
than it has answered. NOW that the inherent main elements Df the problem have been defined it. is
limitations of rotary drilling are better ~derstood, the possible to identify individual techniques that, taken
search is on for a fnaans of closing tha efficiency together, can greatly improve the situation. The
gap, ie, the short fail betwe,en the performance levels approach described here, the use of ultra-high torque
that should be achievable with sophisticated modern motors, has now been under evaluation in the Cantral
bits and the uncertain, frequently disappointing, North Sea for Dver two years. The quality and
results that are seen in the field. consistency of the results achieved in this notoriously
unpredictable area suggest that motors can make an
This paper describes how ixmtem~orary mud motor important contribution to improving efficiency and
technology can be applied to drastically reduce the reducing costs. To appreciate why this is the case it
efficiency gap by the simple expedient of providiig is necessary m consider two things, firstly the
the bit with the operating conditions for which it was specific dynamic effects that are being addressed
designed, rather than the harsh and destructive and, secondly, the. characteristics ,of modern PDMs
environment imposed by rotary drillstring vibration. (positive displacement mud motors) that make them
particularly well adapted to the task.
INTRODUCTION
DRILLSTRING DYNAMICS
The last few years have seen so-me intentive research
irito.. the subject of drillstring behavibur, [%n As a Although this paper focuses ok one type of vibration
result, it has become clear that simple ccmceptual in partiitilar - torsional - it. may be useful to touch on
models of how the drillstring works are inadequate in the other main form which significantly affecta drilling
two fundamental respects: they do ~t deaCdbe what performance.
actually happens and they do not acccmnt for the
effects that are observed, . Straightiorward r6tation as ~n
observed at surface is, iri reality, trarislited into
complex motion downhole which is iffeitid by many Lateral vibration of the drillbit (whirl) occurs when the
variablea and i$ subject to change over time. Workers bit rotates about a point other than its ow cetre.
in this field have identified a group of related The condition occurs in Dvergauge hole which can,
phenomana, collact~vgly ..kno=wn .ISL. yibmtjgn., which. itself, be caused either by the bit having an inherent
are inherent to. all dr31~.ng operations and irhpose a tendency to whirl or by high external side-loading.
Two forms have been identified . .. Forward whirl
961
=.
2 PERFORMANCE
DRILUNG:A PRACTICALSOLUTIDNTO DRILLSTRINGVIBRATION
arises when. the instantaneous centre of rotation hes speed to avoid the onset of bit whirl.
SPE0275?.8
It is also
I
between the centre of the hole and the centre of the known that torsional vibradons originating at the I
bit. Becatise nearly all of the cutting structure is bit are more likely to occur in hard formations and
traveling forward with respect to the formation the when the bit is dull.(31
effects are not particularly detrimental. Backwards
whirl is induced when the instantaneous centre of In either of the scenarios described above the torque
rotation lies between the centre of the bit and the generated st the bottom of the hole is transmitted to
borehole wall. The bit is caused to walk backwards surface through the drillstring and then reflected
around the borehole, experiencing both lateral impact downwards again by the inertia of the rotary drive
against the side .of the ho!e and reverse motion of a which, in conventional systems, is designed to
significant part of the cutting structure against the maintain constant speed despite variations in--torque.
formation. Although all bits experience whirl the. The net result is that a cyclic torsional wave is
consequences are particularly severe for PDCS since generated whose frequency is primarily a function of.
the diamond table of the cutters, though enormously depth. This effect, commonly known as slip-stick,
strong in compression, is weak in tension. The occurs to a greater or lesser extent in all rotary drilling
tendency to bsckwards whirl can be controlled by operations with consequences ranging from the
modifications to the cutter distribution and the gauge insignificant to the catastrophic while many wells are
of the bit, and also by avoiding a combination of high drilled perfectly satisfactorily on rotary, others .sre
rotational apeed and low weight on bit.<, 2] beset with problems of drillstring failure and Poor bit.
performance.
Torsional Vibration
As recent developmenti Tii surface and downhole
As a transmission system the rotary drillstring has a vibration measurement have shown, slip-stick can be
number of inherent limitations which stem f(om the an extremely powerful and destructive phenomenon,
variety of other demanda that are made on it. Below Some of the effects that have been observed are
a certain depth all drillstring are effectively flexible in quite atarding. They include
torsion and assume characteristics which are usually
modelled .5s a spring With a hesvy mass of large Major fluctuations in bit speed. In the slip phase
diameter [the BHA) attached at its lower end.(] When of the cycle, ie, as stored energy is released and
rotation starts, torsional waves are induced in the the BHA accelerates, it has been auggeated that
system from two main sources: , actual on-bottom rotational speed can excqed.
surface R.PM by a factor of between three and ten
1) Static friction arising from contact between the times. [3]
bottom hole assembly and the wall of the hole.
Given the inherent flexibility of drillpipe, torque is Periods of zero rotation. At the end of the slip
absorbed (stored) in the drillstring up to a poinx phase there ia an interval when the bit is
where the static friction acting againat it is stationav as the surface drive catches up with
overcome: As the stored energy is released the the BHA and applies torque to overcome static
drillstring, including the BHA, accelerates until the friction. The stationa~condhion can account for
stored energy has been dissipated, and with the as much as 500A of total drilling time and
effebis of iriertia the neutral condition .rnaY even obviously haa a major impact on penetration
be exceeded, Fe, the BHA may over-rotste and rate .{l
then rotate backwards as a result of the restoring
force. [41 Backward rotation. There is evidence both from
laboratory models and field testa thatit is possible
2) Dynamic fricfion arising from contact between the for the BHA to spin backwards during the
bit and. the bottom. of the hole. It has been torsional cycle, causing serious ciitting element
shown .th.at, for a constant applied weight, bit damsge, particularly with PDC bits and in hard
reactive torque is .a function of rotational speed. formations. {3]
Pa~igularly in the case of PDC bits, which destroy
the rock matrix with. a.. ahearing action, reactive . Severe torque and shock loadings on the
torque decreases as speed of rotation increases drillstring tubulars. Experiments[s] have shown
and this effect in itself is sufficient to-induce a that it is possible to induce instantaneous shock
self-perpetuating to fsiotial wave in the drillstring. values of up to 250g in drill collars depending on
Bit-induced..toraional vibration is also influenced speed of rotation: which can be very rapid at
by weight on bit and, paradoxically, is most acute some points in the slip-stick cycle. similarly,
with drilling parameters that would otherwise be torque build-up in the drillpipe during the stick
desirable, specifically high bit weight for phase can reach levels well in excess of those
maidmum cutter penetration and moderate rotary specified for tool joint make-up. Over a period of
962
. .
,.
J GALLAGHER,MWAiLER,j RUSZKA
I
SPE027538 3
time both effects canbe very detrimental to (Figs 1 b, 2b) were slower than their Predecessors and
overall drillstring integrity and the service life of had significantly more torque which, in turn, dictated
individual components. that they had to be much more robust internally.
Witlin a sh.ov space octime they had also become
Recently a sys~em haa been iritr0duced~71 &hich fully ateersble and were required not only to kick the
inhibits the development of torsional vibrations in the well off from vertical but also to perform the build to
drillstring. The soft torque rotary concept replaces tangent angle and then, frequently, maintain the
the conventional rotary flywheel with a drive desired wellpath to TD. The PDM manufacturetii
mechanism which responds to variations in rotary responded to the challenge, producing equipment
torque (as meaaured by the current demand of the which waa generally reliable, versatile and compatible
rotary drive motor) by adjusting the speed of rotation. with both rock bits and PDCS. Also, despite the
In the absence. of s hard reflestor torsional waves contifiuing perception within the industry that PDMs
reaching surfsce are no longer redire.~ed down the were exclusively directi.o.nal tools, a ,closer
drillstring but are damped out, producing a dynamic examination of the records shows that the second
condition which is much. smoother and less energetic. generation motors were actually capable of delivering
good bit. life a@ rapid penetration @tes when the
There. is good evidence thst soft torque rotsry drive is directional constraints were removed.
effective in reducing drillstring fatigue, which it was
primarily designed to do.. .However, its impict on The next stage of mo@~ d.i?velopment involved a
overall drilling efficiency as meaitirid -by bit ~unhdr increase in torque at the expense of some
performance is less clear-cut, The current. generation speed. (Figs 1c, 2c). These tools, which are now
of positive displacement mud motors offers a.n starting to come into widespread service, can truly be
alternative method of dealing with the effects of described as high torque: in the context of industrial
torsional vibration and, using the same criterion of bit machines their output can be compared to marine ancL.
performance, dramatically improves the amount of locomotive engines. For s.otie time. the third
useful energy available at the bottom of the hole. generation motors were, to some exttit, a solution in
search of a problem. For directional applications it
AN OVERVIEW OF PDM DEVELOPMENT waa felt thst fiey would cause problems of toolface
control and, ~n any case, at a time wh,en oil-base mud
Note In the discussion that follows the term was in general use existing motors were perfectly
generation should not be taken to. imply a strict, adequate for most situations.
chronological order in-motor development, rather it is
a convenient way of describing the general mix of In the late 80s, however, hcreasing environmental
torquelspeed characteristics that were prevalent in pressure to reduce oil discharges to the sea ,caused a
particular periods. Given the endless possibilities in number of offshore operators to revert to using
PDM power section design, many differant water-base f Iuids, particularly for exploration wells.
configurations are. availatile, and in use, at any one [n the North Sea, +s elsewhere, old problem% that had
time. . .,, . . . . .. . .... not been seen fcy a long time, immediately began to
..
recur. Sit pgforrnapc{ which had hjtherto been fairly
Since their introduction iii the: %d - 195-0;S poitive consistent became. erratic and unpredictable. A bit
displacement mud motors have primarily been previously thought to be. su[table for a Particular
regarded as directional d?illing tools. Early examplea formation might be pulled for low ROP and found to
(Figs 1a, 2a) were of 1/2 lobe configuration, (a layout be either very severely worn or, equally likely, hardly
which produces high rotational speeds at low torque) worn at all. The same I@d of inconsistency was
and had a limited operating life due to the fairly bsaic aPParEnt betyeen. similar wells in the same area,
design of their internal components. This some being relatively trouble-free, others inexplicably
combination of factors may have caused mud motors slow and difficult. With the downward trend in
to become regarded as something of a necessary evil. penetration rates water-sensitive formations were
While they undoubtedly revolutionised directional exposed for longer periods causing a variety of hole
drilling they alao caused ratid bit wear (because of prob[ems_and a marked increase in the incidence of
their high speed), were themselves prcme to early stuck pipe. It was in this environment that the
failure and introduced an additional cost element to concept of usinti high torqueliow speed motors purely
the drilling operation. to enhance F-.OPand run length,: Performance Drilling
- was introduced.
In the late 70;S and early 8~s. mud motor desi~n
underwent a period. of rapid evolution, not least
because of the highcy torque requirem$nta .of the new
PDC bits then coming into widespread use. The
second generation, multi-lobe motors that resulted
963
4 PERFoRMANCEDRILLING:A PRACTICALSOLUTIONTO DRILLSTRINGVIBRATION SPE027538
In part the problem had been identified as insufficient [The method used for calculating comparative cost
torque delivery at the bit caused by high frictional per foot is described in Appendix 1).
drag on the d.rillstfing (of necessity, deep CNS wells
frequently have ,lOng, open hole sestions in the 12X: Although one-off comparisons between offset wells
phase). In the light of this analyaia Shell Expio were have to be treated with caution, and are not
receptive to the idea of running a mud motor which necessarily conclusive. Shell Expro were sufficiently
would deliver a quantifiable level of torque directly at encouraged by the outcome of We!l A to continue
the bit. Th<ee brief caae-historic.i are presented with their evaluation .qf the .mcfor in the straight-hole
below showing the development of Performance application. From this ptint it also became standard
Drilling over a two-year period. practice to set fixed performance targets in advance
of a motor run, usually based on cost per foot, to
Cas@1:,Well A The_flrst opportunity to evaluate the quantify the economic benefit the motor was
mOtOr solution wai 611 8 deep high pressurbihigh expected to produce and to provide a yard8tick for
temperature well in. quadrant.. 29... The 12?4 measuring its effectiveness.
Cr$xaceO.us +@ctiog tqtalled some 3700 fi of .tihich
aPPrOxi!qatelY 2700 fr was limestone ..and Over succeeding wells the motor contiiiued to deliver
.,. , ,..=..- .. .1,., @e
remainder claystoneimad. 9-5\d casing point was consistently good results, and a trend started to
below 14000 ft and mud weight ovar 14 ppg. emerge which has since become a hallmark of
Performance Dflllirig, namely ths predictability of both
The motor used was a typical second generation PDM ROP and bit life when a stitible motor is used... On
with the f o11owing chara ct erisfiis the third well, however, a potential limi~tiori of the
.
964
SPE027538 J GALLAGHER,M WALLER,J RUSZKA 5
965
6 PERFORMANCE
DRILLING:A PRAcTICALSOLUTIONTO DRILLSTRINGVIBRATION SPE027538
Altogether Shell Expro have now used Performance ft Ibs downho[e. It is a notable feature of third
Drilling in a tDtal of nin6 CNS exploration wells, five generation motors that they are able to sustain very
of which have been with the third generation tools. high differential pressure, indeed they frequently need
The technique has been @dated fDr hOle ?iz~ Of to be handled with care ao as not to exceed the
16, 12?4 and 8-3/8 and cumulative savings maximum operating limits. Since torque output is a
against offset wells are currently estimated at some direct function of differential pressure it-n be stated
E3.8 niilliofi. Figures 4 and 5 show as drilled coat with confidence that the tools are usually operating
per foot against offset and target costa for eight of close to their quoted output torque. In the case of
the wells (the ninth example is in 8-3/8 hole whereas the 9% design used by Shell Expro, the values are
the offset was 12%:, making accurate comparison 11060 ft Ibs at 870 psi: it is doubtful whether even
difficult). Apart from the magnitude of the aavinga, the most powerful top drive systems are capable of
the most. interesting aspectof thk comparison is how consistently matching this figure in terms of tmque
close the target and as-drilled numbers are, indicating actually delivered at the. bit. (On the general subject
the improved predictive capability that comes with of drilling hydraulics, it haa been found that the motor
motor drilling. pressure drop is not so high as to compromise other
important areas such as available flow rate .or bit
.On the basis of Shell Exproa experience other hydraulic horsepower. Working to a maximum
operators have also been persuaded of the economic surface pressure of around 4000 psi it has usually
benefits to be. gained. On development wells in been possible to maintain flow rates well in excess of
quadranta 14 and 15, for instance, the motor has 700 GPM, even in the deepest 12% sections.)
doubled. penetration rates in the Cretaceous to over
60 ft/hr and the Chalk is regularly drilled with one As regards the mode of delivery, the motor should be
PDC bit as DppOaed to three or four on rotary. It is seen not so much as a cure for torsional vibration as
also interesting to note that one particularly hard band a means of circumventing it and eliminating its moat
of. crystalline limestone, previously thought to be harmful effects. Because positive rotation is always
undrillable with PDC bits, is now daalt with as a maintained the bit does not experience the no-
matter of routine and ca,uses no more than a brief rotations condition and cannot spin backwards, both
reduction in ROP. characteristics of slip-stick. Additionally, althmgh the
bit is connected to the drillstring via the rotwtstator
DRILLING WITH HIGH TORQUE MUD MOTORS of the PDM there is a decoupling effect called
slippage by which the bh does not experience the
In some respects the success of high torque motors full amplitude of. variations in drillstring rotational
in straight-hale rather begs the question of what is speed during the slip-stick cycle. To an extent the
happening (or not happening) to produce the results mOtOr acts as a torsional shock-absorber, not
that are observed, espedally considering the apparent dissimilar to the concept of an overrunning clutch
similarities between motor and rotary drilling with which has been discuaaed elsewhere.<%]
respect to bit selectirm, operating parameters
(particularly weight and speed) mud properties, etc. The net effect is that the bit is working in conditions
(n the absence of a. full suite of comparative dynamic close to thDse for which it was designed.
measurements fm the motor-drilled wells. and the Considering a PDC bit in a hard fcwmation like the
offsets; it can reamnably be inferred that the main Upper Cretaceous Chalk, for instance, the bit can be
effect of the motDr is to improve the torsional run at high weight and at moderate (and reasonably
environment atthe bit. It seems likely that there are constant) rotary speed. It is largely isolated from
two distinct mechanisms at work here, one affecting extraneous dynamic effects acting on the drillstring
the amount of energy available at the bit, the other and operates below the threshold parameters at
affecting how that energy is delivered. which whirl is induced., With a stable dynamic
erwimn.ment and high energy input, the bit is enabled
The research into torsional vibration makes clear what to deliver its full potential and the efficiency gap is
was probably already known intuitively, ie, that a greatly reduced.
significant proportion of input rotary torqfie is
dissipated in overcoming drillstring friction. The A number of interesting consequences flow from this.
extent of the torque loss ia related to such factora as Because bit performance is altogether more
hole condition, well profile, lubricity of the mud, BHA predictable and consistent in a given formation, it is
configuration, etc but is often of a high order as possible to use analytical tools such as fithology, bit
down hole torque measurements by MWD show.L8) In records and [particularly) sonic logs with much
two examples picked at random, a 49 well with 10- greater precision. The drilling problems presented .by
12000ff Ibs recorded at surface showed 2:5000 ft a particular well can be clearly defined and the best
Ibs at the bit, and a near vertical well with only 2.5 solutions identified with a considerable degree of
inclination had 15-16000 ft Ibs at surface and 4-6000 certainty. Because the risk of premature bit failure is
966
,,.. . \
low there is a knock-on effect with regard to time and del!vgr an. exceptionally high [evtj of contimow
cost planning in that wells are more likely to come in torque at speeds w~ch can be tailored to the type of
ahead of the curve and under budget. In an era bit being used and the nature of the formatiom
when an increasing number of drilling contracts secondly they isolate the bit from the moat
involve some form of time-related incentive, there is detrimental affecta of torsional drillstring vibration,
potentially a major gain for the contracting side of the specifically erratic torqua and speed, backward
industry in a tachnique which can greatly reduce the rotation and periods of no-rotation.
uncertainty of drilling operations, particularly where
conditions are difficult. As well as being demonstrably more afficient than
rotary drilling, particularly in hard formations, the
There are alao implications for the nature of the motor technique produces results which are I@h[y
commercial relationship between the service sector predictable and consistent. As a consequence it is
and the operating companies, who are driving the possible to forecast the cost and duration of wells
development of concepts such as partnerin~ and risk- more accurately and there are significant potential
sharing. Since Perforrnance Drilling was introduced it benefits where incentive or risk-sharing contracts are
has been a basic axiom that motors must pay their concerned.
way in straight-hole applications and that they have
no place unless they can deliver a clear-cut economic ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
advantage to the end user. From the outset the
commercial philosophy has been that the cost paid for The authora would like to thank Shell UK Exploration
the service should be in proportion to the benefit and Production and Baker Hughas INTEQ for
derived, basically the principle of no cure, no pay. permission to publish this paper.
As confidence has grown, a number of possible
options have evolved within this basic frarnework REFERENCES
including scaled charges based on cost Per foot and.
lump sum costings based on predicted results. It 111 Warren, T M et al: Development of a Whirl-
says much about the reliability of Performance Drilling Resistant Bit, SPEDE, December 1990, 267-74
that, wifiout exception, these essentially open-ended
agreements have worked to the satisfaction of all (21
Langeveld, C J: PDC Bit Dynarhics, lADC/SPE
concerned. 23867, presented at the 1992 lADC/SPE Drilling
conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, 18-21
Finally, with regard m future development of the February, 1992
Performance conc~pt, it ia becoming clear that the
(31
separate solutions that have been devised for Bretfj J F The Genesis of Bit-[ nduced Tocsionil
different types of vibration could be combim?d to Drillstring Vibrationsn, SPE/IADC 21943, .
produce a very effitient, integrated system. In presanted at the SPEIIADC Drilling Conference,
addition to high torque motors such a system would Amsterdam, 11-14 March 1991
incorporate anti-whirl bits, hydraulic thrusters (to
absorb axial movement and permit a shorter BHA) and [4) Dufeyte, M-P and Henneuse, H: Detection and
soti-torque rotary controls. The net result would be Monitoring of the Slip-Stick Motion: Field
beneficial across a wide spectrum of vibmtion-related Experiments, SPE/lADC 21945, pri?sented at the
problems and the drilling process would ba optimised SPEIIADC Drilling Conference, Amsterdam, 11-14
to the full extent of current knowledge and March 1991
technology.
16)
Kyllingstad, A and Halsey, A: A study of Slip-
CONCLUSION Stick Motion at the Bit, SPEDE, December 1988,
369-73
Ultra-high torquellow speed mud motors have been
extensively evaluated for their straight-hole drilling 161 Aldred, W O and Sheppard, M C: Drillstring
capabilities in i series of Central North Se8 wells. Vibrations: .A New Generation Mechanism and
The motors have been run in a variety of formations Control Strategies, SPE 24582, presented at the
and hole sizes with both POC and tricone bits, and 67th Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition
have shown a consistent improvement over offset of the SPE, Washington, DC, 4-7 October 1992
rotary performance in terms of bit life and rate of
penetration. The enhanced performance has resulted 171
Javanmardi, K and Gaspard, D T Application of
in significant reductions in overall drilling costs. Soft-Torque Rotary Table in Mobile Bay, lADC/
SPE 23913, presented at the lADC/SPE Drilling
k i8 believed that the mechanism by which the Conference, 18-2T February 1992
motors assist bit operation is twofold. Firstly they
967
8 PERFORMANCE
DRILLING:A PRACT!CALSOLUTION TO DRILLSTRING VIBRATION SPE 027538
[8) C[OS8, D A, ,Owens, S C 8fld McPherson, J. D: the offset snd as-drilled cost multiplied by the as-
Measurement of BHA Vibration Using MWD, drilled footage.
lADC/SPE 17273, presented at the [ADC/SPE
Drilling Conference, Dallas, Texas, 28 February-2
..
March 1988
. ,,.
: .,7
For ri15t75Fdrilling an additional term, uDrilling
Time x Hourly Motor Cost is added on the -right-
hand side of the eauation. Where. a taraef cost
per foot is set ttie. required number o~ drilling
hours (and hence ROP) can be derived by
rearranging the equatims. The figures quoted for
cost savings are simply the difference between
968
-.. -
.4-
a.
u-
%
J
..
m
.
%-Had
,-m
L
969
. ., .--..
_s~~27538
Offset Well F
(Rotary) (Performance)
970