Rotary Drill Bit Cutting Discs with Angled Projections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotary drill bits face wear issues during deep well drilling, particularly with PDC cutting elements, which can lead to reduced tool life and efficiency due to the accumulation of cuttings and carbon transformation of diamond material.
Innovation Solution
A rotary drill bit design featuring cutting discs with projections and angles that shear away material, supported by offset structures and equipped with tungsten carbide or polycrystalline diamond compact cutting inserts, mimicking the shearing action of PDC bits and the crushing action of roller cone bits, to extend tool life and improve drilling efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If PDC cutting elements are used in rotary drill bits, then cutting efficiency is improved, but wear and tool life are reduced due to carbon transformation of diamond material and cutting accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The drill bit incorporates multiple cutting structures including PDC cutting elements, roller cones, and cutting discs with projections, dividing the cutting function across different components. This segmentation allows each component to handle specific cutting tasks, reducing the wear burden on any single element type and extending overall tool life while maintaining high cutting efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill bit uses a composite structure combining PDC cutting elements with roller cone elements and cutting discs. This composite approach leverages the shearing action of PDC elements and the crushing action of roller cones, creating a synergistic effect that improves cutting efficiency while the variety of materials and mechanisms distributes wear across different components, extending tool life.
2Reliability
If traditional roller cone bits are used, then tool life is extended through crushing action, but cutting efficiency is reduced compared to PDC bits
Solution Approach 1:
The drill bit merges roller cone crushing action with PDC shearing action and cutting disc projections into a single integrated tool. The roller cones provide durable crushing action for extended tool life, while the PDC elements and cutting disc projections provide efficient shearing action, combining the advantages of both approaches to achieve both long tool life and high cutting efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill bit employs a composite design incorporating roller cone elements, PDC cutting elements, and cutting discs with projections. This composite structure allows the roller cones to handle material through crushing (extending tool life) while the PDC and cutting disc elements handle material through shearing (improving cutting efficiency), achieving both objectives simultaneously.
3Reliability
If cutting discs with multiple projections are used, then wear is reduced through distributed cutting action, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting discs are segmented into multiple projections or cutting elements distributed around the disc perimeter. This segmentation distributes the cutting load across multiple contact points, reducing wear on any single element and extending tool life, while the modular projection design allows for relatively simple manufacturing and assembly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design reduces wear on the drill bit, enhances cutting efficiency, and extends tool life by utilizing overlapping cutting discs and strategically angled cutting inserts that effectively shear and crush subterranean formations, improving drilling performance and preventing cutting material accumulation.
Implementation Method 1
cutting discs with projections and angles that shear away material
Implementation Method 2
mimicking the shearing action of PDC bits and the crushing action of roller cone bits
Data Source
AI summary
A rotary dill bit with a drill bit head and a connecting portion, wherein the rotary bit is positioned and oriented for shearing a surface of a subterranean formation. The drill bit head is comprised of one or more cutting discs, wherein each cutting disc is rotatably mounted to at least one shaft between a pair of support structures with each cutting disc having a cutting disc edge extending outwardly beyond the support structures. The cutting discs have cutting inserts in an overlapping pattern, wherein each cutting insert comprises a projection extending from the cutting disc edge and angled from the cutting disc edge at a side rake and a front rake angle.