At the 2017 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition in The Hague, Baker Hughes released the TerrAdapt drillbit, a new self-adjusting polycrystalline diamond compact bit design.

On conventional bits a fixed depth-of-cut (DOC) control setting is optimized for a single rock type. When the bit moves from one formation to another, stick/slip is likely to occur.

Of course, drillers and operators know what happens to the ROP when stick/slip happens. Drilling costs are increased when ROP decreases. The bit and other mechanical and electrical bottomhole assembly hardware can be damaged.

Baker Hughes explained at a press event held in March that DOC control for the TerraAdapt drillbit is achieved through a passive hydromechanical feedback mechanism encapsulated in self-contained cartridges installed inside the bit blades. The DOC control elements mounted on the cartridges respond to the external loads through rate-sensitive retraction and rapid extension strokes that were strategically designed.

Baker Hughes had an internal innovation contest called the Wildcat Challenge. The idea for the selfadjusting bit won. The team was given 12 months to move it from a concept to a proven solution. In 2015 formal development efforts began. As Scott Schmidt, vice president of drillbits for Baker Hughes, said, “It has been exciting to take such a novel idea from concept to commercial offering in less than three years.”

The TerrAdapt bit automatically changes its aggressiveness based on the formation through which it is drilling to mitigate vibration, stick/slip and impact loading. The initial release of the bit focuses on 8½-in. to 12¼-in. versions.

In a Delaware Basin well one operator’s ROP through interbedded formations was increased by 27% compared to the average ROP in offset wells. The bit reduced torque variations by 90%.

The industry continues to improve its effectiveness and efficiency through innovation. This is one example of efforts by service companies to provide operators with new solutions even in a downturn. Lowering costs through new ideas to maximize operations is what will keep oil fl owing even at $50/bbl.

The message is that the industry is not done innovating. Drillbits have been around for a long time, but there are still lots of opportunities for coloring outside the lines, as there are in every area of the oil industry.

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