Structure design of weight-on-bit self-adjusting PDC bit based on stress field analysis and experiment evaluation

The complex formations such as soft-hard interbedded and strong abrasive strata in ultra-deep wells make the PDC bit inefficient in rock-breaking, which greatly increases the development cost of oil and gas reservoirs. There are two basic ways to solve the above problems: one way is to relieve the force condition of the bit by changing the working mode and the other is to release the stress of the rock at bottomhole with special tools. A method is proposed in this paper to make full use of the stress-releasing effect to reduce the value of compressive stress of the rock at bottom hole, even turn it into partially tensile stress, and take advantage of the cutting method of ‘Hybrid Bits’ to improve rock-breaking efficiency (RBE). A supporting Weight-on-bit (WOB) Self-adjusting Dual-diameter PDC Bit (WSADB) is invented to realize the above idea. Based on Biot's theory of poroelasticity and considering the fluid-solid coupling effect, numerical calculation of the stress field at well bottom is performed. The results show that the WSADB can improve the RBE by enlarging the volume of the stress unloading area at well bottom; The rock damage function based on the 3D Mohr-Coulomb Criterion is used to analyze the effect of structural parameters of the bit on RBE and the optimal structural parameters are obtained. When the diameter ratio of the pilot bit to the reaming bit is 0.5, the rock to be drilled at the well bottom will be damaged to the greatest extent; When the length of the pilot bit is longer than 0.5 times of the borehole diameter, the longer the length is, the greater the degree of damage to the rock at well bottom will be. To verify the accuracy of the above calculations, a comparative test between the WSADB and conventional PDC bit is performed. The results show that the WSADB has great superiorities in improving the rate of penetration (ROP), lowering the torque on bit (TOB), reducing the mechanical specific energy (MSE) and enhancing the RBE. Making full use of the advantages of higher ROP, smaller TOB and higher mechanical energy utilization of the WSADB is expected to provide a solution to the problem of low RBE of conventional PDC bit in ultra-deep wells.