PDC drill bit using optimized side rake angle

• US 20060180356A1
• Filed: 01/11/2006
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith International Incorporated (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Smith International Incorporated (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Durairajan, Bala, Huang, Sujian J., Cariveau, Peter Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,441,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/431
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/62 characterised by parts, e.g. cutting elements, which are detachable or adjustable E21B10/64 takes precedence; for roller bits E21B10/20; for augers E21B10/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30

Abstract

A fixed cutter drill bit and a method for designing a fixed cutter drill bit includes simulating the fixed cutter drill bit drilling in an earth formation. A performance characteristic of the simulated fixed cutter drill bit is determined. A side rake angle distribution of the cutters is adjusted at least along a cone region of a blade of the fixed cutter drill bit to change the performance characteristic of the fixed cutter drill bit.

Claims

1. A method for designing a fixed cutter drill bit, comprising:

simulating the fixed cutter drill bit drilling in an earth formation;

determining at least one performance characteristic for the fixed cutter drill bit;

adjusting a side rake angle of at least one cutter of the fixed cutter drill bit; and

repeating the simulating, the determining, and the adjusting until the at least one performance characteristic meets a selected criterion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting involves a cutter along a cone region of the fixed cutter drill bit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting involves a cutter along a nose region of the drill bit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting produces a side rake angle distribution such that cutters positioned in a cone region toward a center of the drill bit have larger side rake angles than cutters positioned in a nose region of the drill bit.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the side rake angle distribution is adjusted such that cutters in the cone region have progressively smaller side rake angles from the center outward toward the nose region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting produces a side rake angle distribution such that a cutter in a cone region has a side rake angle no greater than about 15 degrees and a cutter in a nose region has a side rake angle smaller than the side rake angle of the cutter in the cone region.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining at least one performance characteristic for the simulated fixed cutter drill bit comprises determining at least one performance characteristic selected from a simulated bottom hole cutting pattern, a simulated total imbalance force, a simulated side rake imbalance force, a historic Beta angle between radial and circumferential imbalance forces, and a historic trajectory of a simulated dynamic centerline.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein simulating further comprises:

modeling of the drill bit dynamically drilling in the formation without constraining a centerline of the drill bit to be coaxial with a centerline of a bore hole.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein modeling of the drill bit dynamically drilling in the formation without constraining a centerline of the drill bit to be coaxial with a centerline of a bore hole, further comprises constraining the dynamic movement of the centerline of the drill bit based upon drill string parameters.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein simulating further comprises:

modeling of the drill bit dynamically drilling in the formation while constraining the dynamic movement of the centerline of the drill bit based upon drill string parameters.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the cutters in the cone have faces at an original position and wherein adjusting the side rake angle of at least a cutter comprises moving the cutter so that the face of the cutter is moved forward in the direction of bit rotation of an imaginary radial plane, the imaginary radial plane passing through a centerline of the drill bit and through an original position of a center of the face of the cutter.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the simulating comprises calculating a wear pattern on a plurality of cutters on the fixed cutter drill bit over the simulated drilling time; and

the determining comprises entering the calculated wear pattern corresponding to the period of simulated drilling time.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying at least one performance parameter graphically, and wherein:

the simulating comprises simulating the drilling in the earth formation for a period of simulated drilling time;

the determining comprises determining the at least one performance parameter for the period of simulated drilling time; and

the adjusting the side rake angle of at least one cutter comprises adjusting a side rake angle distribution of a plurality of cutters along a cone region of at least one blade of the fixed cutter drill bit to improve the at least one performance parameter according to the graphically displayed performance parameter.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising repeating the simulating, determining, displaying, and adjusting the side rake angle distribution to optimize the performance parameter.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting the at least the side rake angle distribution of the cutters along the cone region of the blade of the fixed cutter drill bit comprises adjusting the cutters in the cone along a plurality of blades of the fixed cutter drill bit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the drill bit comprises a dual set drill bit having leading blades and trailing blades and wherein adjusting at least the side rake angle distribution of the cutters along the cone region of the blade of the fixed cutter drill bit comprises adjusting the side rake angles of cutters in the cone region along the leading blades to have an outward side rake angle and adjusting the side rake angles of the cutters in the cone region along the trailing blades to have an inward side rake.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting produces a side rake angle distribution such that the at least one cutter has a side rake angle greater than 15 degrees and less than 90 degrees.

24. A drill bit designed according to the method of claim 1.

18. A method for designing a fixed cutter drill bit, comprising:

simulating the fixed cutter drill bit drilling in an earth formation;

determining at least one performance characteristic for the fixed cutter drill bit;

adjusting at least the side rake angle distribution of cutters at least along a cone region of a blade of the fixed cutter drill bit to change the at least one performance characteristic of the fixed cutter drill bit.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising repeating the simulating, determining, and adjusting at least the side rake angle distribution of the cutters to optimize the performance characteristic.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising adjusting at least the side rake angle distribution of the cutters along a nose region of the drill bit.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein adjusting at least the side rake angle distribution of the cutters along the cone region and along the nose region of the blade of the fixed cutter drill bit comprises adjusting the side rake angle distribution such that cutters toward a center of the cone region have larger side rake angles than cutters toward the nose region of the drill bit.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein adjusting at least the side rake angle distribution of the cutters along the cone region of the blade of the fixed cutter drill bit comprises adjusting the side rake angle distribution such that cutters at a center of the cone region have relatively larger side rake angles than cutters along the nose region of the drill bit and such that the side rake angles progressively blend from the relatively larger to the relatively smaller side rake angles.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the adjusting produces a side rake angle distribution such that a cutter in a cone region has a side rake angle greater than 15 degrees and less than 90 degrees and a cutter in a nose region has a side rake angle smaller than the side rake angle of the cutter in the cone region.

25. A drill bit designed according to the method of claim 18.

26. A drill bit comprising cutters positioned along a blade of the drill bit in a cone region and cutters positioned along the blade in a nose region, wherein the cutters in the cone region toward a center of the drill bit have larger side rake angles than the cutters positioned along the nose region.

27. The drill bit of claim 26, wherein the cutters in the cone region have a side rake angle distribution comprising progressively smaller side rake angles from the center of the drill bit outward toward the nose region.

28. The drill bit of claim 26, wherein the cutters in the cone region have side rake angles greater than 0 degrees and no greater than about 15 degrees and cutters in a nose region have side rake angles smaller than the side rake angles of the cutter in the cone region.

29. The drill bit of claim 26, wherein the cutters in the cone region and cutters in the nose region have side rake angles no greater than about 15 degrees and the side rake angles of the cutters in the cone region have a distribution of side rake angles progressively decreasing toward the nose region.

30. The drill bit of claim 26, wherein the cutters in the cone region and cutters in the nose region have side rake angles greater than about 15 degrees and less than 90 degrees and cutters in a nose region have side rake angles smaller than the side rake angles of the cutter in the cone region.

31. The drill bit of claim 26, wherein the cutters along the cone region of the blade of the fixed cutter drill bit have a side rake angle distribution comprising a cutter in the cone region toward the center of drill bit having a side rake angle in a range of greater than 0 degrees and up to about 5 degrees, the cutters in the nose region having side rake angles in a range of about 2 degrees to about 4 degrees, and blending the side rake angles of cutters in the cone region between the cutters toward the center and the cutters at the nose region.

32. The drill bit of claim 26, wherein a cutter in the cone region toward the center of drill bit has a side rake angle of about 12 degrees, a cutter in the nose region has a side rake angle of about 5 degrees, and cutters between the cutter toward the center of drill bit and the cutter in the nose region having a side rake angle distribution blended progressively from about 12 degrees to about 5 degrees.

33. The drill bit of claim 26, wherein the a cutter in the cone region toward the center of the drill bit has a side rake angle of about 5 degrees, cutters at the nose have side rake angles of the to about 2 degrees, and cutters in the cone region have progressively increasing side rake angles from about 5 degrees to about 2 degrees.

34. The drill bit of claim 26, wherein the drill bit comprises a dual set fixed cutter drill bit having leading blades and trailing blades, and wherein cutters in the cone region of a leading blade have side rake angles of about 5 degrees to about 4 degrees, cutters in the nose region of the leading blade have side rake angles in a range of about 5 degrees to about 4 degrees and cutters in a nose region of a trailing blade have side rake angles in a range of about −

1 degree to about −

3 degrees.

35. The drill bit of claim 26, wherein the cutters along the cone region of the blade of the fixed cutter drill bit have a side rake angle distribution comprising a cutter in the cone region toward the center of drill bit having a side rake angle in a range of greater than 15 degrees and up to about 45 degrees, the cutters in the nose region having side rake angles in a range of about −

3 degrees to about 40 degrees, and blending the side rake angles of cutters in the cone region between the cutters toward the center and the cutters at the nose region.