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IADC/SPE 102287

Improved Optimisation of Bit Selection Using Mathematically Modelled Bit-Performance


Indices
John Clegg, SPE, and Steve Barton, SPE, ReedHycalog

Copyright 2006, IADC/SPE Asia Pacific Drilling Technology Conference and Exhibition
The paper presents results from pilot studies and
This paper was prepared for presentation at the IADC/SPE Asia Pacific Drilling Technology demonstrates a scientific and rational approach to bit selection
Conference and Exhibition held in Bangkok, Thailand, 13–15 November 2006.
– giving not only improved but also more consistent and
This paper was selected for presentation by an IADC/SPE Program Committee following
review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the
reliable results.
paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the International Association of Drilling
Contractors or the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the
author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position of the Introduction
International Association of Drilling Contractors, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
officers, or members. Papers presented at IADC/SPE meetings are subject to publication
review by Editorial Committees of the International Association of Drilling Contractors and the All bit designs can be described in terms of their
Society of Petroleum Engineers. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of
this paper for commercial purposes without the written consent of the International Association performance. Historically, this was done by recording actual
of Drilling Contractors and the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to
reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not
performance in bit records and using examples of good
be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom performance, in close offsets, to justify repeat runs of specific
the paper was presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-
3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. designs. To a limited extent, this technique can be effective,
but the danger is that because not all possible options are
Abstract considered, it is by no means assured that the bit selected will
Despite the development of models describing be optimum for the application.
Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) bit performance, bit
selection is often made on the basis of visible, geometric As the art of roller cone bit design, and subsequently of
features. PDC bit design, matured, it became possible to select bits
based on basic geometric features. For example, the IADC
Bits can now be modelled routinely and described in terms coding systems were developed for roller-cone and PDC bit
of their technical interaction with the drilling assembly and the design classification1, 2, and PDC bits have increasingly been
formation. Selection on the basis of modelling and this characterised in terms of their blade count and cutter size.
interaction is novel and valuable, and will make for more
consistent selection and improved performance. So, for example, a PDC bit with many blades would be
selected for a hard or abrasive formation – or a bit with few
A new set of performance indices is presented for PDC blades and large cutters where penetration rate was most
bits. These are derived from a sophisticated mathematical important.
model and describe performance in terms of:
• ROP – Rate of Penetration, or how fast the bit will As easy as they are to understand, these simplistic
drill for a given Weight on Bit (WOB) classification systems miss the point. As will be seen, there
• Durability – how resistant the bit is to abrasive wear are subtle differences between bit designs that can lead to
• Stability – how resistant the bit is to lateral vibration significant changes in bit performance.
• Steerability – how the bit responds to side forces and
therefore how steerable it is on Rotary Steerable Others have recently shown how bits can be ranked in
Systems. terms of performance in specific case histories, as an aid to bit
selection and optimisation3. There have also been publications
Once the relative importance of each index is established, of methods of classification of bits according to geometric
the optimal bit for the specific application can be selected. features, for example cutting profile, number of blades and
number of cutters4, 5.
A specialist interface is presented for Rotary Steerable
Systems. Using this, the user can input system type (from the Over the last decade, sophisticated PDC bit models have
variety of systems available) and well profile, and the software been developed that allow the loads on each bit design feature,
will create a list of bits ranked by decreasing suitability, based as a result of interaction with the formation, whether it be
on a variety of factors including some aspects of bit geometry cutting or rubbing, to be calculated6, 7.
but primarily mathematically modelled response.
2 IADC/SPE 102287

Features that can be modelled include, but are not limited Durability Index
to, PDC cutters (both primary and secondary), diamond
impregnated buttons, tungsten carbide wear inserts, gauge Durability is considered to be a function of how quickly a
pads, gauge trimmers and, of course, the bit body itself. bit will wear and is related to the volume of useable
Polycrystalline Diamond (PCD) in the design. This is not
Once the loads on each component are calculated, they can necessarily the same as the total PCD volume, as a part of
be summed to give total loads on the bit. Thus WOB and each cutter is likely to be set below the blade of the bit and
Torque on Bit (TOB) can be calculated for a specific Depth of therefore of little use for effective drilling. This is why simply
Cut (DOC) while drilling ahead in a particular formation. comparing cutter counts, or sizes, is a poor way of assessing
relative durability of bits.
In addition, the bit can be forced, in the model, to deviate
from drilling straight ahead and resultant displacements and To calculate the durability index using the DM, a two-
loadings calculated. This allows dynamic and directional bit dimensional region is defined. This region is bounded by:
behaviours to be analyzed. • a notional profile defined by the tips of the many PDC
cutters on the bit;
Finally, knowledge of component loading allows • a profile offset from this first profile, representing the
component wear to be predicted.This knowledge of relative extent of useable PCD;
performance can be used to calculate non-dimensional indices • the bit axis; and
that allow a consistent and reliable comparison of one bit to
• a line representing the gauge of the hole.
another. As will be shown later in the paper, the indices are
interdependent. Hence it is vital that the importance of each is
The bit is then rotated about its axis with zero ROP to
ranked to enable the optimal bit to be selected for that specific
determine the positions of all cutters as they pass through the
application.
band. The model then determines the total PCD height “hc”
within the band, as a function of radius, across the whole bit
Calculation of Bit Indices
radius. The value of hc for a single cutter is the length of PCD
measured parallel to the bit axis contained within the band.
A proprietary software program referred to in this paper as
The values of hc for all cutters at a particular radius R are then
the Drilling Model (DM) is used to calculate the four indices
summed to give a total hc at that R. So the total
for a bit. The following sections describe, in turn, how each of
the indices is calculated. Note that the current list is not hc = Σhci for i = 1 to n
exhaustive and as our understanding of bits improves still where n is the number of cutters present at that radius.
further, new indices can be derived to more completely
describe bit characteristics and response. However, the wear suffered by any PDC cutter is also a
function of its radial position8, 9. As radius increases, so does
ROP (Aggressivity) Index volume of rock removed, and so does tangential velocity of
the cutter. Both of these effects tend to increase wear of the
This is simply calculated using the DM, which simulates cutter and so, for a given radial position on the bit, a Wear
all loads on the bit, sums them and iterates to find the ROP Number WN is calculated whereby
that would result from applying a specific WOB while drilling
at a reference RPM in a reference formation. The specific
WOB is a function of bit diameter, in order to make index WN = Rn/hc
values similar across the range of sizes. where n is a power greater than 1.

Comparing with a reference ROP and normalizing then This Wear Number is plotted against radius R and a
gives a simple index. A low index value represents a bit with Durability Index can be calculated from the curve. This can
a low ROP response to increasing WOB (an unaggressive bit) be done either by looking at the total value of the area under
and a high value represents a bit which responds strongly to the curve, or by inspection of maxima. The area so derived
WOB (an aggressive bit). will increase for a lighter set bit (as the value of hc will be
smaller) and so is reciprocated and normalized to calculate a
The index so calculated is representative of the response of Durability Index.
a bit at a typical ROP and in sharp (unworn) condition. The
effects of any secondary elements (diamond inserts, for As above, the index is expressed so that a low value
example) would only be apparent if these were designed to represents a bit with low wear resistance (low durability) and a
contact the rock with a sharp bit and at the reference ROP. As high value represents a bit with high wear resistance (high
will be seen below, the index is used to shortlist bits for a durability).
candidate application and once this has been done, the DM can
be used to simulate actual run conditions and model behaviour It should be noted that other factors could affect the
more thoroughly. durability of a bit. In particular the lateral stability of the bit
has a significant effect on durability- more stable bits resist
IADC/SPE 102287 3

lateral vibration that lead to cutter impact damage. the cutting structure. A high value of Steerability Index is not
Additionally, the number and placement of secondary wear necessarily “good”. Some directional systems, for example
inserts and hydraulic design are also important and should be “push-the-bit” Rotary Steerable tools, require a high side
considered in conjunction with the calculated index value. cutting ability to operate most effectively. Others do not. The
Steerability Index is one of the factors used to determine
The selection of cutter type, for example the use of leached suitability of a bit for a particular system, as described further
thermostable PDC cutters10, 11, is particularly relevant to below.
durability and care must be taken to account for this when
comparing bit designs. Interaction Between Indices

Stability Index The indices described above are not totally independent of
each other. They interact to the extent that is not normally
The Lateral Stability Index (LSI) represents the resistance practical to design a bit where all achieve the maximum value.
of a bit to lateral instability including backwards whirl. Its Otherwise, there would only be one bit design for each hole
calculation and validation are described elsewhere12. size! These interactions have been explored and two examples
are illustrated below.
The LSI is based on the fact that for each application a
Regenerative Force Threshold exists, below which bits are Firstly, as shown in Figure 1, there is a clear trade-off
likely to be stable and above which bits are likely to be between ROP index and Durability index. The graph shows
unstable. This regenerative force is normalised to form a that there is trend towards an inverse relationship, which
Lateral Stability Index, where a high level of LSI equates to a strongly suggests that while it is easy to design a bit with high
very stable bit, and a low level equates to a very unstable bit. durability and low ROP, or vice-versa, it is much more
difficult to design a bit whereby both indices are high – or
High LSI bit designs can deliver superior vibration low. This is intuitively correct, as a durable bit will tend to be
reduction compared with more conventional bit designs, heavy-set and slow, while a fast drilling bit will tend to be
including “Anti-whirl” designs, resulting in longer, faster runs light-set and less durable. However, the graph also shows that
and reduced drilling costs12. the index pairs lie in a band, rather than along a straight line,
and hence that for a given value of one of the indices, it is
Other features can also contribute to bit stability, including possible to design a bit where the other index is maximized.
partial or full circumferential gauge rings13 and secondary This allows optimization of a bit for a given application by
wear elements, and should be considered in conjunction with getting as close as possible to the top right corner of the graph.
LSI. Such optimization is only possible if the indices can be
calculated and the bit design iterated to achieve the best
Steerability Index possible combination.

Bit steerability is based on the Anisotropic Index (AI), Figure 2 is equally interesting. It shows the relationship
which is widely referenced elsewhere14, 15 and where AI is between Durability and Steerability and while it does not show
defined as: a clear trend, it does show a clear bound, beyond which it is
difficult to increase Durability without reducing Steerability.
Again, this is intuitively correct. To make a bit highly durable
AI = LDE/ADE
requires the bit to be heavy-set, particularly around the
shoulder. A heavy-set shoulder will tend to reduce side-
and further where cutting ability (in the same way as a heavy-set bit drills more
slowly) and therefore high Durability will tend to exclude high
LDE = Lateral Drilling Effectiveness Steerability. However, as above, it is possible, if the indices
can be calculated accurately, to design a bit as close as
= Lateral ROP/Applied Side Force possible to the bound.

Bit Selection for Rotary Steerable Systems


and
Whether it is a Steerable Motor assembly or Rotary
ADE = Axial Drilling Effectiveness Steerable System, drive technology has advanced
considerably, resulting in a large diversity of tools and one
= Axial ROP/WOB. compelling fact: drill bit designs need to be optimized to the
specific drive, directional requirement, and lithology. This is
The Steerability Index therefore indicates how a given not simply a matter of varying gauge length or geometry, and
cutting structure design will respond to a bit side force. It is a cannot be resolved with a limited product offering. To provide
function only of the bit cutting structure. In other words the solutions truly matched to the system, an extensive range of
Steerability Index is a measure of the side cutting capability of features and products is required to provide optimal
4 IADC/SPE 102287

performance. To fulfill this philosophy, the following steps For each individual variation in both drill bit characteristic
were implemented: and trajectory option, a number is entered into the matrix. This
number depicts the degree of match of the feature to the
• Intensive interaction with directional tool suppliers trajectory, for the specific RS tool. A high score represents an
• Cutting Structure modeling ideal match, whereas a zero score represents incompatibility.
• Development of innovative features and technologies The number is resultant from the steps identified prior:
• Run performance and analytical techniques intensive communication, research, and testing with the
• Field verification tools. directional tool providers; mathematical modeling;
development of innovative features and technologies for
These five aspects are not merely cyclical but fully specific tools; analysis of the thousands of runs accumulated;
interactive, particularly as new challenges in directional and use of field verification tools and techniques.
drilling rapidly arise. They have led to an in-depth
understanding of the effect of the drive, lithology, and well The logic tables are linked to an interface, which allows
trajectory on the four fundamental drilling characteristics of the user to enter three sets of search criteria:
ROP, Stability, Durability, and Steerability. The result is an
extensive and comprehensive product offering to provide Bit: The required bit size is the only mandatory factor that
system matched solutions for the widest range of directional must be entered, though the user has the option to further
drill bit requirements. However, the key question arises: with define the search with specifics such as blade count and bit
all these different bits, which is the correct one for the specific body material.
directional application?
Tool: The interface has a dropdown menu that lists all
Communication is critical to determining the system commercial Rotary Steerable tools, plus any alternate
matched solution for a given application, particularly given the configurations i.e. some tools may be run as either a Push or
global distribution of directional activity. In order to ensure Point-the-Bit, depending on its set-up, though still comes
consistent and accurate matching of the drill bit to specific under the same tool name. Each tool and configuration has its
drive and trajectory, an interactive, intranet tool has been own specific logic table.
developed for internal optimization of bit selection.
Well Profile: A dropdown menu allows the user to select
System Matching Tool the best-fit directional objective for the application.

This unique software is primarily a specialist interface for With the bit size, RS tool, and well profile defined, the
a database that contains logic tables. For each and every search function can commence. This links the specific logic
commercial Rotary Steerable tool, a logic table has been table to the drill bit characteristics for the entire rotary
created, which in essence, is a matrix of trajectory requirement steerable product line. For each defined characteristic of the
against key characteristics of the drill bit. The latter includes: drill bit, a number is provided from the logic table that
correlates to its suitability to the specific tool and trajectory.
1. Length of the drill bit The search results generated provide a list of all the drill bits
2. Gauge length of that size with their corresponding total score expressed as a
3. Gauge design, including cutting structure, profile, and percentage. The ideal bit design will return a 100% total
geometry score.
4. Presence or absence of a full or partial ring gauge13
5. Presence or absence of a tapered gauge16 The user will have a number of drill bit designs returned
6. Anisotropic Index. by the SystemMatcher tool. They are arranged in rows, with
each row detailing an individual product or version. These
Due to the vast diversity of features required to accomplish rows are sorted into ranked, descending order, thus revealing
the system matched concept, there are over 20 drill bit the optimal designs towards the top of the screen. In addition
variables assessed within the logic tables, not including the to the total score, the results are grouped:
factors that are encapsulated within the AI calculation.
Optimal: This reveals an optimal match of the drill bits
The trajectory requirement within the matrix is segmented characteristics to the specific RS tool in the well profile
into multiple options to provide the comprehensive range of selected.
directional objectives in which Rotary Steerable tools are
employed. Aside from segmentation by dogleg requirement Adequate: This reveals that the bit will perform
(High, Medium, and Low), it also includes specific objectives adequately, but less optimally than a bit listed in the Optimal
such as Kick-off from vertical and open hole sidetracks. The group.
effect of hole angle is also incorporated within the matrix,
with options existing for drilling at differing degrees of Incompatible: This relates to a low score, which will be
inclination, as well as vertical sections with varying bed dip resultant from the drill bit possessing one or more
angles. characteristics that would be detrimental in combination with
the specific tool and trajectory selected.
IADC/SPE 102287 5

With access granted to all the company’s employees The fit returned by the application matcher is based on the
worldwide, the SystemMatcher tool allows rapid identification sum of the products of the individual indices and their
of the most appropriate designs from the product line. individual weightings. The indices themselves are not
However, there are additional benefits: revealed during the process – they do not need to be. Rather,
• Effective communication of knowledge and lessons the tool recognizes that weighting the importance of
learnt Durability, Stability and ROP in the application and then
• Consistency in bit selection searching for a bit that is best matched in terms of its indices is
• Visibility of new products as they are created the key to optimal performance in the field. The technique is
• Avoidance of products or features that would be purely comparative – it compares one bit with another. It does
detrimental to performance not try to predict exact performance.
• Simple interface
• Dynamic logic tables. Further analysis and display of a shortlist of selected bits
from the search return can then be conducted, giving a more
The last point is critical. The logic tables are continuously detailed comparison of the weightings assigned to the three
updated based on ongoing communication, testing, indices and the fit of each short listed bit.
development, and field performance verification. As such,
changes in drill bit requirement are evident within the Case Study 1: SystemMatcher Selection, Gulf of
SystemMatcher tool immediately. Thailand.

There are, however, limitations to the tool. The process of A significant advancement of the system matcher tool is
selection is based on compatibility of drill bit characteristics to the communication of the side cutting capability of the drill
the operating mechanism of the tool in a specific trajectory i.e. bit. The Anisotropic Index value utilized relates to variation in
Steerability. It does not directly match durability, the cutting structure, and as such, impossible to determine in
Aggressivity, or Stability. This is where we need to interact the field based on visible geometric features. The following
the results of the SystemMatcher search tool with these three example demonstrates how this has a major effect on
remaining indices. directional performance.

Selection of Bits Using ROP, Durability and Lateral The application is a slim hole section within the Gulf of
Stability Indices Thailand to be drilled with a mainstream Push-the-Bit Rotary
Steerable tool. The well profile calls for high dogleg
A second search tool has been developed for selection of requirement. Offset experience, in a similar application,
bits for any application and based on the other three prime resulted in limited dogleg achievement with a 5 bladed, matrix
indices. As with the system matcher tool, the first step in bodied, PDC drill bit with 13mm cutting structure. The
selecting the optimal bit solution is to specify the application. SystemMatcher tool was employed to analyze suitability of
The application matcher allows the user to weight, or rank, the the design used. Although bit length scored well, neither the
importance of indices of Durability, Stability and ROP in a gauge length nor design was optimal. However, the most
particular application. compelling fact was a low AI value, thus limited side cutting
capability of the cutting structure. This design only scored a
Since there are tradeoffs in these indices, as previously 73% match and was classified Incompatible due to its low AI
identified, it is not practical or possible to design a bit that can value. This bit was selected based on conventional thinking at
drill at the highest ROP and is the most durable in the product that time. In retrospect, after employing the system matcher,
line, for instance. The application matcher tool recognizes this this bit should not have been used in this application.
so that increasing the importance ranking of one index
decreases the other two. The user can lock an index, after The ideal product identified by the system matcher was
which increasing the importance of an unlocked index actually also a five bladed PDC design with 13mm cutting
decreases the importance of the third index only. structure. Although having the same length and gauge design
as the original bit, this scored a 90% total match and was
The bit size is then specified and the option is given to color-coded green. Specific variations in the cutting structure,
select a baseline bit, perhaps a bit that has been run in that undetectable by visual examination, resulted in an AI value
application previously. more than doubling that of the original bit, and ensuring
suitability for this high dogleg, side force tool application.
The tool can be used to conduct a weighted search based With addition of an aggressive gauge design, the final total
on index values – for example figure 3 shows an application score was 95% match, and the bit was suitably recommended
where ROP is considered most important and where a 5- for this directional application. This bit is being run at the time
bladed bit is used as the baseline for comparison. Figure 4 of authoring this paper.
shows a typical search return – note that in this case the search
has found 10 designs more suited for the application than the
bit initially selected.
6 IADC/SPE 102287

Case Study 2: Design of a New Bit Based on Such a performance improvement would not have been
Performance Indices, RS Application in Abu Dhabi. achieved without use of the calculated performance indices in
design of the bit.
A six-bladed, 13mm cutter design, shown in Figure 5
below, was developed some years ago for the first slimhole Conclusion
Rotary Steerable systems. The bit was successful at the time
but is now showing signs of age and a replacement was There are four indices that substantially describe the
commissioned. The replacement was designed specifically to performance of a bit: ROP; Stability; Durability; and
optimize lateral stability but also to improve the other three Steerability.
indices, as far as the trade-offs would allow, and the resulting
design is shown in figure 6. The index values were optimized Since the indices are interdependent, it is not possible to
by iteration, recalculating after each design step. The bit was design a bit that is optimal in all four indices. Hence optimal
designed for a push-the-bit rotary steerable system, and hence bit selection relies on being able to first establish the
a high Anisotropic Index (AI) was particularly important. In importance weighting or ranking of each index in a particular
addition, to ensure wellbore stability, a gauge hole, and no RS application.
tool damage, lateral stability was considered important and a
high LSI was needed. A tool that is capable of calculating the four indices for a
bit allows optimal bits to be developed for application once
The two bits were compared in terms of their application the importance rankings are defined for that application.
matched indices (AMI) and the change from the legacy design
to the new design, expressed as a percentage, is shown below: The indices interact with each other in ways that are
intuitively correct, however the calculation of quantitative
ROP AMI +21.6% indices allows these interactions to be overcome to the extent
that bits can be optimized for specific applications.
Durability AMI +7.0%
Secondary bit design features can be used to supplement
Stability AMI +12.5% the index values, for example the use of partial or full
circumferential gauge rings can enhance stability.
Steerability AMI +105.9% Suitability of bits for specific directional drilling systems
can be assessed using a sophisticated search tool,
It can be seen that despite both bits having 6 blades and supplemented by knowledge of the requirements of specific
13mm cutters, the new bit is superior in all respects to the systems and well profiles, allowing the optimum bit to be
legacy bit. This superiority is only clear after calculation of recommended for a given application.
the performance indices. It does not contradict the trade-offs
between indices described above – but it does reinforce the Selection of optimal bits in terms of Durability, Stability
point that can be moved closer to the top right corner if the and ROP can be achieved using a tool that first ranks the
indices can be calculated as part of an iterative design process. importance of the each index and then shortlists bits on the
basis of the sum of the product of the ranking multiplied by
Both bits have the same number of blades, and a similar the index for each index.
number of 13mm cutters. How could they be differentiated?
Simply selecting the bit based on the simple criteria of blade Many bits which look similar to each other can perform
count and cutter size would not have allowed discrimination very differently, and bit selection based on indices gives much
between the two designs, and an opportunity for optimization more appropriate bit recommendations than “conventional
of performance would have been missed. wisdom” selection based on coarser, visible measures such as
number of blades or cutter size.
Additional features added to the bit include a taper on the
gauge, known to reduce stick-slip events16, and the addition of Acknowledgements
depth-of-cut controlling buttons in the centre of the bit, also to
limit stick-slip. The authors would like to acknowledge the support of
ReedHycalog in providing the time and resources necessary to
In its first outing, this bit drilled 4,473ft in 71 hours for an write this paper.
average ROP of 63fph. It drilled the required interval in a
single run while achieving all directional and performance Also, thanks to Alan Jennings for his work in coding the
objectives. The run was longer, and significantly faster, than database searches, Graham Watson for his tireless work
the average offsets. Average offset ROP was 47fph. researching and writing the algorithms for the SystemMatcher
Maximum dogleg of over 6O/100ft was achieved with no tool, David Jelley for creating the DM and devising the index
lateral shocks observed and a 75% reduction in stick-slip calculations, and Peter Jun Rui Haw for the analysis of index
recorded. interactions.
IADC/SPE 102287 7

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Mechanical loading on PDC Bit Life” paper SPE 13257
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4. Menand, S. et al: “Classification of PDC Bits According to PDC Drill Bits” paper IADC/SPE 98986 presented at the 2006
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at the 2000 IADC/SPE Asia Pacific Drilling Conference, Kuala 16. Niznik, M.R. et al: “A New Approach to Stick-Slip
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System Characteristics “ papers IADC/SPE 98962 presented at
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8 IADC/SPE 102287

Figure 1: Durability Index v ROP Index

Figure 2: Durability Index v Steerability Index


IADC/SPE 102287 9

Figure 3: Weighted Index Search Inputs

Figure 4: Weighted Index Search Results


10 IADC/SPE 102287

Figure 5: Legacy “613” Design Figure 6: New “613” Design

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