DRILLING BITS

JAMES A.
CRAIG
 Table of
Contents
⦿ Types of Bit
⚫Drag Bit
⚫Roller Cutter Bit
⦿ Drill Bit Classification
⚫Drag Bit Classification
⚫Roller Cutter Bit Classification
⦿ Drill Bit Grading
⚫Tooth Wear/Loss
⚫Bearing Wear
⚫Gauge Wear
⦿ Types of Bit
⚫ Drag Bit
⚫ Roller Cutter Bit
⦿ Drill Bit Classification
⚫ Drag Bit Classification
⚫ Roller Cutter Bit Classification
⦿ Drill Bit Grading
⚫ Tooth Wear/Loss
⚫ Bearing Wear
⚫ Gauge Wear
 Table of
Contents
⦿ Types of Bit
⚫Drag Bit
⚫Roller Cutter Bit
⦿ Drill Bit Classification
⚫Drag Bit Classification
⚫Roller Cutter Bit Classification
⦿ Drill Bit Grading
⚫Tooth Wear/Loss
⚫Bearing Wear
⚫Gauge Wear
 DRILLING BITS
⦿A steel-toothed piece of equipment attached to the
lower end of the drillstring in order to:
⚫ crush,
⚫ scrape and,
⚫ grind
formation loose.

⦿ The two types available are:

⚫ drag bits
⚫ rolling cutter bits
 Drag
Bits
⦿ They consist of fixed cutter blades that are integral
with the body of the bit and rotate as a unit with the
drillstring. The cutting element consists of steelcutters,
diamond, or polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC).
⦿ Steelcutter bits
⚫ the serrated steel blades are set at different angles (e.g. a fishtail
bit).
⦿ Natural diamond bits
⚫ the face or crown of the bit consists of many diamonds set in a
tungsten carbide matrix.
⦿ Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits
⚫ a layer of synthetic PDC is bonded to a cemented tungsten
carbide, it contains many diamond crystals bonded together.
The sintered PDC compact is bonded either to a tungsten
carbide bit-body matrix or to a tungsten carbide stud that is
mounted in a steel bit.
⦿ Thermally stable polycrystalline (TSP) bits
⚫ these bits are manufactured in a similar fashion to PDC bits
but are tolerant of much higher temperatures than PDC bits.
 Roller Cutter
Bits
⦿ They have two or more cones containing the cutting
elements which rotate about the axis of the cone as the
bit is rotated at the bottom of the hole. The 3-cone
rolling cutter bit is by far the most common.
⦿ Important factors to consider in this type of bit are:
structural materials, bearing-seal-lubricating design,
cutting structure arrangements, and hydraulic
arrangements.
 ⦿ Structural materials
⚫ steels with appropriate yield strength, impact resistance,
machineability, and heat-treated properties are usually
selected. Cones are commonly heat treated and made of
NiMo-steel, teeth are sometimes made of NiCrMo- steel
⦿ Bearing-seal-lubricating design
⚫ they function as a unit and they must be able to withstand
large impact loads, chemicals in the drilling fluids, and high
temperature.
○ Sealed bearings – grease lubricant (much longer life)
– pressure surges can cause leak
○ Journal bearings – wear-resistant hard surface on journal
– O-ring seal and grease
– solid lubricant inside cone journal race
⦿ Cutting structure arrangements
⚫ the arrangement must provide efficient penetration of the
formation to be drilled with accurate cut gauge. The gauge of
the hole drilled is maintained by the outside cutters which
are also known as gauge cutters. Teeth are vulnerable to
wear and that increases in abrasive sandstone formations.
When the gauge cutters are worn out, the consequent hole
drilled is undergauge. The cones rotate at the bottom of the
hole and drill hole predominanatly with a grinding and
chipping action. The teeth are pressed onto the formation
below the bit and applies a force exceeding the compressive
strength of the rock
⦿ Hydraulic arrangements
⚫ they must be designed so as to efficiently remove and
evacuate all cuttings from the bottom hole.
 Drill Bit
Classification
⦿ Drill bits are classified by IADC (International
Association of Drilling Contractor) to identify
similar bit types made from different
manufacturers.

⦿ Drag bit classification – it consists of four digits.

⚫ First Digit – an alphabet. It defines the type of cutter and
the body material.
○ D: natural diamond matrix body
○ M: matrix body PDC
○ S: steel body PDC
○ T: matrix body TSP
○ O: others
⚫ Second Digit – numbers 1 to 9 define bit profile. G
denotes gauge height and C denotes cone height.
○ 1: G high, C high
○ 2: G high, C medium
○ 3: G high, C low
○ 4: G medium, C high
○ 5: G medium, C medium
○ 6: G medium, C low
○ 7: G low, C high
○ 8: G low, C medium
○ 9: G low, C low
⚫ Third Digit – numbers 1 to 9 define hydraulic design.
○ a: fluid exit (changeable jets, fixed ports, open throat)
○ b: cutter distribution (bladed, ribbed, open-faced)
○ 1: changeable jets, bladed
○ 2: fixed ports, bladed
○ 3: open throat, bladed
○ 4: changeable jets, ribbed
○ 5: fixed ports, ribbed
○ 6: open throat, ribbed
○ 7: changeable jets, open-faced
○ 8: fixed ports, open-faced
○ 9: open throat, open-faced
⚫Fourth Digit – numbers 0 to 9 denote cutter size and
density.
○ 0: impregnated
○ 1: density light, size large
○ 2: density medium, size large
○ 3: density heavy, size large
○ 4: density light, size medium
○ 5: density medium, size medium
○ 6: density heavy, size medium
○ 7: density light, size small
○ 8: density medium, size small
○ 9: density heavy, size small

⦿ Roller bit classification – consists of four

digits.
⚫First Digit – numbers 1, 2, and 3 designate steel-milled
tooth bits and correspond to increasing formation
hardness.
○ 1: soft formation with low UCS and high drillability
○ 2: medium to medium-hard formations with high UCS
○ 3: hard semi-abrasive and abrasive formations
Numbers 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 designate tungsten carbide
insert bits and correspond to increasing formation
hardness.
○ 4: soft formation with low UCS and high drillability
○ 5: soft to medium-hard formations with low UCS
○ 6: medium-hard formations with high UCS
○ 7: hard semi-abrasive and abrasive formations
○ 8: extremely hard and abrasive formations

⚫Second Digit – numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 denote a sub-

classification of the formation hardness in each of the
eight classes determined by the first digit. Number 1
depicts softess formation in a series and number 4
depicts hardess formation in a series.
Hardness UCS (psi) Formation Types
Ultra soft <1,000 Gumbo, clay
Very soft 1,000 – 4,000 Unconsolidated sands, chalk, salt, claystone
Soft 4,000 – 8,000 Coal, siltstone, schist, sands
Medium 8,000 – 17,000 Sandstone, slate, shale, limestone, dolomite
Hard 17,000 – 27,000 Quartzite, basalt, gabbro, limestone, dolomite
Very hard >27,000 Marble, granite, gneiss
*** UCS = Uniaxial unconfined compressive strength

⚫Third Digit – defines the type of bearing and specifies the

presence/absence of gauge protection by tungsten carbide
inserts.
○ 1: standard roller bearing (non-sealed)
○ 2: roller bearing, air cooled
○ 3: roller bearing, gauge protected
○ 4: sealed roller bearing
○ 5: sealed roller bearing, gauge protected
○ 6: sealed friction bearing
○ 7: sealed friction bearing, gauge protected

⚫Fourth Digit – provides in general information about the

bit characteristics.
○ A: air application, journal bearing bits with air circulation
nozzles
○ B: special bearing seal, application at high RPM
○ C: center jet
○ D: deviation control
○ E: extended jets
○ G: extra gauge/body protection
○ H: horizontal/steering application
○ J: jet deflection
○ L: lug pads, pads very close to gauge diameter
○ M: motor application, special design for use on downhole
motors
○ S: standard steel tooth model
○ T: two-cone bits, sometimes used for deviation control and
penetration rate
○ W: enhanced cutting structure
○ X: chisel tooth insert
○ Y: conical tooth insert
○ Z: other insert shape
⦿ Examples

135M
Soft formation
milled tooth bit;
roller bearings with
gauge protection;
motor application
447X
Soft formation
insert bit; friction
bearings with
gauge protection;
chisel inserts
637Y
Medium-hard insert
bit; friction bearings
with gauge
protection; conical
inserts
 Drill Bit
Grading
⦿ Dull drill bits are graded after runs according to tooth
wear/loss, worn bearings, and gauge wear.

⦿ Tooth Wear/Loss – the reduction of tooth height.

It reported in the nearest eighth, thus a bit which teeth
are worn out to half of its original height is 4/8 and
reported as T-4. Normally, the tooth wear of a bit is
not evenly distributed, some are worn more than
others, some are broken out, BT; some are chipped
(insert bits), CT; some are lost (insert bits), LT.
BT BT

L CT
T
⦿ Bearing Wear – bearing wear in the field is difficult
since the bit would need to be disassembled for
inspection. Often the bearing wear is reported based
on the total bit running hours. Thus, a bit expected to
have a rotation time of 40 hours but rotated at bottom
for 10 hours, would bearing wear is reported as B-2,
i.e.
10 hours
8
⦿ Gauge Wear – when the gauge teeth of a bit are
worn, the drilled hole will be under-gauged which may
lead to damage of the next bit. A ring gauge is used to
measure the wear. The loss of diameter in inches is
reported as the nearest eighth. A bit which diameter is
reduced by 0.5 in. is reported as G-O-4, (i.e. 0.5 x 8).
Letter O is for “out-of-gauge” and letter I is for “in-
gauge.”
Lost cone

Cracked cone
Balled-up bit

Washed-out bit