Balanced PDC bit for directional control and high ROP required

Operators working the Eagle Ford shale play in South Texas have experienced costly NPT as a result of multiple runs needed to drill curve and lateral hole sections. The operator wanted a PDC drill bit that would increase ROP and total footage capabilities in the 8 3/4-in curve and lateral hole sections while providing good directional control at maximum penetration rates. With this request, a familiar technological dilemma emerged: PDC bits designed for curve sections deliver strong build capabilities and predictable directional control but often at the expense of acceptable ROP. Alternatively, bits intended for laterals produce high ROP but with lesser directional control capabilities. This technology gap required the choice between steerability performance and high ROP.

Smith Bits Solution: Spear PDC

Smith Bits engineers tailored Spear shale-optimized steel-body PDC drill bits to solve this application issue. Using IDEAS integrated drillbit design platform, engineers determined PDC bit body profile plays a major role in efficient cuttings removal for fast ROP. Based on knowledge gained from the in-depth analysis and field experience, Smith Bits developed a specific Spear PDC bit optimized for the Eagle Ford shale drilling application with the following technology platform:

• Optimized hydraulics to clean debris from bit face and expose cutter edges to formation maximizing ROP
• Bullet-shaped body allows cuttings to sweep around bit and into junk slots
• Reduced body diameter increases distance between the borehole wall allowing the bit to pass over or through a cuttings bed without blade packing or nozzle plugging
• Bit’s steel composition enables increased blade height and reduced width increasing junk slot area.