I N NOVATI N G WH I LE DR I LLI N G
Digital tools streamline
design, testing process
during drill bit selection
Digital twins, in-bit sensors among innovations shortening
the iteration cycle to help operators get bits into the field faster
BY STEPHEN WHITFIELD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
T here is a lot that goes into a service company’s process
when helping operators to select the right drill bit for a
given hole section. They need to work with operators to
understand the plan for drilling the section. They need to mea-
sure the dynamics of the rock to be drilled, typically through rock
strength data provided by the operator. They need to determine
the amount of customization a given bit design and a given well
might need in order to help the operator achieve its objectives.

Often, they have to deploy simulation software to gather infor-
mation about multiple aspects of the bit’s potential downhole
Highlights
In the ultra-competitive bit business,
manufacturers must constantly push
performance by leveraging previous
lessons learned, adopting new solutions.

In some cases, digital twins can reduce
the need for field testing of new bit designs,
but this approach requires a higher level
of trust between operator and supplier.

Technologies like in-bit sensors and
automated dull grading are producing
better data, better understanding of
bit/rock interactions and, ultimately, better
bit designs.

28 performance. That’s typically followed by field testing, which can
sometimes yield different results from the simulations, sending
everyone back to the drawing board.

On top of the challenges in managing these variables, bit
manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to push the limits
of their products’ performance, recognizing that operators are
always seeking to reach deeper target depths at faster speeds.

“Because the bit business is so competitive, if you’re not in the
background trying to figure out how to beat your own prior perfor-
mance, you’re going to be displaced pretty quickly,” said Matthew
Jennings, Product Line Director – Drill Bits at NOV. “We have to
constantly beat ourselves and improve on our performance with
the bits we design. If we don’t, someone else will.”
Making even small incremental performance gains is critical
right now as drilling activity continues to ramp up around the
world. “A lot of times our customers are seeking a quick solution,”
said Derek Nelms, Product Line Manager – Drill Bits at Baker
Hughes. “Our goal is to find that optimal solution to push the per-
formance of the bit to the level the customer needs, and to do it in
the quickest way possible. Our expertise in the formations they’re
drilling in, our understanding of how our bits perform and the
technologies we need to deliver that best outcome – all of that is
so important to the process.”
In this article, DC speaks with Baker Hughes, Halliburton and
NOV to discuss steps they’re taking to enhance their simulation
software. Better software not only provides better understanding
of how a given bit will interact with the target rock formation, but
it can also shorten the time required for bit design and field testing,
allowing operators to get the bits into the field faster so they can
start drilling and producing.

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I N NOVATI N G WH I LE DR I LLI N G
Digital tools have helped Baker Hughes streamline the drill bit selection process while still providing an accurate analysis of
bit performance. In some cases, operators even favor using digital twins instead of field tests to make their selections.

A digital twin of the bit
Like with most other processes in the drilling of a well, com-
panies are always striving for more efficiency in the bit selection
process. Baker Hughes has an assortment of tools available to
help operators find the right drill bit for their applications. For
instance, at its office in The Woodlands, Texas, it has a surface rig
that can drill with full-sized drill bits in test situations. It also has
a pressure vessel that can take a rock core and simulate drilling
conditions in a downhole environment.

However, to streamline the process while still providing an
accurate analysis of a drill bit’s performance, Baker Hughes says
it is not only continuing to invest in better software but also find-
ing ways to better leverage its decades of field data from various
product lines.

“Our customers are drilling into more challenging lithologies,
but we know going into the bit selection process what our toolbox
is and how we can design bits to solve very specific challenges,”
Mr Nelms said. “We can shorten the design process because we
know how our technologies behave downhole.”
One of the key pieces in Baker Hughes’ bit design process is its
proprietary bit drilling simulation software, which can create a
digital twin of the bit and the target formation. It then evaluates
cutter and bit body interactions of the bit and the rock using pro-
prietary cutter force models. This software is used to evaluate the
performance of various design concepts and customizable solu-
tions using customer inputs to model performance-limiting chal-
lenges from their drilling applications. These can be anything
from formation variation to optimizing the drill-out operation of
cementing float equipment.

After the user inputs well parameters and rock properties, the
software conducts a simulation that can determine the drilling
behavior of specific designs to predict aggressiveness and loading
conditions on the cutting structure. This type of digital twin capa-
bility allows for greater flexibility in modeling drill bit behavior
because it can also make predictions based on the performance
of similar rock formations and similar bit designs using previous
digital twin data.

This capability provides Baker Hughes with a more compre-
hensive picture of how the bit will perform. In some cases, having
a digital twin has led to the need for fewer or even no field tests,
shortening the iteration cycle by days or weeks .

“As we’ve created these models, built out the digital twins and
built out a library of simulations, we can answer customer ques-
tions much faster because we can take previous models we have
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