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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