Abstract
Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutters are the most extensively used tool for rock drilling in superdeep oil and gas exploration, in which the air drilling technology without drilling fluid is highly promoted. This study examined the performance of PDC cutters in air drilling, including their friction angle, cutting force, specific energy, and wear behaviors, using a home-made testing apparatus and a commercial tribometer. It also investigated the dependence of cutting force on cutting depth and back rake angle. Results obtained in both dry conditions and in drilling fluid media were compared, and a tentative explanation to the observed differences was brought about by these two environments.
Highlights
Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) drilling bits have gradually replaced conventional roller bits in oil and natural gas exploration worldwide since their invention [1,2]
The performance of the whole PDC bit during the drilling process is a synthetic result of many single cutters and, the study of PDC bits in a laboratory usually begins by investigating the behavior of a single cutter [5,6]
Designed apparatuses have been developed in various research institutes all around the world to carry out studies on single PDC cutters [7,8]
Summary
Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) drilling bits have gradually replaced conventional roller bits in oil and natural gas exploration worldwide since their invention [1,2]. In order to continually improve the performance of PDC cutters and bits, great efforts have been made to understand the cutter–rock interaction and related phenomena surrounding their functionalities. Considerable attention has been paid to the following: (1) the friction and heat transfer during the cutter–rock interaction, (2) optimization of the design of PDC cutter geometric parameters, including their spatial distribution, back rake angle, side rake angle, chamfer, and groove geometry [9,10], (3) the monitoring and control of the dynamic rock-cutting process, (4) cutting-force response in the cutting process and its influence factors, and (5) wear behaviors of cutters in the drilling process [11,12,13]
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