Evaluating the Wear of Polycrystalline Diamond Compact Drill Bit Cutters using Indentation and Scratch Tests

Keywords: Terms-Bit wear, Indentation, Micro-scratch test, Nano-scratch test, Polycrystalline diamond compact

Abstract

Abstract–Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) drill bits are widely used in oil and gas drilling. The wear of PDC cutters is a major problem during drilling. It leads to severe time losses which affect the overall drilling operation cost. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the wear tendency for these cutters using predictive approaches. The present research is focused on studying the wear mechanisms of PDC cutters and the effect of their mechanical properties on the extent of wear. The volume of wear for the PDC cutters was determined experimentally using micro- and nano-scratch tests by implementing an approach based on the geometry of the removed material after micro- and nano-scratch tests. The experimental wear results were compared to the predictions from current models in the literature.Various wear models are evaluated for micro- and nano-scratch tests on both layers of the PDC samples. The study shows that the wear of the PDC cutters can be predicted from the material mechanical properties, applied load, sliding distance, and hardness of the PDC cutters. The study could be extended for the evaluation of wear intensity of PDC cutters from various manufactures without using the previous techniques of abrasion testing.

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Author Biographies

Rafid K. Abbas, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al-Diwaniya

Dr. Abbas is an Assistant professor in petroleum engineering at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al-Diwaniya, Iraq. Dr. Abbas received his PhD in petroleum engineering/ drilling engineering from the School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, UK in 2016. He published numerous papers in the field of Oil Drilling Engineering in various journals as well as he participated in many local and international conferences. 

Ali R. Hassanpour, Institute of Particle Science and Engineering, School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT,
Dr. Ali Hassanpour is an Associate Professor. He is the Head of Petroleum Engineering Programmes at University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

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Published
2018-05-31
How to Cite
Abbas, R. K. and Hassanpour, A. R. (2018) “Evaluating the Wear of Polycrystalline Diamond Compact Drill Bit Cutters using Indentation and Scratch Tests”, ARO-THE SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL OF KOYA UNIVERSITY, 6(1), pp. 46-54. doi: 10.14500/aro.10278.
Section
Articles