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Weight On Bit – WOB

6 February 2018

What is Weight on Bit or WOB?

An essential part of the drilling process is adding force to the drill bit in order to successfully break the rock. Weight on the Bit, or WOB, is the amount of downward force exerted on the drill bit provided by thick-walled tubular pieces in the drilling assembly that are known as drill collars. The downward force of gravity on these steel tubes provide force for the drill bit in order to effectively break the rock.

The weight of the drilling assembly is controlled and measured while the drill bit is just off the bottom of the wellbore. Then, the drill string is slowly and carefully lowered until it reaches the bottom. As the driller continues to lower the top of the drill string, more of the weight of the assembly is being applied to the bit and harmoniously less weight is hanging at the surface.

To put this into perspective, let us imagine a vertical drilling hole. If the surface measurement reads 1,000 kg less weight of the string while drilling than with the bit off the bottom, then there should be 1,000 kg of force transferred to the bit. This measurement is read using a hydraulic gauge at the surface that is directly connected to the hoisting equipment for maximum accuracy. This measured weight includes everything that exerts tension on the drill string. Weight transfer control can greatly decrease operating cost and time, and lead to a longer lasting drill bit.

Weight on bit is an essential part of drilling optimization to ensure that the well deepens as drilling moves forward. Finding the right amount of WOB per application is crucial to drilling operations. If the WOB is greater than the optimum value, the drill bit has a higher chance of wear or damage and there is even a chance for the drill string to buckle. On the contrary, if the WOB is less than optimal, the Rate of Penetration (ROP) slows down and drilling performance is subpar. The ROP is the speed at which a drill bit breaks the rock or sediment; ROP is typically measured either in feet or meters per hour. It is important to maximize the rate of penetration to reduce rig time and cost. In order to optimize penetration, drilling operators must pay close attention to Weight on bit and alter it as necessary. Finding the optimum WOB is determined by the design and parameters of the drill bit, as well as external factors such as mud weight, BHA, and the rock being drilled. There is no standard range of weight that should be applied to the bit. It can be anywhere between 1,000 lbs. to 100,000 lbs. depending on the size and type of bit, the rock being drilled, and the application. At Ulterra, recommended values for WOB to the customer are based purely on local knowledge and experience of the application.

Bit manufacturers specify the maximum WOB to avoid damage to the bit; each will have their own method that helps them determine this maximum weight. The stable zone for smooth drilling operations calls for moderate WOB and rotary speed. The recommended weight provided by bit manufacturers is determined by factors such as the structural integrity of the bit body and blades, cutter quantity and the cutter orientation, size, and shape. When we determine the maximum weight the design will take before failure, we then add in a 10-20% safety factor. This safety factor provides a guarantee that the bit will not break if the maximum specified Weight on bit is applied during drill operations.

WOB Measurement

Weight on bit is usually measured using a drillstring weight indicator located on the driller’s console and linked to the hoist equipment in the derrick. The more advanced and functional indicators have dual scales which consists of a primary scale indicating the suspended weight of the drilling assembly and the secondary scale for the drill bit weight. These weight indicators are hydraulic gauges that are attached to the dead line of the drilling line that take the actual force measurement. As the tension in the line increases, hydraulic fluid is forced through the instrument which turns the hands of the indicator, providing the operator with the weight suspended off the hoist. Before the driller measures the weight on the bit, they must make a zero offset adjustment to account for any weight other than the drillstring. Therefore, the measurement inclusively measures the weight of the drill string, which includes the drill pipe and bottomhole assembly. Other than these indicators on the surface, Measurement While Drilling (MWD) tools that are located down hole provide more accurate weight on bit measurements that are sent to the surface on a readout interface. Sensors inside the MWD tool measure the strain on the body of the tool, from which they can calculate the applied weight that is actually getting to the bit since the MWD tool typically sits very close in the drilling assembly.

 

Finding Optimum WOB & Rotary Speed

It is important to select the best bit weight and rotary speed to optimize the drilling operation, minimize cost, and increase bit life. The drilling environment, such as the lithology of the rock and drilling dysfunction, impacts the drilling conditions and can have a negative effect on drilling efficiency. Rotary speed and weight on bit can control vibration and ROP. It is important to be in control of drilling vibration in order to keep the bit in smooth contact with the rock, prevent damage and maximize efficiency by reducing wasted energy. A minimum WOB must be achieved in order to get the drilling started, which is considered the threshold weight. There are average values that have been determined for drilling weights, but proper weight can be determined for each application by increasing the bit weight in steps of 1,000-2,000 lbs., with an optimized rotary speed. Optimum weight has been reached when additional weight is not providing further penetration and the bit starts to founder.

Rotary speed and weight on bit cannot be continuously increased without causing extreme stress on the drill string and bit. If excessive force and weight are being applied to the drill string it can cause the drill pipe to buckle. Buckling at a minimum leads to decreased performance and increased stress on components, but it can even result in parting the string and losing your BHA, which means losing expensive high-tech logging equipment and directional drilling tools down the hole.

After a certain bit weight value is reached, it is normally observed that rate of penetration starts to reduce. The poor response of penetration is usually attributed to inefficient bottom hole cleaning and wear on the drill bit, but it is often actually the case that drilling dysfunction starts to kick in. At very high WOB the sheer amount of torque being produced by the bit starts to overload the drilling system leading to vibration and inefficiency. Likewise, after a certain value of rotary speed has been met, ROP decelerates as the bit starts skating on top of the rock rather than getting good penetration of the cutting structure, the speed is too high to get a good bite into the rock. This poor response of decreased penetration is likely due to loss of stability of the drilling assembly in the wellbore.

To test bit performance, the driller can increase WOB by x amount and the drill rate will increase by y amount of ft/hr. If this bit is efficiently shearing the rock, the next x amount of weight on the bit should yield another y amount of ft/hr. If the drill rate does not increase by the same amount, the response is disproportionate. That increased weight could be damaging to the bit or the BHA. These tests of efficiency will help determine how proportionate the response is between WOB and ROP (ft/hr).

Rotary speed and weight are just two parameters that must be monitored and adjusted to improve drilling efficiency. Other drilling parameters such as torque, flow rate, bottom-hole temperature, and bottom-hole pressure can also be converted into ROP at the bit.

 

Lower WOB, Higher ROP

Ulterra assembled a team of material specialists, design engineers, and performance optimization experts to create a PDC bit platform that was superior to both traditional matrix and steel PDC bodies and that would allow the cutters to get deep into the formation to increase ROP. This team of experts ended up creating the FastBack™ series of bits, which are designed to drill faster with lower WOB. FastBack is designed to get the bit body out of the way so that the drilling is focused on the sharp, diamond edge of the PDC cutter. The energy provided by the PDC cutting structure in these designs requires less WOB while still providing a greater ROP than traditional bits.

Ulterra also offers CounterForce® technology which is focused on the cutter orientation to maximize rock failure and drilling efficiency. CounterForce cutters work synergistically to engage the formation and optimize crack propagation by re-directing resultant drilling forces back into the rock. The angles of the cutters are designed to shear rock more efficiently while keeping the cuttings moving away from the crucial sharp edge of the cutter. This helps reduce reactive torque and improves bit stability for better control and wellbore quality.

With both of these advanced technologies from Ulterra, less weight on bit is required to drill because the bits are more efficient at translating the energy from WOB into cutting action. This translates into a wider envelope of useable drilling parameters, less possibility for drilling dysfunction and overall reduced rates of damage to the bit.