Relationship Between Rates of Penetration and Costs per Meter of Tricone Rock Bits: Cases from Southeastern Anatolia and Thrace Basins (Turkey)

Abstract

Oilwell drilling, which is a very expensive operation, requires advanced technical knowledge and technology. Choosing the most suitable drill bits for the formation conditions to be drilled, which is the most important factor in the drilling cost and the rapid completion of the well, is one of the research subjects in which a large number and detailed studies have been carried out in the last 20 years. The orientations on the subject are towards increasing the "penetration rate of drill bit" on which the drilling economy depends substantially. In addition to the mechanical properties of the rocks and the formation properties including geological conditions, the characteristics of the drill bit such as drill bit types, features, and operating parameters also affect the drilling process of a well. This study aims to examine the types, penetration rates, and costs per meter of drill bits used according to formation types in oil and gas wells in the hydrocarbon production basins of Turkey. Besides, in the study, a new global chart is presented to be used for the selection of tricone rock bits suitable for the formation to be drilled, according to the International Association of Drilling Contractors codes. Thus, in future oilwell drilling operations, a new attempt has been made to select the appropriate tricone rock bits and to penetrate in optimum conditions.