Methods for designing fixed cutter bits and bits made using such methods

Abstract

In one aspect, the invention provides a method for modeling the dynamic performance of a fixed cutter bit drilling earth formations. In one embodiment, the method includes selecting a drill bit and an earth formation to be represented as drilled, simulating the bit drilling the earth formation. The simulation includes at least numerically rotating the bit, calculating bit interaction with the earth formation during the rotating, and determining the forces on the cutters during the rotation based on the calculated interaction with earth formation and empirical data.

Description

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to fixed cutter drill bits used to drill boreholes in subterranean formations. More specifically, the invention relates to methods for modeling the drilling performance of a fixed cutter bit drilling through an earth formation, methods for designing fixed cutter drill bits, and methods for optimizing the drilling performance of a fixed cutter drill bit.

2. Background Art

Fixed cutter bits, such as PDC drill bits, are commonly used in the oil and gas industry to drill well bores. One example of a conventional drilling system for drilling boreholes in subsurface earth formations is shown in FIG. 1. This drilling system includes a drilling rig 10 used to turn a drill string 12 which extends downward into a well bore 14. Connected to the end of the drill string 12 is a fixed cutter drill bit 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, a fixed cutter drill bit 20 typically includes a bit body 22 having an externally threaded connection at one end 24, and a plurality of blades 26 extending from the other end of bit body 22 and forming the cutting surface of the bit 20. A plurality of cutters 28 are attached to each of the blades 26 and extend from the blades to cut through earth formations when the bit 20 is rotated during drilling. The cutters 28 deform the earth formation by scraping and shearing. The cutters 28 may be tungsten carbide inserts, polycrystalline diamond compacts, milled steel teeth, or any other cutting elements of materials hard and strong enough to deform or cut through the formation. Hardfacing (not shown) may also be applied to the cutters 28 and other portions of the bit 20 to reduce wear on the bit 20 and to increase the life of the bit 20 as the bit 20 cuts through earth formations.

Significant expense is involved in the design and manufacture of drill bits and in the drilling of well bores. Having accurate models for predicting and analyzing drilling characteristics of bits can greatly reduce the cost associated with manufacturing drill bits and designing drilling operations because these models can be used to more accurately predict the performance of bits prior to their manufacture and/or use for a particular drilling application. For these reasons, models have been developed and employed for the analysis and design of fixed cutter drill bits.

Two of the most widely used methods for modeling the performance of fixed cutter bits or designing fixed cutter drill bits are disclosed in Sandia Report No. SAN86-1745 by David A. Glowka, printed September 1987 and titled “Development of a Method for Predicting the Performance and Wear of PDC drill Bits” and U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,342 to Bret, et al. and titled “Method for Modeling and Building Drill Bits,” which are both incorporated herein by reference. While these models have been useful in that they provide a means for analyzing the forces acting on the bit, using them may not result in a most accurate reflection of drilling because these models rely on generalized theoretical approximations (typically some equations) of cutter and formation interaction that may not be a good representation of the actual interaction between a particular cutting element and the particular formation to be drilled. Assuming that the same general relationship can be applied to all cutters and all earth formations, even though the constants in the relationship are adjusted, may result the inaccurate prediction of the response of an actual bit drilling in earth formation.

A method is desired for modeling the overall cutting action and drilling performance of a fixed cutter bit that takes into consideration a more accurate reflection of the interaction between a cutter and an earth formation during drilling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for modeling the performance of fixed cutter bit drilling earth formations. The invention also relates to methods for designing fixed cutter drill bits and methods for optimize drilling parameters for the drilling performance of a fixed cutter bit.

According to one aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention, a method for modeling the dynamic performance of a fixed cutter bit drilling earth formations includes selecting a drill bit and an earth formation to be represented as drilled, simulating the bit drilling the earth formation. The simulation includes at least numerically rotating the bit, calculating bit interaction with the earth formation during the rotating, and determining the forces on the cutters during the rotation based on the calculated interaction with earth formation and empirical data.

In other aspects, the invention also provides a method for generating a visual representation of a fixed cutter bit drilling earth formations, a method for designing a fixed cutter drill bit, and a method for optimizing the design of a fixed cutter drill bit. In another aspect, the invention provides a method for optimizing drilling operation parameters for a fixed cutter drill bit.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, figures, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional drilling system which includes a drill string having a fixed cutter drill bit attached at one end for drilling bore holes through subterranean earth formations.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a prior art fixed cutter drill bit.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a method for modeling the performance of a fixed cutter bit during drilling in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3A shows additional method steps that may be included in the method shown in FIG. 3 to model wear on the cutters of the fixed cutter bit during drilling in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 4A-4C show a flowchart of a method for modeling the drilling performance of a fixed cutter bit in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a force required on a cutter to cut through an earth formation being resolved into components in a Cartesian coordinate system along with corresponding parameters that can be used to describe cutter/formation interaction during drilling.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show a perspective view and a top view of the cutter illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIGS. 6A-6G show examples visual representations generated for one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows an example of an experimental cutter/formation test set up with aspects of cutter/formation interaction and the cutter coordinate system illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7D.

FIGS. 8A and 9A show examples of a cutter of a fixed cutter bit and the cutting area of interference between the cutter and the earth formation.

FIGS. 8B and 9B show examples of the cuts formed in the earth formation by the cutters illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 9A, respectively.

FIG. 9C shows one example partial cutter contact with formation and cutter/formation interaction parameters calculated during drilling being converted to equivalent interaction parameters to correspond to cutter/formation interaction data.

FIG. 10A and 10B show an example of a cutter/formation test data record and a data table of cutter/formation interaction.

FIG. 11 shows a graphical representation of the relationship between a cut force (force in direction of cut) on a cutter and the displacement or distance traveled by the cutter during a cutter/formation interact test.

FIGS. 12 shows one example of a bit coordinate system showing cutter forces on a cutter of a bit in the bit coordinate system.

FIG. 13 shows one example of a general relationship between normal force on a cutter versus the depth of cut curve which relates to cutter/formation tests.

FIG. 14 shows one example of a rate of penetration versus weight on bit obtained for a selected fixed cutter drilling selected formations.

FIG. 15 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of the invention for designing fixed cutter bits.

FIG. 16 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of the invention for optimizing drilling parameters for a fixed cutter bit drilling earth formations.

FIGS. 17A-17C show a flowchart of a method for modeling the drilling performance of a fixed cutter bit in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 18 shows one example of modeling an inhomogeneous formation, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 shows one example of modeling dynamic response in a transitional layer, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 20-22 shows examples of modeling dynamic response on a cutter, blade, and bit, respectively, when in a transitional layer, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 shows one example of a bottomhole pattern generated during drilling in a transitional layer, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides methods for modeling the performance of fixed cutter bits drilling earth formations. In one aspect, a method takes into account actual interactions between cutters and earth formations during drilling. Methods in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention may be used to design fixed cutter drill bits, to optimize the performance of bits, to optimize the response of an entire drill string during drilling, or to generate visual displays of drilling.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, one or more embodiments of a method for modeling the dynamic performance of a fixed cutter bit drilling earth formations includes selecting a drill bit design and an earth formation to be represented as drilled, wherein a geometric model of the bit and a geometric model of the earth formation to be represented as drilled are generated. The method also includes incrementally rotating the bit on the formation and calculating the interaction between the cutters on the bit and the earth formation during the incremental rotation. The method further includes determining the forces on the cutters during the incremental rotation based on data from a cutter/formation interaction model and the calculated interaction between the bit and the earth formation.

The cutter formation interaction model may comprise empirical data obtained from cutter/formation interaction tests conducted for one or more cutters on one or more different formations in one or more different orientations. In alternative embodiments, the data from the cutter/formation interaction model is obtained from a numerical model developed to characterize the cutting relationship between a selected cutter and a selected earth formation. In one or more embodiments, the method described above is embodied in a computer program and the program also includes subroutines for generating a visual displays representative of the performance of the fixed cutter drill bit drilling earth formations.

In one or more embodiments, the interaction between cutters on a fixed cutter bit and an earth formation during drilling is determined. In one or more preferred embodiments, the data is empirical data obtained from cutter/formation interaction tests, wherein each test involves engaging a selected cutter on a selected earth formation sample and the tests are performed to characterize cutting actions between the selected cutter and the selected formation during drilling by a fixed cutter drill bit. The tests may be conducted for a plurality of different cutting elements on each of a plurality of different earth formations to obtain a “library” (i.e., organized database) of cutter/formation interaction data. The data may then be used to predict interaction between cutters and earth formations during simulated drilling. The collection of data recorded and stored from interaction tests will collectively be referred to as a cutter/formation interaction model.

Cutter/Formation Interaction Model

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that cutters on fixed cutter bits remove earth formation primarily by shearing and scraping action. The force required on a cutter to shear an earth formation is dependent upon the area of contact between the cutter and the earth formation, depth of cut, the contact edge length of the cutter, as well as the orientation of the cutting face with respect to the formation (e.g., back rake angle, side rake angle, etc.).

Cutter/formation interaction data in accordance with one aspect of the present invention may be obtained, for example, by performing tests. A cutter/formation interaction test should be designed to simulate the scraping and shearing action of a cutter on a fixed cutter drill bit drilling in earth formation. One example of a test set up for obtaining cutter/formation interaction data is shown in FIG. 7. In the test set up shown in FIG. 7, a cutter 701 is secured to a support member 703 at a location radially displaced from a central axis 705 of rotation for the support member 703. The cutter 701 is oriented to have a back rake angle α_br and side rake angle α_sr (illustrated in FIG. 5B). The support member 703 is mounted to a positioning device that enables the selective positing of the support member 703 in the vertical direction and enables controlled rotation of the support member 703 about the central axis 705.

For a cutter/formation test illustrated, the support member 703 is mounted to the positioning device (not shown), with the cutter side face down above a sample of earth formation 709. The vertical position of the support member 703 is adjusted to apply the cutter 701 on the earth formation 709. The cutter 701 is preferably applied against the formation sample at a desired “depth of cut” (depth below the formation surface). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12A, the cutter 701 may be applied to the surface of the earth formation 709 with a downward force, F_N, and then the support member (703 in FIG. 7) rotated to force the cutter 701 to cut into the formation 709 until the cutter 701 has reached the desired depth of cut, d. Rotation of the support member results in a cutting force, F_cut, and a side force, F_side, (see FIG. 7C) applied to the cutter 701 to force the cutter 701 to cut through the earth formation 709. As illustrated in FIG. 12B, alternatively, to position the cutter 701 at the desired depth of cut, d, with respect to the earth formation 709 a groove 713 may be formed in the surface of the earth formation 709 and the cutter 701 positioned within the groove 713 at a desired depth of cut, and then forces applied to the cutter 701 to force it to cut through the earth formation 709 until its cutting face is completely engaged with earth formation 709.

Referring back to FIG. 7, once the cutter 701 is fully engaged with the earth formation 709 at the desired depth of cut, the support member 703 is locked in the vertical position to maintain the desired depth of cut. The cutter 701 is then forced to cut through the earth formation 709 at the set depth of cut by forcibly rotating the support member 703 about its axis 705, which applies forces to the cutter 701 causing it to scrape and shear the earth formation 709 in its path. The forces required on the cutter 701 to cut through the earth formation 709 are recorded along with values for other parameters and other information to characterize the resulting cutter interaction with the earth formation during the test.

An example of the cut force, F_cut, required on a cutter in a cutting direction to force the cutter to cut through earth formation during a cutter/formation interaction test is shown in FIG. 11. As the cutter is applied to the earth formation, the cut force applied to the cutter increases until the cutting face is moved into complete contact with the earth formation at the desired depth of cut. Then the force required on the cutter to cut through the earth formation becomes substantially constant. This substantially constant force is the force required to cut through the formation at the set depth of cut and may be approximated as a constant value indicated as F_cut, in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 shows one example of a general relationship between normal force on a cutter versus the depth of cut which illustrates that the higher the depth of cut desired the higher the normal force required on the cutter to cut at the depth of force.

The total force required on the cutter to cut through earth formation can be resolved into components in any selected coordinate system, such as the Cartesian coordinate system shown in FIGS. 5 and 7A-7C. As shown in FIG. 5, the force on the cutter can be resolved into a normal component (normal force), F_N, a cutting direction component (cut force), F_cut, and a side component (side force), F_side. In the cutter coordinate system shown in FIG. 5, the cutting axis is positioned along the direction of cut. The normal axis is normal to the direction of cut and generally perpendicular to the surface of the earth formation 709 interacting with the cutter. The side axis is parallel to the surface of the earth formation 709 and perpendicular to the cutting axis. The origin of this cutter coordinate system is shown positioned at the center of the cutter 701.

As previously stated other information is also recorded for each cutter/formation test to characterize the cutter, the earth formation, and the resulting interaction between the cutter and the earth formation. The information recorded to characterize the cutter may include any parameters useful in describing the geometry and orientation of the cutter. The information recorded to characterize the formation may include the type of formation, the confining pressure on the formation, the temperature of the formation, the compressive strength of the formation, etc. The information recorded to characterize the interaction between the selected cutter and the selected earth formation for a test may include any parameters useful in characterizing the contact between the cutter and the earth formation and the cut resulting from the engagement of the cutter with the earth formation.

Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that in addition to the single cutter/formation model explained above, data for a plurality of cutters engaged with the formation at about the same time may be stored. In particular, in one example, a plurality of cutters may be disposed on a “blade” and the entire blade be engaged with the formation at a selected orientation. Each of the plurality of cutters may have different geometries, orientations, etc. By using this method, the interaction of multiple cutters may be studied. Likewise, in some embodiments, the interaction of an entire PDC bit may be studied. That is, the interaction of substantially all of the cutters on a PDC bit may be studied.

In particular, in one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of cutters having selected geometries (which may or may not be identical) are disposed at selected orientations (which may or may not be identical) on a blade of a PDC cutter. The geometry and the orientation of the blade are then selected, and a force is applied to the blade, causing some or all of the cutting elements to engage with the formation. In this manner, the interplay of various orientations and geometries among different cutters on a blade may be analyzed. Similarly, different orientations and geometries of the blade may be analyzed. Further, as those having ordinary skill will appreciate, the entire PDC bit can similarly be tested and analyzed.

One example of a record 501 of data stored for an experimental cutter/formation test is shown in FIG. 10A. The data stored in the record 501 to characterize cutter geometry and orientation includes the back rake angle, side rake angle, cutter type, cutter size, cutter shape, and cutter bevel size, cutter profile angle, the cutter radial and height locations with respect to the axis of rotation, and a cutter base height. The information stored in the record to characterize the earth formation being drilled includes the type of formation. The record 501 may additionally include the mechanical and material properties of the earth formation to be drilled, but it is not essential that the mechanical or material properties be known to practice the invention. The record 501 also includes data characterizing the cutting interaction between the cutter and the earth formation during the cutter/formation test, including the depth of cut, d, the contact edge length, e, and the interference surface area, a. The volume of formation removed and the rate of cut (e.g., amount of formation removed per second) may also be measured and recorded for the test. The parameters used to characterize the cutting interaction between a cutter and an earth formation will be generally referred to as “interaction parameters”.

In one embodiment, the craters formed during the crater/formation test are digitally imaged. The digital images may subsequently be analyzed to provide information about the depth of cut, the mode of fracture, and other information that may be useful in analyzing fixed cutter bits.

Depth of cut, d, contact edge length, e, and interference surface area, a, for a cutter cutting through earth formation are illustrated for example in FIGS. 8A and 9A, with the corresponding formations cut being illustrated in FIGS. 8B and 9B, respectively. Referring primarily to FIG. 8A, for a cutter 801 cutting through earth formation (803 in FIG. 8B), the depth of cut or, d is the distance below the earth formation surface that the cutter penetrates into the earth formation. The interference surface area, a, is the surface area of contact between the cutter and the earth formation during the cut. Interference surface area may be expressed as a fraction of the total area of the cutting surface, in which case the interference surface area will generally range from zero (no interference or penetration) to one (full penetration). The contact edge length, e, is the distance between furthest points on the edge of the cutter in contact with formation at the earth formation surface.

The data stored for the cutter/formation test uniquely characterizes the actual interaction between a selected cutter and earth formation pair. A complete library of cutter/formation interaction data can be obtained by repeating tests as described above for each of a plurality of selected cutters with each of a plurality of selected earth formations. For each cutter/earth formation pair, a series of tests can be performed with the cutter in different orientations (different back rake angles, side rake angles, etc.) with respect to the earth formation. A series of tests can also be performed for a plurality of different depths of cut into the formation. The data characterizing each test is stored in a record and the collection of records can be stored in a database for convenient retrieval.

FIG. 10B shows, an exemplary illustration of a cutter/formation interaction data obtained from a series of tests conducted for a selected cutter and on selected earth formation. As shown in FIG. 10B, the cutter/formation test were repeated for a plurality of different back rake angles (e.g. −10°, −5°, 0°, +5°, +10°, etc.) and a plurality of different side rack angles (e.g., −10°, −5°, 0°, +5°, +10°, etc.). Additionally, tests were repeated for different depths of cut into the formation (e.g., 0.005″, 0.01″, 0.015″, 0.020″, etc.) at each orientation of the cutter. The data obtained from tests involving the same cutter and earth formation pair may be stored in a multi-dimensional table (or sub-database) as shown. Tests are repeated for the same cutter and earth formation as desired until a sufficient number of tests are performed to characterize the expected interactions between the selected cutter and the selected earth formation during drilling.

For a selected cutter and earth formation pair, preferably a sufficient number of tests are performed to characterize at least a relationship between depth of cut, amount of formation removed, and the force required on the cutter to cut through the selected earth formation. More comprehensively, the cutter/formation interaction data obtained from tests characterize relationships between a cutter's orientation (e.g., back rake and side rake angles), depth of cut, area of contact, edge length of contact, and geometry (e.g., bevel size and shape (angle), etc.) and the resulting force required on the cutter to cut through a selected earth formation. Series of tests are also performed for other selected cutters/formations pairs and the data obtained are stored as described above. The resulting library or database of cutter/formation data may then be used to accurately predict interaction between specific cutters and specific earth formations during drilling, as will be further described below.

Cutter/formation interaction records generated numerically are also within the scope of the present invention. For example, in one implementation, cutter/formation interaction data is obtained theoretically based on solid mechanics principles applied to a selected cutting element and a selected formation. A numerical method, such as finite element analysis or finite difference analysis, may be used to numerically simulate a selected cutter, a selected earth formation, and the interaction between the cutter and the earth formation. In one implementation, selected formation properties are characterized in the lab to provide an accurate description of the behavior of the selected formation. Then a numerical representation of the selected earth formation is developed based on solid mechanics principles. The cutting action of the selected cutter against the selected formation is then numerically simulated using the numerical models and interaction criteria (such as the orientation, depth of cut, etc.) and the results of the “numerical” cutter/formation tests are recorded and stored in a record, similar to that shown in FIG. 10A. The numerical cutter/formation tests are then repeated for the same cutter and earth formation pair but at different orientations of the cutter with respect to the formation and at different depths of cut into the earth formation at each orientation. The values obtained from numerical cutter/formation tests are then stored in a multi-dimensional table as illustrated in FIG. 10B.

Laboratory tests are performed for other selected earth formations to accurately characterize and obtain numerical models for each earth formation and additional numerical cutter/formation tests are repeated for different cutters and earth formation pairs and the resulting data stored to obtain a library of interaction data for different cutter and earth formation pairs. The cutter/formation interaction data obtained from the numerical cutter/formation tests are uniquely obtained for each cutter and earth formation pair to produce data that more accurately reflects cutter/formation interaction during drilling.

Cutter/formation interaction models as described above can be used to accurately model interaction between one or more selected cutters and one or more selected earth formation during drilling. Once cutter/formation interaction data are stored, the data can be used to model interaction between selected cutters and selected earth formations during drilling. During simulations wherein data from a cutter/formation interaction library is used to determine the interaction between cutters and earth formations, if the calculated interaction (e.g., depth of cut, contact areas, engagement length, actual back rake, actual side rake, etc. during simulated cutting action) between a cutter and a formation falls between data values experimentally or numerically obtained, linear interpolation or other types of best-fit functions can be used to calculate the values corresponding to the interaction during drilling. The interpolation method used is a matter of convenience for the system designer and not a limitation on the invention. In other embodiments, cutter/formation interaction tests may be conducted under confining pressure, such as hydrostatic pressure, to more accurately represent actual conditions encountered while drilling. Cutting element/formation tests conduced under confining pressures and in simulated drilling environments to reproduce the interaction between cutting elements and earth formations for roller cone bits is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,293 which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.

In addition, when creating a library of data, embodiments of the present invention may use multilayered formations or inhomogeneous formations. In particular, actual rock samples or theoretical models may be constructed to analyzed inhomogeneous or multilayered formations. In one embodiment, a rock sample from a formation of interest (which may be inhomogeneous), may be used to determine the interaction between a selected cutter and the selected inhomogeneous formation. In a similar vein, the library of data may be used to predict the performance of a given cutter in a variety of formations, leading to more accurate simulation of multilayered formations.

As previously explained, it is not necessary to know the mechanical properties of any of the earth formations for which laboratory tests are performed to use the results of the tests to simulate cutter/formation interaction during drilling. The data can be accessed based on the type of formation being drilled. However, if formations which are not tested are to have drilling simulations performed for them, it is preferable to characterize mechanical properties of the tested formations so that expected cutter/formation interaction data can be interpolated for untested formations based on the mechanical properties of the formation. As is well known in the art, the mechanical properties of earth formations include, for example, compressive strength, Young's modulus, Poisson's ration and elastic modulus, among others. The properties selected for interpolation are not limited to these properties.

The use of laboratory tests to experimentally obtain cutter/formation interaction may provide several advantages. One advantage is that laboratory tests can be performed under simulated drilling conditions, such as under confining pressure to better represent actual conditions encountered while drilling. Another advantage is that laboratory tests can provide data which accurately characterize the true interaction between actual cutters and actual earth formations. Another advantage is that laboratory tests can take into account all modes of cutting action in a formation resulting from interaction with a cutter. Another advantage is that it is not necessary to determine all mechanical properties of an earth formation to determine the interaction of a cutter with the earth formation. Another advantage is that it is not necessary to develop complex analytical models for approximating the behavior of an earth formation or a cutter based on the mechanical properties of the formation or cutter and forces exhibited by the cutter during interacting with the earth formation.

Cutter/formation interaction models as described above can be used to provide a good representation of the actual interaction between cutters and earth formations under selected drilling conditions.

As illustrated in the comparison of FIGS. 8A-8B with FIGS. 9A-9B, it can be seen that when a cutter engages an earth formation presented as a smooth, planar surface (803 in FIG. 8A), the interference surface area, a, (in FIG. 8A) is the fraction of surface area corresponding to the depth of cut, d. However, in the case of an earth formation surface having cuts formed therein by previous cutting elements (805 in FIG. 9A), as is typically the case during drilling, subsequent contact of a cutter on the earth formation can result in an interference surface area that is equal to less than the surface area, a, corresponding to the depth of cut, d, as illustrated in FIG. 9A. This “partial interference” will result in a lower force on the cutter than if the complete surface area corresponding to the depth of cut contacted formation. In such case, an equivalent depth of cut and an equivalent contact edge length may be calculated, as shown in FIG. 9C, to correspond to the partial interference. This point will be described further below with respect to use of cutter/formation data for predicting the drilling performance of fixed cutter drill bits.

Further, while reference has been made to selecting a depth of cut in order to determine forces acting on cutters, blades, or a bit, those of ordinary skill will appreciate that a number of other approaches are possible. For example, in one alternative embodiment, a selected load is applied to the cutter (for example, 5000 lbs), and the corresponding depth of penetration is recorded. While reference has been made to particular embodiments, the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited thereto, but rather should be given the full scope of the claims.

Modeling the Performance of Fixed Cutter Bits

In one or more embodiments of the invention, force or wear on at least one cutter on a bit, such as during the simulation of a bit drilling earth formation is determined using cutter/formation interaction data in accordance with the description above.

One example of a method that may be used to model a fixed cutter drill bit drilling earth formation is illustrated in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the method includes accepting as input parameters for a bit, an earth formation to be drilled, and drilling parameters, 101. The method generates a numerical representation of the bit and a numerical representation of the earth formation and simulates the bit drilling in the earth formation by incrementally rotating the bit (numerically) on the formation, 103. The interference between the cutters on the bit and the earth formation during the incremental rotation are determined, 105, and the forces on the cutters resulting from the interference are determined, 107. Finally, the bottomhole geometry is updated to remove the formation cut by the cutters, as a result of the interference, during the incremental rotation, 109. Results determined during the incremental rotation are output, 111. The steps of incrementally rotating 103, calculating 105, determining 107, and updating 109 are repeated to simulate the drill bit drilling through earth formations with results determined for each incremental rotation being provided as output 111.

As illustrated in FIG. 3A, for each incremental rotation the method may further include calculating cutter wear based on forces on the cutters, the interference of the cutters with the formation, and a wear model 113, and modifying cutter shapes based on the calculated cutter wear 115. These steps may be inserted into the method at the point indicated by the node labeled “A”.

Further, those having ordinary skill will appreciate that the work done by the bit and/or individual cutters may be determined. Work is equal to force times distance, and because embodiments of the simulation provide information about the force acting on a cutter and the distance into the formation that a cutter penetrates, the work done by a cutter may be determined.

A flowchart for one implementation of a method developed in accordance with this aspect of the invention is shown, for example, in FIGS. 4A-4C. This method was developed to model drilling based on ROP control. As shown in 4A, the method includes selecting or otherwise inputting parameters for a dynamic simulation. Parameters provided as input include drilling parameters 402, bit design parameters 404, cutter/formation interaction data and cutter wear data 406, and bottomhole parameters for determining the initial bottomhole shape at 408. The data and parameters provided as input for the simulation can be stored in an input library and retrieved as need during simulation calculations.

Drilling parameters 402 may include any parameters that can be used to characterize drilling. In the method shown, the drilling parameters 402 provided as input include the rate of penetration (ROP) and the rotation speed of the drill bit (revolutions per minute, RPM). Those having ordinary skill in the art would recognize that other parameters (weight on bit, mud weight, e.g.) may be included.

Bit design parameters 404 may include any parameters that can be used to characterize a bit design. In the method shown, bit design parameters 404 provided as input include the cutter locations and orientations (e.g., radial and angular positions, heights, profile angles, back rake angles, side rake angles, etc.) and the cutter sizes (e.g., diameter), shapes (i.e., geometry) and bevel size. Additional bit design parameters 404 may include the bit profile, bit diameter, number of blades on bit, blade geometries, blade locations, junk slot areas, bit axial offset (from the axis of rotation), cutter material make-up (e.g., tungsten carbide substrate with hardfacing overlay of selected thickness), etc. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that cutter geometries and the bit geometry can be meshed, converted to coordinates and provided as numerical input. Preferred methods for obtaining bit design parameters 404 for use in a simulation include the use of 3-dimensional CAD solid or surface models for a bit to facilitate geometric input.

Cutter/formation interaction data 406 includes data obtained from experimental tests or numerically simulations of experimental tests which characterize the actual interactions between selected cutters and selected earth formations, as previously described in detail above. Wear data 406 may be data generated using any wear model known in the art or may be data obtained from cutter/formation interaction tests that included an observation and recording of the wear of the cutters during the test. A wear model may comprise a mathematical model that can be used to calculate an amount of wear on the cutter surface based on forces on the cutter during drilling or experimental data which characterizes wear on a given cutter as it cuts through the selected earth formation.

Bottomhole parameters used to determine the bottomhole shape at 408 may include any information or data that can be used to characterize the initial geometry of the bottomhole surface of the well bore. The initial bottomhole geometry may be considered as a planar surface, but this is not a limitation on the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the geometry of the bottomhole surface can be meshed, represented by a set of spatial coordinates, and provided as input. In one implementation, a visual representation of the bottomhole surface is generated using a coordinate mesh size of 1 millimeter.

Once the input data (402, 404, 406) is entered or otherwise made available and the bottomhole shape determined (at 408), the steps in a main simulation loop 410 can be executed. Within the main simulation loop 410, drilling is simulated by “rotating” the bit (numerically) by an incremental amount, Δθ_bit,i, 412. The rotated position of the bit at any time can be expressed as ${\theta }_{\mathrm{bit}}=\sum ^i{\Delta \theta }_{\mathrm{bit},i},$412. Δθ_bit,i may be set equal to 3 degrees, for example. In other implementations, Δθ_bit,i may be a function of time or may be calculated for each given time step. The new location of each of the cutters is then calculated, 414, based on the known incremental rotation of the bit, Δθ_bit,i, and the known previous location of each of the cutters on the bit. At this step, 414, the new cutter locations only reflect the change in the cutter locations based on the incremental rotation of the bit. The newly rotated location of the cutters can be determined by geometric calculations known in the art.

As shown at the top of FIG. 4B, the axial displacement of the bit, Δd_bit,i, during the incremental rotation is then determined, 416. In this implementation the rate of penetration (ROP) was provided as input data (at 402), therefore axial displacement of the bit is calculated based on the given ROP and the known incremental rotation angle of the bit. The axial displacement can be determined by geometric calculations known in the art. For example, if ROP is given in ft/hr and rotation speed of the bit is given in revolutions per minute (RPM), the axial displacement, Δd_bit,i, of the bit resulting for the incremental rotation, Δθ_bit,i, may be determined using an equation such as: $\Delta d_{\mathrm{bit},i}=\frac{\left({\mathrm{ROP}}_i/{\mathrm{RPM}}_i\right)}{60}·\left({\mathrm{\Delta \theta }}_{\mathrm{bit},i}\right).$

Once the axial displacement of the bit, Δd_bit,i, is determined, the bit is “moved” axially downward (numerically) by the incremental distance, Δd_bit,i, 416 (with the cutters at their newly rotated locations calculated at 414). Then the new location of each of the cutters after the axial displacement is calculated 418. The calculated location of the cutters now reflects the incremental rotation and axial displacement of the bit during the “increment of drilling”. Then each cutter interference with the bottomhole is determined, 420. Determining cutter interaction with the bottomhole includes calculating the depth of cut, the interference surface area, and the contact edge length for each cutter contacting the formation during the increment of drilling by the bit. These cutter/formation interaction parameters can be calculated using geometrical calculations known in the art.

Once the correct cutter/formation interaction parameters are determined, the axial force on each cutter (in the Z direction with respect to a bit coordinate system as illustrated in FIG. 12) during increment drilling step, i, is determined, 422. The force on each cutter is determined from the cutter/formation interaction data based on the calculated values for the cutter/formation interaction parameters and cutter and formation information.

Referring to FIG. 12, the normal force, cutting force, and side force on each cutter is determined from cutter/formation interaction data based on the known cutter information (cutter type, size, shape, bevel size, etc.), the selected formation type, the calculated interference parameters (i.e., interference surface area, depth of cut, contact edge length) and the cutter orientation parameters (i.e., back rake angle, side rake angle, etc.). For example, the forces are determined by accessing cutter/formation interaction data for a cutter and formation pair similar to the cutter and earth formation interacting during drilling. Then the values calculated for the interaction parameters (depth of cut, interference surface area, contact edge length, back rack, side rake, and bevel size) during drilling are used to determine the forces required on the cutter to cut through formation in the cutter/formation interaction data. If values for the interaction parameters do not match values contained in the cutter/formation interaction data, records containing the most similar parameters are used and values for these most similar records are used to interpolate the force required on the cutting element during drilling.

In cases during drilling wherein the cutting element makes less than full contact with the earth formation due to grooves in the formation surface made by previous contact with cutters, illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B, an equivalent depth of cut and an equivalent contact edge length can be calculated to correspond to the interference surface area, as shown in FIG. 9C, and used to determine the force required on the cutting element during drilling.

In one implementation, an equivalent contact edge length, e_e|j,i, and an equivalent depth of cut, d_e|j,i, are calculated to correspond to the interference surface area, a_j,i, calculated for cutters in contact with the formation, as shown in FIG. 9C. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that during calculations each cutter may be considered as a collection of meshed elements and the parameters above obtained for each element in the mesh. The parameter values for each element can be used to obtain the equivalent contact edge length and the equivalent depth of cut. For example, the element values can be summed and an average taken as the equivalent contact edge length and the equivalent depth of cut for the cutter that corresponds to the calculated interference surface area. The above calculations can be carried out using numerical methods which are well known in the art.

The displacement of each of the cutters is calculated based on the previous cutter location, p_j,i-1, and the current cutter location, p_j,i, 426. As shown at the top of FIG. 4C, the forces on each cutter are then determined from cutter/formation interaction data based on the cutter lateral movement, penetration depth, interference surface area, contact edge length, and other bit design parameters (e.g., back rake angle, side rake angle, and bevel size of cutter), 428. Cutter wear is also calculated for each cutter based on the forces on each cutter, the interaction parameters, and the wear data for each cutter, 430. The cutter shape is modified using the wear results to form a worn cutter for subsequent calculations, 432.

Once the forces (F_N, F_cut, F_side) on each of the cutters during the incremental drilling step are determined, 422, these forces are resolved into bit coordinate system, O_ZRθ, illustrated in FIG. 12, (axial (Z), radial (R), and circumferential). Then, all of the forces on the cutters in the axial direction are summed to obtain a total axial force F_z on the bit. The axial force required on the bit during the incremental drilling step is taken as the weight on bit (WOB) required to achieve the given ROP, 424.

Finally, the bottomhole pattern is updated, 434. The bottomhole pattern can be updated by removing the formation in the path of interference between the bottomhole pattern resulting from the previous incremental drilling step and the path traveled by each of the cutters during the current incremental drilling step.

Output information, such as forces on cutters, weight on bit, and cutter wear, may be provided as output information, at 436. The output information may include any information or data which characterizes aspects of the performance of the selected drill bit drilling the specified earth formations. For example, output information can include forces acting on the individual cutters during drilling, scraping movement/distance of individual cutters on hole bottom and on the hole wall, total forces acting on the bit during drilling, and the weight on bit to achieve the selected rate of penetration for the selected bit. As shown in FIG. 4C, output information is used to generate a visual display of the results of the drilling simulation, at 438. The visual display 438 can include a graphical representation of the well bore being drilled through earth formations. The visual display 438 can also include a visual depiction of the earth formation being drilled with cut sections of formation calculated as removed from the bottomhole during drilling being visually “removed” on a display screen. The visual representation may also include graphical displays, such as a graphical display of the forces on the individual cutters, on the blades of the bit, and on the drill bit during the simulated drilling. The means used for visually displaying aspects of the drilling performance is a matter of choice for the system designer, and is not a limitation on the invention.

As should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the steps within the main simulation loop 410 are repeated as desired by applying a subsequent incremental rotation to the bit and repeating the calculations in the main simulation loop 410 to obtain an updated cutter geometry (if wear is modeled) and an updated bottomhole geometry for the new incremental drilling step. Repeating the simulation loop 410 as described above will result in the modeling of the performance of the selected fixed cutter drill bit drilling the selected earth formations and continuous updates of the bottomhole pattern drilled. In this way, the method as described can be used to simulate actual drilling of the bit in earth formations.

An ending condition, such as the total depth to be drilled, can be given as a termination command for the simulation, the incremental rotation and displacement of the bit with subsequent calculations in the simulation loop 410 will be repeated until the selected total depth drilled $\left(e.g.,D=\sum ^i\Delta d_{\mathrm{bit},i}\right)$ is reached. Alternatively, the drilling simulation can be stopped at any time using any other suitable termination indicator, such as a selected input from a user.

In the embodiment discussed above with reference to FIGS. 4A-4C, ROP was assumed to be provided as the drilling parameter which governed drilling. However, this is not a limitation on the invention. For example, another flowchart for method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 17A-17C. This method was developed to model drilling based on WOB control. In this embodiment, weight on bit (WOB), rotation speed (RPM), and the total bit revolutions to be simulated are provided as input drilling parameters, 310. In addition to these parameters, the parameters provided as input include bit design parameters 312, cutter/formation interaction data and cutter wear data 314, and bottomhole geometry parameters for determining the initial bottomhole shape 316, which have been generally discussed above.

After the input data is entered (310, 312, 314) and the bottomhole shape determined (316), calculations in a main simulation loop 320 are carried out. As discussed for the previous embodiment, drilling is simulated in the main simulation loop 320 by incrementally “rotating” the bit (numerically) through an incremental angle amount, Δθ_bit,i, 322, wherein rotation of the bit at any time can be expressed as ${\theta }_{\mathrm{bit}}=\sum ^i{\Delta \theta }_{\mathrm{bit},i}.$

As shown in FIG. 17B, after the bit is rotated by the incremental angle, the newly rotated location of each of the cutters is calculated 324 based on the known amount of the incremental rotation of the bit and the known previous location of each cutter on the bit. At this point, the new cutter locations only account for the change in location of the cutters due to the incremental rotation of the bit. Then the axial displacement of the bit during the incremental rotation is determined. In this embodiment, the axial displacement of the bit is iteratively determined in an axial force equilibrium loop 326 based on the weight on bit (WOB) provided as input (at 310).

Referring to FIG. 17B, the axial force equilibrium loop 326 includes initially “moving” the bit vertically (i.e., axially) downward (numerically) by a selected initial incremental distance, ΔA_dbit,i at 328. The selected initial incremental distance may be set at Δd_bit,i=2 mm, for example. This is a matter of choice for the system designer and not a limitation on the invention. For example, in other implementations, the amount of the initial axial displacement may be selected dependent upon the selected bit design parameters (types of cutters, etc.), the weight on bit, and the earth formation selected to be drilled.

The new location of each of the cutters due to the selected downward displacement of the bit is then calculated, 330. The cutter interference with the bottomhole during the incremental rotation (at 322) and the selected axial displacement (at 328) is also calculated, 330. Calculating cutter interference with the bottomhole, 330, includes determining the depth of cut, the contact edge length, and the interference surface area for each of the cutters that contacts the formation during the “incremental drilling step” (i.e., incremental rotation and incremental downward displacement).

Referring back to FIG. 3B, once cutter/formation interaction is calculated for each cutter based on the assumed axial displacement of the bit, the forces on each cutter due to resulting interaction with the formation for the assumed axial displacement is determined 332.

Similar to the embodiment discussed above and shown in FIGS. 4A-4C, the forces are determined from cutter/formation interaction data based on the cutter information (cutter type, size, shape, bevel size, etc.), the formation type, the calculated interference parameters (i.e., interference surface area, depth of cut, contact edge length) and the cutter orientation parameters (i.e., back rake angle, side rake angle, etc.). The forces (F_N, F_cut, F_side) are determined by accessing cutter/formation interaction data for a cutter and formation pair similar to the cutter and earth formation pair interacting during drilling. The interaction parameters (depth of cut, interference surface area, contact edge length, back rack, side rake, bevel size) calculated during drilling are used to determine the force required on the cutter to cut through formation in the cutter/formation interaction data. When values for the interaction parameters do not match values in the cutter/formation interaction data, for example, the calculated depth of cut is between the depth of cut in two data records, the records containing the closest values to the calculated value are used and the force required on the cutting element for the calculated depth of cut is interpolated from the data records. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any number of methods known in the art may be used to interpolate force values based on cutter/formation interaction data records having interaction parameters closely matching with the calculated parameters during the simulation.

Also, as previously stated, in cases where a cutter makes less than full contact with the earth formation because of previous cuts in the formation surface due to contact with cutters during previous incremental rotations, etc., an equivalent depth of cut and an equivalent contact edge length can be calculated to correspond to the interference surface area, as illustrated in FIG. 9C, and the equivalent values used to identify records in the cutter/formation interaction database to determine the forces required on the cutter based on the calculated interaction during simulated drilling. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that in other embodiments, other methods for determining equivalent values for comparing against data obtained from cutter/formation interaction tests may be used as determined by a system designer.

Once the forces on the cutters are determined, the forces are transformed into the bit coordinate system (illustrated in FIG. 12) and all of the forces on cutters in the axial direction are summed to obtain the total axial force on the bit, F_z during that incremental drilling step 334. The total axial force is then compared to the weight on bit (WOB) 334, 336. The weight on bit was provided as input at 310. The simplifying assumption used (at 336) is that the total axial force acting on the bit (i.e., sum of axial forces on each of the cutters, etc.) should be equal to the weight on bit (WOB) at the incremental drilling step 334. If the total axial force F_z is greater than the WOB, the initial incremental axial displacement Δd_i applied to the bit is considered larger than the actual axial displacement that would result from the WOB. If this is the case, the bit is moved up a fractional incremental distance (or, expressed alternatively, the incremental axial movement of the bit is reduced), and the calculations in the axial force equilibrium loop 326 are repeated to determine the forces on the bit at the adjusted incremental axial displacement.

If the total axial force F_z on the bit, from the resulting incremental axial displacement is less than the WOB, the resulting incremental axial distance Δd_bit,i applied to the bit is considered smaller than the actual incremental axial displacement that would result from the selected WOB. In this case, the bit is moved further downward a second fractional incremental distance, and the calculations in the axial force equilibrium loop 326 are repeated for the adjusted incremental axial displacement. The axial force equilibrium loop 326 is iteratively repeated until an incremental axial displacement for the bit is obtained which results in a total axial force on the bit substantially equal to the WOB, within a selected error range.

Once the correct incremental displacement, Δd_i, of the bit is determined for the incremental rotation, the forces on each of the cutters, determined using cutter/formation interaction data as discussed above, are transformed into the bit coordinate system, O_ZRθ, (illustrated in FIG. 12) to determine the lateral forces (radial and circumferential) on each of the cutting elements 340. As shown in FIG. 17C and previously discussed, the forces on each of the cutters is calculated based on the movement of the cutter, the calculated interference parameters (the depth of cut, the interference surface area, and the engaging edge for each of the cutters), bit/cutter design parameters (such as back rake angle, side rake angle, and bevel size, etc. for each of the cutters) and cutter/formation interaction data, wherein the forces required on the cutting elements are obtained from cutter/interaction data records having interaction parameter values similar to those calculated for on a cutter during drilling.

Wear of the cutters is also accounted for during drilling. In one implementation, cutter wear is determined for each cutter based on the interaction parameters calculated for the cutter and cutter/interaction data, wherein the cutter interaction data includes wear data, 342. In one or more other embodiments, wear on each of the cutters may be determined using a wear model corresponding to each type of cutter based on the type of formation being drilled by the cutter. As shown in FIG. 17C, the cutter shape is then modified using cutter wear results to form worn cutters reflective of how the cutters would be worn during drilling, 344. By reflecting the wear of cutters during drilling, the performance of the bit may more accurately reflect the actual response of the bit during drilling. Suitable wear models may be adapted from those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,042,596, 5,010,789, 5,131,478, and 4,815,342, all of which are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.

During the simulation, the bottomhole geometry is also updated, 346, to reflect the removal of earth formation from the bottomhole surface during each incremental rotation of the drill bit. In one implementation, the bottomhole surface is represented by a coordinate mesh or grid having 1 mm grid blocks, wherein areas of interference between the bottomhole surface and cutters during drilling are removed from the bottomhole after each incremental drilling step.

The steps of the main simulation loop 320 described above are repeated by applying a subsequent incremental rotation to the bit 322 and repeating the calculations to obtain forces and wear on the cutters and an updated bottomhole geometry to reflect the incremental drilling. Successive incremental rotations are repeated to simulate the performance of the drill bit drilling through earth formations.

Using the total number of bit revolutions to be simulated (provided as input at 310) as the termination command, the incremental rotation and displacement of the bit and subsequent calculations are repeated until the selected total number of bit revolutions is reached. Repeating the simulation loop 320 as described above results in simulating the performance of a fixed cutter drill bit drilling earth formations with continuous updates of the bottomhole pattern drilled, thereby simulating the actual drilling of the bit in selected earth formations. In other implementations, the simulation may be terminated, as desired, by operator command or by performing any other specified operation. Alternatively, ending conditions such as the final drilling depth (axial span) for simulated drilling may be provided as input and used to automatically terminate the simulated drilling.

The above described method for modeling a bit can be executed by a computer wherein the computer is programmed to provide results of the simulation as output information after each main simulation loop, 348 in FIG. 17C. The output information may be any information that characterizes the performance of the selected drill bit drilling earth formation. Output information for the simulation may include forces acting on the individual cutters during drilling, scraping movement/distance of individual cutters in contact with the bottomhole (including the hole wall), total forces acting on the bit during drilling, and the rate of penetration for the selected bit. This output information may be presented in the form of a visual representation 350, such as a visual representation of the hole being drilled in an earth formation where cut sections calculated as being removed during drilling are visually “removed” from the bottomhole surface. One example of this type of visual representation is shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 6A is a screen shot of a visual display of cutters 612 on a bit (bit body not shown) cutting through earth formation 610 during drilling. During a simulation, the visual display shows the rotation of the cutters 612 on the bottomhole of the formation 610 during the drilling, wherein the bottomhole surface is updated as formation is calculated as removed from the bottomhole during each incremental drilling step.

Within the program, the earth formation being drilled may be defined as comprising a plurality of layers of different types of formations with different orientation for the bedding planes, similar to that expected to be encountered during drilling. One example the earth formation being drilled being defined as layers of different types of formations is illustrated in FIGS. 6B and 6C. In these illustrations, the boundaries (bedding orientations) separating different types of formation layers (602, 603605) are shown at 601, 604, 606. The location of the boundaries for each type of formation is known. During drilling the location of each of the cutters is also known. Therefore, a simulation program having an earth formation defined as shown will accesses data from the cutter/formation interaction database based on the type of cutter on the bit and the particular formation type being drilled by the cutter at that point during drilling. The type of formation being drilled will change during the simulation as the bit penetrates through the earth formations during drilling. In addition to showing the different types of formation being drilled, the graph in FIG. 6C also shows the calculated ROP.

Visual representation generated by a program in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention may include graphs and charts of any of the parameters provided as input, any of the parameters calculated during the simulation, or any parameters representative of the performance of the selected drill bit drilling through the selected earth formation. In addition to the graphical displays discussed above, other examples of graphical displays generated by one implementation of a simulation program in accordance with an embodiment of the invention are shown in FIGS. 6D-6G. FIG. 6D shows an visual display of the overlapping cutter profile 614 for the bit provided as input, a layout for cutting elements on blade one of the bit 616, and a user interface screen 618 that accepts as input bit geometry data from a user.

FIG. 6E shows a perspective view (with the bit body not shown for clarity) of the cutters on the bit 622 with the forces on the cutters of the bit indicated. In this implementation, the cutters was meshed as is typically done in finite element analysis and the forces on each element of the cutters was determined and the interference areas for each element are illustrated by colors indicating the magnitude of the depth of cut on the element and forces on each cutter are represented by color arrows and digital numbers adjacent to the arrows. The visual display shown in FIG. 6E also includes a display of drilling parameter values at 620, including the weight on bit, bit torque, RPM, interred rock strength, hole origin depth, rotation hours, penetration rate, percentage of the imbalance force with respect to weight on bit, and the tangential (axial), radial and circumferential imbalance forces. The side rake imbalance force is the imbalance force caused by the side rake angle only, which is included in the tangential, radial, and circumferential imbalance force.

A visual display of the force on each of the cutters is shown in closer detail in FIG. 6G, wherein, similar to display shown FIG. 6E, the magnitude or intensity of the depth of cut on each of the element segments of each of the cutters is illustrated by color. In this display, the designations “C1-B1” provided under the first cutter shown indicates that this is the calculated depth of cut on the first cutter (“cutter 1”) on blade 1. FIG. 6F shows a graphical display of the area cut by each cutter on a selected blade. In this implementation, the program is adapted to allow a user to toggle between graphical displays of cutter forces, blade forces, cut area, or wear flat area for cutters on any one of the blades of the bit. In addition to graphical displays of the forces on the individual cutters (illustrated in FIGS. 6E and 6G), visual displays can also be generated showing the forces calculated on each of the blades of the bit and the forces calculated on the drill bit during drilling. The type of displays illustrated herein is not a limitation of the invention. The means used for visually displaying aspects of simulated drilling is a matter of convenience for the system designer, and is not a limitation of the invention.

Examples of geometric models of a fixed cutter drill bit generated in one implementation of the invention are shown in FIGS. 6A, and 6C-6E. In all of these examples, the geometric model of the fixed cutter drill bit is graphically illustrated as a plurality of cutters in a contoured arrangement corresponding to their geometric location on the fixed cutter drill bit. The actual body of the bit is not illustrated in these figures for clarity so that the interaction between the cutters and the formation during simulated drilling can be shown.

Examples of output data converted to visual representations for an embodiment of the invention are provided in FIGS. 6A-6G. These figures include area renditions representing 3-dimensional objects preferably generated using means such as OPEN GL a 3-dimensional graphics language originally developed by Silicon Graphics, Inc., and now a part of the public domain. For one embodiment of the invention, this graphics language was used to create executable files for 3-dimensional visualizations. FIGS. 6C-6D show examples of visual representations of the cutting structure of a selected fixed cutter bit generated from defined bit design parameters provided as input for a simulation and converted into visual representation parameters for visual display. As previously stated, the bit design parameters provided as input may be in the form of 3-dimensional CAD solid or surface models. Alternatively, the visual representation of the entire bit, bottomhole surface, or other aspects of the invention may be visually represented from input data or based on simulation calculations as determined by the system designer.

FIG. 6A shows one example of the characterization of formation removal resulting from the scraping and shearing action of a cutter into an earth formation. In this characterization, the actual cuts formed in the earth formation as a result of drilling is shown.

FIG. 6F-6G show examples of graphical displays of output for an embodiment of the invention. These graphical displays were generated to allow the analysis of effects of drilling on the cutters and on the bit.

FIGS. 6A-6G are only examples of visual representations that can be generated from output data obtained using an embodiment of the invention. Other visual representations, such as a display of the entire bit drilling an earth formation or other visual displays, may be generated as determined by the system designer. Graphical displays generated in one or more embodiments of the invention may include a summary of the number of cutters in contact with the earth formation at given points in time during drilling, a summary of the forces acting on each of the cutters at given instants in time during drilling, a mapping of the cumulative cutting achieved by the various sections of a cutter during drilling displayed on a meshed image of the cutter, a summary of the rate of penetration of the bit, a summary of the bottom of hole coverage achieved during drilling, a plot of the force history on the bit, a graphical summary of the force distribution on the bit, a summary of the forces acting on each blade on the bit, the distribution of force on the blades of the bit.

FIG. 6A shows a three dimensional visual display of simulated drilling calculated by one implementation of the invention. Clearly depicted in this visual display are expected cuts in the earth formation resulting from the calculated contact of the cutters with the earth formation during simulated drilling. This display can be updated in the simulation loop as calculations are carried out, and/or visual representation parameters, such as parameters for a bottomhole surface, used to generate this display may be stored for later display or for use as determined by the system designer. It should be understood that the form of display and timing of display is a matter of convenience to be determined by the system designer, and, thus, the invention is not limited to any particular form of visual display or timing for generating displays.

Embodiments of the present invention advantageously provide the ability to model inhomogeneous regions and transition layers. With respect to inhomogeneous regions, sections of formation may be modeled as nodules or beams of different material embedded into a base material, for example. That is, a user may define a section of a formation as including various non-uniform regions, whereby several different types of rock are included as discrete regions within a single section.

FIG. 18 shows one example of an input screen that allows a user to input information regarding the inhomogenity of a particular formation. In particular, FIG. 18 shows one example of parameters that a user may input to define a particular inhomogeneous formation. In particular, the user may define the number, size, and material properties of discrete regions (which may be selected to take the form of nodules within a base material), within a selected base region. Those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a number of different parameters may be used to define an inhomogeneous region within a formation, and no restriction on the scope of the present invention is intended by reference to the parameters shown in FIG. 18.

With respect to multilayer formations, embodiments of the present invention advantageously simulate transitional layers appearing between different formation layers. As those having ordinary skill will appreciate, in real world applications, it is often the case that a single bit will drill various strata of rock. Further, the transition between the various strata is not discrete, and can take up to several thousands of feet before a complete delineation of layers is seen. This transitional period between at least two different types of formation is called a “transitional layer,” in this application.

Significantly, embodiments of the present invention recognize that when drilling through a transitional layer, the bit will “bounce” up and down as cutters start to hit the new layer, until all of the cutters are completely engaged with the new layer. As a result, drilling through the transitional layer mimics the behavior of a dynamic simulation. As a result, forces on the cutter, blade, and bit dynamically change. FIG. 19 illustrate one example of a graphical display that dynamically shows forces changing on the cutters. On the right hand side of FIG. 19, a “transition layer” figure is shown, illustrating the dynamic nature of this layer. FIGS. 20, 21, and 22, illustrate the dynamic response seen by selected cutters, blades, and bit, when a transitional layer is encountered. Those having ordinary skill will appreciate that the data accumulated during the transitional layer (such as maximum and minimum forces encountered by the cutter, blade, and/or bit, whether radial, axial, and/or tangential) may be statistically analyzed and/or displayed to the designer in order to assist in the design process.

FIG. 23 shows a graphic display of a bottomhole pattern generated during drilling of a transitional layer. In particular, FIG. 23 shows simulation is dynamic and accounts for response of bit while drilling through transition region.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited to these types of visual representations, or the type of display. The means used for visually displaying aspects of simulated drilling is a matter of convenience for the system designer, and is not intended to limit the invention.

Designing Fixed Cutter Bits

In another aspect of one or more embodiments, the invention provides a method for designing a fixed cutter bit. A flow chart for a method in accordance with this aspect is shown in FIG. 15. The method includes selecting bit design parameters, drilling parameters, and an earth formation to be represented as drilled, at step 152. Then a bit having the selected bit design parameters is simulated as drilling in the selected earth formation under the conditions dictated by the selected drilling parameters, at step 154. The simulating includes calculating the interaction between the cutters on the drill bit and the earth formation at selected increments during drilling. This includes calculating parameters for the cuts made in the formation by each of the cutters on the bit and determining the forces and the wear on each of the cutters during drilling. Then depending upon the calculated performance of the bit during the drilling of the earth formation, at least one of the bit design parameters is adjusted, at step 156. The simulating, 154, is then repeated for the adjusted bit design. The adjusting at least one design parameter 156 and the repeating of the simulating 154 are repeated until a desired set of bit design parameters is obtained. Once a desired set of bit parameters is obtained, the desired set of bit parameters can be used for an actual drill bit design, 158.

A set of bit design parameters may be determined to be a desired set when the drilling performance determined for the bit is selected as acceptable. In one implementation, the drilling performance may be determined to be acceptable when the calculated imbalance force on a bit during drilling is less than or equal to a selected amount.

Embodiments of the invention similar to the method shown in FIG. 15 can be adapted and used to analyze relationships between bit design parameters and the drilling performance of a bit. Embodiments of the invention similar to the method shown in FIG. 15 can also be adapted and used to design fixed cutter drill bits having enhanced drilling characteristics, such as faster rates of penetration, more even wear on cutting elements, or a more balanced distribution of force on the cutters or the blades of the bit. Methods in accordance with this aspect of the invention can also be used to determine optimum locations or orientations for cutters on the bit, such as to balance forces on the bit or to optimize the drilling performance (rate of penetration, useful life, etc.) of the bit.

In alternative embodiments, the method for designing a fixed cutter drill bit may include repeating the adjusting of at last one drilling parameter and the repeating of the simulating the bit drilling a specified number of times or, until terminated by instruction from the user. In these cases, repeating the “design loop” 160 (i.e., the adjusting the bit design and the simulating the bit drilling) described above can result in a library of stored output information which can be used to analyze the drilling performance of multiple bits designs in drilling earth formations and a desired bit design can be selected from the designs simulated.

In one or more embodiments in accordance with the method shown in FIG. 15, bit design parameters that may be altered at step 156 in the design loop 160 may include the number of cutters on the bit, cutter spacing, cutter location, cutter orientation, cutter height, cutter shape, cutter profile, cutter diameter, cutter bevel size, blade profile, bit diameter, etc. These are only examples of parameters that may be adjusted. Additionally, bit design parameter adjustments may be entered manually by an operator after the completion of each simulation or, alternatively, may be programmed by the system designer to automatically occur within the design loop 160. For example, one or more selected parameters maybe incrementally increased or decreased with a selected range of values for each iteration of the design loop 160. The method used for adjusting bit design parameters is a matter of convenience for the system designer. Therefore, other methods for adjusting parameters may be employed as determined by the system designer. Thus, the invention is not limited to a particular method for adjusting design parameters.

An optimal set of bit design parameters may be defined as a set of bit design parameters which produces a desired degree of improvement in drilling performance, in terms of rate of penetration, cutter wear, optimal axial force distribution between blades, between individual cutters, and/or optimal lateral forces distribution on the bit. For example, in one case, a design for a bit may be considered optimized when the resulting lateral force on the bit is substantially zero or less than 1% of the weight on bit. Drilling characteristics use to determine whether drilling performance is improved by adjusting bit design parameters can be provided as output and analyzed upon completion of each simulation 154 or design loop 160. Drilling characteristics considered may include, the rate of penetration (ROP) achieved during drilling, the distribution of axial forces on cutters, etc. The information provided as output for one or more embodiments may be in the form of a visual display on a computer screen of data characterizing the drilling performance of each bit, data summarizing the relationship between bit designs and parameter values, data comparing drilling performances of the bits, or other information as determined by the system designer. The form in which the output is provided is a matter of convenience for a system designer or operator, and is not a limitation of the present invention.

In one or more other embodiments, instead of adjusting bit design parameters, the method may be modified to adjust selected drilling parameters and consider their effect on the drilling performance of a selected bit design, as illustrated in FIG. 16. Similarly, the type of earth formation being drilled may be changed and the simulating repeated for different types of earth formations to evaluate the performance of the selected bit design in different earth formations.

As set forth above, one or more embodiments of the invention can be used as a design tool to optimize the performance of fixed cutter bits drilling earth formations. One or more embodiments of the invention may also enable the analysis of drilling characteristics for proposed bit designs prior to the manufacturing of bits, thus, minimizing or eliminating the expensive of trial and error designs of bit configurations. Further, the invention permits studying the effect of bit design parameter changes on the drilling characteristics of a bit and can be used to identify bit design which exhibit desired drilling characteristics. Further, use of one or more embodiments of the invention may lead to more efficient designing of fixed cutter drill bits having enhanced performance characteristics.

Optimizing Drilling Parameters

In another aspect of one or more embodiments of the invention, a method for optimizing drilling parameters of a fixed cutter bit is provided. Referring to FIG. 16, in one embodiment the method includes selecting a bit design, selecting initial drilling parameters, and selecting earth formation(s) to be represented as drilled 162. The method also includes simulating the bit having the selected bit design drilling the selected earth formation(s) under drilling conditions dictated by the selected drilling parameters 164. The simulating 164 may comprise calculating interaction between cutting elements on the selected bit and the earth formation at selected increments during drilling and determining the forces on the cutting elements based on cutter/interaction data in accordance with the description above. The method further includes adjusting at least one drilling parameter 168 and repeating the simulating 164 (including drilling calculations) until an optimal set of drilling parameters is obtained. An optimal set of drilling parameters can be any set of drilling parameters that result in an improved drilling performance over previously proposed drilling parameters. In preferred embodiments, drilling parameters are determined to be optimal when the drilling performance of the bit (e.g., calculated rate of penetration, etc.) is determined to be maximized for a given set of drilling constraints (e.g., within acceptable WOB or ROP limitations for the system).

Methods in accordance with the above aspect can be used to analyze relationships between drilling parameters and drilling performance for a given bit design. This method can also be used to optimize the drilling performance of a selected fixed cutter bit design.

Methods for modeling fixed cutter bits based on cutter/formation interaction data derived from laboratory tests conducted using the same or similar cutters on the same or similar formations may advantageously enable the more accurate prediction of the drilling characteristics for proposed bit designs. These methods may also enable optimization of fixed cutter bit designs and drilling parameters, and the production of new bit designs which exhibit more desirable drilling characteristics and longevity.

In one aspect, the present invention also relates to a methodology to improve drill bit design parameter selection and drilling operating parameter selection. In one particular embodiment, this methodology involves actually testing rock samples from formations of interest with various cutting structures, and then calculating a predicted performance of a particular bit. By varying drill bit design parameters and drilling operating parameters, drilling performance may be improved. In other embodiments, a formation of interest may be modeled, and predicted performance may be calculated.

In one or more embodiments in accordance with the invention may comprise a program developed to allow a user to simulate the response of a fixed cutter bit drilling earth formations and switch back and forth between modeling drilling based on ROP control or WOB control. One or more embodiments in accordance with the invention include a computer program that uses a unique models developed for selected cutter/formation pairs to generate data used to model the interaction between different cutter/formation pairs during drilling.

As used herein, the term cutter orientation refers to at least the back rake angle, and/or the side rake angle of a cutter.

The invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing description is only an example of embodiments of the invention, and that other embodiments of the invention can be devised which do not depart from the spirit of the invention as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the invention is to be limited in scope only by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing a fixed cutter drill bit, said method comprising: (a) selecting a cutter; (b) selecting an earth formation; (c) engaging said cutter with said earth formation at a selected orientation with respect to said earth formation; (d) determining a force on the cutter; and (e) storing data representative of at least the force applied to the cutter, the selected depth of cut, the selected orientation of the cutter, and a geometric parameter of the cutter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein engaging comprises selecting a depth of cut in step (c), and further comprises rotating the drill bit to make the selected cutter cut through the earth formation at substantially the selected depth of cut.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein engaging comprises selecting a load acting on the cutter in step (c), and further comprises determining a depth at which the cutter penetrates the formation, under the selected load.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing the selected orientation of the cutter and repeating steps (c)-(f).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said force applied to the cutter includes at least one of an axial component, radial component, and a circumferential component.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the geometric parameter of the cutter comprises at least one of cutter height, cutter shape, cutter size, bit axis offset of the cutter, bit cutting profile, and bit diameter.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the drill bit comprises a plurality of cutters, wherein the plurality of cutters are engaged with the earth formation at about the same time, and steps (c)-(f) are repeated for each of the plurality of cutters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the bit design parameter is one selected from a number of blades, a number of the plurality of cutters, locations of the plurality of cutters, a diameter, and a shape of the drill bit.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the earth formation is an actual formation, and the determining the force applied to the cutter comprises measuring an interaction force between the cutter and the actual formation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the actual formation is a defined formation used in a laboratory.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the earth formation is a formation model based on solid mechanics principles and the determining the force applied to the cutter comprises calculating a cutter-formation interaction force based on the formation model.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the formation model includes non-linear strength in a selected direction.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the cutter engages the earth formation under a selected confining pressure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the selected confining pressure corresponds to a hydraulic pressure of a selected mud weight.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the formation comprises two layers having different properties, and the cutter engages the earth formation at an interface between the two layers.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the formation is inhomogeneous.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising interpolating data for cutters and/or formations having values differing from ones used in parts (b)-(f) to form an interaction model.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein craters created in parts (b)-(f) are converted to coordinates representative of a geometry of the crater.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising optically imaging the crater created in parts (b)-(f).

20. The method of claim 1, wherein calculated cut parameters are determined from numerical analysis of penetration of the cutter having a known geometry impressed on the earth formation sample having known mechanical properties with a selected force.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said numerical analysis comprises at least one of finite difference analysis and finite element analysis.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said numerical analysis comprises boundary element analysis.

23. A fixed cutter bit designed using at least a portion of information generated by the method of claim 1.

24. A method for analyzing a fixed cutter drill bit, said method comprising: (a) selecting a blade having a plurality of cutters disposed thereon, the cutters having selected orientations and geometries; (b) selecting an earth formation; (c) engaging said blade with said earth formation such that certain of said cutters engage the formation at a selected orientation with respect to said earth formation; (d) applying a force to said blade to make said blade cut through the formation at substantially the depth of cut; (e) storing data representative of at least the force applied to the blade and to the plurality of cutters, the depth of cut, the selected orientation of the cutters, and the selected geometry of the cutters.

25. A method of simulating a fixed cutter bit drilling, the simulating comprising: (a) selecting an earth formation; (b) executing the simulation; wherein the executing comprises: i. determining, based on a means for determining a force, a force acting on at least one cutter, ii. rotating the bit and redetermining the force acting on the at least one cutter; and iii. repeating the rotating and redetermining for a number of rotations.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein selecting the earth formation further comprises including at least one of a transition layer and an inhomogeneous formation.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising determining a predicted rate of penetration for the fixed cutter bit, based on parts (a) and (b).

28. The method of claim 25, wherein said force comprises at least one of an axial component, radial component, and a circumferential component.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising summing an axial component of the force applied to the cutter for the each of the plurality of the cutters to produce a total axial force.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising comparing the total axial force with a weight on bit.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising summing a radial component of the force applied to the cutter for the each of the plurality of the cutters to produce a total radial force.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising summing a circumferential component of the force applied to the cutter for the each of the plurality of the cutters to produce a total circumferential force.

33. The method of claim 25, further comprising calculating parameters for a crater formed when the at least one cutter contacts said earth formation.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising graphically displaying a predicted bottomhole geometry formed when said crater is removed from a bottomhole surface.

35. The method of claim 25, further comprising graphically displaying at least one aspect of the simulation.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the graphically displaying comprises displaying a bottomhole pattern being drilled in a transition layer.

37. A fixed cutter bit designed using the method of claim 25.

38. A method of improving drilling performance comprising: selecting a formation to be drilled; calculating a performance of a fixed cutter drill bit in the formation; adjusting at least one of a drill bit design parameter and a drilling operating parameter; and re-calculating the performance of the fixed cutter drill bit in the formation.