Well Drilling Process

Philip Louis B. Estevez

Drilling Methods
Drilling - is a cutting process that uses a drill bit to cut a hole of circular
cross-section in solid materials.
- often used in oil & gas industries, geotechnical or environmental
sectors, and well drilling.
- People who work on the drilling industry identify themselves by
their chosen methods; cable tool driller, mud rotary driller, and
geotechnical/environmental driller.
Mechanical Hole Making Methods
Cable Tool
 one of the oldest drilling method. Had its beginnings in ancient China
4000 years ago.
 cable tool rigs are sometimes called pounders, percussion, spudder or
walking beam rigs.
 cable tool rigs operate by repeatedly lifting and dropping a heavy string
of drilling tools into the borehole. The drill bits breaks or crushes the
consolidated rock formation into small pieces, and turns the
unconsolidated formations loose.
 Water, either from the formation or added by the driller, mixes with the
crushed or loosened particles into a slurry at the bottom of the
borehole. A bailer will be used to remove the slurry.
Cable Tool Drilling
Cable Tool Drilling
Cable Tool Drilling
Cable Tool String Components
For a cable tool drill to operate, the drill string must have these four
components:

• Drilling Cable - lifts, turns, and controls the tools motion.

• Swivel Socket - connects the cable to the tools, allows cable to

unwind.

• Drill Stem - provides weight, steadies and guides the bit.

• Drill Bit - penetrates formation, crushes and reams, mixes cuttings.

Cable Tool Drilling
Cable Tool String Components
Cable Tool Drilling
Other Components for Cable Tool Drill

• Tool Joint - connects the drill string components. Depending on

formation, the driller may add drilling jars to the drill string. Jars frees
tools that become jammed.
- tool joints provide high-strength, high-pressure threaded connections
that are sufficiently robust to survive the rigors of drilling and numerous
cycles of tightening and loosening at threads. Tool joints are usually made
of steel that has been heat treated to a higher strength than the steel of
the tube body.
- A drilling jar is a tool that sits on the drill string. If the drill string gets
stuck in the hole, the jar can help knock it loose by generating quick,
sharp hammer-like blows. Jars look like drill collars, but inside they are
sliding mandrels that allow brief and sudden acceleration of the drill
string above the jar.
Cable Tool Drilling
Cable Tool Drilling
Other Components for Cable Tool Drill

• Cable Tool Bailer - are used to remove cuttings or slurry from the hole
so that efficient penetration can continue. It is run on a separate bailing
line and is inserted after the drill string is removed from the hole.
Cable Tool Drilling
Cable Tool Casing Driving Equipment

• Drive Clamp - the driving of casing is an integral part of cable tool

drilling. The driving force is provided by a drive clamp attached to the
drill string. A wrench square is forged in the drill stem to allow for the
attachment of the drive clamp.
Cable Tool Drilling
Cable Tool Casing Driving Equipment

• Drive Head – is fitted at the top of the casing to protect against damage
when being driven.

• Drive Shoe – is attached to the bottom of the first length of casing to

be driven. It is manufactured with a hardened cutting surface at the
leading edge. When fully driven into a consolidated formation a seal is
created between the drive shoe and the formation.
Cable Tool Drilling
Cable Tool Casing Driving Equipment
Cable Tool Operation
- The drilling motion of the cable tool drilling machine must be
synchronized with the gravity fall of the tools for effective penetration.
Effective drilling action is obtained when the engine speed is
synchronized with the fall of the tools and the stretch of the cable,
while paying out the correct amount of the cable to maintain proper
feed of the bit. A shock absorber is installed at the crown heave to
provide resiliency in the system. The shock absorber dampens vibration
and the vibration and protects the derrick and machine from severe
shock stresses. The shock absorbers rebound helps to lift the tools
sharply after they strike bottom.
Cable Tool Operation

- The usual process is to drive the casing initially using the hammering
action of the drive clamps attached to the wrench square near the top
of the drill stem. The clamps act as the hammer face and the tools
provide the weight for driving the casing. After the casing is driven into
the formation, the material is removed by inserting the bit, adding
water and operating the drill bit until a slurry is formed from the
cuttings. The bailer is then used to remove the slurry and this process is
repeated with the driving of casing the insertion of the drill bit, the
operation of the bit until a slurry is formed and the bailing of the slurry
until the casing reaches a desired depth.
Cable Tool Operation

- While drilling, a depth may be reached where casing can’t be driven

further risking damage to it. If this point is reached and sufficient water
hasn’t yet been found, the casing diameter will then be reduced and
drilling will continue inside the smaller casing. Drillers anticipating the
need to telescope casing downward will begin drilling a borehole of a
larger size to accommodate telescoping down during the drilling
process.
Advantages of Cable Tool
1. Highly Suitable for remote areas.
 low fuel consumption
 small needs for water and other materials and reliability make it an
excellent choice.

2. Low Capital Investment and Cheap Maintenance.

 Capital costs of new cable tool rigs are generally significantly less than
new rotary drillings machine of similar capacity.
 Maintenance is less expensive than parts for the less mechanical, more
hydraulically equipped rotary systems.
Advantages of Cable Tool
3. Suited to Water Poor Areas.

 Cable tool drilling easily identifies each water bearing formation

penetrated, even for those of small yields.

4. Efficient use of personnel.

 Cable tool rigs are often operated by a single person.

Disadvantages of Cable Tool

1. Productivity measured in hole per day is low compared

to other drilling methods.

2. Hard rock penetration rates very low.

Cable Tool Drilling

Despite many new drilling developments, cable tool remains a useful and
competitive drilling technique in some drilling applications.
Mechanical Hole Making Methods

Auger Drilling

 Often used for site investigation, environmental and geotechnical

drilling and sampling, and boreholes for construction purposes. Auger
drilling can be an efficient drilling method.
Auger Drilling
Advantages of Auger Drilling
1. Low operating cost.

2. Fast penetration rates in suitable formations.

3. No contamination of samples by fluids.

Auger Drilling
• Augers come in continuous flight, short flight/plate augers
driven by top head rotary machines carry their cuttings to the
surface on helical flights. Continuous flight augers with hollow
stems are often used for sample recovery in environmental,
geotechnical operations.

• Short flight/plate augers and bucket augers are used for large
diameter holes. The cutting are lifted out of the hole and then
removed before drilling continues.
Auger Drilling

• Bucket augers – cuttings are picked up in the bucket, hoisted

to the surface and dumped through the hinged bottom of the
bucket. Extensions are added as the hole gets deeper.
Auger Drilling
Auger Drilling
Auger Drilling
Mechanical Hole Making Methods
Rotary Drilling

• Archeological records show that as early as 3000 B.C., the

Egyptians may have been using similar technique.
• Leonardo Da Vinci, as early as 1500, developed a design for a
rotary drilling mechanism that bears much resemblance to
technology used today.
• Rotary drilling didn’t rise in use or popularity until the 1900’s.
• Although rotary drilling techniques had been patented as early as
1833, most of these early attempts consisted of little more than a
mule, attached to a drilling device. It was the success of the
efforts of Captain Antony Lucas and Patillo Higgins in drilling their
1901 Spindletop well in Texas that catapulted rotary drilling to
the forefront of petroleum drilling technology.
Rotary Drilling
Rotary Drilling
Rotary Drilling
• Rotary Drilling uses a sharp, rotating drill bit to dig down through
the Earth’s crust. Much like a common hand held drill, the
spinning of the bit allows for penetration of even the hardest
rock.
• The basic rotary drilling system consists of prime movers,
hoisting equipment, rotating equipment, and circulating
equipment.
Basic Rotary Drilling System

 Prime Movers – the prime movers in a rotary drilling rig are

those pieces of equipment that provide the power to the entire
rig. Steam engines provided the power to the early drill rigs. Gas
and diesel engines became the norm after WW2.
Prime Movers
Basic Rotary Drilling System
 Hoisting Equipment – consists of the tools used to raise and
lower whatever other equipment may go into or come out of the
well. The most visible part of the hoisting equipment is the
derrick, the tall tower-like structure that extends vertically from
the well hole. It serves as a support for the cables (drilling lines)
and pulleys (draw works) that serve to lower or raise the
equipment in the well.
Hoisting Equipment
- In rotary drilling, wells are dug with long strings of pipe (drill pipe)
extending from the surface down to the drill bit. If a drill bit needs
to be changed, either due to wear and tear or a change in the
subsurface rock, the whole string of pipe must be raised to the
surface. The hoisting equipment is used to raise all of this
equipment to the surface so that the drill bit may be replaced, at
which point the entire chain of drill pipe is lowered back into the
well. The height of a rig’s derrick can often be a clue as to the
depth of the well being dug.
Hoisting Equipment
Basic Rotary Drilling System
 Rotating Equipment – rotating equipment on a rotary drilling rig
consists of the components that actually serve to rotate the drill
bit, which in turn digs the hole deeper into the ground. The
rotating equipment consists of a number of different parts, all of
which contribute to transferring power from the prime mover to
the drill bit itself. The prime mover supplies power to the rotary,
which is the device that turns the drill pipe, which in turn is
attached to the drill bit.
Basic Rotary Drilling System
 Rotary Drill Bits – it is located at the bottom end of the drill
string, and is responsible for actually making contact with the
subsurface layers, and drilling through them. The drill bit is
responsible for breaking up and dislodging rock, sediment, and
anything else that may be encountered while drilling. The four
main types of drill bits, each suited for particular conditions. The
blade or drag bits, steel tooth rotary bits, polycrystalline
diamond compact bits, and diamond bits.
Types of Drill Bits
 Blade or Drag Bits – are forged steel with tungsten carbide
cutting surfaces for drilling unconsolidated formations. Also
called wing bits or fishtails bits were the first rotary bits.
Blade or Drag Bits
Types of Drill Bits

 Steel Tooth Rotary Bits – tricone being the most common type.
Rock or roller cone bits, as they are often known, were invented
in the early 1900’s and have evolved over the years. They are the
most common drill bit type for all drilling industry sectors. Long
tooth roller cone bits are used for soft formations with short
toothed bits are used for hard formations.
Steel Tooth Rotary Bits
Steel Tooth Rotary Bits
Steel Tooth Rotary Bits
Types of Drill Bits

Polycrystalline Diamond Compact Bits – have polycrystalline

diamond inserts attached to the carbide inserts found in insert
bits. Used primarily in oil and gas industry.
Polycrystalline Diamond Compact
Bits
Types of Drill Bits

Diamond Bits – have industrial diamonds implanted in them, to

drill through extremely hard rock formations. Diamond bits are
forty to fifty times harder than traditional steel bits and can be
used to drill through extremely hard rock without dulling overly
quickly.
Diamond Bits
Basic Rotary Drilling System
 Circulating System – the final component of rotary drilling
consists of the circulating system. Some of the main objectives of
this system includes, cooling and lubricating the drill bit,
removing debris and cuttings, and coating the walls of the well
with a mud type-cake. The circulating system consists of drilling
fluid, which is circulated down through the well hole throughout
the drilling process.

- The components of the circulating system include drilling fluid

pumps, compressors, related plumbing fixtures, and special
injectors for the addition of additives to the fluid stream.
Circulating System
Basic Rotary Operation
 Rotary drilling as opposed to percussion drilling cuts by rotating
a bit at the bottom of the hole. In addition to rotation, downward
pressure must be exerted and continued as the bit cuts its way
through the formation.

 Part of the art of rotary drilling is to match the bit type and pull
down pressure with the formation and the use of drilling fluids to
maintain circulation to keep the holes clear of cuttings and the
bit lubricated and cool.
Most Common Methods of Rotary Drive
Most Common Methods of Rotary Drive

2. Rotating the drill string directly by a hydraulic unit attached

directly to the top of the string.
Most Common Methods of Rotary Drive
Most Common Methods of Rotary Drive

3. Down hole motors (also called down hole turbines) are widely
used in the oil and gas industry, and impart the rotational force
directly at the drill bit. The earliest down hole bit driving device
was the turbodrill, patented in 1873.
Most Common Methods of Rotary Drive
Most Common Methods of Rotary Drive

4. Dual Rotary Rigs which operate upper and lower top head drives
impact rotary cutting motion to both the drill bit and casing.
Rotary Fluid Circulation

Rotary drilling requires one of the several methods of fluid

circulation to clear cuttings from the borehole. Several types of
rotary drilling methods are best classified by the type of drilling
fluid used, and/or the way in which the fluid is circulated through
the borehole.
Rotary Fluid Circulation

 Direct Circulation Mud Rotary – drilling fluid (water or water

with additives-mud) is pumped down the drill pipe and out
through the ports or jets in the drill bit.
Direct Circulation Mud Rotary

The drilling fluids often used in mud rotary drilling contain clay
additives (bentonite) or polymer based additives. A combination of
the two additives is also used. The drilling fluid also stabilizes the
borehole by the creation of the wall cake. While these 3 functions,
cooling, clearing, and stabilizing are essential for a successful hole
completion, the overuse of additives in water well drilling can make
the removal of the drilling fluid residues more difficult during well
development.
Rotary Fluid Circulation

 Reverse Mud Circulation – reverse circulation drilling was

developed to allow for larger borehole drilling without the
limiting factors of drilling fluid pump capacities. Rotary rigs
designed for reverse circulation have larger capacity mud pumps
and air compressors to allow for increased pressures needed to
insure the removal of cuttings from large boreholes.

 requires a lot of water and sediment handling, as the boreholes

are larger in diameter. Stability of the borehole wall depends on
the positive pressure from the fluid in the borehole annulus. If
the positive pressure is not sufficient, the borehole wall or parts
of it might collapse, trapping the drill string.
Reverse Mud Circulation

 the drilling fluid can be best described as muddy water rather

than drilling fluid because drilling fluid additives are seldom
mixed with water to make a viscous fluid. Suspended clay and silt
that recirculates with the fluid are mostly fine materials picked
up from the formations as drilling proceeds. Occasionally, low
concentrations of a polymeric drilling fluid additive are used to
reduce friction, swelling of water sensitive clays, and water loss.
Advantages of Reverse Mud Circulation

1. The near-well area of the borehole is relatively undisturbed

and uncontaminated and the porosity and permeability of the
formation remains close to its original hydrogeological
condition.
2. Large diameter holes can be drilled quickly and economically.
3. No casing is required during drilling operation.
4. Well screens can be set easily as part of the casing installation.
5. Most geologic formations can be drilled, with the exception of
igneous and metamorphic rocks.
6. Little opportunity exists for washouts in the borehole because
of the low velocity of the drilling fluids.
Disadvantages of Reverse Mud Circulation

1. Large water supply is generally needed.

2. Reverse-rotary rigs components are large and expensive.
3. Large pits are required.
4. Some drill sites are inaccessible because of the rig size.
5. For efficient operation, more personnel are generally required
than for other drilling methods.
Rotary Fluid Circulation

 Direct Air Rotary Drilling – in air rotary drilling, air alone lifts the
cuttings from the borehole. A large compressor provides air that
is piped to the swivel hose connected to the top of the Kelly or
drill pipe. The air, forced down the drill pipe, escapes through
small ports at the bottom of the drill bit, thereby lifting the
cuttings and cooling the bit. The cuttings are blown out of the top
of the hole and collect at the surface around the borehole.
Advantages of Direct Air Rotary Drilling

1. Good hole cleaning.

2. Excellent information on what’s happening down the hole.
3. Immediate indication of water shows with the opportunity to
determine quantity and quality of water encountered.
4. Low pollution risk.
5. Fast penetration.
6. High bit life.
7. Air is readily available.
Direct Air Rotary Drilling

 Air drilling can be done only in semi-consolidated or

consolidated materials. In rigs equipped with both mud pumps
and air-drilling capacity compressors, drillers may switch to air
drilling once the consolidated formation area is reached.
Advantages of Direct Air Rotary Drilling

Additives to the air line create stiff foam and add to the lifting
capacity. Drilling with foam has these advantages:
1. Low density fluid.
2. High velocity gives good cleaning in large holes.
3. Low air consumption.
4. Low bailing velocity eliminates erosion of the walls of the hole.
5. Foam will build wall stability and inhibit swelling of clays.
Disadvantages of Direct Air Rotary Drilling

1. Cost to purchase sufficient capacity compressor.

2. Cost of maintenance and repair of compressor.
Rotary Fluid Circulation

 Reverse Air Drilling – is mostly used when drilling in soft

sedimentary rock and unconsolidated sand and gravel.

Requires adequate water to be successful. The air is used to

assist in the transport of cuttings up the drill pipe creating a
partial vacuum which helps to draw the water and cuttings in
suspension.
Advantages of Reverse Air Drilling

1. Rapid removal of cuttings.

2. No plugging of the aquifer with drilling fluids.
3. No use of mud pumps during the air drilling stage.
4. Extended bit life.
5. Easier estimates of formation yield.
6. Loss of circulation zones not a factor.
7. Samples are easily obtained.
Disadvantages of Reverse Air Drilling

1. Restricted to semi consolidated and well consolidated

materials.
2. High initial and maintenance cots of compressors.
3. Hole must be producing water.
4. Large settling pit needed.
5. Extra work required to add and remove tremie line during
tripping in and out.
6. Slower pace of drilling.
7. Plugging of string.
Rotary Fluid Circulation

Down the Hole Air Hammer – to drill effectively in hard

formations, rotary bits require very high pull down pressures.
These pressures may be beyond the design capabilities of small
to medium drill rigs. Excessive pull down pressures may damage
the drill string and deflect the trueness of the hole. This is where
the down the hole hammer is best suited. The down the hole
hammer is an air activated percussive drilling bit which operates
in the manner of a jack hammer.
The greatest enemy of DHH is corrosion (rust) so it must be well
lubricated at all times.
Should be opened and inspected after every 100 hours of
continuous operation.
Advantages of Down the Hole Air Hammer

1. Fastest hard formation penetration method.

2. Aquifer not tampered with muds.
3. Extended bit life.
4. Cold weather not a factor.
5. Easy yield estimates.
6. No mud pumps.
Disadvantages of Down the Hole Air Hammer

1. Initial costs of air compressors.

2. Maintenance and repair costs of compressor and DHH.
Rotary Fluid Circulation

 Jet Drilling – drilling in unconsolidated formation with high

water availability allows jet drilling to be viable method. Often
used in drilling shallow irrigation wells, jet drilling is achieved by
water circulation down through the rods washing cuttings from in
front of the bit.