Atlas Copco’s PDC bits to feature MegaDiamond deep leach cutters
Atlas Copco’s PDC bits to feature MegaDiamond deep leach cutters
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Atlas Copco’s PDC bits will now feature MegaDiamond deep leach cutters. MegaDiamond, a Schlumberger company, has entered into a partnership with Atlas Copco to supply its patented and proprietary deep leaching technology.
The MegaDiamond partnership permits Atlas Copco to bring its bit lines to customers for horizontal and directional drilling applications in the oil and gas industry. In the U.S. that market comprises about 80% of all energy drilling.
Curtis Larson, Atlas Copco Applications Engineer – Oil & Gas, said, “Atlas Copco PDC bits are already available with MegaDiamond deep leach cutters. We’re already shipping them to customers and have seen good results after multiple runs in deep leach drilling applications.”
Deep leach cutters stand up better to drilling deeper holes at longer intervals, due to their high thermal resistance.
While other PDC inserts, with their typical, highly abrasion-resistant cutting edge, are ideal bits for oilfield use as a whole, they tend to convert to graphite at a lower temperature than a simple diamond. This is due to the presence of cobalt, which acts as a catalyst to sinter the diamond-to-diamond bond, unitizing the diamond layer to the tungsten carbide substrate.
During heating, cobalt expands at a higher rate than diamond, causing the thermal stress in the diamond table to increase and the structure breaks down. The cobalt between the diamond crystals expands and breaks diamond-to-diamond bonds, resulting in reduced cutter life and cutter failure due to the heat created from the friction on the cutters during drilling.
The deep leaching process selectively removes cobalt from the diamond table of the PDC cutter. Leaching increases cutter thermal stability, which reduces damage and extends bit life in difficult and abrasive formations.
MegaDiamond employs a patent-protected technology to provide deep-leach performance. Internal lab testing has been confirmed by field tests in such demanding areas as the North Dakota oil fields.
In a “Williston drill-out” between a bit with MegaDiamond cutters and another, the MegaDiamond cutter sharpness outlasted the non-MegaDiamond bit 2 to 1.
The MegaDiamond cutters have also shown similar results in West Texas, South Texas, and Oklahoma through additional competitive runs, often outperforming standard deep leach cutters.
