Smith Bits introduces Stinger conical diamond technology

Smith Bits says that the central Stinger conical diamond element allows customers to drill at higher rates of penetration by improving cutting action in a wide range of formations.

Smith Bits, a Schlumberger company, has announced the release of its Stinger conical diamond technology. The company says that the Stinger polycrystalline diamond element enables high-point loading to fracture rock more efficiently during drilling for increased rate of penetration (ROP) and durability.

Developed using proprietary synthetic diamond manufacturing technology, the Stinger conical diamond element has an ultra-thick polycrystalline diamond layer that is significantly thicker than conventional polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutters. The element's shape is optimized for strength in axial compression. When centrally positioned in a PDC drillbit cutting structure, the Stinger element improves performance by crushing formation core at the borehole center, increasing drilling speed.

"The central Stinger conical diamond element allows our customers to drill at higher ROPs by improving cutting action in a wide range of formations, reducing both drilling hours and the number of bits used in each well," said Guy Arrington, president, Bits & Advanced Technologies, Schlumberger. "The first application of Stinger technology also delivers a more stable bit with less vibration to reduce stress on drillstring components and improve the reliability of downhole tools."

Using the IDEAS integrated drillbit design platform, extensive simulations were conducted showing ROP increases in a range of different rock types, including shale, limestone and sandstone. The virtual drilling environment demonstrated central Stinger element placement would yield an ROP increase of at least 18%.

In field tests, centrally placed Stinger element technology was added to the baseline vertical section drillbit design. Average ROP was increased by more than 46% when compared to the next best performance in offset wells, with a record ROP increase of 77%.