How Drill Bits Are Essential in the Oil and Gas Industry

In the olden days, technology was not as advanced as it is today. The oil and gas industry existed, but the equipment used was primitive. For example, cattle and wheels made from wood were used to power the rotating drills. Today, humans have made their tasks a lot more efficient, and drills used for the creation of oil wells are powered by machinery. Drill bits are important parts of the machines because they are the part that cuts the rocks.

There are various types of drilling that can be employed, but for oil wells, the most common is rotary drilling. This means that the drill bit continuously turns, and along with pressure, bores into the rock. It may consist of several cones that are manufactured from durable materials, quite often tungsten carbide, steel or even man-made or real diamond. Bits also have sharp teeth for cutting rocks.

When a rotary drill is used, rocks are cut, scraped and crushed so that a hole can be formed. This is somewhat different to percussion drilling, which will only chip the rocks away. In addition to the drill bit, in order to make rotary drilling possible, the workers on site will require a drill collar and fluid, rotary machines, lifting devices and a prime mover.

The equipment mentioned is used for specific purposes. The drill is powered by the prime mover, but the drill is hoisted into or out of the well by the lifting device. The rotary machine is the equipment that has nowadays replaced the cattle and the wooden wheels that were used in the olden days.

The rotary table, which enables the rotary machine to move, as well as the drill collar, are attached to a Kelly. The Kelly is usually in the shape of a square, and can be described as a hollow stem. The drill bit acquires its downward pressure for cutting through hard rocks from the drill collar.

The apparatus from the top to the bottom is referred to as a drill string, and the components mentioned enable the drill bit to work. For lubrication of the drilling process, drilling fluid is essential. It is a substance that allows the drill string to move and be flexible so that it does not break. The lubricant also assists with removal of the pieces that are bored off from the well.

The bits used for drilling purposes come in various types. Those that are most popular for use within this industry are the Diamond Drill Bit, PDC Drill Bit and Tricone Drill Bit. Drill bit is one of the important tools for oil drilling. Whether the bit adapts to the nature of rock and its quality plays a very important role in the selection of drilling technology, especially for drilling quality, drilling speed and drilling cost. The huge impact, PDC bit is a rock breaking tool widely used in the oil and gas exploration and development industry today, which effectively improves the mechanical drilling tools and shortens the drilling cycle.

The different kinds of bits are useful for different purposes, and are therefore chosen according to the work that is required. Bits have to be replaced quite regularly, because they wear down. The whole drill string will need to be lifted out of the well for this replacement to occur.