REFINING
BITS FOR RSS
ARON DEEN, MATT CASE AND JOSH CRISWELL, ULTERRA,
HIGHLIGHT HOW CUSTOMISED BIT DEVELOPMENT FOR RSS
REDUCES TOOL FAILURE.
I
t is understood that all new technologies
struggle in their infancy to gain adoption
due to numerous economic and technical
reasons. Among these are high cost, problematic
reliability, lack of understanding, and marginal
value proposition. Over years of learning,
development and refinement these hurdles are
overcome, and with each step new opportunities
open up. No technology has followed this path
more closely than rotary steerable systems
(RSS), which is finding new value in this historic
downturn.
Another facet of technology adoption is
the availability of compliments. For example,
smartphones need great apps for customers
to realise their true value. In much the same
way, RSS need to have quality drill bits that
are designed to work with them in order for
operators to realise their maximum value.
To be sure, there are certainly some obstacles
to working across company lines on product
development. For example, one of the many
aspects of customising bit designs to work
perfectly with differing RSS tools is nuanced
gauge pad configurations. Different lengths,
steps, tapers, helix angles, and wear protection
may be advantageous for one RSS application,
but producing such a specific product requires
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