IDEAS Technology Ensures a Better Solution. The First Time, Every Time.
The Smith Bits division of Smith Technologies developed the IDEAS (Integrated Dynamic Engineering Analysis System) bit design platform to serve a drilling industry that continues to push drill bit manufacturers for application-specific bits, increased performance and greater reliability. The IDEAS design platform is a revolutionary leap forward in truly understanding the rock/cutter interface in a dynamic drilling environment where every individual element of the bottomhole assembly is considered. Every new Smith Bits roller cone and PDC drill bit is developed and certified through the IDEAS bit design process. The IDEAS drill bit certification process not only results in designing and producing better bits more quickly, but also significantly reduces the level of risk for oil and gas companies.
The original objective of IDEAS was to produce improved bit designs while significantly reducing product development cycle time. IDEAS technology has met the original objective and, in the process, has delivered a whole lot more. With the development of the IDEAS certification process, Smith Bits design engineers now have the unique ability to rigorously evaluate and test changes to a bit design in a matter of hours or days rather than weeks or months. The IDEAS analysis considers all of the downhole components when evaluating the best bit design for the highest performance, including drillpipe, hevi-wate drillpipe, MWD/ LWD tools, reamers, stabilizers and whether an operator is utilizing a push-the-bit or point-the-bit rotary steerable system. When Smith Bits completes the bit design and analysis, the customer receives a specific recommendation of the optimal bit as the best solution for the objective.
After a bit has been designed in IDEAS, the same rigorous modeling technology can be used to provide a detailed applications analysis of how the bit will perform for a specific drilling program. Each customer is given an in-depth analysis of the bit or bits evaluated, a description of the drill string and its components, proposed operating parameters and the formations to be drilled, and precise performance projections. Among the data provided to the customer, in addition to the bit analysis, are graphs illustrating the specific BHA configuration modeled for the well, bit bottom hole pattern, bit center trajectory, weight on bit, lateral forces and lateral accelerations.
IDEAS' Five Basic Elements
There are five basic elements to the bit design and performance advantages provided by IDEAS.
- Comprehensive drilling system analysis: The IDEAS certification process includes examining the designed bit performance in relation to the entire drill string and individual BHA components. It also takes into account the specific operating parameters and interaction of the individual elements of the entire drilling assembly.
- Holistic design process: Smith Technologies design engineers account for every critical variable to assure that IDEAS-designed bits are optimized for performance. With the insight to bit performance provided by IDEAS, virtually every cone or cutter layout and configuration is designed to result in a stable bit that rotates around its center, the key to an efficient, optimized drilling operation.
- Application-Specific Enhancements: As a result of the drilling system analysis and holistic design process, IDEAS certified bits include performance enhancements specific to the application for which it is designed. This results in bits that consistently outperform previous designs when measured against the same parameters and objectives, including, for example, improved rate of penetration (ROP), durability, or specific bit behavior when utilized with a rotary steerable system. IDEAS certified bits are consistently dynamically stable within the operating envelope for which they are designed, resulting in longer bit runs and less stress on the BHA, which ultimately results in improved bit durability.
- Rapid Solutions with Reliable Results: By using sophisticated modeling tools and accounting for a multitude of dynamic variables in a virtual environment, IDEAS certified bits move through the design stage much more quickly and with a greater level of reliability and performance than ever before. The IDEAS modeling capability removes the trial-and-error approach previously associated with designing drill bits by using laboratory tests to quantify variables such as cutter forces and rock removal rates. The IDEAS process can prove the efficacy of the drill bit design before moving to field trials, ensuring that drill bits that move to the field trial stage are true candidates for the application for which they were designed.
- Optimized Integration of Advanced Materials: The IDEAS process also allows Smith Bits to more effectively employ advanced cutter materials. Stronger and more durable materials work in conjunction with IDEAS design and simulation capabilities to deliver a bit that is more than just correcting a design for weak and high-wear areas. The result is a bit with an optimal design for high performance and abrasion and impact resistant cutters.