‫المعھد الجزائري للبترول‬

INSTITUT ALGERIEN DU PETROLE

School of Boumerdes
UFR: Drilling, Production and Reservoir Engineering

Drill String Vibration

PREPARED BY: A.NACEF

DRILLING INSTRUCTOR
 contents

Introduction

Axial vibration

Lateral vibration

Torsional vibration

Mode coupled

Summary
 Drill String Vibration
Introduction

Downhole vibration is inevitable. In many cases, low levels of vibration

go undetected and are harmless. However, severe downhole vibration
can cause:
- Drill string fatigue failure (washout/twist-off)
- Crooked drill strings
- Premature bit/reamer failure
- Reduced penetration rates
- Motor Failure
- MWD Damage
- Damage to rig equipment

The main sources of excitation are provided by the interaction of the bit
with the formation and the drill string with the wellbore. The drill
string response to these excitation sources is very complex
 Drill String Vibration
Types of vibration

Vibration can induce three components of

motion in the drill string and the bit:

- Axial (motion along drill string axis),

- Torsional (motion causing twist/torque)

- Lateral (side to side motion).

All three dynamic motions may coexist

and one motion may cause another

 Drill String Vibration
Axial Vibration

The drill string may be simulated as a long series of interconnected
masses and springs

If the mass-spring system is excited on one end, the excitation will
propagate through the drill string.

The rate at which the excitation propagates through the system will
depend on both the spring stiffness and the value of the masses.

Stiffer springs will cause faster propagation of the excitation and
larger masses will cause slower propagation

For drill string tubular the velocity of axial excitation propagation is
simply a function of:
• The drill string's material density

• Its modulus of elasticity for each section

 Drill String Vibration
Axial Vibration

Axial vibration can be defined as axial force

fluctuations in the drill string.

Less severe axial vibration occurs when axial force
fluctuations are observed while the bit remains in
contact with the formation (the force at any point in
time does not reach 0).

Factors which affect axial vibration severity: RPM,
WOB, Hole Angle, BHA Length, Formation Hardness,
Bit type
 Axial Vibration
Bit Bounce

A more severe form of axial vibration is characterized as "bit bounce."

Bit bounce can be defined as large axial force fluctuations causing the
bit to repeatedly lift off bottom and impact the formation.

Consequences of Bit Bounce:

The impact loading will damage the drill bit cutting structure,
bearings and seals

The drill string can sustain damage from the axial shocks and lateral
shocks induced by the string flexing

Hoisting equipment may be damaged in shallow wells
 Axial Vibration
Identification methods

There are several methods of detecting axial vibration. Some of the

most common methods include:

Extreme surface vibration (shaking of hoisting equipment, top drive
shaking, Kelly bouncing)

Bit damage (broken teeth, damaged bearings, excessive wear of fixed
cutters)

Excessive downhole axial shocks (axial accelerometers)

Excessive downhole WOB fluctuations

Excessive surface WOH fluctuations

Reduction in ROP

BHA washout / twist-off

MWD Vibration Sensor
 Axial Vibration
Mitigation methods
Some general methods of mitigating axial vibration used in the industry
include the following:

Change bit type to PDC

Use shock sub

Change drilling parameters (increase WOB, adjust RPM)

Design BHA so buckling neutral point is well within the BHA and does
not fluctuate into the drill pipe

STOP, lift off bottom, stop rotation, restart rotation to 1/2 targeted
RPM, slowly tag bottom, increase WOB to targeted value, and then
increase RPM to target value

Run vibration sensors that can identify lateral, axial and torsional
vibration in MWD tools and on surface and diagnose the correct
vibration generation mechanism.
 Lateral Vibration

Lateral vibration is an extremely damaging vibration type.

The side to side impact of the drill string with the wellbore generates
bending in the drill string and amplifies the number of bending cycles
the drill string undergoes while rotating.

Lateral vibration is often associated with very high acceleration levels,

causing very high impact forces to the drill string.

Lateral vibration is a much more complex mechanism than axial or

torsional vibration, making detection and mitigation actions difficult.

This type of vibration often occurs in unstabilized BHA's.

 Lateral Vibration

Several types of lateral vibration occur

during the drilling process.

These types can be defined as bit whirl,
BHA forward whirl, and BHA
backward whirl.

Noted within all these types is "whirl",
which can be defined as the eccentric
rotation of the bit and/or BHA about a
point other than its center.

The whirling motion is illustrated in
the figure to the right. As seen from
the figure, the onset of whirl will
generate lateral vibration.
 Lateral Vibration
Bit whirl

Bit whirl is generated from excessively high side cutting forces.

These forces are applied in an unbalanced nature, causing the bit to
walk around the bore wall, often in a reverse direction to the string's
clock-wise rotation.

The motion is an eccentric rotation of the bit about a point other than
its center.

Detrimental effects of bit whirl are slow ROP, premature bit damage,
and the initiation of other vibratory mechanisms like BHA whirl.

Bit whirl often occurs with PDC bits in interbedded soft and hard
formations in vertical and near vertical wells.

Bit whirl also occurs during reaming

The factors that affect bit whirl include the presence of BHA whirl,
RPM, WOB, changing of formation hardness.
 Lateral Vibration
Bit whirl detection

Methods of detecting bit whirl include:

Premature cutter damage Over-gauge hole

Reduction in ROP

Increase in downhole on bottom torque

Excessive downhole shocks

Increase in hole over-gauge

MWD Vibration Sensor

 Lateral Vibration
Forward BHA whirl

Forward BHA whirl can be defined as the event when the center line of
the BHA is offset from the hole center line and the rotation of the BHA
center line occurs at the same speed and in the same clockwise
direction as the top drive (TD) / rotary table (RT).

If the offset of the BHA centerline is sufficient, the same local
circumferential point of the BHA will be in contact with the bore wall
throughout the motion.

The resulting eccentricity causes dynamic imbalance and high lateral
shocks. BHA whirl is often caused by friction of stabilizers and tool
joints with the wellbore.

Mud properties like lubricity strongly impact forward BHA whirl.

 Lateral Vibration
Backward BHA whirl

Backward BHA whirl is also the eccentric rotation of the BHA about a
point other than it centerline.

Once the centerline of the BHA is offset from the hole centerline, if the
offset is sufficient enough and the BHA is in contact with the wellbore,
the friction between the BHA surface and the wellbore will oppose
forward whirl movement.

If the friction is high enough, the BHA centerline will rotate backwards
(anti-clockwise) and generate backward BHA whirl.

This motion yields high lateral impact shocks and is very damaging to
the drill string
 Lateral Vibration
BHA whirl
 Lateral Vibration
Bit & BHA whirl Mitigation

Some general methods of mitigating lateral vibration used in the

industry include the following:

Use anti-whirl bits (Bit whirl)

Reduce RPM / Change WOB according to forward or backward whirl

mode

Forward Whirl - Reduce RPM / Increase WOB

Backward Whirl - Reduce RPM / Decrease WOB

Use roller reamers instead of stabilizers or use non-rotating stabilizers

Change mud properties (mud weight, increase lubricity). Increase

flow-rate
 Lateral Vibration
Bit & BHA whirl Mitigation

Run packed assemblies to keep BHA centered in wellbore

Replace straight stabilizers with spiraled stabilizers

Use downhole motors or RSS's

Reduce distance between bit and 1st stabilizer

Ream at lower RPM

STOP, lift off bottom, stop rotation, restart rotation to 1/2 targeted
RPM, slowly tag bottom, increase WOB to targeted value, and then
increase RPM to target value
 Lateral Vibration
Bit & BHA whirl

Anti-whirl bit . Steering wheel

 Torsional Vibration
Stick-slip

Because the drilling process requires some form of rotation, either the
string and bit or simply bit rotation, torsional vibration is almost
always present at some level.

A less severe form of torsional vibration is the simple alternate slowing
down and acceleration of the BHA.

A more severe form of torsional vibration is full stick-slip motion. This
form of torsional vibration is quite damaging and should be avoided.

During stick-slip, the bit stops rotating momentarily, causing the string
to torque up and then spin free, accelerating the bit and BHA to high
speeds.

In extreme cases, the BHA RPM oscillation will be so extreme that the
BHA will spin backwards and reach negative RPM values
 Torsional Vibration
Stick-slip

Cutting forces impart reactive torque in opposition to bit rotation

 Torsional Vibration
Stick-slip
 Torsional Vibration
Stick-slip identification

Dull condition

Torque

Downhole tools
 Torsional Vibration
Mitigation

General mitigation methods for torsional vibration include:

Reduce WOB / increase RPM

Use roller reamers instead of stabilizers or use non-rotating stabilizers

Reduce or modify placement of stabilizers

Smoother well trajectories

Frequent borehole clearing (wiper trips and reaming) Increase mud

flow rate

Change mud properties (mud weight; increase lubricity, especially in
deviated wells)

STOP, lift off bottom, stop rotation, restart rotation to 1/2 targeted
RPM, slowly tag bottom, increase WOB to targeted value, and then
increase RPM to target value
 Mode Coupling of Vibration Mechanisms

In addition to simple axial, lateral, and torsional vibration events, often

these events occur simultaneously, or coupled.

For example, during the slip phase of stick-slip, the BHA spins with
high rotational acceleration. During this phase, it is very common to
observe high lateral shocks

The vibration mode coupling of events is often characterized by more
definitive names like parametric resonance or BHA forced vibration.

However, specified naming of these events is not as important as
understanding that vibration events occur simultaneously more often
than singularly
Mode Coupling of Vibration Mechanisms
 Drill String Vibration

Summary
 Drill String Vibration

Stability Zones – Schlumberger

 Drill String Vibration

Stability Zones – BP