Scholarly record
IMPACT OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE DRILLING FLUID DEGRADATION ON PDC AND DIAMOND BIT PERFORMANCE
Abstract
High-temperature drilling in deep HPHT and geothermal wells (>180–220 °C) causes thermal degradation of drilling fluids, which compromises hydraulic performance and accelerates wear of PDC and diamond-impregnated bits. This study evaluates three fluid systems – high-temperature oil-based mud (HT-OBM), thermally stabilized water-based mud (HT-WBM), and nanoparticle-enhanced synthetic-based mud (nano-SBM) – subjected to static aging in HPHT cells at 150–240 °C for 16–40 hours, followed by measurements of rheology, filtration, and thermal conductivity. Hydraulic efficiency was tested on a scaled PDC bit flow loop (nozzle pressure drop, jet velocity via PIV, hydraulic horsepower), while cutter durability was assessed through single-cutter scribing and full-bit drilling simulations, with wear quantified by microscopy and SEM. Results reveal severe degradation in HT-WBM (up to 75 % viscosity loss and 33 % conductivity reduction), moderate effects in HT-OBM, and superior stability in nano-SBM (conductivity loss limited to ~14 % at 240 °C). Degraded fluids reduced nozzle ?P by 18–42 %, jet velocity by 12–35 %, and hydraulic horsepower by 20–48 %, leading to cutter temperature increases of 60–130 °C, wear rates 2.1–4.5 times higher, wear flats enlarged 1.8–3.2 times, and ROP declines of 25–55 %. The work establishes a direct causal link: thermal fluid degradation impairs bit hydraulics, reduces cooling and cleaning, and accelerates thermal-mechanical wear of cutting elements, with nanoparticle-enhanced synthetics offering the best performance preservation for extreme-temperature drilling applications.
Publication details
References20
Muratova S.K., Pashchenko O.A., Khomenko V.L., Utepov Z.G., Zhanggirkhanova A., Influence of milling cutter geometry on cutting force and rock fracture efficiency. International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference Surveying Geology and Mining Ecology Management, SGEM, 25(1.1), pp 121-128, 2025. DOI: 10.5593/sgem2025/1.1/s02.16
Dreus A., Kozhevnikov A., Sudakov A., Lysenko K., Investigation of heating of the drilling bits and definition of the energy efficient drilling modes. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 3(7), pp 41-46, 2016. DOI: 10.15587/1729-4061.2016.71995
Khomenko V., Muratova S., Utepov Z., Zhanggirkhanova A., Improved technique for measuring rheological properties of drilling fluid. Engineering for Rural Development, 24, pp 497-504, 2025. DOI: 10.22616/ERDev.2025.24.TF107
Mazen A.Z., Mujtaba I.M., Hassanpour A., Rahmanian N., Mathematical modelling of performance and wear prediction of PDC drill bits: Impact of bit profile, bit hydraulic, and rock strength. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, vol. 188, 106849, 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.petrol.2019.106849
Dreus A.Yu., Sudakov A.K., Kozhevnikov A.A., Vakhalin Yu.N., Study on thermal strength reduction of rock formation in the diamond core drilling process using pulse flushing mode. Naukovyi Visnyk Natsionalnoho Hirnychoho Universytetu, (3), pp 5-10, 2016.
Efendiyev G.M., Mammadov P.Z., Piriverdiyev I.A., Sarbopeyeva M.D., Selection of the best combination of bit types and technological parameters during drilling, taking into account uncertainty. Procedia Computer Science, 120, pp 67-74, 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.procs.2017.11.211
Togasheva A., Bayamirova R., Sarbopeyeva M., Bisengaliev M., Khomenko V., Measures to prevent and combat complications in the operation of high-viscosity oils of Western Kazakhstan. News of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Series of Geology and Technical Sciences, 1(463), pp 257-270, 2024. DOI: 10.32014/2024.2518-170X.379
Nurubeyli T., Hashimov A., Nurubayli Z., Nuriyev K., Imamverdiyev N., Application of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for geochemical analysis of rocks to enhance oil and gas production forecasting. Mining of Mineral Deposits, vol. 19, no. 3, pp 43-50, 2025. DOI: 10.33271/mining19.03.043
Muratova S., Pashchenko O., Khomenko V., Zhailiev A. Application of machine learning for wellbore stability assessment. Engineering for Rural Development, 24, pp 505-511, 2025. DOI: 10.22616/ERDev.2025.24.TF109
Wei J., Zhang G., Liu W., Gao D., Improved Calculation Model of Mechanical Specific Energy Based on Single-Cutter Rock-Breaking Mechanism. SPE Journal, vol. 30, no. 12, pp 7414-7427, 2025. DOI: 10.2118/231152-pa
Pashchenko O., Ratov B., Khomenko V., Gusmanova A., Omirzakova E., Methodology for optimizing drill bit performance, 24th SGEM International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference, vol. 24, pp 623-632, 2024. DOI: 10.5593/sgem2024/1.1/s06.78
Landar S., Velychkovych A., Vytvytskyi V.S., Ropyak L.Y., Threshold vibration metrics of drilling tools as indicators of bit wear and rate of penetration decline: Field trials and data interpretation. Mining of Mineral Deposits, vol. 19, no. 4, pp 147-157, 2025. DOI: 10.33271/mining19.04.147
Kirin R.S., Khomenko V.L., Illarionov O.Yu., Koroviaka Ye.A., Dichotomy of legal provision of ecological safety in excavation, extraction and use of coal mine methane. Naukovyi Visnyk Natsionalnoho Hirnychoho Universytetu, 5, pp 128-135, 2022. DOI: 10.33271/nvngu/2022-5/128
Maksymovych O., Solyar T., Sudakov A., Nazar I., Polishchuk M., Determination of stress concentration near the holes under dynamic loadings. Naukovyi Visnyk Natsionalnoho Hirnychoho Universytetu, 3, 2021, pp 19-24. DOI: 10.33271/nvngu/2021-3/019
Biletsky M.T., Kozhevnykov A.A., Ratov B.T., Khomenko V.L., Dependence of the drilling speed on the frictional forces on the cutters of the rock-cutting tool. Naukovyi Visnyk Natsionalnoho Hirnychoho Universytetu, 1, pp 21-27, 2019. DOI: 10.29202/nvngu/20191/22
Pashchenko O.A., Koroviaka Ye.A., Khomenko V.L., Kamyshatskyi O.F., Shypunov S.O., Studying the microstructural properties of tungsten carbide-cobalt composite materials by advanced image processing methods. Journal of Superhard Materials, 47(6), pp 457-466, 2025. DOI: 10.3103/S106345762506005X
Demin V., Khalikova E., Demina T., Syzdykbaeva D., Karatayev A., Mustafin M., Assessment of the stress-strain state of the rock mass surrounding cutting workings during coal seam mining. Mining of Mineral Deposits, vol. 19, no. 2, pp 38-46, 2025. DOI: 10.33271/mining19.02.038
Khomenko V., Zholbassarova A., Kenzhegaliyeva Z., Utepov Z., Zhailiyev A., Enhancing the wear resistance of drill bits through the improvement of composite diamond-containing elements. Advances in Science and Technology, 172, pp 97-112, 2026. DOI: 10.4028/p-hZo6Um
Khomenko V., Pashchenko O., Ratov B., Kirin R., Svitlychnyi S., Moskalenko A., Optimization of the technology of hoisting operations when drilling oil and gas wells. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1348(1), 2024. DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/1348/1/012008
Suleiman A., Bailey M. J., Qahtani A. M., Alhassan Y. M., Hashim A. O., Centala P., Roberts S., Revolutionizing Drilling Efficiency in Hard and Abrasive Formations Through Innovative Cutter Development and Design Optimization. International Petroleum Technology Conference, IPTC, 2024. DOI: 10.2523/IPTC-24145-MS