PDC Bit vs Tricone Bit, Which is The Best Option for You

PDC Bit is more and more popular in these days. When consider all the drilling footage in all industry ( Oil & Gas, Water well, Geothermal, HDD etc), it takes more than 60%.

PDC Bit cost is becoming less & less, while quality is going up a lots with this relative new technology mature.

In right formation & application, PDC can drill as twice fast as tricone or even more. You can save tons of time & money. But should you change your tricone bit to PDC bits. This article will give you a general idea to start consideration.

What is the difference?

The most straightforward difference is that there is no moving part in PDC Bit.

Tricone bits consist of three "cones" which must all rotate on lubricated bearings. This lubrication in turn requires a grease reservoir and for any medium or large scale project some sort of bearing seal to prevent debris from entering the tricone and stopping rotation.

PDC fixed cutter bits are solid and consist of no moving parts. PDC bits are made by combining fine grained artificial diamonds and tungsten carbide under extremely high heat and pressure.

PDC & Tricone cutting type is different as well. PDC is shearing the rock while tricone is grouping, crushing.

Tricone bit requires relative higher WOB to perform good. Otherwise its inserts may premature wearout.

Pros & Cons

PDC Bit

ㆍFast

ㆍSafe

ㆍLong lifespan

ㆍRebultable

ㆍCutter Breaks in High Impact Formation

The solidity and strength of PDC bits lends them many advantages that a tricone bit can't match.

Most significantly, PDC bits have a longer lifespan which means they don't need to be replaced as often as tricone bits. That reason alone explains much of the shift towards PDC bits for large scale projects.

Additionally PDC bits can achieve a higher Rate Of Penetration than tricone bits under optimal circumstances. These factors combined mean that in formations where the rock type is established and the correct PDC bit is selected you can drill faster and further with a single PDC bit, bringing the cost per foot down below that of a tricone.

Even though tricone bits may be cheaper up front, in the right kind of project that can take full advantage of the features of a PDC bit, you will wind up saving money in the long run by going with PDC bits.

Lastly as tricone bits consist of several different moving parts, it is possible to lose part of the tricone in the borehole, a danger that does not exist with PDC bits.

Tricone Bit

ㆍVersatile

ㆍCost: Initial Low Investment

ㆍMore Control Option

ㆍBetter in Hard Rock Formation

ㆍMore Impact Resistant 

ㆍSlow

ㆍPossibility to Loss " Cone"

ㆍShort Lifespan

One of the largest advantages enjoyed by tricone bits is the length of time they have been around. This longer stretch of time has allowed the design and manufacture of tricone bits to advance significantly, incorporating advances in material technology such as Tungsten Carbide Inserts, or advances in engineering like sealed journal bearings.

Tricone bits are also easier to control in tricky situations, providing more options in regards to torque and Weight On Bit.

Tricone bits are also better for varied rock formations, especially for hard formations. The action of the individual rollers on a tricone bit serves to fracture the rock, making it significantly more flexible in terms of the range of formations one bit can be used on.

One of the most important considerations on any drilling project is always cost, where all things being equal tricones tend to come out ahead. However, depending on the specifics of the drilling project there may be circumstances that let PDC bits pull ahead.

Conclusion

PDC is idea choice for some formation condition. It works well in consolidated, homogeneous rock, such as shale, sandstone, limestone, sand, clay.

When your rock as about mentioned, you can try out PDC bit as a fast, safe, rebultable ( low cost in long run) solution.

Otherwise, Tricone is your best option.

We are a tricone and PDC bit supplier. If you want to learn more about tricone bits, contact us today!