The thesis presents an approach to adaptive decision making strategies to reduce bottlenecks in a drilling operation and to extend tool life. It is an attempt to portray the real drilling system in a typical Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) layout. The system designed serves as back end intelligence to drilling machines (INTELLIDRILL) in a Flexible Manufacturing System for making dynamic and real time decisions. INTELLIDRILL uses mathematical and adaptive tool reliability models to simulate the machining conditions and tool availability for an operation based on history of tool failures. The results are used to compute the machining parameters and the tools required for an operation. INTELLIDRILL can devise strategies for different tool materials to operate on batches of different materials. INTELLIDRILL decisions could lead to significant savings in tooling costs and reduction in flow line bottlenecks.

Composite materials are widely used in the aerospace industry because of their high strength-to-weight ratio. Although they have many advantages, their inhomogeneity and anisotropy pose problems. Because of these properties, machining of composites, unlike conventional metal working, needs more investigation. Conventional drilling of composites is one such field that requires extensive study and research. Among various parameters that determine the quality of a drilled hole, surface finish is of vital importance. The surface finish of a drilled hole depends on speed, feed-rate, material of the work piece, and geometry of the drill bit. This project studied the effect of speed and feed on surface finish and also the optimization of these parameters. Experiments were conducted based on Design of Experiment (DOE) and qualitative verification using Artificial Neural Network (ANN). Relevant behavior of surface finish was also studied. In this project, holes were drilled using a conventional twist drill at different cutting speeds (2,000 to 5,000 rpm) and feed rate was varied from 0.001 to 0.01 ipr for solid carbon fiber laminate (composite material). The other material drilled is BMS 8-276 form 3 (toughened resin system). Also five different drill bits were used to conduct experiments on BMS 8-276 form 3. Speed values were 5,000, 3,000, and 2,000 rpm and feed rates were 0.004, 0.006, and 0.01 ipr. The effect of speed, feed rate, and different drill geometries was analyzed with respect to surface finish in the drilled composites. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. / "July 2006." / Includes bibliographic references (leaves 79-81).

The aim of this thesis work was to design and evaluate a wear test method for cemented carbides inserts used in rotary drilling. An appropriate in-house wear test method would provide a better understanding of the wear mechanisms limiting tool life in real drilling. The test method should be easy to use and be able to distinguish between wear of insert materials with different microstructure and properties. The literature study showed few published articles about wear tests and mechanisms concerning rotary drill bit inserts. These methods included two standard wear tests; ASTM G65 and ASTM B611. Furthermore, a modified ASTM G65 test was found as well as an impact-abrasion test. In this work the modified ASTM G65 test, using a rock counter surface, was evaluated in order to understand if the method would mimic the wear of cemented carbides used in rotary drilling. The test method was further developed and showed high repeatability. Measured weight losses showed that the test could distinguish between two common rotary grade materials with a small difference in hardness but with different microstructures. The wear of the tested materials was analyzed with scanning electron microscopy and compared with rotary drill bit inserts collected from the field. The modified test method proved able to produce wear by mechanisms very similar to those found on field worn inserts. Identified wear mechanisms included cracking, fragmentation and spalling of WC grains as well as embedded fragments of WC grains on the surface. In addition, the binder phase was removed and adhered material from the counter surface was detected.

This thesis work is performed at Sandvik Mining Rock Tools, a world leading supplier of rock drilling tools. The work is part of developing a new tribological wear test method for cemented carbide drill bit inserts. The test method has earlier been judged successful in mimicking the rotary-percussive rock drilling process because it gives the same wear mechanisms as have been observed for inserts used in rock drilling. During testing the cemented carbide drill bit insert is pressed against a moving rock surface while water and particles are added to the contact area. The particles are present to simulate the rock crushings formed during drilling. They are believed to cause abrasive wear of the inserts. In this work the effect of load, particle material and particle size are studied. When adding silica particles, which are softer than the cemented carbide material, no correlation is obtained between wear rate and load or particle size. Cracking of WC grains, added rock material and removal of pieces of carbide material are seen at the worn sample surfaces. These observations are similar to observations described in other works about wear of cemented carbide. Adding alumina particles, which are harder than the sample material, gives high wear rate and ground/striped sample surfaces. The wear rate increases with alumina particle size.

Increasing demands for more reliability and functionalities in electronic devices have pushed the electronics industry to adopt newly developed materials and reduce interconnect sizes and spacing. These adaptations have led to concerns of reliability failures caused by conductive anodic filament formation (CAF). CAF is a conductive copper-containing salt that forms via an electrochemical process. It is initiated at the anode and grows along the epoxy/glass interface to the cathode, and once CAF reaches the cathode a short circuit will occur. The objective of this research is to evaluate and compare the effects of curing agents (DICY vs. phenolic-cured epoxy) and drilling methods (laser vs. mechanical drilling) on CAF formation using an insulation resistance test at 85 ºC, relative humidity of 85%, and a voltage gradient of 0.4V/µm. Time-to-failure for DICY-cured and phenolic-cured epoxy with laser drilled microvias and mechanically drilled vias were determined using the insulation resistance test. The failed coupons were cross-sectioned and examined using a Scanning Electron Microscope equipped with Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to verify the existence of CAF. Weibull analysis was used to compare the reliability and identify the failure modes of the failed coupons. Test results show that DICY-cured epoxy is a better CAF resistant material than phenolic-cured epoxy. It is believed that the brittleness of phenolic-cured material might enhance the damage to the epoxy/glass fiber interface during drilling; and hence, facilitate subsequent CAF formation. The study also shows that laser drilled microvias are less prone to CAF formation than mechanically drilled vias, because there is less mechanical damage and lower glass fiber content. Finally, using Weibull analysis, it is determined that laser drilled microvias experienced infant-mortality failure, whereas mechanically drilled vias exhibited a wear-out type failure.

The objective of the work described was to identify and explore a paradigm shifting solution that could offer leap-ahead capabilities to counter current and future DBHT threats while mitigating or eliminating the self-deterrence issue. A multidisciplinary approach to the problem was formulated and implemented. Systematic evaluation of DHBT defeat alternatives lead to the selection of a thermal subterrene as a hypothetical means of providing such a capability. A number of possible implementation alternatives for a thermal subterrene were investigated, resulting in the identification of the RadioIsotope Powered Thermal Penetrator (RIPTP) concept for providing an effectively unlimited, self-contained hard rock penetration capability using near-term technologies. However, the proposed approach was novel and thus required formulation and application of a physics based multidisciplinary analysis code to enable evaluation of design alternatives and analysis of performance. The following disciplinary analyses were composed into a multidisciplinary analysis code for a RIPTP: packing of RIPTP components in available volume; close-contact melting analysis; transmutation of isotope species by neutron activation; reactor neutron economy; radioisotope power generation through decay; metamodelled radiation shielding calculations for a RIPTP; and steady state thermal analyses for a RIPTP in various scenarios. Performance analysis of the identified baseline Thulium-170 RIPTP suggested that the predicted low penetration rate of about 10 meters/day could be a significant negative factor with regards to possible viability of the concept. Consequently, a survey for potentially enabling technologies was performed using an adaptation of the Technology Impact Forecasting (TIF) approach. It was found that the greatest potential for improving performance of the baseline Thulium-170 RIPTP resulted from increasing overall power density of the penetrator. Several possible technology approaches to achieving significantly increased penetration rates are proposed.

As hydrocarbon exploration and development moves into deeper water and onshore arctic environments, it becomes increasingly important to quantify the drilling hazards posed by gas hydrates. To address these concerns, a 1D semi-analytical model for heat and fluid transport in the reservoir was coupled with a numerical model for temperature distribution along the wellbore. This combination allowed the estimation of the dimensions of the hydratebearing layer where the initial pressure and temperature can dynamically change while drilling. These dimensions were then used to build a numerical reservoir model for the simulation of the dissociation of gas hydrate in the layer. The bottomhole pressure (BHP) and formation properties used in this workflow were based on a real field case. The results provide an understanding of the effects of drilling through hydratebearing sediments and of the impact of drilling fluid temperature and BHP on changes in temperature and pore pressure within the surrounding sediments. It was found that the amount of gas hydrate that can dissociate will depend significantly on both initial formation characteristics and bottomhole conditions, namely mud temperature and pressure. The procedure outlined suggested in this work can provide quantitative results of the impact of hydrate dissociation on wellbore stability, which can help better design drilling muds for ultra deep water operations.

The use of statistics has been common practice within the petroleum industry for over a decade. With such a mature subject that includes specialized software and numerous articles, the challenge of this project was to introduce a duplicable method to perform deterministic regression while confirming the mathematical and actual validation of the resulting model. A five-step procedure was introduced using Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) for necessary computations to obtain a model that describes an event by analyzing the environmental variables. Since SAS may not be readily available, the code to perform the five-step methodology in R has been provided. The deterministic five-step procedure methodology may be applied to new fields with a limited amount of data. As an example case, 17 wells drilled in north central Texas were used to illustrate how to apply the methodology to obtain a deterministic model. The objective was to predict the number of days required to drill a well using environmental conditions and technical variables. Ideally, the predicted number of days would be within +/- 10% of the observed time of the drilled wells. The database created contained 58 observations from 17 wells with the descriptive variables, technical limit (referred to as estimated days), depth, bottomhole temperature (BHT), inclination (inc), mud weight (MW), fracture pressure (FP), pore pressure (PP), and the average, maximum, and minimum difference between fracture pressure minus mud weight and mud weight minus pore pressure. Step 1 created a database. Step 2 performed initial statistical regression on the original dataset. Step 3 ensured that the models were valid by performing univariate analysis. Step 4 history matched the models-response to actual observed data. Step 5 repeated the procedure until the best model had been found. Four main regression techniques were used: stepwise regression, forward selection, backward elimination, and least squares regression. Using these four regression techniques and best engineering judgment, a model was found that improved time prediction accuracy, but did not constantly result in values that were +/- 10% of the observed times. The five-step methodology to determine a model using deterministic statistics has applications in many different areas within the petroleum field. Unlike examples found in literature, emphasis has been given to the validation of the model by analysis of the model error. By focusing on the five-step procedure, the methodology may be applied within different software programs, allowing for greater usage. These two key parameters allow companies to obtain their time prediction models without the need to outsource the work and test the certainty of any chosen model.

The aim of this study is to combine the basic concepts of mechanics on drill string which are related to directional drilling, thus finding a less complicated and more economical way for drilling directional wells. Slick BHA, which has no stabilizers attached and single stabilizer BHA are analyzed through previously derived formulas gathered from the literature that are rearranged for this study. An actual directional well is redrilled theoretically with a slick BHA and a computer program is assembled for calculating the side force and direction of the well for single stabilizer BHA. Influence of controllable variables on drilling tendency is investigated and reported. The study will be useful for well trajectory and drill string design in accordance with the drilling phase. Also, by using available data from offset wells, drilling engineer can back-calculate the formation anisotropy index (FAI) that is often used for optimizing well trajectories and predicting drilling tendency on new wells in similar drilling conditions. After analysing the directional well data used in this study, it has been concluded that the well could be drilled without a steerable tool if the kick of point (KOP) is not a shallower depth. If the KOP is kept similar, the same curvature could not be achieved without a steerable tool.

The thesis presents an approach to adaptive decision making strategies to reduce bottlenecks in a drilling operation and to extend tool life. It is an attempt to portray the real drilling system in a typical Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) layout. The system designed serves as back end intelligence to drilling machines (INTELLIDRILL) in a Flexible Manufacturing System for making dynamic and real time decisions. INTELLIDRILL uses mathematical and adaptive tool reliability models to simulate the machining conditions and tool availability for an operation based on history of tool failures. The results are used to compute the machining parameters and the tools required for an operation. INTELLIDRILL can devise strategies for different tool materials to operate on batches of different materials. INTELLIDRILL decisions could lead to significant savings in tooling costs and reduction in flow line bottlenecks.