Steerable Downhole Mud Motor - Directional Drilling

Steerable Downhole Mud Motor (SDMM) commonly referred to as Mud Motor or Drilling Motor acts much as a positive displacement motor which provides additional rpm to the drill bit from the flow of drilling fluid (mud).

This drilling motor is far different from an electrical motor in it's working principle and operation.

(A lot of people get confused initially)

Since its introduction, the positive displacement motor has undergone revolutionary changes and improvements. Downhole drilling motors have proven to be successful in the most rigorous of drilling environments. From the time of its inceptions, the mud motors have gone extensive improvements that has enhanced its performance, operational and economical reliability. 

Today there are numerous players in the industry providing mud motors for different operational requirements. Few to name are National Oil Varco (NOV), Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Weatherford, Cavo, Bico, Jaguar, APS, etc. Different mud motors provided by different companies vary a little from each other but, there basic operating principle remains the same. 

Mud Motors have extensively wide range of applications and few of them are listed below:

Conventional Directional Drilling

Side-Tracking

Performance Drilling

Short/Medium/Ultra-short Radius Wells

Air/Foam or Under-balanced Drilling 

ERD Wells

HP/HT Wells

Coiled Tubing Drilling

Vertical Drilling

Casing Drilling

Milling

Coring

Slim Hole Drilling

Working Principle

Mud motors converts the flow energy of drilling fluid (mud) in rotational motion that's utilized in rotating drill bits at a much higher rpm. 

It's imperative that flow rate can be used to control the rpm of the drill bit as per operational requirements. Flow rates for muds are provided by the mud pumps.

Bit RPM = {Flow rate (in GPM) x RPG (Revolutions Per Gallon)} + Rotary RPM 

Note: 

RPG is defined as the revolutions made by bit box and in turn bit, when one gallon of mud flows through it & is mentioned by the manufacturer for each type of SDMM.

While sliding rotary rpm will be zero.

Parts of SDMM:

Simple classification of SDMM parts can be categorized as: 

Top Sub Options

Power Section

Drive Shaft Assembly

Adjustable Bent Housing Assembly

Bearing Assembly

Bit Box

Top Sub options

Top Sub: 

Top sub is simply a cross over housing at the top end of the motor. The lower connection uses a thread that connects to the upper box of the stator housing.

Dump Sub:

It contains a Dump Valve Assembly. This allows the mud to fill or drain from the drill string while tripping.

To avoid the ingress of solids from the annulus when the pumps are off, it’s normal to run a float sub as close to the motor as possible.

The motor will function perfectly without a dump valve - It can be laid down and replaced by a sub having the same connections or run with the ports blanked-off. 

Failure of the dump valve assembly can cause sometimes serious troubles.

Motor Catch & Rotor Catch Top Subs:

The rotor catch system is designed to retrieve the motor in case of a housing fracture. It will retrieve the motor from the upper stator box connection down to the drill bit. The motor catch system has the additional feature of an integral catch flange within the top sub. It will retrieve the motor from the top sub down to the drill bit.

Power Section

Positive Displacement Motors (commonly called a PDM) are reverse applications of a Moineau pump or screw pump. 

It mainly consists of Rotor & Stator.  

Rotor is chrome-plated alloy steel of spiral-helix shape. 

Stator is a hollow steel housing, lined with a molded-in-place elastomer rubber compound. 

A spiral-shaped cavity is produced in the stator during manufacturing. The rotor is produced with matching lobe profile and similar helical pitch to the stator, but with one lobe less. The rotor can therefore be matched to and inserted inside the stator. When assembled, the rotor and stator form a continuous seal along their matching contact points. Fluid is pumped into the motor’s progressive cavities. The force of the fluid movement causes the shaft to rotate within the stator. Thus, it is a positive displacement motor. The rotational force is then transmitted through the connecting rod and drive shaft to the bit.

  

Stage is the distance measured parallel to the axis between two corresponding points of the same spiral lobe. This distance is commonly referred to as the lead of the stator. A slight interference fit between rotor OD and stator ID controls motor power. 

Mud motors are divided into slow-speed, medium-speed and high-speed types. This is done by changing the pitch of the motor stages, by the number of "lobes" and resultant cavities of the stator. 

The greater the number of lobes, the higher the motor torque and the lower the output RPM. 

Increasing the flow rate through a given power section directly increases the output speed. To increase the output speed of a power section without changing the flow rate, the cavity size is changed. A high speed power section will require a larger fluid inlet area (cavity) to allow more fluid throughput into the cavity.

The torque generated by the power section is proportional to the differential pressure applied across the power section and is independent of fluid flow. Generally, the more weight applied to the bit, the higher the torque needed to keep the bit turning, so the higher the differential pressure across the Power Section.

The maximum recommended differential pressure is limited by the stator elastomer. If pressure increases beyond the limits of the elastomer, the stator elastomer will deform, breaking the cavity seal so the mud flow leaks past the rotor and rotation stops – this is commonly known as a stalled motor.

Drive Shaft Assembly

The drive shaft assembly converts the eccentric motion of the rotor into concentric rotation for the bearing assembly via a connecting rod attached to the lower end of the rotor. It transmits the torque and rotational speed from the rotor to the drive shaft and bit. Universal joints convert the eccentric motion of the rotor into concentric motion at the drive shaft. 

It also accommodates any angle set on the adjustable bent housing (or fixed bend housing) and carries the thrust load from the rotor caused by the pressure drop across the power section.

Adjustable Bent Housing

ABH connects stator to the bearing assembly and also houses drive shaft assembly. It has a field adjustable angle-setting to produce a wide range of build rates.

Angle setting may be set to zero for vertical drilling or may be set to any other angle setting as desired. Once the angle is set for the mud motor, it can't be changed when it's down hole and has to be pulled out of the hole to change the angle-setting.

Higher rotary rpm could be used at low angle-setting as compared to a high angle-setting.

Drilling at a higher rotary rpm provides a drill bit with more torsional force provided by the entire rotating drill string as compared to the torsional force provided alone by the mud motor.

(That's the reason why ROP in rotary mode > ROP in sliding mode)

Bearing Assembly

The drive shaft assembly is supported within the bearing housing by radial and axial thrust bearings. It transmits the rotation of the drive shaft assembly to the drill bit and the compressive thrust load created by the weight of the collars and drill string to the rotating bit box & supports the radial and bending loads developed while directional drilling.  

It also carries the tensile off-bottom thrust load produced by the pressure drops across the rotor and the drill bit, as well as any load caused during back reaming. The high capacity radial bearings readily withstand side loads caused by drilling with a deflection device or uneven cutting action along the drill bit periphery. The tungsten carbide radial bearings and angular contact bearing section supports the radial loads along the full length of the bearing assembly, creating a very stiff, strong assembly

Types of Bearing Assembly-

Mud Lubricated Bearing Assembly

Oil Sealed Bearing Assembly

Mud Lubricated Bearing Assembly regulate the flow of mud through the bearing assembly. This diverted mud (usually 4 - 10%) is used to cool and lubricate the shaft, radial and thrust bearings. It exits to the annulus directly above the bit sub. The exact percentage of mud diverted is determined by the condition of the bearings and the pressure drop across the bit. Mud lubricated bearing assemblies can be used in the hottest holes with the lowest aniline point drilling fluids, as there are no elastomeric seals.

Oil Sealed Bearing Assembly is an alternative to the mud-lubricated bearing. A sealed bearing would be recommended where corrosive muds are used, where a lot of LCM of various sizes is pumped or where there is a requirement for a very low pressure drop across the bit (Pbit).

Bit Sub

At Bit sub the drill bit is make up with the motor and it's the only moving external part of the motor.

  

Note: 

In addition to above, different manufacturers can have more or less parts.

The operating conditions and parameters for the mud motors may vary for different manufacturers.