Gazprom Neft has successfully completed pilot testing of Russia’s first ever domestically produced polycrystalline diamond composite (PDC) drill bit, during pilot drilling at its Vyngapurovskoye field, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Polycrystalline diamond composite (PDC) drill bits is a tool for cutting through rock, comprising a high-tensile steel body with polycrystalline diamond cutters and carbide inserts, guaranteeing a significantly longer useful life in comparison with conventional tools.

The tool, developed by Samara-based company VolgaBurServis, is designed for drilling vertical, directional and horizontal wells in soft strata interbedded with medium-hard rock — consistent with the construction of most wells in the Noyabrsk district of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

The new equipment demonstrated high durability in testing, with the drill passing through the test section of the well — running to a length of 2,237 —without any damage or loss of bit inserts (cutters), and showing good handleability and a high bit-penetration rate. Pilot testing of PDC drilling with a domestically-produced PDC bit will continue under the more complex geological conditions of the Yarainerskoye field in the Purovsky district of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in February 2017. Once testing success has been confirmed the equipment will be put forward for implementation in production activities throughout Gazprom Neft’s upstream subsidiaries.

Sergey Arkhipov, Head of Technological Partnerships and Import Substitution, Gazprom Neft, commented: “Russian oil and gas equipment manufacturers are successfully replacing many foreign offerings with their own solutions. Gazprom Neft is playing an active role in this process, working closely with domestic companies to develop new products, offering technological expertise, and offering opportunities for testing prototypes at our own facilities. It is precisely this sort of technological partnership between producers and customers that is so fundamental to the successful development of the country’s industrial base.”