Varel International And Downhole Products Introduce The CaseBit Drilling With Casing Bit

Carrollton, TX - Varel International, a leading manufacturer of drill bits and a global supplier to the drilling industry, announces the development of the CaseBit advanced casing drill bit product line, a joint development with Downhole Products (DHP), a Varel International Energy Services company.

The CaseBit product line is a patent pending solution which addresses the need for an advanced cutting tool for Drilling with Casing (DWC) operations. The proprietary approach combines key Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) drill bit technologies including force balancing, spiral and asymmetric blades, cutting structure wear modeling and computational fluid analysis with highly flexible manufacturing and casting technology. The result is an optimized, custom casing bit capable of drilling performance exceeding competitive bits.

"We believe we have created a decisive solution for DWC operations. The pure crystalline tungsten of the CaseBit body yields improved erosion resistance when compared to aluminum products currently in the marketplace," explained Mike Thigpen, Director of PDC Technology for Varel International.

Thigpen continues, "This advanced technology bit is supported by the global service networks of both Varel International and Downhole Products. They are designed, selected, and programmed based on proprietary software modeling tools tempered by local experience, worldwide."

For continued deepening of the well, the CaseBit solution is also designed to be readily drilled through by a smaller diameter PDC bit once the casing has been set and cemented in place. The "Machineable Matrix" body construction allows for greatly enhanced design flexibility, speedy manufacturing response and unsurpassed drillability. In addition, patents pending external and internal body configuration accelerates drill out and improves the breakup of the bit face during post cementing drill out by the following string.

DHP Managing Director Ian Kirk adds, "We have worked diligently with the drill bit design experts at Varel to produce a casing bit technology that fulfills the needs of our customers worldwide. The casing tool expertise of the DHP team combined with the bit technology experience of Varel have allowed us to create a new technology tool that will perform well in drilling, and when being drilled out by a follow on string and bit."

SOURCE: Varel International