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Weight On Bit - WOB

9-12 minutes

What is Weight on Bit or WOB?

An essential part of the drilling process is adding force to the drill bit in order to
successfully break the rock. Weight on the Bit, or WOB, is the amount of
downward force exerted on the drill bit provided by thick-walled tubular pieces
in the drilling assembly that are known as drill collars. The downward force of
gravity on these steel tubes provide force for the drill bit in order to effectively
break the rock.

The weight of the drilling assembly is controlled and measured while the drill
bit is just off the bottom of the wellbore. Then, the drill string is slowly and
carefully lowered until it reaches the bottom. As the driller continues to lower
the top of the drill string, more of the weight of the assembly is being applied to
the bit and harmoniously less weight is hanging at the surface.

To put this into perspective, let us imagine a vertical drilling hole. If the surface
measurement reads 1,000 kg less weight of the string while drilling than with
the bit off the bottom, then there should be 1,000 kg of force transferred to the
bit. This measurement is read using a hydraulic gauge at the surface that is
directly connected to the hoisting equipment for maximum accuracy. This
measured weight includes everything that exerts tension on the drill string.
Weight transfer control can greatly decrease operating cost and time, and lead
to a longer lasting drill bit.

Weight on bit is an essential part of drilling optimization to ensure that the well
deepens as drilling moves forward. Finding the right amount of WOB per
application is crucial to drilling operations. If the WOB is greater than the
optimum value, the drill bit has a higher chance of wear or damage and there
is even a chance for the drill string to buckle. On the contrary, if the WOB is
less than optimal, the Rate of Penetration (ROP) slows down and drilling
performance is subpar. The ROP is the speed at which a drill bit breaks the
rock or sediment; ROP is typically measured either in feet or meters per hour.
It is important to maximize the rate of penetration to reduce rig time and cost.
In order to optimize penetration, drilling operators must pay close attention to
Weight on bit and alter it as necessary. Finding the optimum WOB is
determined by the design and parameters of the drill bit, as well as external
factors such as mud weight, BHA, and the rock being drilled. There is no
standard range of weight that should be applied to the bit. It can be anywhere
between 1,000 lbs. to 100,000 lbs. depending on the size and type of bit, the
rock being drilled, and the application. At Ulterra, recommended values for
WOB to the customer are based purely on local knowledge and experience of
the application.

Bit manufacturers specify the maximum WOB to avoid damage to the bit; each
will have their own method that helps them determine this maximum weight.
The stable zone for smooth drilling operations calls for moderate WOB and
rotary speed. The recommended weight provided by bit manufacturers is
determined by factors such as the structural integrity of the bit body and
blades, cutter quantity and the cutter orientation, size, and shape. When we
determine the maximum weight the design will take before failure, we then add
in a 10-20% safety factor. This safety factor provides a guarantee that the bit
will not break if the maximum specified Weight on bit is applied during drill
operations.

WOB Measurement

Weight on bit is usually measured using a drillstring weight indicator located on

the driller’s console and linked to the hoist equipment in the derrick. The more
advanced and functional indicators have dual scales which consists of a
primary scale indicating the suspended weight of the drilling assembly and the
secondary scale for the drill bit weight. These weight indicators are hydraulic
gauges that are attached to the dead line of the drilling line that take the actual
force measurement. As the tension in the line increases, hydraulic fluid is
forced through the instrument which turns the hands of the indicator, providing
the operator with the weight suspended off the hoist. Before the driller
measures the weight on the bit, they must make a zero offset adjustment to
account for any weight other than the drillstring. Therefore, the measurement
inclusively measures the weight of the drill string, which includes the drill pipe
and bottomhole assembly. Other than these indicators on the surface,
Measurement While Drilling (MWD) tools that are located down hole provide
more accurate weight on bit measurements that are sent to the surface on a
readout interface. Sensors inside the MWD tool measure the strain on the
body of the tool, from which they can calculate the applied weight that is
actually getting to the bit since the MWD tool typically sits very close in the
drilling assembly.

Finding Optimum WOB & Rotary Speed

It is important to select the best bit weight and rotary speed to optimize the
drilling operation, minimize cost, and increase bit life. The drilling environment,
such as the lithology of the rock and drilling dysfunction, impacts the drilling
conditions and can have a negative effect on drilling efficiency. Rotary speed
and weight on bit can control vibration and ROP. It is important to be in control
of drilling vibration in order to keep the bit in smooth contact with the rock,
prevent damage and maximize efficiency by reducing wasted energy. A
minimum WOB must be achieved in order to get the drilling started, which is
considered the threshold weight. There are average values that have been
determined for drilling weights, but proper weight can be determined for each
application by increasing the bit weight in steps of 1,000-2,000 lbs., with an
optimized rotary speed. Optimum weight has been reached when additional
weight is not providing further penetration and the bit starts to founder.

Rotary speed and weight on bit cannot be continuously increased without

causing extreme stress on the drill string and bit. If excessive force and weight
are being applied to the drill string it can cause the drill pipe to buckle. Buckling
at a minimum leads to decreased performance and increased stress on
components, but it can even result in parting the string and losing your BHA,
which means losing expensive high-tech logging equipment and directional
drilling tools down the hole.

After a certain bit weight value is reached, it is normally observed that rate of
penetration starts to reduce. The poor response of penetration is usually
attributed to inefficient bottom hole cleaning and wear on the drill bit, but it is
often actually the case that drilling dysfunction starts to kick in. At very high
WOB the sheer amount of torque being produced by the bit starts to overload
the drilling system leading to vibration and inefficiency. Likewise, after a certain
value of rotary speed has been met, ROP decelerates as the bit starts skating
on top of the rock rather than getting good penetration of the cutting structure,
the speed is too high to get a good bite into the rock. This poor response of
decreased penetration is likely due to loss of stability of the drilling assembly in
the wellbore.

To test bit performance, the driller can increase WOB by x amount and the drill
rate will increase by y amount of ft/hr. If this bit is efficiently shearing the rock,
the next x amount of weight on the bit should yield another y amount of ft/hr. If
the drill rate does not increase by the same amount, the response is
disproportionate. That increased weight could be damaging to the bit or the
BHA. These tests of efficiency will help determine how proportionate the
response is between WOB and ROP (ft/hr).

Rotary speed and weight are just two parameters that must be monitored and
adjusted to improve drilling efficiency. Other drilling parameters such as torque,
flow rate, bottom-hole temperature, and bottom-hole pressure can also be
converted into ROP at the bit.

Lower WOB, Higher ROP

Ulterra assembled a team of material specialists, design engineers, and

performance optimization experts to create a PDC bit platform that was
superior to both traditional matrix and steel PDC bodies and that would allow
the cutters to get deep into the formation to increase ROP. This team of
experts ended up creating the FastBack™ series of bits, which are designed to
drill faster with lower WOB. FastBack is designed to get the bit body out of the
way so that the drilling is focused on the sharp, diamond edge of the PDC
cutter. The energy provided by the PDC cutting structure in these designs
requires less WOB while still providing a greater ROP than traditional bits.

Ulterra also offers CounterForce® technology which is focused on the cutter

orientation to maximize rock failure and drilling efficiency. CounterForce cutters
work synergistically to engage the formation and optimize crack propagation by
re-directing resultant drilling forces back into the rock. The angles of the cutters
are designed to shear rock more efficiently while keeping the cuttings moving
away from the crucial sharp edge of the cutter. This helps reduce reactive
torque and improves bit stability for better control and wellbore quality.
With both of these advanced technologies from Ulterra, less weight on bit is
required to drill because the bits are more efficient at translating the energy
from WOB into cutting action. This translates into a wider envelope of useable
drilling parameters, less possibility for drilling dysfunction and overall reduced
rates of damage to the bit.