Development of Small Hydraulic Downhole Motors for Well Drilling Applications

Abstract

Further development of the well drilling technologies becomes possible due to the improvement of rock cutting tools and hydraulic downhole motors. When developing a new hydraulic motor, it is highly important to eliminate rotor vibrations and reduce motor size. There are two main trends in further improvement of hydraulic motors: The upgrade of the downhole screw motors currently in use and the development of new reliable geared turbodrills. Besides, the R&D works are underway to construct a roller vane motor for downhole drilling. The experts of Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas have launched a new R&D programme aiming at developing a hybrid hydraulic system combining the best features of a screw motor and a roller vane motor. The hybrid hydraulic system could be a radical solution to the problem of rotor vibrations in a hydraulic motor. The R&D activities conducted by Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas are intended to create an advanced downhole drilling motor for the cutting tools with high-torque bits rotating at a speed of 240 to 450 rpm. The main area of application of the hybrid hydraulic motor is horizontal drilling of oil and gas fields. Yet, some R&D findings can be used for performing other production tasks, e.g., designing the pumping facilities for oil and gas extraction and pumping.