Designed to help you achieve maximum aggressiveness in soft-formation drilling, Vanguard™ Steel-Tooth tricone drill bits from Baker Hughes are setting new performance benchmarks. Operators are recording significant rate of penetration (ROP) gains with more footage and less trips using our improved steel-tooth cutting structure that extends bit life.
This drill bit features a new high aspect ratio (HAR) elastomer seal or patented metal-face seal and a new cutting structure. The shirttail and leg (STL) hardfacing enhances seal and leg protection. The patented pyramid tooth cutting structure shows superior ROP through shale formations by mitigating balling.
Operator drills 30% farther and 15% faster
An operator working in Louisiana requested a more effective and less-costly approach to the area’s tough formations of interbedded shale and sand with occasional limestone, chert, and pyrite sections. These conditions also cause a high probability of balling that, combined with an interbedded formation, means polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits usually are ineffective.
The recommended 9⅞-in. (250.825-mm) Vanguard Steel-Tooth tricone drill bit drilled 6,400 ft (1,951 m) of interbedded formations at a rate that was 15% faster and 30% farther than any comparable offsets. Before being pulled for hours, the tricone accumulated more than 840 K-revs and was seal-effective. The section required one less bit trip, resulting in a 13% reduction in cost per foot.
Advantages of the Vanguard Steel-Tooth tricone drill bit include:
- Increased ROP and fewer trips
- Enhanced seal and leg protection
- Patented pyramid tooth-cutting structure mitigates bit balling
Contact your local Baker Hughes representative today to find out how we can help you drill farther, faster.