A Database to Manage Rock Mechanical Properties and Assess Formation Abrasiveness for Drilling

The design of drilling tools for deep wells requires a minimum knowledge of petrophysical and mechanical properties of the reservoir, but also of the overburden formations in case of difficult drilling. A
specific working method was developed in the rock mechanics lab of the University of Mons (Belgium) to obtain maximum geomechanical characteristics from a small piece of rock. A large number of samples have been processed for a global oil and gas service company which develops drilling bits. The typical analysis includes a petrographical description, petrophysical characterization, mechanical tests (punching, uniaxial compression...)to draw mechanical properties, and abrasiveness test (FPMs method). A database is created to emphasize the potential driving parameters in understanding the wear behavior and cutting efficiency of drill bits. We present the working method and some results obtained from the data analysis and their relationship with the measured abrasiveness.