New Steering Technology Using Pulsed Arc Plasma Shockwave: Plasma Pulse Steering Technology

Steering drilling technology can achieve precise control of wellbore trajectory, and related technologies have been widely used in the field of petroleum drilling. This paper proposed a new steering drilling technology based on the Pulsed Arc Plasma Shockwave Technology (PAPST),Plasma Pulse Steering Technology (PPST). PAPST transforms electric energy into mechanical energy by discharging electrodes, which can break rock. On the basis of PAPST, PPST can precisely control the discharge time and break the rock in the specified direction at the bottom of the well, so as to realize guided drilling. First, the discharge mechanism and guiding mechanism of the PPST were studied separately. Then, the discharge control model of PPST was established to explain the feasibility of using this technology to achieve drilling guidance. Finally, to verify the actual effect of this technology on rock breaking, an experiment was carried out with self-developed experimental equipment. Through the study of the mechanism and discharge control model of PPST, it is considered that it is feasible to use this technology to achieve guidance in theory. The experimental results show that the sandstone samples were damaged and a large area of pits appeared after the shockwave, and the ultrasonic penetration test results showed that there was damage inside the rock. As the number of impacts increased, the rock damage became more severe and fracture occurred. Therefore, it is feasible to apply PPST to the directional fracture of bottom hole rock. In summary, this technology has very good application prospects. For the first time, this paper proposed the idea of applying PAPST to steering drilling. Through the research on the steering mechanism and the experiment, the feasibility of this technology was proved and the theoretical basis was provided for the application of this technology in the field of oil drilling.