Xplorer

Premium roller cone drill bit

Improved ROP by 20%

Staggered configuration of the inserts provides better bottomhole coverage, increasing rock-crushing efficiency.

Maximum durability

Application-based drillbit design enables use in a wide range of environments.

High temp, high reliability

Specialized seals withstand wear and temperatures to deliver superior results.

Custom-designed roller cone bits to achieve your drilling objectives

SLB engineers more than a century of drilling expertise and experience into every Xplorer premium roller cone drill bit. We start by designing each bit using the proprietary IDEAS™ integrated dynamic design and analysis platform to ensure optimal drilling dynamics. As a result, Xplorer bits provide a range of options to help achieve your drilling objectives, no matter the depth or formation. Premium cutting structures, materials, and hydraulic options customize your application-specific bits for maximizing performance and durability in any environment.

Xplorer Gemini™ dynamic twin-seal technology

Offering two precisely configured seals with excellent material properties, Xplorer Gemini technology for drill bits exhibits consistent performance over long run intervals. Available for both TCI or milled tooth (MT) bits, the dual-seal system ensures high reliability for extended time periods, even with high rpm, heavy weight on bit (WOB), high mud weight, and severe dogleg.

The primary seal protects the bearings with a wear-resistant, dynamic face elastomer and a softer energizing material that exerts consistent (but not excessive) pressure. It is bullet shaped with a large cross-sectional profile to protect the bearing.

A secondary seal protects the primary seal. It guards against abrasive particles in the wellbore fluids that contact the bearing seal. A proprietary thermoplastic fabric is positioned on the seal’s dynamic face to resist wearing, tearing, and heat damage.

Xplorer Shamal™ carbonate-optimized insert

Initially created for carbonate lithologies in the Middle East, the Xplorer Shamal inserts (TCI) elevate application-based drillbit design in a wide range of environments. With a specially designed insert shape, bits using Xplorer Shamal inserts deliver maximum toughness for carbonate-based drilling operations around the world.

Xplorer Kaldera™ high-temperature seals

In many cases, the TCI roller cone bits used to drill hard and abrasive lithologies to access steam or hot rock in basement formations are exposed to temperatures that exceed 500 degF. Under these conditions, a standard 300-degF-rated bit’s elastomer seals and lubricating material quickly degrades, causing bearing failure. This results in operational inefficiencies, such as reduced on-bottom drilling hours that lead to multiple bit runs and increased development costs.

Designed with the IDEAS platform, Xplorer Kaldera seals feature specialized fabric compounds and a proprietary high-temperature grease formula. These innovations increase seal life, lubricity, and load capacity for high-temperature applications such as geothermal drilling.

Proven durability in HT applications

Tested against baseline bits, in geothermal superheated steam applications where temperatures can reach 530 degF, Xplorer Kaldera HT seals on a bit resulted in top performance:

On-bottom drilling time was 3% to 37% greater.
Average run length was 33% greater.

Xplorer Kaldera Seal

The Xplorer Kaldera high-temperature (HT) seal for roller cone bits is specially designed to endure high-temperature drilling environments like geothermal wells for extended periods.

TCT™ two-cone drill bits

TCT two-cone drill bits are designed using the dynamic modeling capabilities of the IDEAS platform. Extensive analysis ensures that the cutting structure layout optimally exploits the bit’s unique characteristics. Two-cone bits have lower tooth counts than equivalent three-cone bits and higher point loading per tooth for improved formation penetration. They also benefit from current technology for enhanced insert geometries and the latest carbides and hardfacing materials.

Two-cone bits have four points of stabilization. The lug-pad and leg-back placement, along with the forging geometry, reduces vibration, increases bit life, and enables a higher ROP. In addition, the lug pads and leg backs are protected by TCIs to stabilize the bit and ensure a full-gauge wellbore.

Milled tooth drill bits

Strategic hard-metal tooth placement and self-sharpening wear help to increase ROP over extended run lengths. Additionally, full hard-metal coverage over the entire tooth maximizes durability for improved bit life and run distance.

The MIC2 drillbit hardfacing material was developed specifically for drillbit applications. The proprietary hard metal provides a high level of wear resistance with increased fracture toughness for extended cutting structure life.