Downhole vibration causing a drill collar failure and solutions

In large borehole drilling of some blocks or formations, due to serious downhole vibration, fatigue failure of a drill collar occurs frequently and most washouts and fractures are in thread root. An analysis of the above failure shows that the drill collar fatigue failure is caused by the cyclic bending stress due to serious downhole vibration. Therefore, downhole vibration modes were theoretically analyzed in terms of axial vibration, lateral vibration, stick-slip, and the physical model established by the mechanical vibration field. Then the resonance damage caused by the actual different downhole vibrations and its theoretical basis were analyzed; and according to the downhole drill string lateral vibration and whirling law, the best area to ensure drilling parameter stability based on the given boundary conditions was figured out, and the theory was clarified that in the best area of drilling, the maximum ROP will be achieved by maintaining the drill string stable or eliminating the vibration/stick-slip, meanwhile the stress fatigue of BHA will be reduced or eliminated especially for drill collar. Finally, solutions were provided as follows: (1) According to the special BHA, drilling conditions, together with physical and mathematical models listed above, downhole resonance speed and related parameters to be avoided can be easily figured out. It was also clarified that resonance speed is exactly the vibration speed that need to be avoided; and that the resonance frequency can be avoided with software for vibration analysis in BHA design and application at well sites; (2) V-Stab is a new and efficient tool which can reduce or eliminate downhole lateral vibration and stick-slip.