What Is Downhole Stabilizer?

Definition of the downhole stabilizer

A downhole stabilizer is a kind of downhole facility used in the bottom hole assembly of a drill string. It mechanically stabilizes the bottom hole assembly in the borehole with the aim to avoid unintentional sidetracking, and vibrations, and make sure the quality of the hole being drilled. It is composed of a hollow cylindrical body and stabilizing blades, both made of high-strength steel. The blades can be either straight or spiraled and are hard-faced with the carbide composite rods and carbide wear inserts for wear resistance.

Types of the downhole stabilizer

There are mainly three types of drilling stabilizers used in the oilfield industry.

1. The integral stabilizer is fully machined out of a single piece of steel. This type tends to be the norm and is widely used.

The blades of the integral blade stabilizer are an integral part of the stabilizer body. Whenever the stabilizer has worn down to an unacceptable condition, the entire stabilizer is sent to the shop for reconditioning. This one is suitable for hard and abrasive formations. It is used in the small hole sizes

2. The Replaceable sleeve stabilizer, where the blades are located on a sleeve, which is then screwed on the body. This type can be economical when no repair facilities are available close to the well being drilled. They consist of the mandrel and the spiral sleeve. When the blades wear out, the sleeve can easily be detached from the mandrel at the rig and replaced with a reconditioned or new sleeve. It is used in large holes.

3. The Welded blades stabilizer, where blades are welded onto the body. This type is usually not advised on oil wells due to the risks of losing blades but is regularly used when drilling water wells or on low-cost oilfields.

The hardfacing material applied to the downhole stabilizer

Tungsten carbide is approximately twice as stiff as steel, and its hardness can reach 94HRA. Due to its high hardness, it's a very suitable material for wear-resistant applications, including hardfacing. Tungsten carbide hardfacing has the highest level of abrasion resistance available. The high level of abrasion resistance is offset by lower impact resistance than other types of hardfacing.

To meet the most demanding drilling conditions, ZZBetter offers various sizes and shapes of tungsten carbide inserts for hard-facings in different options for your stabilizers. Each carbide insert is tailored to your specific needs, and our expert application ensures exceptional resistance to wear and tear, prolonging the life of your stabilizers. Such as HF2000, geothermal hard-facing utilizes tungsten carbide bricks, brazed to the stabilizer blade and surrounded by tungsten impregnated composite rod; HF3000, A hard-facing method that applies the maximum amount of premium tungsten carbide on any wearing surface. It can be applied in varied thicknesses and uses tungsten carbide inserts to maximize abrasive and impact durability.

If you are interested in tungsten carbide products and want more information and details, you can CONTACT US by phone or mail at the left, or SEND US MAIL at the bottom of the page.