INCREASE ROP AND DOUBLE BIT LIFE
APS’s Active Vibration Damper (AVD™)* is a standalone downhole tool that autonomously adapts to changing downhole BHA motion in real time to minimize axial, lateral and torsional drill string vibration. The AVD has demonstrated 50% improvements in rate of penetration (ROP) and doubling of bit life in the field due to reduced vibration. Other downhole drill string components, like MWD / LWD tools, also benefit from lower vibration.
Structurally, the AVD is similar to a shock-sub, with the addition of a damper section that has programmable stiffness. The damper chamber is filled with a magnetorheological fluid that has electronically controlled viscosity. An integrated motion sensor measures displacement several times per second and changes the damping factor over a 7-to-1 range based on observed drilling conditions.
By keeping tool string damping in the right range for current drilling conditions, the AVD significantly reduces vibration, maintaining the bit in better contact with the formation and increasing ROP.
By keeping tool string damping in the optimum range, the AVD significantly reduces vibration, maintaining the bit in better contact with the formation and drastically increasing ROP.
* U.S. Patents #6,257,356 B1; #7,219,752; and #7,377,339