Plasma Hardfaced Drilling Tool Stabilizer

The drilling tool stabilizer, also known as a drill string straightener, is an essential tool used for aligning and guiding the drill string during the drilling process. Common types include drill string and bottom hole stabilizers. These stabilizers increase the rigidity of the drill string, prevent well deviation, and are subject to extreme wear due to the hardness of the wellbore rocks. Once the wear exceeds the allowable dimensional tolerance, the stabilizer must be discarded, leading to significant waste. Therefore, the recovery, repair, and reuse of drilling tool stabilizers have become critical tasks. Through continuous practical trials, we have determined that plasma hardfacing technology is the most suitable and economical solution for repairing drilling tool stabilizers.

Considerations for Plasma Hardfacing of Drilling Tool Stabilizers:

  1. To reduce and avoid the formation of martensitic structures in the heat-affected zone, it is necessary to preheat the base material before welding to maintain the proper interlayer temperature. After welding, the stabilizer should be allowed to cool slowly, possibly in an insulation box, to room temperature. This reduces the cooling rate of the hardfaced layer and the heat-affected zone, controlling the content and hardness of martensite and minimizing the possibility of cracks in the heat-affected zone.
  2. The welding programming for the three helical surfaces of the stabilizer can be achieved through G-code, which replicates the helical trajectory every 120 degrees, thus enabling the welding of the three spiral surfaces.
  3. For the 15° angled surfaces of the stabilizer, if it is a casing, the angle of the locator can be changed to make it a flat surface for welding. If it is a shaft, the welding gun’s Z-axis movement can be used to accomplish the angled surface welding.

As a common and wear-prone component of mining machinery, the drilling tool stabilizer significantly benefits from plasma hardfacing in terms of wear resistance. This process ensures product stability, higher rigidity, and extended service life, making it a highly effective method for reducing our equipment costs. Deewi Automation offers a complete set of wear-resistant repair solutions for drilling tool stabilizers, and we welcome your inquiries.