Technical Drilling Tools
Oil and GasTexas, United States2-10 Employees
The partners of Technical Drilling Tools have in excess of 50-years downhole experience. At the end of 2009, the Company began to concentrate its focus on specifically damping and isolating the tool-string from damaging shock and vibration, unlike shock subs for drill strings. Even if a company is not experiencing excessively high levels of shock and vibration, the cumulative wear and fatigue to the tool string increases with each run made, thus increasing electronic fatigue, the risk of increased repair costs and unscheduled pipe tripping. Through a sister company, TDT has access to and markets a Z-axis tool-string shock absorber that works exceedingly well with steering tools, gyros and EM MWD. The tool has a good history of running on air with EM systems, in the Barnet and Marcellus and with air hammers in the HDD market. Not a single case of tool failure or loss of orientation in all the wells drilled since the technology was introduced in 2004. A stick-slip module is also available as an add-on for additional effectiveness. To address the headaches associated with shock & vibration difficulties in mud pulse environments, TDT's latest shock & vibration damping tool is a robust, patented SOFTRIDE® assembly that operates below the MWD pulser. The SOFTRIDE® has both Z-axis and stick-slip mitigation measures beneath the muleshoe. The SOFTRIDE® also incorporates splines to maintain orientation, no longer relying solely on set screws to perform this critical task. Although set screws remain for industry comfort and familiarity, they have been relocated to a point beneath the hydro-mechanical damping measures, thus isolating the muleshoe from potential drill string shock & vibration.