Use of Bumper Subs When Drilling From Floating Vessels
Authors: Greenfield W.D. , Lubinski Arthur 
Published: December 2007

Bumper subs are currently used in offshore operations to permit a constant weight to be carried on the bit while drilling, regardless of the vertical motion imparted to the drill pipe by drilling vessel heave. As shown in this paper, the vertical motion of the lower end of the drill pipe (the bumper sub end) may be appreciably greater than the vessel heave. Therefore, the necessary stroke of bumper subs for successful operation is greater than thought in the past. Also, there is an appreciable tendency of the drill pipe to buckle above the unbalanced type of bumper sub. Thus, more drill collars than previously used should be carried above unbalanced bumper subs to keep drill pipe straight.

Introduction

Drilling bumper subs are placed in the drilling string for various reasons. This paper is concerned with their use only as an expansion and contraction joint while drilling from a floating rig. In this application the bumper subs are normally located just above the drill collars and their function is to allow the driller to maintain accurate weight control on the bit regardless of up-and-down movement of the drilling vessel. This paper analyzes the effects of bumper subs on the drilling string and presents recommendations for their future use. When subjected to vertical oscillations, the drilling string behaves like a long, distributed system of mass and spring. The magnitude of vertical motion at the bumper sub is always greater than the heave of the drilling vessel due to the dynamic response of the drilling string. The ratio of these motions increases with the length of the drilling string, and may reach values of 1.5 or even 2 with strings 16,000 ft long. Thus, the total travel required in bumper subs can be considerably more than the motion of the drilling vessel. Lack of knowledge of this fact could have contributed to problems previously experienced with bumper subs. This fact can also lead to fatigue problems in the drilling string for very deep wells. Satisfactory operation should be obtainable whether hydraulically balanced or unbalanced bumper subs are used in the drilling string. Theoretically, the balanced sub is preferable since its use does not require placing drill collars above the bumper sub to prevent drill-pipe buckling, an inherent characteristic of the unbalanced bumper sub. The current method of calculating weight of drill collars required to prevent helical buckling of drill pipe above unbalanced bumper subs is erroneous. Placing drill collars above the sub to prevent drill-pipe buckling has the same effect on dynamic response as increasing the length of the drilling string by an equal weight of drill pipe. Thus, total travel required in the subs is increased. Means for calculating the correct weight, which is much greater than previously thought, are given in this paper.

BALANCED VS UNBALANCED BUMPER SUBS

A drilling bumper sub is essentially a telescopic joint capable of transmitting torque at every position of its stroke. Thus, it allows the operator to isolate the weight of the drilling string from the weight of the drill collars above the bit. This permits the driller on a floating rig to maintain accurate control over the weight on bit a control that is unaffected by vertical motion, due to wave and tide action of the drilling vessel.

UNBALANCED BUMPER SUBS

The unbalanced bumper sub is simply a splined telescopic joint (Fig. 1). Ordinarily, this arrangement will operate satisfactorily, but the presence of drilling fluid under pressure results in a pressure force that acts downward on the drill collars and bit, tending to open or extend the bumper sub. This downward force is equal to the pressure drop across the bit times the area indicated by diameter d2 in Fig. 1. Denoting this force by FD and the pressure drop across the bit by p yields

........................(1)

There is also an upward-directed force given by

,.................(2)

which puts the drill pipe immediately above the bumper sub in compression, resulting in helical buckling. However, buckling is actually more severe than expected in that buckling occurs as if the compression were equal to FD, rather than to FU. This surprising phenomenon is well known as far as tubing is concerned; but, in contrast with the case of tubing, this force may shorten drill pipe only a few inches. Thus, this cannot explain the operating difficulties that sometimes have been encountered. However, having the drill pipe in compression and helically buckled is contrary to current practice; therefore, drill collars whose weight in mud is equal to the force FD should be added above the bumper sub.

JPT

P. 1587ˆ