Luhai mud motor

Luhai Drilling motors are Positive Displacement Motors (PDM) which use the flow of mud pumped down the drill string to rotate a drive shaft to which the drill bit is connected.

• The mud flow causes the bit to turn independently of the drill string. Rotation being generated by forcing the drilling fluid between a helical shaped rotor and stator.

ROP is higher because..... 
– Reduces casing wear 
– Reduces drill string wear –
– Reduces drill string fatigue –

Drill String RPM Greatly Reduced…..
– Power is not wasted turning the drill string
- Torque is consistent
-Total RPM is typically higher

Normal mud motor construction consists of a top sub, which connects the mud motor to the drill string; the power section, which consists of the rotor and stator; the transmission section, where the eccentric power from the rotor is transmitted as concentric power to the bit using a constant-velocity joint; the bearing assembly which protects the tool from off bottom and on bottom pressures; and the bottom sub which connects the mud motor to the bit.

When the bit is bottomed and the motor is effectively working, there is a notable increase in the pressure in the fluid system. This is caused by a restriction within the motor and is termed the "differential pressure". If this differential pressure is too high then the motor can stall which means the bit has stopped turning and this can cause severe damage to the internal surface of the stator.

A mud motor is described in terms of its number of stages (usually three), lobe ratio and external diameter. Stages are the number of full twists that the stator makes from one end to the other and the lobe ratio is the number of lobes on the stator, to the number of lobes on the rotor (the stator always has one more lobe than the rotor). A higher number of stages or the number of lobes indicates a more powerful motor, capable of producing more torque. A lower number of lobes indicates a reduction in the torque produced but a faster bit rotation speed.

The operating parameters include flow rate, bit rpm and torque. The relationship between the rotor and the stator geometry determines the rotational speed and torque. The rotational speed is proportional to the flow rate and torque is proportional to the pressure drop in the fluid as it flows through the motor. The more lobes the higher the torque and the slower the rpm.

The use of mud motors is greatly dependent on financial efficiency. In straight vertical holes, the mud motor may be used solely for increased rate of penetration (ROP), or to minimize erosion and wear on the drill string, since the drill string does not need to be turned as fast.