How Does A Tricone Drill Bit Work?

Having the right equipment for a project can sometimes make or break you, so it’s important to be prepared. Used widely in the well-drilling industry, tricone drill bits can go through shale, clay, and limestone. They will also go through hard shale, mudstone, and calcites. Tricone bits will work for any type of rock formation whether it is hard, medium, or soft, but depending on the material being drilled through, you’ll want to pay special attention to the type of tooth on the bit and seals to make sure you are staying safe during use.

The purpose of a tricone drill bit is to go into the ground and get to things like crude oil deposits, usable water, or natural gas deposits. Crude oil can be deep inside hard formations of rock, so a tough bit is needed to get down to it. When drilling for water, the drill bit makes fast work of the hard rock in the way, and gets to the water below more efficiently than any other tool. They are also used to make holes for foundations, and are often used for this type of job after they bit has been drilling for oil or something else for a while – the construction industry often opts to use recycled bits in order to construct their foundations in a less expensive way.

There are three different types of tricone drill bits. There are roller, sealed roller, and sealed journal. The roller is an open bearing used for shallow water as well as oil and gas wells. It is important to note that the open roller bits are less expensive to manufacture, and therefore less expensive to you. The sealed roller bit is protected a little better with a protective barrier around it making it great for digging wells. The sealed journal is used for drilling oil as it has the hardest face and can stand up to more.

The way the tricone breaks through the rock is by using its multitude of very small chisel shapes, which protrude from a roller. These are pushed into the rock by the rods that connect it to the surface, and the weight is distributed evenly to break through. Like most things, there are some limitations to the use of each tricone bit, which can sometimes be hard to control when hitting extremely hard rock that the tricone isn’t meant for. However, when the correct bit is used it should have no problem breaking through, so make sure to check the IADC codes list before you settle on buying one for your job.

Remember when choosing the right type for your job, you need to take into consideration the type of job you will be doing, and the type of rock you will be going through. Learn everything you can about the job before you choose a type of bit and you will be on the right track.

In short, the right tricone bit helps make the majority of drilling jobs faster and easier, but only if the right bit is in use. Each bit type works best for a different job, but tricones are generally very versatile in what they can handle – as long as you know the parameters of your job and the specs of what you’ll be digging through, it should be easy to select a suitable bit from the list of options. 

Browse a wide variety of new tricone bits. Want to know more, contact DrillMore's sales team: [email protected].