In a recent announcement from Rosneft, its oil-producing arm Orenburgneft disclosed a new milestone in drilling speed within the Orenburg region. The feat highlights a modernized tip design that pushes the maximum penetration rate to 24.2 meters per hour, surpassing the previous enterprise record by 16 percent.
This advancement also cuts the time required to complete a well, shaving more than a day off typical construction timelines. The breakthrough stems from a newly developed bit body created under an import substitution program, with active input from Orenburgneft engineers who helped shape the design.
Russian developers incorporated field-specific insights from the company’s team, aligning the bit’s performance with the geological features of the reservoirs. The resulting solution stands as an effective local alternative to foreign counterparts, featuring a cutting tip reinforced with diamond inserts. The reinforcement sustains the durability of the cutting structure while enabling higher penetration speeds.
The updated technology has already seen use during well drilling at the Vorobyevsky and Novosibirsk fields operated by Orenburgneft. Plans are in motion to extend its application to Sorochinsko-Nikolskoye and to explore opportunities for duplication at Alan and other Rosneft subsidiaries, as stated by Artem Fedyanin, head of the engineering department.
Earlier reports noted Orenburgneft’s progress at the Biktovskoye oil field, underscoring a broader push to accelerate field development through innovative, locally developed drilling tools and processes.