Drill collars, when used without stabilizers, tend to buckle and cause unwanted deviation. A typical bottom hole assembly (BHA) will include one or two stabilizers placed in the drillstring to increase stiffness. Sometimes additional stabilizers are added to the drillstring to further increase BHA rigidity to ensure that wellbore deviation is minimized.

Stabilizers also prevent differential sticking of the drillstring by stabilizing the BHA and keeping drill collars and drillpipe away from the borehole wall. This reduces vibration, drillpipe whirl, and wellbore tortuousity; moreover, the stabilization maintains drilling trajectory whether drilling straight, horizontal, or directional wells.

Options for Stabilization

NOV Downhole offers stabilizers in straight and spiral orientation with two material options: