PDC (Polycrystalline Diamond Compact) bearings are divided into thrust bearings and radial bearings, widely used in the oil and gas drilling industry. Both PDC thrust bearings and radial bearings are composed of a series of components, with PDC welded to a steel carrier ring through brazing.
A PDC bearing assembly typically includes a rotating bearing ring and a stationary bearing ring, which are positioned opposite each other. In a PDC thrust bearing, the PDC surface on the inner diameter of one ring directly contacts the PDC surface on the outer diameter of the mating ring; similarly, in a PDC radial bearing, the PDC surface on the inner diameter of one ring directly contacts the PDC surface on the outer diameter of the mating ring.
During operation, the PDC surfaces on these rings rub against each other, but due to the high hardness and low friction coefficient of the PDC material, this friction is very low, enhancing the wear resistance and service life of the bearings.
In some applications, such as rotary steerable systems, where PDC bearings need to withstand both thrust and radial loads, thrust and radial bearings can be integrated into a single bearing unit to provide a more compact bearing assembly, that is to say, PDC combination bearing.
The service life of PDC bearings ranges from 1,000 hours to several years, depending on the application.
| PDC Thrust Bearing | ||
| Parallelism | Flatness | Tensile Strength |
≤0.02mm | ≤0.01mm | ≥200MPa |
| PDC Radial Bearing | ||
Concentricity | Coaxiality | Roundness |
≤0.05mm | ≤0.05mm | ≤0.05mm |
High thermal conductivity: The PDC material reduces the local limit temperatures that lead to bearing degradation and prevents damage to the bearing material caused by the high heat
High load: They can operate effectively over a wide range of speeds and loads. For example, in some oil and gas drilling, diamond bearings can operate at loads of up to 60,000 pounds at 100-6,000 rpm
Wear resistance and heat resistance: The PDC material has an extremely low coefficient of friction (coefficient of friction between 0.01 and 0.03). It can operate under the temperature up to 233 centigrade
High fracture toughness: Bearing materials with excellent fracture toughness reduce the likelihood of damage caused by shock loads
Corrosion resistance: They can be unaffected by corrosive substances in the application environment
Simplicity: There is no need for specialized lubrication during use, simplifying equipment and components by eliminating the need for seals and separate lubrication systems
Long life: The service life is 1000 hours to many years, which is more than 6 times longer than that of traditional tungsten carbide (WC) bearings
Abrasive particles, high temperatures, corrosive chemicals, and high loads can all contribute to a failure in rotating equipment.
PDC bearings improve overall bearing reliability in harsh conditions while eliminating the need for seals.
PDC is not a diamond coating, but instead it is a thick, manmade diamond surface that is ideally suited for operation in process fluids
where abrasive particles, like sand, can cause accelerated wear and failure with traditional bearing materials.
The Advantages of PDC:
High thermal conductivity: The PDC material reduces the local limit temperatures that lead to bearing degradation and prevents damage to the bearing material caused by the high heat .
High load: They can operate effectively over a wide range of speeds and loads. For example, in some oil and gas drilling, diamond bearings can operate at loads of up to 60,000 pounds at 100-6,000 rpm.
Wear-resistance and high temperature resistance: The PDC material has an extremely low coefficient of friction (coefficient of friction between 0.01 and 0.03). It can operate at high temperatures (up to 233℃).
High fracture toughness: Bearing materials with excellent fracture toughness reduce the likelihood of damage caused by shock loads.
High corrosion resistance: They can be unaffected by corrosive substances in the application environment.
Simplicity: There is no need for specialized lubrication during use, simplifying equipment and components by eliminating the need for seals and separate lubrication systems.
Long life: The service life is more than 6 times longer than that of tungsten carbide bearings.
Because of its extreme hardness, PDC is ideally suited to resist wear from abrasive particles inlubricants and process fluids.
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