Mechanism and application of drill pipe bending induced borehole collapse in soft coal seam drilling

Abstract Gas extraction drilling is a necessary measure for managing gas hazards. For soft coal seams where gas extraction drilling holes are prone to collapse, it is believed that drill rod disturbance is the main cause of hole collapse. This study proposes a research approach to reduce wall stress by optimizing the drill rod structure. Through theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and industrial tests, a stress model for the drill rod inside the hole was established, and a wall stress equation was derived. The effects of various parameters on wall stress were analyzed. The study suggests optimizing the drill rod structure to reduce the disturbance‐induced wall stress. SolidWorks was used for drilling stress simulation, and a four‐winged concave groove drill rod was developed. After strength verification, comparative industrial tests were conducted. The research results show that as the line density increases, the wall stress of the drilling hole increases. As the length of the suspended section increases, the wall stress initially decreases and then increases. With increasing drilling thrust, wall stress increases linearly, and the growth rate is greater with a larger diameter difference between the drill hole and the drill rod. Numerical simulation results indicate that the critical point maximum stress at the hole entrance, the critical point maximum stress at the hole bottom, and the average stress at the bottom section of the four‐winged concave groove drill rod with a concavity of 5 are significantly reduced compared to those of circular and grooved drill rods. Industrial test results show that using the four‐winged concave groove drill rod significantly reduces the extent of hole collapse. This study provides a reference for addressing the issue of hole collapse in gas extraction drilling for soft coal seams.