®

FastBack’s unique shape gets the blade out of the way and the cutters deep into formation.

FastBack™

An Ulterra® Technology

When Every Run Counts™

2Ulterra’s latest breakthroUgh in PDC Design teChnology

3®

“This bit did whatever I wanted it to do and drilled like a dream.” –Utica Shale Directional Driller

FastBack is Ulterra’s latest breakthrough in PDC technology. It embodies the latest advances in materials, design, and manufacturing to achieve superior speed, efficiency, and quality.

The FastBack™ DesignFastBack’s unique shape gets the blade out of the way and the cutters deep into formation.

FastBack™ Advantages • Superior materials provide increased toughness and erosion and abrasion resistance

• Energy focused on the cutters drills faster with lower WOB

• Wideopenbladestructureprovides optimal hydraulics

• Quality-focused design and process ensures industry-leading reliability

• Materials used deliver consistent performance

When every run counts, FastBack is one more reason why you can count on Ulterra—the industry’s premier PDC bit innovator.

The body material maximizes strength without restricting the cutting action or evacuation. Advanced surface coatings provide maximum erosion control without sacrificing strength. Hydraulic pathways have ultimate flexibility to enable extreme ROP. All of which converge on driving all available drilling energy into premium diamond cutters application optimized through Ulterra’s industry-leading LightSpeed™ cutter testing program. The result—another stepchange in Ulterra’s front-running reliability and ROP.

Tungsten carbide, diamond, unique alloys, high tensile treated steel—PDC bits are made of some of the most extreme materials on the planet. However, radical properties require big trade-offs in design, manufacturing, and performance. Never satisfied with the status quo, Ulterra assembled a team of industry-renowned experts, code named “Steel Team 6.” The team was challenged to create a PDC platform that was superior to both traditional matrix and steel-bodied PDC. Through months of intensive lab and field tests, rethinking, refining, or reinventing nearly every aspect of design, materials selection, and manufacturing, FastBack was born.

Instead of limiting PDC bits by the weaknesses of the materials, FastBack strategically aligns their strengths, each component enhances the others.

4Ulterra’s latest breakthroUgh in PDC Design teChnology

5®

Why does FastBack™ work?

Uses superior materialsFastback™ uses the best of both worlds to bring you the toughest, most erosion resistant bit possible.

• Maximum toughness - FastBack body material is up to 4x stronger than conventional blades

• Maximum Erosion Resistance – super-hard surfacing materials with better erosion properties are selectively placed for the best of both worlds

Focuses energy on the cutters• Mechanically supports the cutters in a minimalist fashion

• All energy focused on sharp, diamond- cutting surfaces

• No energy wasted pushing flat blade surfaces into formation

Improves cutting evacuation• Fast ROP requires fast cuttings evacuation

• Wide open blade structure for optimal hydraulics

Conventional

Toughness Erosion ResistanceSteel Matrix Hardfacing

Weight on Bit

Rat

e of

Pen

etra

tion

When traditional blade geometry engages the formation, ROP stalls. FastBack keeps the energy focused on the cutters, using all available energy to drill faster.

“Its doing great. We’ve never seen ROPs like this.” –Marcellus Shale Operator

Conventional

Ulterra put FastBack through a series of tests to prove its advantage over conventional PDC bit technology. Using superior materials, FastBack designs are able to focus energy on the cutters and improve cuttings evacuation.

6Ulterra’s latest breakthroUgh in PDC Design teChnology

7®

“It handled like a dream and beat the previous bit used in every aspect.” –Eagle Ford Shale Directional Driller

Proven PerformancePermian Basin Marcellus ShaleAn operator drilling deep, 13.5” surface sections in the Delaware Basin was looking to increase their ROP. Ulterra Fastback™ technology was introduced to this application and ROP was increased by 45% on the first run!

Ulterra introduced a new design into the market increasing ROP from previous benchmark by 7%. After FastBack™ technology was applied to that same design, the average ROP was improved by an additional 12%.

Applying Fastback™ Technology to an 8.5” U513S design in the Marcellus Shale provided the operator a 56.8% faster average rate of penetration.

Not only was the average rate of penetration improved by such a drastic margin, the average footage was improved by 364%!

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Conventional FastBack

160ROP (ft/hr)

110

120

130

140

150

Previous Conventional FastBackBenchmark

Average ROP (ft/hr)

100 0

25

50

75

100

Average Median

ROP (ft/hr)

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

Average Median

Footage

When Every Run Counts™

To learn how FastBack technology can increase speed and bit life in your next well, contact your local Ulterra representative.

®

www.ulterra.com420 Throckmorton Street | Suite 1110 | Fort Worth, Texas 76102 | +1 817 293 7555

© Copyright 1998-2013 Ulterra | All Rights Reserved | FastBack, When every Run Counts, LightSpeed, are all trademarks of Ulterra.