History of the organization
The All-Union Research and Design Institute for Oil and Gas Well Drilling (VNIIBURneft, later VNIIBT) was founded on February 28, 1953, following the Decree of the USSR Council of Ministers ‘On expanding research in oil and gas wells drilling and high-performance drilling bits constructing’ by consolidation of SKB-2 (Special Design Bureau), the Drilling Department of VNIINEFT, the Department of Multilateral Well Drilling and the Special Laboratory of GIPRONEFTEMASH (the State Research Institute for Petroleum Engineering).
In compliance with the Decree of the Council of Ministers of USSR (1957), VNIIBURneft was renamed as the All-Union Research Institute for Drilling Techniques (VNIIBT).
Following the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated January 11, 1971, VNIIBT was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for a significant contribution to the development of technology of oil and gas well drilling.
The system of industrial testing and putting into operation new equipment departments in almost all key oil and gas producing regions of the USSR became unique achievement of VNIIBT. Highly qualified specialists were provided to these regional subdivisions of VNIIBT, who had excellent knowledge both about particular features of these areas and cutting-edge projects of the institute. The departments of industrial testing became the so-called prototype of the drilling service system in our country.
Alongside with the institute development, the following sites of VNIIBT were built and provided with advanced tools and technologies: Experimental plant in the city of Lyubertsy, Moscow region and Pilot-production plant in the city of Kotovo, Volgograd district. In 1963, the branch of VNIIBT with an in-house production facility was established in the city of Perm.
This enabled the institute to manufacture state-of-the-art turbodrills, screw downhole motors, coring devices, diamond bits, reamer bits, mud-powered hammer mechanisms, packers and unique stands for studying drilling processes and well cementing and testing. To date an enterprise “VNIIBT- Burovoy Instrument” LLC was founded under the auspices of Perm branch and Pilot-production plant in Kotovo.
In 1980, following the Order of the Ministry of Oil Industry, VNIIBT was claimed the chief research institute for oil and gas wells constructing in the USSR.
In 1991, following Order No 272 of the USSR Ministry of Oil and Gas Industry, the State Enterprise Scientific Production Association “Burovaya Technika” was established with VNIIBT being its main structural subdivision.
In 1996, pursuant to the order of the Moskoimuschestvo (the Department of Municipal and State Property), the State Enterprise Scientific Production Association “Burovaya Tekhnika” was transformed into the Open Joint Stock Company Scientific Production Association “Burovaya Technika”.
In 2005, the JSC SPA “Burovaya Technika” became a part of GC INTEGRA, which enabled the company together with other members of the Group to take part in larger national and international projects related to oil and gas field development.
Among the institute members there were Lenin Prize holders, State Prize holders, Honored Workers of Science and Technology, Honored Inventors of the USSR and the Russian Federation.
Founders and Management
Special Design Bureau No2 specializing in drilling bits and turbo drills established in 1949 and headed by Rolen Ioannesyan and Mikhail Gusman provided the basis for VNIIBURneft. These outstanding researchers were twice awarded with the Stalin Prize for development of turbo and directed drilling technology and tools. Afterwards, they devoted their entire life to the development of VNIIBT.
World achievements
From the moment of its foundation, the Institute got actively involved into development of new oil and gas fields of the USSR. It was VNIIBT that designed engineer equipment and technological processes that were used for drilling major fields of the USSR.
From the set of remarkable achievements of VNIIBT, which are recognized worldwide, we should mark the horizontal and horizontal drain-hole drilling technologies, as well as positive displacement motor drilling.
In the late 1950s, the USA purchased the license for a technical device from the USSR, which had happened for the first time in the history of our country. That was a turbo drill made in VNIIBT. Afterwards, the licenses for manufacturing and applying of turbodrills, positive displacement motors and casing thread joints were sold to the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, the Federative Republic of Germany, Belgium and Japan.
The projects of VNIIBT related to studying the Earth’s deep interior were of global significance as well.
The deepest wells in the USSR were drilled using the tools developed by the institute and under its engineer supervision, including Kola Super Deep Well 3, which still remains the deepest in the world (12,262 m) and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records, Saatlin Super Deep Well 1 (8,324 m), Shevchenkovo 1 (7,500 m), Shakhova Kosa Super Deep Well 2 (6,520 m), etc. (Professor Nikolay Timofeev was the head ofthese projects).
During these years, VNIIBT has designed and implemented technologies, which are currently recognized all over the globe and are regarded as a national treasure of Russia. In addition to the above mentioned, the following technologies were developed by the specialists of VNIIBT:
- positive displacement motor and turbo drilling;
- construction of side and horizontal from production string of idled wells;
- drilling technology and technique without pipe lifting and casing column drilling;
- jet-turbine bit drilling technology and tools for large-diameter well bores;
- high-speed drilling with turbo drill driven diamond bits;
- core sampling technology in horizontal well drilling;
- well drilling and drilling-in using gaseous agents and foams;
- packer formation segregation technology;
- elimination of loss zones and spacing cross flows;
- and others.
The following major engineering tools developed by VNIIBT received broad recognition:
- three-cone bore bits for all categories of rocks, including the ones for ores;
- diamond rock cutting tools;
- many-purpose turbodrills;
- positive downhole motors for well drilling and repair;
- packers for formation segregation and workover;
- mud-powered hammer tools and safe subs;
- retractable bits and reamers;
- various core sampling tools;
- equipment for directed drilling;
- thread joints;
- telemetric systems;
- and others.
The number of inventor's certificates and patents issued to the specialists of VNIIBT is over 1200; over 300 medals of the All-Union Exhibition of National Economy Achievements were received; dozens of inventions were patented abroad. By this indicator VNIIBT occupies the leading position in the country.
For its technical and research projects the institute was awarded Golden Medals of the Brussels International Exhibition of Inventions and New Technologies and the Leipzig Trade Fair.
Dissertation Council
The Dissertation Council worked in VNIIBT (later JSC SPA “Burovaya Technika”) since 1966 till 2015 on the following specialties: 25.00.15 “Well Drilling and Completion Technology” (Technical Sciences) and 05.02.13 “Machines, Aggregates and Processes” (Oil-and-Gas Industry, Technical Sciences). It was the only Dissertation Council in the world, which covered the problems of technology, technical devices and well construction designing in whole.Through the stated period 324 Doctoral and Ph theses were successfully defended in the Council.
VNIIBT today
At present, the priority activities of JSC SPA “Burovaya Technika” in the oil-and-gas market are the following:
- development and Authorial Supervision upon design and estimate documentation for oil and gas wells construction;
- development of RD (Rule Documentation) and instructions on technological processes and operations while drilling;
- development of new techniques and technologies to improve the well drilling efficiency;
- participation in the import substitution of technical means and technologies for the domestic oil and gas market;
- examination of the industrial safety;
- highly qualified specialists training.
The company employs highly qualified specialists, including 4 Doctors and 5 Candidates in Technical Sciences.
The JSC SPA “Burovaya Technika” has developed an efficient system of young scientists and engineers recruitment and training through providing traineeship opportunities to senior students of Russian State University of Oil and Gas n.a. Gubkin. This is also fostered by the fact that the branches of the following chairs of the Russian State University of Oil and Gas are opened in VNIIBT:
- Chair of Well Drilling
- Chair of Drilling Tools and Equipment
- Chair of Offshore Oil and Gas Field Development
- Chair of Quality Management, Standardization and Certification
The research and production potential of JSC SPA “Burovaya Technika” - VNIIBT still makes it possible to address challenging and topical tasks related to onshore and offshore well drilling, combine fundamental research with engineering approaches while developing innovative construction technologies of oil and gas wells.