In January 2005 Pilot Drilling Control's Harmonic Isolation Tool appeared under this headline in The Press and Journal's Energy Supplement.

'Drilling in hard rock formations not only incurs slow penetration rates and excessive bit wear, but the resultant vibration is a significant cause of premature measurement while drilling (MWD) tool failure and, consequently, a major contributor to lost time during drilling operations. However, Suffolk based Pilot Drilling Control has developed a new tool that the Aberdeen-based Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF) say is capable of counteracting the damage that such vibration can inflict. The costs of premature failure of MWD and logging while drilling (LWD) tools to the oil and gas industry can be huge. A study by a major operating company attributed 10% of lost time on drilling operations to vibration induced MWD failures. Tool repair costs add to the overall burden. Pilot Drilling Control's solution, the so-called harmonic isolation (HI) tool, was designed and developed to facilitate lower drilling costs and enable faster and easier drilling in hard formations. "Previous attempts to solve the problem of vibration at surface have included controlling and limiting drilling parameters either be closed-loop systems or vibration monitoring but these approaches do not solve the core problem," said Pilot's MD George Swietlik. "The approach to the design of the HI tool was to find a method to decouple the relationship between the torsional, axial and lateral modes of vibration." The tool, which is about three feet long, is run immediately above the drill bit and acts as a vibration isolation barrier between the bottom hole assembly and the bit itself. It allows the bit to dynamically self-centre and reduces interaction between the bottom hole assembly and motor harmonics from the bit. It can also be used further up the drill-string, between the assembly and drill-string, to minimise string failure at this interface. The tool design includes patented rotational drive and elastomeric absorbers to cushion bit tilt and axial shock. The HI Tool has been field tested in wells all over the world, from the North Seat to Texas, Poland, Spain, The Netherlands, Thailand, and Algeria. ITF says that runs in the Southern North Sea have successfully demonstrated the tool’s ability to preserve bit life and produce better ROP's in hard limestone formations. The company is now working with ITF to secure a trial in conjunction with a rotary steerable tool to test effectiveness in high-deviation and horizontal drilling sections through difficult rock formations. Modelling of the tool bit assembly has shown that the HI tool can potentially allow a rotary steerable tool to drill tighter and more consistent doglegs in addition to the benefits of vibration dampening.'