National Oilwell Varco, L.p.

National Oilwell Dht, L.p.

Reedhycalog, L.p.

Reedhyealog L.p.

Aaron E Schen

Jacob Daniel Riddel

Curtis Clifford Lanning

Craig R Ivie

Marcel Boucher

Brian P Jarvis

Kevin William Clark

Alamzeb Hafeez Khan

Gregory Edward Leuenberger

Brandon Charles Epperson

Brian McCarthy

Robert Warner

Paul Neil

Russ Gilleylen

Clay Williams

Jeries Abujries

Christopher Charles Propes

Dong P Phung

Brett Stanes

Christopher C Propes

Jacob D Riddel

A rotary steerable drilling assembly includes a driveshaft rotatably disposed in a driveshaft housing, a bend adjustment assembly coupled to the driveshaft housing, a bearing mandrel coupled to the bend adjustment assembly, and a torque control assembly including a rotor configured to couple with a drill string; a stator assembly coupled to a downhole motor; and a torque control actuator assembly configured to control the amount of torque transmitted between the rotor and the stator assembly, wherein the torque control actuator assembly includes a spool valve including a cylinder including a port and a hydraulically actuatable piston slidably disposed in the cylinder.

Rotary steerable drilling assembly and method

A rotary steerable drilling assembly for directional drilling includes a driveshaft rotatably disposed in a driveshaft housing, a bend adjustment assembly coupled to the driveshaft housing, a bearing mandrel coupled to the bend adjustment assembly, and a torque control assembly including a rotor configured to couple with a drill string, a stator assembly coupled to the downhole motor, and a torque control actuator assembly configured to control the amount of torque transmitted between the rotor and the stator assembly, wherein the bend adjustment assembly includes a first position providing a first deflection angle between a longitudinal axis of the driveshaft housing and a longitudinal axis of the bearing mandrel, wherein the bend adjustment assembly includes a second position providing a second deflection angle between the longitudinal axis of the driveshaft housing and the longitudinal axis of the bearing mandrel, the second deflection angle being different from the first deflection angle.

An electronics module or 'puck' is positioned in a recess formed in the outer surface of a downhole tool. The puck body includes a flange segment having a first outer diameter, and an adjacent seal-engaging segment having an outer diameter that is less than the outer diameter of the flange segment. An annular seal is disposed about the seal-engaging segment and seals between the puck and the perimeter wall of the recess. A cover ring is disposed over an intermediate segment of the puck body, capturing the seal between the cover and the flange segment. A retainer ring is employed to selectively engage and disengage the perimeter wall of the recess, retaining the puck, seal and covering ring in the recess. A method for installation and removal of the puck is disclosed.

Downhole electronics puck and retention, installation and removal methods

Some embodiments include a sensor assembly comprising a sensor to be carried by a movable component movably positionable about a tool body of a downhole tool. The sensor is to take wellsite measurements and the downhole tool is positionable in a wellbore. The sensor assembly further includes electronics positionable in the movable component. The electronics are to electrically connect to the sensor to receive the wellsite measurements from the sensor, and the wellsite measurements are usable to determine wellsite parameters.

Wellsite sensor assembly and method of using same

A sensor assembly for a downhole tool including a tool body and a movable component movably positionable about the tool body is disclosed. The sensor assembly may include a wear sensor and/or a position sensor. The wear sensor may include a core with conductors at various depths to send a signal, whereby, upon wear of the core, a change in the signal at the depth of the wear is detectable. The position sensor may be carried by the movable component, and may be used with references comprising magnets distributed about the tool body. The position sensor includes magnets having polarity responsive to polarity of the references whereby a position of the movable component is determined. The sensor assembly may also include a chassis housing electronics coupled to the position sensor and/or the wear sensor.

A drill bit for drilling a borehole in an earthen formation includes a connection member having a pin end. In addition, the drill bit includes a bit body coupled to the connection member and configured to rotate relative to the connection member about a central axis of the bit. The bit body includes a bit face. Further, the drill bit includes a blade extending radially along the bit face. Still further, the drill bit includes a plurality of cutter elements mounted to a cutter-supporting surface of the blade. Moreover, the drill bit includes a depth-of-cut limiting structure slidably disposed in a bore extending axially from the cutter-supporting surface. The depth-of-cut limiting structure is configured to move axially relative to the bit body in response to rotation of the bit body relative to the connection member.

Drilling systems and fixed cutter bits with adjustable depth-of-cut to control torque-on-bit

A valve () for controlling the flow of a drilling fluid through a down-hole tool () positionable in a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation. The down-hole tool has a housing with a drilling motor therein and a drill bit () at an end thereof. The drilling motor () has a housing with a rotor () rotationally movable in a rotor channel () as the drilling fluid passes through a rotor channel between the housing and the rotor. The rotor has a bypass channel therethrough for bypassing a portion of the drilling fluid therethrough. The valve includes a valve plate positionable upstream of the motor. The valve plate () has at least one flow passage () and at least one bypass passage () therethrough. The flow passage is in fluid communication with the rotor channel for passing the drilling fluid therethrough. The bypass passage is in selective fluid communication with the bypass channel when the rotor rotates about the housing and moves the bypass channel into alignment with at least a portion of the bypass passage for bypassing a portion of the drilling fluid therethrough whereby a hammering effect is generated on the bit.

Drilling motor valve and method of using same

A drill bit for subsurface drilling includes a body; a blade extending from the body and having a front, a back side, and a formation facing surface between the front side and the back side. The blade is configured to have a plurality of cutting elements mounted to it. In addition the drill bit includes a first flex cut extending into the blade from the formation facing surface and positioned between the front side and the back side of the blade. The first flex cut is configured to allow at least a portion of the blade to flex.

Resilient bit systems and methods

The invention includes, in its various aspects and embodiments, a method and apparatus for multiplexing data on-bit in a drilling operation. The apparatus comprises a bit; a plurality of transducers situated on the bit; and an analog multiplexer situated on the on the bit and capable of receiving the output of the transducers, multiplexing the received outputs, and transmitting the multiplexed outputs. The method comprises taking a plurality of measurements of at least one down-hole drilling condition at a bit of a drill string; generating a plurality of analog signals representative of the measurements; and multiplexing the analog signals at the bit.

On-bit, analog multiplexer for transmission of multi-channel drilling information

The present invention is generally directed to a tool for obtaining downhole measurements and methods of using such a tool. In one illustrative embodiment the tool comprises a body, at least one strain gauge cavity in the body, the strain gauge cavity having a strain gauge mounting surface that is located at a position such that a region of approximately zero strain due to at least one downhole operating condition exists on the mounting surface when the tool is subjected to downhole operating conditions, and a strain gauge operatively coupled to the mounting face above the region of approximately zero strain. In another illustrative embodiment, the method comprises providing a measurement tool comprised of a body, at least one strain gauge cavity in the body, the strain gauge cavity having a strain gauge mounting surface that is located at a position such that a region of approximately zero strain due to at least one downhole operating condition exists on the mounting surface when the tool is subjected to downhole operating conditions, and a strain gauge coupled to the mounting face above the region of approximately zero strain. The method further comprises positioning the tool in a subterranean well bore and obtaining measurement data using the strain gauge in the tool.

Apparatus for weight on bit measurements, and methods of using same

The present invention is generally directed to a tool for obtaining weight-on-bit (WOB) measurements and methods of using such a tool. In one illustrative embodiment the tool comprises a body, at least one strain gauge cavity in the body, the strain gauge cavity having a strain gauge mounting surface that is located at a position such that a region of approximately zero axial strain due to downhole pressures during drilling operations exists on the mounting surface when the tool is subjected to downhole pressures during drilling operations, and a weight-on-bit strain gauge operatively coupled to the mounting face above the region of approximately zero axial strain. In another illustrative embodiment, the method comprises providing a weight-on-bit measurement tool comprised of a body, at least one strain gauge cavity in the body, the strain gauge cavity having a strain gauge mounting surface that is located at a position such that a region of approximately zero axial strain due to downhole pressures during drilling operations exists on the mounting surface when the tool is subjected to downhole pressures during drilling operations, and a weight-on-bit strain gauge coupled to the mounting face above the region of approximately zero axial strain. The method further comprises positioning the tool in a drill string comprised of a drill bit, drilling a well bore with the drill string, and obtaining weight-data-on-bit measurement data using the weight-on-bit strain gauge in the tool.

Growing community of inventors

Woodlands, TX, United States of America

Aaron E Schen