Smith International, Inc.

Amardeep Singh

Sujian Huang

Scott D McDonough

Mohammed Boudrare

Quan V Nguyen

Ying Xiang

Bryce A Baker

Joshua Gatell

Parveen K Chandila

Daniel W Brietzke

Brandon M Moss

Allen D White

Gary Ray Portwood

Zhou Yong

Dah-Ben Liang

James Carl Minikus

Dennis Cisneros

Jonathan Bitler

Jim Minikus

Steve Peterson

Sujian J Huang

Scott D Mcdonough

New cutting structures for roller cone drill bits are disclosed. In one aspect, a drill bit includes a bit body, roller cones attached to the bit body and able to rotate with respect to the bit body, and a plurality of cutting elements disposed on each of the roller cones, such that axial force on the bit during drilling is substantially balanced between the cones. In another aspect, a drill bit includes a plurality of cutting elements disposed on each roller cone such that the amount of work performed by each cone during drilling is substantially the same as the amount of work performed by each of the other cones. In yet another aspect, a drill bit includes a plurality of cutting elements disposed on each roller cone such that distribution of axial force on the bit is optimized. Additional aspects of the invention are also disclosed.

Method for designing cutting structure for roller cone drill bits

A drill bit for cutting a borehole having a borehole sidewall, corner and bottom, includes a bit body having a bit axis and a rolling cone cutter mounted on the bit body and adapted for rotation about a cone axis. Further, the drill bit includes at least one insert having a base portion secured in the rolling cone cutter and having a cutting portion extending therefrom. The cutting portion of the at least one insert has a cutting surface including at least one flute.

Drill bit and cutter element having a fluted geometry

A rolling cone drill bit includes a cutter element having a cutting portion with a chisel crest and a pilot portion extending beyond the chisel crest. The pilot portion includes a cutting surface that may be generally conical, or form a second chisel crest. The cutting tip of the pilot portion is supported by buttress portions which emerge from and extend beyond the flanks of the chisel crest to provide additional strength and support for the material of the pilot portion that extends beyond the height of the chisel crest.

Drill bit and cutter element having chisel crest with protruding pilot portion

Cutting elements offering increased toughness and thermal fatigue resistance can be formed of a wear resistant material having coarse grains disposed in a binder matrix with a binder content of at least about 18% by weight. The coarse grains include grains of at least one selected from the group of a transition metal carbide, a transition metal boride, and transition metal nitride. The binder content and coarse grain size may be selected to provide a Rockwell A hardness of at least about 75 Ra or a wear number of at least about 1.5.

Cutting elements with increased toughness and thermal fatigue resistance for drilling applications

A drill bit for cutting a borehole comprises a bit body including a bit axis. In addition, the drill bit comprises a rolling cone cutter mounted on the bit body. Further, the drill bit comprises a cutter element having a base portion with a diameter and a cutting portion extending therefrom. The cutting portion comprising a first pair of flanking surfaces that taper towards one another to form a first elongate chisel crest, and a second pair of flanking surfaces that taper towards one another to form a second elongate chisel crest that intersects the first elongate chisel crest in top view. The first crest tangent angle at 10% of the diameter measured radially from the central axis on the first elongate chisel crest in profile view is greater than 75&#xb0; and less than or equal to 90&#xb0;.

Drill bit with cutter element having crossing chisel crests

A roller cone drill bit for drilling earth formation includes rows arranged on each of the cones such that, when viewed in routed profile, cutting element profiles partially overlap other cutting element profiles. The roller cone drill bit having at least a first three interior rows adjacent a gage row, each have a cutting element count selected from the group of 16, 18, 21 and 26 cutting elements.

Drill bits having optimized cutting element counts for reduced tracking and/or increased drilling performance

A method for designing a roller cone drill bit having a plurality of cutting elements in a row. The method includes defining a pitch pattern for the plurality of cutting elements such that a first group of adjacent cutting elements are arranged in a first pitch and a second group of adjacent cutting elements are arranged in a second pitch in the row, wherein the first group of adjacent cutting elements have a different extension length than the second group of adjacent cutting elements, evaluating the pitch pattern of the plurality of cutting elements in the row, and modifying at least one of the plurality of cutting elements based on the evaluating of the pitch pattern of the plurality of cutting elements.

Multiple inserts of different geometry in a single row of a bit

A drill bit for drilling a borehole includes a cutter element comprising a base portion. In addition, the cutter element comprises a cutting portion extending from the base portion and terminating in an elongate crest extending between a first crest end and a second crest end, and having an intermediate portion therebetween. The first crest end has a width Wand the second end has a width Wthat is greater than the width W. Still further, the intermediate portion of the crest has a width Wthat is less than the width Wand less than or equal to the width W.

Cutting element having asymmetrical crest for roller cone drill bit

A rolling cone drill bit includes at least one cutter element comprising a base portion and a cutting portion extending from the base portion. The cutting portion includes a cutting surface with an apex defining an extension height and at least one rib extending from the apex toward the base portion. In addition, the at least one rib has a convex outer surface in profile view.

Rock bit and inserts with wear relief grooves

A drill bit for drilling through earthen formations and forming a borehole. In an embodiment, the bit comprises a bit body having a bit axis. In addition, the bit comprises a plurality of cone cutters, each of the cone cutters being mounted on the bit body and adapted for rotation about a different cone axis. Further, at least one cone cutter on the bit comprises an array of cutter elements mounted in a band. Still further, the cutter elements in the array are mounted in a plurality of differing radial positions relative to the bit axis.

Rolling cone drill bit having cutter elements positioned in a plurality of differing radial positions

A cutter element for a drill bit includes a leading cutting surface and a trailing cutting surface. The leading surface includes a top surface and a front surface that meet in a radiused intersection forming a forward-facing, non-linear crest of non-uniform radius. The radius of the crest is smallest at the forward-most portion, and greater at each end. The crest has its largest radius at a location between its forward-most portion and one of its ends. The cutter element may be employed in the corner cutting portion of a rolling cone cutter in a drill bit, the cutter element being positioned such that the forward-most portion of the crest first engages the formation material, with the crest end having the largest radius being closest to the pin end of the bit.

Drill bit and cutter element having aggressive leading side

A method for designing a drill bit that involves simulating a drill bit having cutting elements disposed thereon is provided. In particular, the method involves determining at least one drilling performance parameter while simulating drilling in a selected earth formation.

Method of designing a drill bit, and bits made using said method

A drill bit having cutting elements disposed on a roller cone surface in a non-linear pattern, wherein at least one of the cutting elements is asymmetrical to its axis of orientation. Also, a method for selecting and adjusting a cutting element orientation based on crater profile geometry which results in increased bottom hole coverage.

Arrangement of roller cone inserts

A method for designing a roller cone drill bit having a plurality of cutting elements in a row. The method includes defining a pitch pattern for the plurality of cutting elements such that a first group of adjacent cutting elements are arranged in a first pitch and a second group of adjacent cutting elements are arranged in a second pitch in the row; evaluating the pitch pattern of the plurality of cutting elements in the row; and modifying at least one of the plurality of cutting elements, based on the evaluating the pitch pattern of the plurality of cutting elements.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Amardeep Singh