Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Gerald L Pruitt

William W King

Gary Eugene Weaver

Oliver Matthews, Iii

William A Goldman

Mark Phillip Blackman

Mark Evans Williams

William C Saxman

Michael B Crawford

Bruce A Rohde

A roller cone drill bit having a bit body with at least one support arm extending from the bit body. Each support arm may have an associated spindle extending inwardly. A respective cone assembly may be rotatably disposed on each spindle. At least one diverter plug may be disposed in a hole formed in each support arm. A void space may be formed between one end of each diverter plug and the bottom of the associated hole. At least one fluid flow passageway may extend from the surface of the associated support arm to the void space to allow communication of fluid containing debris with the void space. Rotating action of the roller cone drill bit and associated cone assemblies may force packing of debris into the void space which results in biasing the diverter plug outwardly from the associated hole to contact adjacent portions of the associated cone assembly.

Roller cone drill bit with debris diverter plugs

A roller cone drill bit having a bit body with at least one support arm extending therefrom. Each support arm may have an interior surface and an exterior surface with an associated spindle extending inwardly from the interior surface. A respective cone assembly may be rotatably disposed on each spindle. A gap may be formed between interior portions of each cone assembly and exterior portions of the associated spindle with a fluid seal disposed in the gap to block fluid flow therethrough. Each cone assembly may include a generally circular backface disposed adjacent to the interior surface of the associated support arm. At least one fluid passageway may extend through each support arm to allow communication of fluid from the interior surface to an exterior surface of the support arm. A debris diverter insert having a generally hollow bore may be disposed within each fluid passageway.

Roller cone drill bit with debris flow paths through associated support arms

A method and apparatus for predicting the performance of a drilling system for the drilling of a well bore in a given formation includes generating a geology characteristic of the formation per unit depth according to a prescribed geology model, obtaining specifications of proposed drilling equipment for use in the drilling of the well bore, and predicting a drilling mechanics in response to the specifications as a function of the geology characteristic per unit depth according to a prescribed drilling mechanics model. Responsive to a predicted drilling mechanics, a controller controls a parameter in the drilling of the well bore. The geology characteristic includes at least rock strength. The specifications include at least a bit specification of a recommended drill bit. Lastly, the predicted drilling mechanics include at least one of bit wear, mechanical efficiency, power, and operating parameters. A display is provided for generating a display of the geology characteristic and predicted drilling mechanics per unit depth, including either a display monitor or a printer.

Method and system for predicting performance of a drilling system for a given formation

A method and apparatus for predicting the performance of a drilling system for the drilling of a well bore in a given formation is disclosed. The method generates a geology model of a given formation. The geology model includes a geology characteristic of the given formation per unit depth. The method also determines a predicted drilling performance for a proposed drilling equipment based on the geology model and specification data of the proposed drilling equipment, wherein the specification data of the proposed drilling equipment is a function of the geology characteristic.

A method and apparatus for predicting the performance of a drilling system for the drilling of a well bore in a given formation includes generating a geology characteristic of the formation per unit depth according to a prescribed geology model, obtaining specifications of proposed drilling equipment for use in the drilling of the well bore, and predicting a drilling mechanics in response to the specifications as a function of the geology characteristic per unit depth according to a prescribed drilling mechanics model. Responsive to a predicted-drilling mechanics, a controller controls a parameter in the drilling of the well bore. The geology characteristic includes at least rock strength. The specifications include at least a bit specification of a recommended drill bit. Lastly, the predicted drilling mechanics include at least one of bit wear, mechanical efficiency, power, and operating parameters. A display is provided for generating a display of the geology characteristic and predicted drilling mechanics per unit depth, including either a display monitor or a printer.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Gerald L Pruitt