Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Oceaneering International, Inc.

National Oilwell Varco, L.p.

Gregory Christopher Grosz

Seth Garrett Anderle

Brandon James Hinz

Shilin Chen

Christopher Charles Propes

Hans A Kros

Bradley David Dunbar

Brian Daniel Winter

John Benjamin Hankins

Xianwu Ling

Brian Davies

A bit breaker for making or breaking a connection between a drill bit and a drill string, and the bit breaker includes a support structure that has a bit aperture through which a portion of the drill bit may pass. The support structure also includes basket apertures positioned circumferentially around the bit aperture. The bit breaker also includes a flexible member that passes through the basket apertures of the support structure to form a basket extending from one side of the support structure that can receive a drill bit. Relative rotation between the support structure and the flexible member causes the flexible member to tighten to make or break the connection between the drill bit and the drill string.

Flexible basket drill bit breaker

A hybrid drill bit includes both fixed cutting elements and an adjustable cutting structure thereon. An adjustment mechanism is provided to allow an axial position of cutting elements at a leading end of the adjustable cutting structure to be adjusted with respect to an axial position of the fixed cutting elements. The adjustable cutting structure may include counter rotational cutting members mounted obliquely with respect to a bit body rotational axis, and the adjustment mechanism may dynamically support the adjustable cutting structure such that the axial position of the cutting elements may be adjusted as the drill bit is in operation within a wellbore. The axial position may be adjusted by altering a weight applied to the drill bit within the wellbore.

Hybrid drill bit with axially adjustable counter-rotation cutters in center

A rotary drill bit includes movable gauge elements biased to protrude radially through a circumferential engagement surface of a gauge pad. The gauge elements are retractable to protrude a lesser distance against the bias of a biasing mechanism. Fluid chambers are defined adjacent the gauge elements, and fluid is permitted to be bled into and out of the fluid chambers to delay and slow the retraction and extension of the gauge elements. During straight drilling operations, the biasing mechanisms maintain the gauge elements in an extended position providing stability to the drill bit. When a steering force is applied to the drill bit, the gauge elements retract slowly as fluid is bled from the fluid chambers. As the gauge elements rotate with the drill bit, the retracted configuration may be maintained as gauge elements disengage the geologic formation on a side of the drill bit opposite the steering direction.

Hybrid drill bit compensated gauge configuration

A rotary drill bit is operable for forming a wellbore in a geologic formation, and includes a hybrid gauge pad thereon. The hybrid gauge pad includes movable gauge elements biased to protrude radially from a circumferential engagement surface of the gauge pad to define a full gauge of the of the drill bit. The movable gauge elements retract and become flush with the circumferential engagement surface of the gauge pad in response to the application of a steering force to the drill bit, and thus, the circumferential engagement surface of the gauge pad may define the full gauge of the drill bit in a second configuration. The gauge elements are axially spaced from one another and are arranged to provide either uniform engagement forces, or decreasing engagement forces in an axial direction of the drill bit.

Hybrid drill bit gauge configuration

A drill bit includes a bit body defining a rotational axis, a plurality of blades on the bit body, a plurality of cutting elements on the plurality of blades, each cutting element defining a sweep profile about the rotational axis, a first depth of cut controller (DOCC) movably secured to one of the plurality of blades and movable in response to contact by a formation when drilling, and a second DOCC movably secured to the one of the plurality of blades, the second DOCC coupled to the first DOCC such that movement of the first DOCC changes a height of the second DOCC relative to a height of the first DOCC.

Downhole drilling tool with depth of cut controller assemblies including activatable depth of cut controllers

A drill bit is provided that includes a bit body having one or more blades extending therefrom, a plurality of cutters secured to the one or more blades, and a rolling element assembly positioned within a cavity defined on the bit body. The rolling element assembly includes a rolling element rotatable within the cavity about a rotational axis, and a compliant retainer extendable within a retainer slot defined in the cavity to secure the rolling element within the cavity. The compliant retainer and the cavity cooperatively encircle more than 180&#xb0; but less than 360&#xb0; of a circumference of the rolling element while leaving a full axial width of the rolling element exposed. The compliant retainer is compressible responsive to forces from the rolling element to absorb vibrations and/or automatically adjust depth of cut.

Compliant rolling element retainer

A drill bit includes a bit body having one or more blades extending therefrom, a plurality of cutters secured to the one or more blades, and a rolling element assembly positioned within a cavity defined on the bit body. The rolling element assembly includes a rolling element rotatable within the cavity about a rotational axis, and a retainer extendable within a retainer slot defined in the cavity to secure the rolling element within the cavity. The retainer and the cavity cooperatively encircle more than 180&#xb0; but less than 360&#xb0; of a circumference of the rolling element while leaving a full axial width of the rolling element exposed.

Rolling element with half lock

A drill bit includes a bit body having one or more blades extending therefrom, a plurality of cutters secured to the one or more blades, and a rolling element assembly positioned within a cavity defined on the bit body. The rolling element assembly includes a rolling element rotatable within the cavity about a rotational axis, and a retainer extendable within a retainer slot defined in the cavity to secure the rolling element within the cavity. The retainer and the cavity cooperatively encircle more than 180&#xb0; but less than 360&#xb0; of a circumference of the rolling element while leaving a full axial width of the rolling element exposed. The retainer includes a protruding portion thereon extendable into an offset region of the retainer slot when the first retainer piece is inserted into the retainer slot in a first direction and shifted within the retainer slot in a second direction.

Rolling element with half lock-wedge lock

A method of manufacturing, assembling, configuring, and/or using a hybrid drill bit is disclosed. An illustrative example includes inserting a rolling cutting structure into a central bore of a bit body through an upper connector section of the bit body toward a lower end portion of the bit body. The bit body has a rotational axis and a plurality of blades at the lower end portion. The upper connector section is configured to be coupled to a lower end of a drill string. Each of the plurality of blades extends radially from the bit body about the rotational axis at the lower end portion and includes a plurality of cutters embedded therein.

Method of manufacturing and designing a hybrid drill bit

A drill bit includes a bit body including one or more blades extending therefrom and a plurality of cutters secured to the one or more blades. A rolling element assembly is positioned within a cavity defined on the bit body and includes a housing, a rolling element rotatable within the housing about a rotational axis, and one or more bearing elements extendable into a corresponding one or more arcuate grooves defined in the cavity to secure the housing within the cavity. The housing encircles more than 180&#xb0; but less than 360&#xb0; of a circumference of the rolling element while leaving a full axial width of the rolling element exposed.

Rolling element assembly with bearings elements

Hybrid drill bit with axially adjustable counter rotation cutters in center

A rolling element assembly includes a rolling element rotatable about a rotational axis when positioned within a cavity defined on a bit body of a drill bit, and a compliant retainer positioned within a retainer slot defined in the bit body. A biasing device is positioned within a device pocket defined within the bit body to bias the compliant retainer against the outer circumferential surface of the rolling element. The compliant retainer secures the rolling element within the cavity while an arcuate portion of the rolling element protrudes from the cavity and exposes a full axial width of the rolling element.

Rolling element assembly with a compliant retainer

A downhole drilling tool is disclosed. The downhole drilling tool may include a drill bit having a bit body, a blade disposed on an exterior portion of the bit body, the blade including a pocket and a pocket groove adjoining the pocket. The drill bit may also have a drilling element located in the pocket, the drilling element including a drilling-element groove at least partially aligned with the pocket groove. In addition, the drill bit may have a locking element extending through a combined space inside the pocket groove and the drilling-element groove.

Securing mechanism for a drilling element on a downhole drilling tool

A hybrid drill bit includes both fixed cutting elements and rotational cutting elements thereon. The fixed cutting elements are affixed to a bit body and define a peripherally-located fixed cutting structure disposed radially outward of the rotational cutting elements. The rotational cutting elements define a centrally-located counter-rotational cutting structure including two hemispherical counter-rotational cutting members mounted for counter-rotation with respect to one another on an axis generally perpendicular to a bit body rotational axis.

Growing community of inventors

Magnolia, TX, United States of America

Gregory Christopher Grosz