Tempress Technologies, Inc.

Jack J Koll&eacute;

Mark H Marvin

A method for increasing the efficiency of drilling operations by using a drilling fluid material that exists as supercritical fluid or a dense gas at temperature and pressure conditions existing at a drill site. The material can be used to reduce mechanical drilling forces, to remove cuttings, or to jet erode a substrate. In one embodiment, carbon dioxide (CO ) is used as the material for drilling within wells in the earth, where the normal temperature and pressure conditions cause CO to exist as a supercritical fluid. Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC&mdash;CO ) is preferably used with coiled tube (CT) drilling equipment. The very low viscosity SC&mdash;CO provides efficient cooling of the drill head, and efficient cuttings removal. Further, the diffusivity of SC&mdash;CO within the pores of petroleum formations is significantly higher than that of water, making jet erosion using SC&mdash;CO much more effective than water jet erosion. SC&mdash;CO jets can be used to assist mechanical drilling, for erosion drilling, or for scale removal. A choke manifold at the well head or mud cap drilling equipment can be used to control the pressure within the borehole, to ensure that the temperature and pressure conditions necessary for CO to exist as either a supercritical fluid or a dense gas occur at the drill site. Spent CO can be vented to the atmosphere, collected for reuse, or directed into the formation to aid in the recovery of petroleum.

Coiled tubing drilling with supercritical carbon dioxide

Methods and apparatus employing an ultra high-pressure fluid pulse to perform metal working operations, including joining and cold working. In one application, an ultra high-pressure fluid pulse is directed into a hollow rivet that is seated within an orifice formed in two metal sheets, causing the fastener to expand outwardly, in an interference fit with the orifice that joins the metal sheets together. The ultra high-pressure fluid pulse can alternatively be applied to the metal sheets to plastically deform them into a cavity to form a clinch fastener joint. Further, the ultra high-pressure fluid pulse is usable to plastically deform the interface between stacked metal sheets or other components into surface features that are provided on one of the sheets, to form a mechanical interlock. Metal or ceramic powders placed between the metal sheets can be used to cause melting of the surfaces of the sheets at their interface upon the application of an ultra high-pressure fluid pulse, thus welding the sheets together with a tack weld. An ultra high-pressure fluid pulse can also be used to cold work an orifice in a metal component, thereby increasing the fatigue life around the orifice by introducing a residual compressive stress in a thin surface layer of the metal. An ultra high-pressure fluid pulse generator includes a fast acting valve that opens to enable an ultra high-pressure pulse to pass through a nozzle. A tapered fluid channel in the nozzle can substantially accelerate the ultra high-pressure fluid pulse.

Method for metal working using high pressure fluid pulses

Suction pressure pulses are generated within a borehole by closing a valve that interrupts the flow of a drilling fluid (e.g., drilling mud) circulating through one or more high velocity flow courses within the borehole. In one embodiment in which the suction pressure pulses are applied to improve the efficiency of a drilling bit, the valve interrupts the flow of drilling mud directed through the bit and thus through high velocity flow course(s) disposed downstream of the bit. Arresting flow of the drilling mud through the high velocity flow course(s) generates suction pressure pulses of substantial magnitude over a face of the drill bit. The suction pressure pulses provide a sufficient differential pressure that weakens the rock through which the drill bit is advancing and also increase the force with which the drill bit is being advanced toward the rock at the bottom of the borehole. However, the flow of drilling mud into an inlet port of the valve is not interrupted, so that fluid motors can still be used to rotate the drill bit. When the valve is closed, the drilling mud continues to flow into the valve and subsequently flows back into the borehole. The suction pressure pulses can also be applied to a short section of the borehole wall to produce seismic pulses, or to provide remediation of formation damage (by drawing fines from the wall of a borehole to enhance oil and gas production rates), or can be employed for descaling tubes within a borehole.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Jack J Kollé

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Jack J Koll&eacute;

Jack J Kollé