Smith International, Inc.

John E Tschirky

Gary M Crase

Bela A Geczy

Wayne M Sullivan

Kurt H Trezeciak

Howard Ward

A plurality of valve structures are incorporated in a drill pipe string for drilling a well into the earth utilizing air as the drilling fluid. A first valve is located in the drill pipe string just above the drilling bit, and an additional valve or valves are located in upwardly spaced relation within the drill collar string. Each of the valves has a valve member held in a position allowing the flow of air through the valve by a fusible support, and when the support melts, the valve member will shift to a position closing the valve. The valve just above the bit is combined with a float valve to prevent the upward flow of fluid into the drill string, while the valve or valves spaced upwardly in the drill collar string are full opening valves which allow the running of instruments through the drill string to selected locations above the bit. The additional upwardly spaced valve or valves include a flap held in a position to one side of the bore through the valve body by a fusible retainer. When the fusible retainer melts, releasing the flap, the flap seats on the sleeve to shut off the flow of fluid through the valve and through the drill pipe string and cause an increase in pressure of air above the closed valve.

Downhole fire control

An in-hole motor drill assembly has the rotor of the motor which may be connected to the drill bit through a shaft connected to the rotor, and a housing which may be connected to the running string, and a normally disengaged clutch between said housing and said shaft. Means are provided for engaging the clutch by exerting a negative force on said housing, which is applied to the shaft by a pick-up bearing, if the bit is stuck against upward movement. The shaft can be rotated by rotation of the running string. In normal operation, during drilling, the clutch is disengaged to permit the shaft to rotate relative to the housing. The bearing which picks up the shaft and bit, during normal off-bottom circulation or retrieval of the assembly, is constructed to permit longitudinal movement of the housing relative to the shaft, when the bit is stuck, to engage the clutch.

In-hole motor drill with locking bit clutch

An in hole fluid motor for driving a drill bit utilizing the circulation of drilling fluid to drive the motor, having a sealed bearing assembly. The bearing assembly has a hollow, rotary drive shaft disposed within a tubular relatively stationary housing with radial bearings and thrust bearings disposed between the drive shaft and housing. Sealing structures are provided between the drive shaft and housing in axially spaced relation with the bearings disposed in a chamber between the sealing structures and lubricated by a lubricant confined by the sealing structures and pressurized through a diaphragm by the pressure of fluid externally of the housing in the drill hole. One of the sealing structures has a pair of clean fluid reservoirs separating the bearing lubricant from the drilling fluid in the housing by a pair of sealing devices, one between the bearing lubricant and a first of the clean fluid reservoirs and the other between the first and the second clean fluid reservoirs. In the two forms shown, drilling fluid in the housing pressurizes the second reservoir. In one of these forms, drilling fluid in the housing also pressurizes the first reservoir, and in the other form, lubricant in the bearing chamber pressurizes the first reservoir. The pressure difference between motor fluid upstream of the bit and in the drill hole is sealed by a high pressure seal operating in the clean fluid provided in the reservoirs, and the total volume of the drilling fluid circulates through the bit nozzles.

Sealed bearing means for in hole motors

A fluid lubricated bearing assembly for use with an in-hole fluid motor has a housing and a shaft supported in the housing by a plurality of stacked adjustable bearings, through which thrust is transmitted to the shaft from a single thrust transfer point in the housing. The thrust bearings are individually adjustable to eliminate tolerance and thrust elements transfer load from the housing to the bearings from the single thrust transfer point. In the preferred form, the thrust elements include a flow restrictor sleeve in thrust transmission relation with bearings at opposite sides thereof. The flow restrictor sleeve cooperates with a companion flow restrictor sleeve on the shaft to limit the flow of fluid through the bearings from the motor. Radial contact bearings at opposite ends of the flow restrictor support the flow restrictor sleeves to minimize wear and resist bending forces applied radially of the sleeves.

Bearing assembly

A plurality of valve structures are incorporated in a drill pipe string for drilling a well into the earth utilizing air as the drilling fluid. A first valve is located in the drill pipe string just above the drilling bit, and an additional valve or valves are located in upwardly spaced relation within the drill collar string. Each of the valves has a valve member held in a position allowing the flow of air through the valve by a fusible support, and when the support melts, the valve member will shift to a position closing the valve. The valve just above the bit is combined with a float valve to prevent the upward flow of fluid into the drill string, while the valve or valves spaced upwardly in the drill collar string are full opening valves which allow the running of instruments through the drill string to selected locations above the bit. The additional upwardly spaced valve or valves include a flap held in a position to one side of the bore through the valve body by a fusible retainer. When the fusible retainer melts, releasing the flap, the flap seats on the sleeve to shut off the flow of fluid through the valve and through the drive pipe string and cause an increase in pressure of air above the closed valve.

Casing is run into a well bore hole on a running pipe string. Fluid motor and drill apparatus is supported in the casing, with the drill extending below the lower end of the casing to drill the bore hole in advance of the casing. For subsea drilling operations, the casing is suspended from a riser housing which lands on a subsea base, and the running pipe is released from the riser housing to enable retrieval of the motor and drill assembly. Plural motors are employed for drilling large holes.

Drilling and casing landing apparatus and method

A multiple in-hole motor and drill combination is disclosed for drilling a large diameter earth bore. The motor assembly is supported on a fluid circulating pipestring, and includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitudinally extended in-hole motor and drill combinations to which motor fluid is supplied through the running in pipestring, the motor fluid then passing through the rotary drill bit driven by the motor and returning to the top of the well. The plural in-hole motor drill assemblies are rotated during the drilling operation. A hydraulic drive motor powered by a separate fluid source is employed to rotate a housing to drive the multiple motor drill assemblies rotatably about the central support. The lower end of the multiple motor drill assembly supports a number of weights to apply drilling weight to the bits. The entire assembly is stabilized within the bore hole at vertically spaced locations or is stabilized within a well casing which is progressively lowered into the bore hole as the drilling progresses.

Drilling with multiple in-hole motors

A hole-opener and a hole-opener apparatus is provided for enlarging a pilot hole of the inverted arcuate type which bypasses an obstacle, the pilot hole having an entrance and terminal end, both ends usually being accessible to surface drilling equipment.

Apparatus and method for enlarging underground arcuate bore holes

This invention relates to sleeves for sealed bearings for rotating shafts employing packing glands mounted in the floating sleeve whereby the integrity of the seal is maintained during transverse displacement of the shaft.

Sealed bearings

This invention relates to hard metal radial bearings particularly suitable in connection with thrust bearings which are lubricated by erosive fluids passing through the radial bearings as are employed in down-hole drilling motors.

Radial bearings

This invention relates to progressing cavity fluid motors with multiple stator elements connected in series to provide a fluid passageway from the input of the initial stator of the series to the output of the terminal stator of the series; the rotor elements in each stator are connected together for simultaneous rotation.

Progressive cavity transducer

This invention relates to circulation subs used in connection with hydraulic in-hole motors with means for selectively interrupting circulation through the circulation sub.

Circulation sub for in-hole hydraulic motors

This invention relates to flow restrictors in fluid motors.

Floating flow restrictors for fluid motors

This invention relates to progressing cavity fluid motors with multiple segmented stator elements connected in series to provide a fluid passageway from the input of the initial stator of the series to the output of the terminal stator of the series; the rotor elements in each stator are connected together for simultaneous rotation.

Segmented stator for progressive cavity transducer

This invention relates to spring-loaded thrust bearings for shafts subject to a plurality of levels of thrust loads and in its preferred embodiment is applied to in-hole motors. The invention employs a plurality of spring systems, whereby the thrust load on one set of springs is limited to one level of thrust and another of the spring systems under said load may be loaded to a higher level.

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Long Beach, CA, United States of America

John E Tschirky