Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Smith International, Inc.

Services Petroliers Schlumberger

Kjell Haugvaldstad

Riadh Boualleg

Ashley Bernard Johnson

Geoffrey Charles Downton

Walter David Aldred

Neil Cannon

Michael Charles Sheppard

Youhe Zhang

Benjamin Peter Jeffryes

Frank F Espinosa

Michael Paul Barrett

Ling Li

Aaron William Logan

Yuelin Shen

Steven G Villareal

Yuri Y Burhan

Joachim Sihler

Derek W Logan

Jonathan Dunlop

Mauro Caresta

Garry Holmen

Stuart Alan Kolbe

Jonathan Luke James

Denis Li

Tony Dopf

Harry James Cook

Bertrand Lacour

Rob Utter

Fabio Cappi

John Hallworth

Steve Hart

Laurent Allias

Svein Olav Vikan

Joffroy Urbain

Hans Seehuus

Prashant Saxena

A drill bit includes cutting elements and a displacement sensor deployed on a drill bit body. The displacement sensor includes an engagement piston disposed to translate axially in a sensor housing. The engagement piston includes an inner plunger and an opposing outer engagement element configured to engage a subterranean formation and is biased outward from the sensor housing. The displacement sensor further includes a position sensor configured to sense an axial position of the engagement piston in the sensor housing. An electronic controller is configured to determine a measured displacement from the sensed axial position of the engagement piston. The displacement sensor may enable depth of cut and rate of penetration measurements to be made while drilling.

At-bit depth of cut and rate of penetration measurements

Methods and systems are provided that calculate data representing an estimate of formation strength while drilling. The methods and systems employ a drill bit that is instrumented with a first sensor and a second sensor. A processor is configured to i) determine and store first data representing cutting forces acting on a cutting element of the drill bit while drilling based on measurements of the first sensor while drilling, ii) determine and store second data representing depth of cut of the drill bit while drilling based on measurements of the second sensor while drilling, and iii) process the first data and second data to generate and store data representing contact stress against the formation while drilling. This resultant data can be used as an estimate of formation strength. This estimate of formation strength is similar to UCS and can be used in oilfield operations/planning, such as formation characterization while drilling, or drilling efficiency analysis while drilling.

System, method and apparatus for estimating formation strength

A method for drilling a subterranean wellbore includes rotating a drill string in the subterranean wellbore to drill the wellbore. The drill string includes a rotary steerable tool or a steerable drill bit including at least first and second axially spaced pads configured to extend radially outward from a tool body and engage a wall of the wellbore. Radial displacements of each of the first and second axially spaced pads are measured while drilling. The measured radial displacements are processed to compute a rate of penetration of drilling.

Estimating rate of penetration using pad displacement measurements

A downhole tool includes a tool body and an actuator coupled to and selectively extendible relative to the tool body. The actuator has a working face that contacts a downhole formation, and which includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion has a tapered surface that is directed radially inwardly and axially downwardly relative to the first portion, with at least a portion of the tapered surface including an ultrahard material having a different coefficient of friction as compared to a first material of the upper portion.

Downhole tool with tapered actuators

Downhole tools with tapered actuators having reduced cyclical torque

A method for drilling a wellbore through a subterranean formation includes rotating a drill string in the subterranean wellbore to drill. The drill string includes a rotary steerable tool or a steerable drill bit including a plurality of pads configured to extend radially outward from a tool body and engage a wall of the wellbore. Radial displacements of at least one of the pads are measured while rotating (e.g., drilling). A formation index is computed while drilling by processing the measured radial displacements, where the formation index is indicative of a strength or hardness of the subterranean formation.

Estimating a formation index using pad measurements

A directional drilling system that includes a drill bit that drills a bore through rock. The drill bit includes an outer portion of a first material and an inner portion coupled to the outer portion. The inner portion includes a second material.

Drilling systems and methods

An actuator for use in a directional steering assembly includes an ultrahard insert positioned on a working face. The ultrahard insert is positioned along at least a portion of the perimeter of the working face. The ultrahard insert has a coefficient of friction less than a material of the remainder of the working face.

Devices and systems for reducing cyclical torque on directional drilling actuators

A rotary steerable device includes a steering pad disposed with a drilling tool and radially moveable relative to a centerline of the drilling tool to apply a steering force to a borehole wall. The steering pad has a front face to contact the borehole wall and having a diameter or width and a tapered section that tapers inward at a taper angle toward the centerline along a taper length in the direction from a take-off position to a leading edge relative to one of a rotational direction of the drilling tool or a drilling direction.

Steering pads with shaped front faces

A rotary steerable drilling system having a series of actuators disposed with a drilling tool, the series of actuators arranged in close proximity and independently operable to distribute a total steering force applied to a wellbore wall across the series of actuators. The series of actuators are extendable to different distances, such that the radial extension length of the actuators increases between actuators.

Directional drilling steering actuators

A wear resistant part includes a first material including a structure having a surface feature. The first material is capable of maintaining its structure at a temperature from about 1000&#xb0; C. to about 1500&#xb0; C. (e.g., upon exposure to the temperature or upon being heated to reach the temperature). The wear resistant part also includes a second material formed into a shape extending partially around the structure of the first material while exposing the surface feature of the first material. The shape of the second material is formed by a matrix infiltration at a temperature from about 1000&#xb0; C. to about 1500&#xb0; C.

Wear resistant parts and fabrication

A cutter assembly may include a sleeve having at least one passageway extending through the sleeve from a outer surface thereof into an inner surface thereof; at least one rotatable cutting element disposed in the sleeve, wherein the at least one rotatable cutting element has a circumferential groove formed in a side surface thereof, wherein when the inner rotatable cutting element is disposed in the sleeve, the circumferential groove is aligned with the passageway; and a retention element disposed in at least a portion of the passageway and the circumferential groove to retain the at least one rotatable cutting element in the sleeve, wherein the retention element has an axis that is parallel to a tangent of the rotatable cutting element side surface at least one point of contact with the rotatable cutting element.

Rolling cutter with side retention

A cutting structure may include an outer support element; and an inner rotatable cutting element comprising a cutting surface at its upper end; wherein the inner rotatable cutting element comprises at least one line contact along a circumferential side surface thereof and/or at least one point contact at a bottom face thereof.

Rolling cutter with improved rolling efficiency

A drill bit for drilling a borehole in an earthen formation may include a bit body having a bit axis and a direction of rotation about the bit axis; at least two blades extending azimuthally from the bit body; and a plurality of cutting elements disposed on the at least two blades; the plurality of cutting elements forming a cutting profile in a rotated profile view, each cutting element having a radial distance from the bit axis. At least one blade, at its formation facing surface, may include, between two radially adjacent cutting elements on the at least one blade, a raised depth of cut feature for each cutting element on the other of the at least two blades that are at radial distances from the bit axis intermediate the radial distances from the bit axis of the radially adjacent cutting elements on the at least one blade.

Drill bits having depth of cut control features and methods of making and using the same

A downhole cutting tool for drilling a borehole in an earthen formation may include a tool body having a tool axis and a direction of rotation about the tool axis; at least two blades attached to the tool body, the at least two blades having a leading face facing the direction of rotation of the tool body about the tool axis, a trailing face facing away from the direction of rotation of the tool body about the tool axis, and a formation facing surface extending between the leading face and the trailing face; and a plurality of cutting elements disposed on the at least two blades, each cutting element having a radial distance from the tool axis; wherein at least one blade, at its formation facing surface, comprises, between two radially adjacent cutting elements on the at least one blade, a raised depth of cut feature for each cutting element on the other of the at least two blades that are at radial distances from the tool axis intermediate the radial distances from the tool axis of the radially adjacent cutting elements on the at least one blade.

Growing community of inventors

Vanvikan, Norway

Kjell Haugvaldstad