Smith International, Inc.

Nov Downhole Eurasia Limited

Weatherford/lamb, Inc.

Other

Sondex Limited

General Electric Company

National Oilwell Dht, L.p.

The Red Baron (oil Tools Rental) Limited

Rory McCrae Tulloch

Bruce H McGarian

Alan Martyn Eddison

Victor Laing Allan

Ian A Gillies

Mike Wardley

Lawrence Robert Barr

Alastair Henry Walter MacFarlane

Bruce Mcgarian

Matthew Shaw

Neil Andrew Moir

Brad Ivie

John Oates

Werner B Lau

Roger Farries Findlay

Allan Grant Clark

James Bain

Binnert Ruerd Haites

Colin Robert Blair

Alastair Henry Walter Macfarlane

A drill bit for drilling a bore, the drill bit comprising: an outer housing; a primary cutting structure defining a cutting plane of a first diameter; a flow path arranged to let drilling fluid flow through the drill bit; and a deployable blade assembly at least partially located within the outer housing, the deployable blade assembly comprising a cutting structure and being arranged to be axially movable from a first position, in which the deployable cutting structure is recessed with respect to the primary cutting structure, towards the cutting plane, to a second position; wherein when the deployable blade assembly is in the second position, the deployable cutting structure defines a cutting diameter which is less than or equal to the first diameter.

Downhole devices and associated apparatus and methods

A downhole motor () which comprises a stator housing (), a rotor assembly () rotatable relative to said stator housing, and an arrangement for enabling, in use, a drill bit connected to the rotor assembly of said downhole motor to be rotated by rotating a drill string connected to said stator housing, wherein said arrangement comprises a unidirectional clutch () disposed between said rotor assembly and said stator housing and having at least one pawl which can be displaced between an inoperative position adjacent said stator housing and an operative position in which rotation of said stator housing by said drill string in one sense is transmitted to said rotor assembly via said at least one pawl, means biasing said at least one pawl towards said operative position, means retaining said at least one pawl in its inoperative position, and means which, when sufficient pulling force is applied to said drill string, will cause said means retaining said at least one pawl to release said at least one pawl and enable said at least one pawl to move into its operative position.

Downhole motor, drill string provided with such a motor and method of releasing a stuck drill bit attached to such a motor

A drilling assembly assembly includes a hammer motor, a shaft, a driver, and a hammer (). The shaft is operatively connectable to the hammer motor and rotated thereby. The driver is operatively connectable to the shaft, and includes a cam (such as guide channel) rotatable with the shaft and a fixed guide (such as guide pins) having a guide surface thereon. The cam is engageable with the guide surface and axially movable thereabout during rotation thereof. The hammer is operatively connectable to the driver and axially movable therewith, axially movable within the housing () independently from axial movement of the housing, and engageable with the bit to impart an impact thereto whereby the bit is hammered.

Downhole drilling assembly with motor powered hammer and method of using same

A downhole actuating apparatus for actuating downhole. The apparatus is actuatable at the downhole location at, upon or during one or more particular cycle/s selectable from a sequence of cycles according to a predetermined selection. The downhole actuation comprises the release of at least one flowable object from the downhole location. The apparatus releases the at least one flowable object from the downhole location at, upon or during the particular cycle selectable from the sequence of cycles.

Downhole actuation apparatus and associated methods

A downhole tool () comprising rotatable inner and outer sleeves (). The sleeves () comprise coupling portions for transmitting a torque between the sleeves (). The tool is reconfigurable between a first configuration whereby the coupling portions are axially misaligned to prevent transmission of torque between the inner and outer sleeves (), and a second configuration whereby the coupling portions are axially aligned to permit a transmission of torque between the sleeves (). At least one of the coupling portions is configured to prevent the transmission of torque above a predetermined torque threshold.

Downhole tool with rotational drive coupling and associated methods

A rotary steerable tool is provided for use with a drilling apparatus. The rotary steerable tool includes at least a first portion that includes an outer housing, a rotary shaft extending through the outer housing, a drive clutch coupled to the rotary shaft, and a sensor coupled to the rotary shaft. The drive clutch is movable between an engaged configuration and a disengaged configuration. The sensor is configured to identify whether the drive clutch is in at least one of the engaged configuration and the disengaged configuration.

Rotary steerable tool

A rotary steerable tool () for use in a downhole drilling apparatus for adjusting the direction of drilling is disclosed. The tool comprises a tubular outer housing () and a row of steering pushers () slidably mounted to the housing for movement between an extended position, in which the steering pusher engages a wall of a borehole formed by the drilling apparatus, and a withdrawn position, in which the steering pushers do not engage the wall of the borehole. A tubular sleeve () is mounted inside the housing () to transmit rotary drive to a drilling bit. A pressure chamber () defined between the sleeve () and the housing () communicates with the steering pushers () to move the steering pushers () to the extended position. A piston () is slidably mounted in the sleeve () and is moved by means of changes in drilling fluid pressure between a first axial position, in which the interior of the sleeve () communicates directly with the pressure chamber () for directional drilling, and a second axial position, in which the interior of the sleeve () does not communicate directly with the pressure chamber () for straight drilling.

A direction adjustment tool for a downhole drilling apparatus is disclosed. The tool has a tubular housing adapted to be incorporated into a downhole drilling apparatus, and steering blades mounted to the housing. A drive shaft transmits drive to a drill bit of a drilling apparatus, wherein the shaft defines a passage for transmitting drilling fluid to the drill bit. A first pressure chamber is defined between the housing and the shaft and communicates with the passage, wherein the steering blades are moved from retracted positions to extended positions thereof as a result of increase of fluid pressure the first pressure chamber. A pendulum member is pivotably mounted to extend in a vertical orientation when the shaft is not rotating relative to the housing, and pistons prevent movement of at least one steering blade to the extended position thereof as a result of the angle between a longitudinal axis of the shaft and the longitudinal axis of the pendulum member exceeding a predetermined amount. This causes at least one steering blade to adjust the direction of drilling of the drilling apparatus towards a vertical direction and/or to resist movement of the direction of drilling away from a vertical direction.

Vertical direction adjustment tool for downhole drilling apparatus

A downhole swivel joint assembly comprising an upper component and a lower component. The components may assume either of two stable positions relative to each other, namely an unactivated configuration in which the components are rotationally fast with each other by virtue of the inter-engagement of splines of the lower component with splines of the upper component and an activated configuration in which the respective splines are disengaged so that the upper and lower components can rotate relative to each other. In the activated configuration the upper component is supported relative to the lower component on a ball bearing pack. Movement of the components between the activated and unactivated configurations is controlled by a resiliently deformable latch member which is C-shaped in transverse cross-section. The latch member has an internal profile which co-operates with an external profile provided on the upper component mandrel to allow the upper and lower components to snap between the activated and unactivated configurations.

Downhole swivel joint assembly and method of using said swivel joint assembly

A downhole releasable swivel joint comprises a mandrel and a housing. A resilently deformable retaining device maintains the components in the illustrated first relative axial position until downward movement of the housing is stopped and a sufficient load is applied to the mandrel to overcome the retaining force of the retaining device whereupon the mandrel is able to move downwardly relative to the housing to adopt a second relative axial position. Apertures are provided in the wall of the mandrel and apertures are provided in the wall of the housing. When the mandrel is in the illustrated first relative axial position the apertures and are isolated from each other by a seal. When the mandrel is in the second relative axial position the apertures communicate with each other to permit flow from the interior of the mandrel to the exterior of the housing.

Downhole swivel joint

The invention relates to apparatus for use in wellbores and particularly, but not exclusively, to circulating subs used during downhole drilling operations. The apparatus includes a control groove and a pin received within the control groove for determining whether or not a longitudinal movement of a piston in a given direction relative to the apparatus body will move the apparatus between open and closed configurations. The apparatus further includes a control member located between and movable relative to the body and the piston. The control groove is defined in one of the piston and control member, and the pin is provided on the other of the piston and control member. Means are also provided for constraining movement of the piston relative to the body to longitudinal movement only. The invention thus provides an apparatus which has improved reliability in moving between open and closed configurations.

Downhole apparatus

A downhole apparatus which can be used as multi-cycle circulating subs utilized in downhole drilling operations, includes a piston () slidably mounted in a body between positions in which at least one aperture in the body is opened and closed. Movement of the piston () is controlled by a pin (), secured to one of the body and a control member, and a control groove () formed in the other of the body and control member for receiving a portion of the pin. An arrangement of elements () respectively connected to the control member and body is such as to normally resist axial movement of the control member from a first axial position to a second axial position. A spring () is located in a chamber for biasing the piston (). The chamber is vented by an opening in the body.

Multi-cycle downhole apparatus

A casing scraper comprises a plurality of blade modules mounted on a mandrel. The blade modules are identical to each other and have castellated ends which are engaged with the couplers to prevent relative rotation between the modules. By manipulation of a thread protector the modules can be operated in a configuration in which they are free to rotate relative to the mandrel or in a configuration in which they are rotationally fast with the mandrel. Each module comprises a housing in which a plurality of scraper blades are mounted. The scraper blades include shoulders which prevent the blades passing completely through mounting windows provided in the housing and are biased radially outwardly relative to the housing by compression springs.

Casing scraper

An expandable drill bit for use with earth drilling equipment. The bit includes arms held in a closed position, so that the bit may be inserted through casing or a small bore hole. The arms are expandable to create an expanded drill bit having a crown profile common to a solid crown bit. The arrangement of the arms provides a short gauge length so that the expanded bit is steerable downhole. Embodiments of the expandable drill bit are detailed to show mechanisms for actuating the arms between the open and closed positions.

Expandable bit

A casing brush assembly comprises a mandrel, upper and lower stabilisers, a brush and a magnet assembly. The magnet assembly comprises a plurality of helically extending brush elements each of which is spaced from the underlying mandrel so that it can flex inwardly to accommodate variations in casing diameter. The thickness of the brush elements is relatively thin in the portions which connect the central regions to the ends of the brush with the result that the deflection of the brush elements is largely accommodated by the relatively thin regions. The magnet assembly includes three rings of magnets held in a non-magnetic cage and located beneath a thin cover of non-magnetic material. The assembly can be used in a non-rotating mode (in which the brush is free to rotate relative to the mandrel) or in a rotating mode in which the brush is rotationally fast with the mandrel.

Growing community of inventors

Aberdeen, United Kingdom

Rory McCrae Tulloch