Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Steven Park

Steven Graham Bell

Geoffrey Andrew Samuel

Hossam Gharib

Hamid Sadabadi

Bhargav Gajji

Ankit Purohit

James Fehr

Sandip Satish Sonar

Christopher Paul Crampton

Philip Park-Hung Leung

Mohamed Mourad

Brad McClurg

Philip Leung

Daniel Soares Goncalves

Bipinkumar Singh

Hossam Mohamed Gharib

A rotating cutter apparatus including a housing having a housing interior surface defining a housing bore, a shaft extending through the housing bore such that an annular space is provided between the housing interior surface and the shaft, and at least one cutter carried on the shaft. The shaft is rotatable relative to the housing about a shaft axis. The at least one cutter extends radially toward the housing interior surface and is rotatable relative to the housing about the shaft axis. A method for reducing a size of solid objects contained in a fluid, including providing a rotating cutter apparatus, introducing the fluid containing the solid objects into the rotating cutter apparatus, and rotating a shaft and at least one cutter in order to reduce the size of the solid objects while passing the fluid through the rotating cutter apparatus.

Rotating cutter apparatus for reducing the size of solid objects in a fluid

A rotor catch system includes a catch stem having a proximal end coupled to a rotor of a mud motor system and a distal end positioned within a sub housing of a drill string, a catch feature having a top portion and a spindle portion extending from the top portion and coupled to the distal end of the catch stem, a housing catch feature extending radially inward from an inner surface of the sub housing, and a catch bushing positioned between the top portion of the catch feature and the housing catch feature. The housing catch feature restrains axial movement of the catch bushing in the active catch state via contact between the catch bushing and the housing catch feature, and the catch bushing restrains axial movement of the catch feature in the active catch state via contact between the catch feature and the catch bushing.

Mud motor catch with catch indication and anti-milling

A constant velocity joint for downhole power transmission has a first insert mounted in a radially extending drive shaft arm. The first insert engages a second insert mounted along a slot formed in a tubular housing disposed to receive the arm. The material for the two inserts may be different, having different galling properties. An insert may be shaped to have at least a flat surface, a cylindrical surface intersecting the flat surface, and a conical surface intersecting the cylindrical surface. The inserts may extend beyond the cavities in which they are mounted. Opposing cavity walls adjacent the cavity opening may be angled away from one another to permit the insert to flex under a load. The back wall of a cavity and back surface of an insert may be arcuate to permit rotational movement of the insert under a load.

High torque constant velocity joint for downhole drilling power transmission

A driveshaft transmission assembly may include a coupling mechanism for coupling a radial bearing assembly to a driveshaft. The coupling mechanism may include a bearing cap for creating an interference fit with a downhole portion of the radial bearing assembly. The coupling mechanism may include locking pins and a retention sleeve to retain the locking pins in grooves of the driveshaft and openings in the radial bearing sleeve. The radial bearing assembly may include a catch mechanism for preventing the loss of certain driveshaft transmission assembly components downhole in the event of a failure of the driveshaft transmission. The coupling mechanism may prevent the loss of the driveshaft downhole subsequent to separation of certain driveshaft transmission assembly components.

Coupling mechanism for driveshaft transmission assembly

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for coupling components within a downhole motor drivetrain, and particularly to improving the torque carrying characteristics through threaded couplings in the drivetrain that extends between the mud motor and the drill bit. The described downhole motor drivetrain includes one or more threaded couplings, with each coupling configured to define a gap to accept a spacer having a dimension within a range of sizes. The dimension of the selected spacer placed in the threaded coupling facilitates establishing a desired balance of the force loading at each of two contact regions of the coupling. In many examples, the two contact regions of the coupling will be located on opposite sides of the threaded region.

Transmission assembly for downhole motor

An assembly for use in a wellbore can include a drill string having an outer housing and a thrust bearing sleeve positioned within the outer housing of the drill string. The assembly can also include a stationary thrust bearing positioned within the thrust bearing sleeve and coaxially around a mandrel extending through a longitudinal length of the thrust bearing sleeve. The assembly can further include an interlocking component including a first end coupled to the stationary thrust bearing and a second end positioned in a recessed portion of a housing of the drill string for preventing the stationary thrust bearing from rotating about a central axis of the mandrel, and for allowing the stationary thrust bearing to rotate about one or more axes perpendicular to the central axis. The assembly can include a flexible member for opposing a rotational force applied to the stationary thrust bearing by another thrust bearing.

Thrust bearing alignment

An interference apparatus is provided for a motor shaft transmission assembly. The interference apparatus may include split-ring shells and a retaining device. The interference apparatus may be mounted to an intermediate sleeve of the motor shaft transmission assembly. The interference apparatus is configured to prevent the loss of certain motor shaft transmission assembly components downhole in the event of a failure of the motor transmission due to dynamic loads.

Motor shaft transmission interference apparatus

A drilling apparatus having a drive section and a bearing section axially distal to the drive section. The bearing section includes a unitary bearing housing defining a bearing housing bore, a driveshaft received within the bearing housing bore and rotatable relative to the bearing housing, and a bearing assembly radially interposed between the bearing housing and the driveshaft for rotatably supporting the driveshaft within the bearing housing bore. The unitary bearing housing may be connected directly with a transmission housing. An axis intersection point between a primary axis of the drilling apparatus and the driveshaft axis may be axially located between a proximal bearing housing end and a distal bearing housing end. One or more stationary bearing components may be non-rotatably engaged with one or more sleeves which are non-rotatably engaged with the bearing housing.

Drilling apparatus with a unitary bearing housing

A fiber optic sensor is disposed in the elastomer of the stator of the mud motor in order to sense elastomer strain while drilling. The frequencies of micro stalls and stick slips are measured from the fiber optic sensor data by classification using thresholds or by converting time-domain measurements from the fiber optic sensor data to frequencies. For example, the frequencies are produced by accumulating a histogram over an interval of time or by computing a Discrete Fourier Transform over an interval of time. A plurality of fiber optic sensors also can sense angular position of the rotor of the mud motor for correlation of the micro stalls and stick slips with the angular position. The measurements of the micro stalls and stick slips are used to select remedial action such as changes in drilling parameters.

Measuring micro stalls and stick slips in mud motors using fiber optic sensors

An improved drilling assembly of the type comprising a fluid driven motor, a driveshaft operatively connected with the motor, a housing for enclosing the driveshaft and an annular flow passage defined between the driveshaft and the housing for circulating drive fluid therethrough. The improvement comprises a drive fluid flow restrictor device comprising a constricted section in the annular flow passage, an expanded section in the annular flow passage and a valve member positioned in the annular flow passage. The valve member is movable axially in the annular flow passage between the constricted section and the expanded section to define a flow restricting position and a normal flow position When the valve member is in the flow restricting position the circulation of drive fluid through the annular flow passage is restricted. When the valve member is in the normal flow position the circulation of drive fluid through the annular flow passage is relatively unrestricted.

Growing community of inventors

Edmonton, Canada

Steven Park