Norton Christensen, Inc.

Eastman Christensen Company

Eastman Christensen

Steven R Radford

J Stanley Davis

Craig R Hyland

Kelly Knighton

Alfred Ostertag

Robert E Iversen

Kenneth D Enever

A nozzle retention system for a drill bit which includes a nozzle member which is retained by means of a keyway in the bit body. The bit body can include a partially cylindrical bore, truncated by opposing walls to form a lower contact surface within the bit body. The nozzle will be conformed to pass through the bore in a first orientation, and to be retained in the bore and against such contact surface when the nozzle is rotated to the second orientation.

Nozzle retention system for a drill bit

Jamming caused by absorbent members in sponge core barrels or loss of coring information caused by oil wipes in oil field boreholes in which sponge core coring tools are disposed can be avoided by employing a method and tool wherein the absorbent member is formed in placed in contact about the core after the has been cut and disposed within the inner tube. In the illustrated embodiment, a liquid foam is catalytically formed from two constituent parts. The constituent parts are hydraulically forced from longitudinal chambers defined within the inner tube walls into an area in the throat of the bit where the parts meet and exothermically generate a liquid foam. The liquid foam rises into a plurality of longitudinal open chambers defined within the inner tube. Each of the open chambers has a longitudinal slot defined therethrough which communicates the chamber with the axial bore in which the core is disposed. The liquid foam flows into the longitudinal chambers and into the annular space between the inside surface of the inner tube and the core. Ultimately, the core is totally immersed in the liquid foam. Thereafter, within a predetermined curing time, the liquid foam cures to form a sponge-like solid. The oil bearing core may not be retrieved to the well surface. As the core is depressurized during retrieval, oil forced from the core by escaping water and gas is retained within the sponge for later analysis.

Method and apparatus for coring with an in situ core barrel sponge

An axial bore is defined throughout the hydraulic lift inner barrel. This axial bore is communicated with the interior of the inner tube thereby allowing the interior of the inner tube to be flushed prior to initiation of the coring operation. When the coring operation is begun, flow of drilling fluid to the interior of the inner tube is prevented by allowing a ball dropped within the drill string to seat within a plug through which the communicating axial bore is defined. Once the flow of drilling fluid to the interior of the inner tube is stopped, the coring operation can begin. After the coring operation is completed, a second ball is dropped and allowed to seat within an inner mandrel through which the axial bore of the coring tool is also defined. Once the axial bore of the inner mandrel is closed, drilling fluid is forced into an expansion chamber within a telescopic piston disposed circumferentially outside of the inner mandrel. The piston is connected to the inner tube. Diversion of drilling fluid into the expansion chamber causes the piston to be longitudinally displaced upward with respect to the inner mandrel, and hence with respect to the outer tube of the drill string. The inner tube is thus similarly lifted within the drill string, thereby activating core catchers or any other downhole mechanism coupled directly or indirectly to the inner tube.

Hydraulic inner barrel in a drill string coring tool

A positively driven full closure core catcher for use with soft or unconsolidated cores is comprised of an inner tube shoe into which a plurality of windows have been cut. In each window is a corresponding one of a plurality of flapper valves. The flapper valves are spring-biased to a withdrawn position outside of the interior of the inner tube shoe. A cam member is in sliding contact with an inclined rear surface of the flapper valve. Longitudinal displacement of the cam member with respect to the inclined surface of the flapper valve causes the cam to ride down the inclined surface of the valve thereby forcing the rotatable flapper valve into the interior of the inner tube shoe and into a fully closed position. The cam member is substantially radially fixed and is selectively disengaged from the inner tube shoe to which it is temporarily coupled by a collet assembly. The collet assembly is coupled to a cylinder on which the cam is fixed. Normally, the collet assembly will keep the cam and cylinder in a fixed longitudinal relationship with respect to the inner tube shoe. However, as the inner barrel is raised the collet latch of the collet assembly contacts a floating outer tube ring which causes the collet latch to bend outwardly and release from the inner tube shoe. The cylinder and cam are then longitudinally fixed within the coring tool and the inner tube and inner tube shoe continue to be longitudinally displaced. This causes the cam to ride down and close the flapper valves.

Cammed and shrouded core catcher

A core spring type core catcher and a full closure core catcher are completely concealed from the core within a coring tool. The full closure catcher is reliably actuated to assume a closed configuration without dependence upon gravity or an interference diametrical fit with the core by use of a cam ring which is longitudinally displaced downwardly within the core barrel by a preloaded compression spring. The full closure core catcher is comprised of a plurality of flapper valves circumferentially disposed outside of the inner tube and concealed by the inner tube or a terminal extension of the inner tube. Disposed above the plurality of flapper valves, and also circumferentially disposed outside of and concentric with the inner tube is a cam ring. Similarly circumferentially disposed outside of and concentric with the inner tube is a preloaded coil compression spring bearing against the cam ring. The cam ring in turn is in sliding contact with a rear surface of each one of the plurality of flapper valves. When the inner tube is longitudinally displaced with respect to the flapper valves to uncover the flapper valves, the flapper valves are then rotated inwardly within the inner barrel of the coring tool by virtue of the downward longitudinal drive of the cam ring as powered by the preloaded compression spring.

Self activating, positively driven concealed core catcher

A fragmented or unconsolidated core can be cut and retained within a coring tool without substantial disturbance of the core by the use of a shrouded core catcher. A core catcher is concentrically disposed within the coring tool and outside of a smooth, cylindrical sleeve telescopically disposed inside of the core catcher. The core catcher in turn is coupled to a lower assembly which can be selectively longitudinally fixed within the coring tool, but which is otherwise temporarily coupled to the sleeve. As the sleeve is longitudinally pulled upward after the completion of the coring operation, the lower assembly becomes longitudinally fixed within the coring tool and the sleeve, which heretofore has fully covered and concealed the core catcher, begins to be withdrawn from the core catcher, leaving it unconcealed. Ultimately, the core catcher is at least partially uncovered, thereby permitting activation and contact between the core catcher and the core disposed within the coring tool. However, at all times during the coring operation, the core catcher remains concealed behind the cylindrical sleeve which extends in the coring tool throughout the substantial length of the core.

Shrouded core catcher

Downward displacement of an inner tube with respect to the outer tube in a coring tool is effectuated by an apparatus comprising a bearing assembly, a cylinder, a piston telescopically disposed within the cylinder, and a mechanism for selectively applying an hydraulic force to the piston. The bearing assembly is longitudinally fixed with respect to the outer tube while providing rotational freedom with respect to the outer tube. A cylinder is axially disposed within the coring tool, is connected to the bearing assembly, and hence is rotationally free with respect to the outer tube. The piston, which is telescopically disposed within a cylinder, is downwardly longitudinally displaceable within the cylinder, and hence with respect to the outer tube. A mechanism is incorporated within the coring tool for selectively applying a hydraulic force to the piston in order to longitudinally displace the piston downwardly within the cylinder. The inner tube, being coupled to the piston, is thus downwardly displaced within the coring tool.

Apparatus for downward displacement of an inner tube within a coring

A direct acting slug and wipe tool for use in drill pipe in drilling operations effects a cleaning operation by placing a rib inflated bladder in contact with the inside surface of a drill pipe in connection with a free floating pneumatic chamber. The inflatable bladder is toroidal and circumferentially disposed about and communicates with a sealed and closed chamber filled with a fixed amount or mass of gas. Weights may be added to the wiper in order to fix its equilibrium floating position. The wiper with the inflatable bladder is able to wipe the interior of the drill pipe even through those portions having a reduced inner diameter, such as at the drill pipe joints. Thus, as the drill pipe is tripped, the slug and wipe tool is longitudinally displaced with respect to the drill pipe through a plurality of drill pipe sections. In a second embodiment, a plurality or pair of intercommunicating ribbed inflatable bladders are circumferentially attached to the sealed and closed chamber thereby allowing one bladder to expand in a portion of the drill pipe having a normal sized diameter as the other bladder is simultaneously compressed when passing through a restricted diameter.

Automatic drill pipe inside wiper

An automatically operable hydraulic lift inner barrel is devised to lift the inner tube of the core barrel on a drill string. An inner mandrel is axially disposed within the outer tube of the coring tool. An outer piston which is selectively locked to the inner mandrel is telescopically and concentrically disposed about the inner mandrel. Fluid is selectively diverted from the outer tube into the inner mandrel and inside the outer piston. An inner locking piston within the inner mandrel responds to the hydraulic pressure to unlock the outer piston from the inner mandrel. The outer piston is then longitudinally displaced by the hydraulic pressure thereby lifting the inner tube which is connected to it. After the outer piston has moved a predetermined distance, the hydraulic pressure supplied to the inner mandrel and inside the outer piston reaches a second predetermined magnitude. Burst disks are then blown thereby relieving the hydraulic pressure within the outer piston inner mandrel. The inner locking piston reassumes its initial position thereby locking the inner mandrel once again to the outer piston which is now in an extended position. Therefore, an inner tube within a coring tool can be selectively lifted, moved a predetermined longitudinal distance with respect to the outer tube, and then locked into position all in an automatic operation initiation by the initial diversion of hydraulic fluid to the inner mandrel and outer piston.

Hydraulic lift inner barrel in a drill string coring tool

A mechanism for catching and holding a core within an inner tube in a drill string includes a slidable core catcher and a full closure core catcher. The slidable core catcher is disposed within the inner tube and is coupled to an inner tube ring concentrically mounted on the outside of the inner tube. The inner tube ring and the slidable core catcher are connected to each other by means of a shear pin slidable within a slot defined in the inner tube. An outer tube ring is connected to the outer tube concentrically disposed about the inner tube. When the outer tube ring contacts the inner tube ring as the inner tube is lifted, the inner tube ring is moved downwardly with respect to the inner tube, thereby pulling the core catcher with it. As the core catcher moves downwardly it is compressed by an inside conical surface provided near the end of the inner tube. This serves to effectuate operation of the slideable core catcher. As the slidable core catcher is moved downwardly its upper edge will clear the lower surfaces of a spring loaded full closure catcher which is formed in the shape of a cusped flapper valve. Thus, when the slidable core catcher has been longitudinally displaced with respect to the inner tube by a predetermined distance the full closure catcher will, in the case of an unconsolidated core, close completely and thereby retain the unconsolidated core within the inner tube.

Growing community of inventors

West Jordan, UT, United States of America

Steven R Radford