Smith International, Inc.

Shear Bits, Ltd.

Camco International, Inc.

Camco International (uk) Limited

Timothy P Beaton

David Truax

Carl M Hoffmaster

Kenneth M Nevlud

John James Herman

Ryan J C Marley

Michael George Azar

James Edmond Beylotte

Mark Natanael

Dallas Wilkins

Thomas L Young

Alex Wong

A drill bit includes a bit body defining a plurality of blades extending from a selected distance from an axis of rotation of the bit body to a gage face. A plurality of only gouging cutters is mounted on the bit body. At least one of the plurality of blades has a blade top surface longitudinally behind the tips of the gouging cutters at a selected distance from the tips of the gouging cutters.

Drill bit having shear cutters and gouging cutters

A mill includes a mill body defining a plurality of blades extending in a direction from a center or rotation of the mill body to a gauge surface. The blades define a cutting profile having a minimum diameter at a longitudinal endmost position. The minimum diameter is smaller than a diameter of a drop ball. The cutting profile has an intermediate diameter at most equal to the diameter of the drop ball at a longitudinal distance from the endmost position greater than the diameter of the drop ball. Shear cutters are mounted on at least one of the plurality of blades, mounted such that at least one shear cutter is mounted closer to a center of rotation of the mill body with respect to other cutters mounted to the blades. At least one insert is mounted to the at least one of the plurality of blades rotationally ahead of the shear cutters.

Wellbore mill having shear cutters and gouging cutters

A down hole motor assembly with a locking mechanism, and methods for operating said down hole motor assembly. The down hole motor has a housing operatively connectable at an upper end to a drill string. A shaft is disposed within the housing and operatively connected to a motor portion of the down hole motor. A locking mechanism is configured to selectively transmit torque from the housing to the shaft when engaged.

Down hole motor with locking mechanism

An expandable downhole tool comprises a tubular body, at least one moveable arm disposed within the tubular body and being radially translatable between a retracted position and a wellbore engaging position, and at least one piston operable to mechanically support the at least one moveable arm in the wellbore engaging position when an opposing force is exerted. A method of reaming a formation to form an enlarged borehole in a wellbore comprising disposing an expandable reamer in a retracted position in the wellbore, expanding at least one movable arm of the expandable reamer radially outwardly into engagement with the formation, reaming the formation with the at least one moveable arm to form the enlarged borehole; and mechanically supporting the at least one moveable arm in the radially outward direction during reaming.

Concentric expandable reamer and method

The present invention provides a bit with cutting structures or inserts that include diamond particles, in which the diamond-impregnated inserts are surrounded by substantially diamond-free support members. The diamond-impregnated inserts are manufactured separately from the bit body. Once formed, the diamond-impregnated inserts are affixed to the substantially diamond-free support members on bit body by brazing or other means of attachment. The total thermal exposure of the diamond particles during manufacture in accordance with the present invention is significantly lower than the total manufacturing-related thermal exposure in previously known diamond-impregnated cutting structures. Furthermore, the substantially diamond-free support members allow the bit to continue cutting through a formation without an increased contact area, as experienced by bits with diamond-impregnated ribs. Thus, the operating life of the cutting structures, and therefore the life of the bit itself, is increased.

Drill bit with diamond impregnated cutter element

An expandable reaming tool including at least two reamer pads connected to a tool body. The reamer pads are adapted to be displaced between a retracted position and an expanded position. At least one spiral blade is formed on at least one reamer pad. A plurality of cutting elements are disposed on the at least one spiral blade. An expandable reaming tool including at least two reamer pads connected to a tool body. The reamer pads are adapted to be displaced between a retracted position and an expanded position. At least one blade is formed on the at least two reamer pads. A plurality of cutting elements are disposed on the at least one blade and at least one gage protection element is disposed on a gage surface of the at least one blade. The plurality of cutting elements are arranged so as to enable the expandable reaming tool to backream a formation in a wellbore.

Advanced expandable reaming tool

An expandable reaming tool including at least two reamer pads connected to a tool body. The reamer pads are adapted to be displaced between a retracted position and an expanded position. At least one spiral blade is formed on at least one reamer pad. A plurality of cutting elements are disposed on the at least one spiral blade. An expandable reaming tool including at least two reamer pads connected to a tool body. The reamer pads are adapted to be displaced between a retracted position and an expanded position. At least one spiral blade is formed on at least one reamer pad. A plurality of cutting elements are disposed on the at least one blade and at least one gage protection element is disposed on a gage surface of the at least one blade. The plurality of cutting elements are arranged so as to enable the expandable reaming tool to backream a formation in a wellbore.

A turbodrill has rotor vanes and stator vanes that are asymmetric with respect to each other. The rotor blade on which the rotor vanes are disposed has a reaction of less than about 0.5. A method of designing a turbodrill comprises optimizing a first design of stator vanes and optimizing a second design of rotor vanes using computational fluid analysis.

Turbodrill with asymmetric stator and rotor vanes

A reaming tool including a body adapted to couple to a drill string at both axial ends thereof, the body including a plurality of reaming blades affixed at azimuthally spaced apart locations around the circumference of the body, wherein selected ones of the plurality of reaming blades including at least one cutter attached at a selected position and orientation. Additionally, a pilot hole conditioning section including a plurality of azimuthally spaced apart pilot blades affixed to the body longitudinally ahead of the reaming blades. Furthermore, at least one of the reaming blades formed as a single structure with an azimuthally corresponding pilot blade.

Polycrystaline diamond compact insert reaming tool

A reaming tool that includes a body having reaming blades affixed thereto. The reaming blades each have at least one cutter attached thereto at a selected position and orientation. The plurality of reaming blades includes at least one radially most extensive reaming blade. The reaming tool further includes a pilot blade azimuthally spaced apart from the at least one radially most extensive reaming blade. The pilot blade is affixed to the body longitudinally ahead of the at least one radially most extensive reaming blade.

A hole opener including a tool body having upper and lower ends. The upper and lower ends may be coupled to adjacent drilling tools. At least two blades are formed on the tool body and are arranged so that the hole opener is positioned concentric with a wellbore, and cutting elements are located on the blades. The at least two blades and the cutting elements are arranged to increase a diameter of a previously drilled wellbore. A hole opener including a tool body having upper and lower ends. The upper and lower ends may be coupled to adjacent drilling tools. At least two blades are formed on the tool body and are arranged so that the hole opener is positioned concentric with a wellbore, and cutting elements are located on the blades. The hole opener includes a pilot hole conditioning section. The pilot hole conditioning section includes at least two pilot blades formed on the tool body in a position axially ahead of the blades. The pilot blades include a taper at a downhole end and gage pads positioned at selected diameters. At least one cutting element is disposed on the pilot blades.

Fixed blade fixed cutter hole opener

A method is disclosed for drilling a wellbore. The method includes operating a turbine-type mud motor having a bi-center drill bit coupled to it, and applying an axial force to the bit which is selected so that the bit drills in a directionally stable manner. In one embodiment, the motor is a steerable motor operated to maintain a selected trajectory of the wellbore.

Method for drilling a wellbore using a bi-center drill bit

A hole opener including a tool body having upper and lower ends. The upper and lower ends may be coupled to adjacent drilling tools. At least two blades are formed on the tool body and are arranged so that the hole opener is positioned concentric with a wellbore, and cuffing elements are located on the blades. The at least two blades and the cutting elements are arranged to increase a diameter of a previously drilled wellbore.

A bi-center drill bit is disclosed which includes a bit body having pilot blades and reaming blades distributed azimuthally around the body. The blades have cutting elements disposed thereon at selected positions. The body and blades define a longitudinal axis of the bit and a pass-through axis of the bit. In one aspect, selected ones of the pilot blades include thereon, longitudinally between the pilot blades and the reaming blades, a pilot hole conditioning section including gage faces. The gage faces define a diameter intermediate a pilot hole diameter and a pass-through diameter defined, respectively, by the pilot blades and the reaming blades.

Growing community of inventors

The Woodlands, TX, United States of America

Timothy P Beaton