Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Landmark Graphics Corporation

Yi Pan

Jeffrey Allen Zitz

Daniel Brendan Voglewede

Evan G Colgan

Hilton T Toy

Grant O Cook, Iii

Garrett T Olsen

Jeffrey Gerard Thomas

Venkkateesh Parthasarathi Padmarekha

Dale E Jamison

Kamal Kumar Sikka

Bradley David Dunbar

Taryn J Davis

Marcus E Interrante

John Leslie Wisinger, Jr

Paul Gerard Cairns

Chenzhou Lian

Feifei Zhang, Jr

Jeff G Thomas

Grant O Cook Iii

As a wellbore is extended into a formation, hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressures change due to variations in drilling mud weight, fluid density, etc. Strain gauges downhole measure forces experienced by drilling equipment. During drilling, a strain gauge measures strain applied between the drill string and the formation. When off bottom, the strain gauge measures forces experienced by the drill string other than drilling forces. A pressure calculator converts off bottom strain gauge measurements into measurements of hydrostatic pressure for periods without fluid flow (i.e., when drilling motors are paused) and into measurements of hydrodynamic pressure for periods with fluid flow (i.e., when mud motors are operating). The pressure calculator correlates strain measurements (usually in voltages) to pressure based on a predetermined relationship for a given wellbore geometry (e.g., hole diameter, drill bit diameter, drill pipe diameter, etc.).

Downhole pressure calculation based on strain gauge measurements

The present disclosure provides an earth-boring drill bit including a bit head and a shank. The shank includes a blank and a mandrel. The mandrel is concurrently formed by and secured to the blank by additive manufacturing. The mandrel includes a first region including a first alloy and a second region including a second alloy. The first alloy and the second alloy have a different modulus of elasticity, yield strength, resilience, ductility, hardness, fracture toughness, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, or erosion resistance. The disclosure also provides a mandrel wherein the second region comprises a sensor region or a fluid passageway having a geometry that is not obtainable in a mandrel that is cast, machined, or both. The disclosure additionally provides method of manufacturing such bits and mandrels.

Earth-boring drill bit mandrel formed by additive manufacturing

A strain magnification apparatus can have a first section and a second section coupled with the first section. The second section can have a lower stiffness relative to the first portion and a strain gauge coupled thereto. The first section is operable to be coupled to a tool experiencing strain and the tool is formed from a material having lower elasticity than the second section.

Strain magnification

Tools, for example, fixed cutter drill bits, may be manufactured to include hard composite portions having reinforcing particles dispersed in a continuous binder phase and auxiliary portions that are more machinable than the hard composite portions. For example, a tool may include a hard composite portion having a machinability rating 0.2 or less; and an auxiliary portion having a machinability rating of 0.6 or greater in contact with the hard composite portion. The boundary or interface between the hard composite portion and the auxiliary portion may be designed so that upon removal of the most or all of the auxiliary portion the resultant tool has a desired geometry without having to machine the hard composite portion.

Methods of removing shoulder powder from fixed cutter bits

A system for fabricating an infiltrated downhole tool for introduction into a wellbore includes a mold assembly including a binder bowl, a mold, a preformed blank, and a funnel. The binder bowl has a lower portion and a plurality of apertures extending through the lower portion. The preformed blank is disposed within the infiltration chamber to provide an attachment area for a body of the infiltrated downhole tool, and the funnel is disposed intermediate the binder bowl and the mold. The system further includes a binder flow channel which extends through at least one of the preformed blank, the funnel, or a displacement core disposed within the mold assembly, the blank being concentrically arranged around the displacement core.

Rapid infiltration of drill bit with multiple binder flow channels

A method includes receiving a plurality of drilling parameters from a drilling operation, wherein the plurality of drilling parameters. The drilling parameters include a cuttings bed height and a friction factor between a drill string and a wellbore. The method further includes applying the plurality of drilling parameters to a friction model. The friction model utilizes a function of the cuttings bed height to determine a comprehensive friction factor. The comprehensive friction factor is applied to the plurality of drilling parameters to determine a required torque or hook load of the drill string. The method further includes providing an indication of a stuck pipe event.

Method and system for analyzing a drill string stuck pipe event

An integrated circuit (IC) chip module includes a carrier, a stiffening frame, an IC chip, a first directional heat spreader, and a second directional heat spreader. Presented herein is a fabrication method that includes attaching the stiffening frame to the carrier. The stiffening frame includes a central opening, a base portion, a first pair of opposing sidewalls, and a second pair of opposing sidewalls. The method includes electronically coupling the semiconductor chip to the carrier concentrically arranged within the central opening. The method includes thermally contacting the first directional heat spreader to the semiconductor chip. The first directional heat spreader transfers heat from the semiconductor chip towards the first pair of opposing sidewalls. The method includes thermally contacting the second directional heat spreader to the first directional heat spreader. The second directional heat spreader transfers heat from the first directional heat spreader towards the second pair of opposing sidewalls.

Fabricating an integrated circuit chip module with stiffening frame and orthogonal heat spreader

A reinforcing metal blank may be used to form metal matrix composite (MMC) drill bits. For example, an MMC drill bit may include a shank attached to a reinforcing metal blank that extends into a bit body comprising a metal matrix composite, wherein the reinforcing metal blank comprises reinforcing structures that are positioned along at least a portion of an inner surface and/or at least a portion of an outer surface of the reinforcing metal blank and extend into the metal matrix composite; and a plurality of cutting elements coupled to an exterior portion of the bit body.

Metal matrix composite drill bits with reinforcing metal blanks

A method includes electrically connecting an IC chip module to a motherboard and thermally contacting a heat sink to the IC chip module. The IC chip module includes a carrier comprising a top surface and a bottom surface configured to be electrically connected to the motherboard. The IC chip module includes a stiffening frame attached to the carrier top surface. The stiffening frame includes a base portion that has a central opening and a plurality of opposing sidewalls. The IC chip module further includes a semiconductor chip electrically connected to the carrier top surface and concentrically arranged within the central opening. The IC chip module further includes a first directional heat spreader thermally contacting the semiconductor chip. The first directional heat spreader includes a directionally thermally conductive material arranged to efficiently transfer heat from the semiconductor chip in a first opposing bivector direction towards first opposing sidewalls.

Method of fabricating a chip module with stiffening frame and orthogonal heat spreader

An integrated circuit (IC) chip module includes a carrier, a stiffening frame, an IC chip, and a first directional heat spreader. A second directional heat spreader may further be arranged orthogonal to the first directional heat spreader. The carrier has a top surface and a bottom surface configured to be electrically connected to a motherboard. The stiffening frame includes an opening that accepts the IC chip and may be attached to the top surface of the carrier. The IC chip is concentrically arranged within the opening of the stiffening frame. The first directional heat spreader is attached to the stiffening frame and to the IC chip and generally removes heat in a first opposing bivector direction. When included in the IC chip module, the second directional heat spreader is attached to the stiffening frame and to the first directional heat spreader and generally removes heat in a second opposing bivector direction orthogonal to the first opposing bivector direction.

Chip module with stiffening frame and orthogonal heat spreader

A method of fabricating a chip module is presented. The chip module includes a stiffening frame, a directional heat spreader, a carrier, and a semiconductor chip. The stiffening frame is attached to the carrier. The stiffening frame includes a base portion with a central opening to accept a semiconductor chip and a first pair of opposing sidewalls. The semiconductor chip is electronically coupled to the carrier concentrically arranged within the central opening. A first directional heat spreader is thermally coupled to the semiconductor chip. The first directional heat spreader includes directionally thermally conductive material arranged to efficiently transfer heat from the semiconductor chip in a first opposing bivector direction towards the first pair of opposing sidewalls.

Method of fabricating a chip module with stiffening frame and directional heat spreader

A mold assembly system includes a mold assembly that defines an infiltration chamber used for forming an infiltrated metal-matrix composite (MMC) tool, and at least one boundary form positioned within the infiltration chamber and segregating the infiltration chamber into at least a first zone and a second zone. Reinforcement materials are deposited within the infiltration chamber and include a first composition loaded into the first zone and a second composition loaded into the second zone. At least one binder material infiltrates the first and second compositions, wherein infiltration of the first and second compositions results in differing mechanical, chemical, physical, thermal, atomic, magnetic, or electrical properties between the first and second zones in the infiltrated MMC tool.

Segregated multi-material metal-matrix composite tools

A method for fabricating an infiltrated metal-matrix composite (MMC) tool includes positioning at least one boundary form within an infiltration chamber of a mold assembly and thereby segregating the infiltration chamber into at least a first zone and a second zone. Reinforcement materials are deposited into the infiltration chamber and include a first composition loaded into the first zone and a second composition loaded into the second zone. The first and second compositions are then infiltrated with at least one binder material to provide the infiltrated MMC tool with differing mechanical, chemical, physical, thermal, atomic, magnetic, or electrical properties between the first and second zones.

Methods and apparatuses for reducing directional stress in an orthotropic encapsulation member of an electronic package may include attaching a stiffening frame to a carrier, the stiffening frame comprising a central opening to accept a semiconductor chip and a plurality of opposing sidewalls, electronically coupling the semiconductor chip to the carrier concentrically arranged within the central opening, and thermally contacting a directional heat spreader to the semiconductor chip, the directional heat spreader transferring heat from the semiconductor chip, wherein the directional heat spreader is shaped to reduce a directional stress along the opposing bivector direction.

Growing community of inventors

The Woodlands, TX, United States of America

Yi Pan