A method of drilling vertical and horizontal pathways to mine for solid natural resources involves a drill bit, at least one reamer, a first plugging material, and a second plugging material; drilling a testing wellbore to a specific vertical depth with the drill bit and identifying at least one desired mining section wherein the desired mining section is associated with a corresponding vertical depth; creating a new bottom end for the testing wellbore by filling the testing wellbore up to an offset distance with the first plugging material; drilling a horizontal access hole from the new bottom end into the desired mining section with the drill bit and enlarging it with a reamer; excavating cuttings from the desired mining section through the horizontal access hole; filling the horizontal access hole with the second plugging material; and repeating the drilling, enlarging, and filling process to create a plurality of lateral holes.

Methods and apparatus are described to drill and complete wellbores. Such wellbores include extended reach horizontal wellbores, for example in shales, deep subsea extended reach wellbores, and multilateral wellbores. Specifically, the invention provides simple threaded subassemblies that are added to existing threaded tubular drilling and completion equipment which are used to dramatically increase the lateral reach using that existing on-site equipment. These subassemblies extract power from downward flowing clean mud, or other fluids, in an annulus to provide additional force or torque on tubular elements within the wellbore, while maintaining circulation, to extend the lateral reach of the drilling equipment and completion equipment. These added elements include combinations of The Leaky Seal, a Cross-Over, The Force Sub and The Torque Sub. The use of such additional simple elements allow lighter drilling equipment to be used to reach a given lateral distance, therefore reducing drilling costs.

Methods and apparatus are described to drill and complete wellbores. Such wellbores include extended reach horizontal wellbores, for example in shales, deep subsea extended reach wellbores, and multilateral wellbores. Specifically, the invention provides simple threaded subassemblies that are added to existing threaded tubular drilling and completion equipment which are used to dramatically increase the lateral reach using that existing on-site equipment. These subassemblies extract power from downward flowing clean mud, or other fluids, in an annulus to provide additional force or torque on tubular elements within the wellbore, while maintaining circulation, to extend the lateral reach of the drilling equipment and completion equipment. These added elements include combinations of The Leaky Seal, a Cross-Over, The Force Sub and The Torque Sub. The use of such additional simple elements allow lighter drilling equipment to be used to reach a given lateral distance, therefore reducing drilling costs.

A method of horizontal directional drilling is provided. The proposed method utilizes directional drilling in which boreholes are arranged in a pattern such that the surface area of extraction is maximized. The pattern can be achieved using a vertical borehole, multiple lateral boreholes and multiple subsidiary portions of the lateral boreholes. A lateral borehole is drilled extending beyond a vertical borehole towards the orebody, from which a subsidiary borehole is drilled into the orebody. Once the extraction is complete, the subsidiary borehole is back filled. A new subsidiary borehole is drilled extending beyond the lateral borehole and adjacent to the first subsidiary borehole. The subsidiary boreholes are planned to form a honeycomb or direct stacked pattern. Once all extraction is complete from a lateral borehole and its subsidiary boreholes, a new lateral borehole is drilled from the vertical borehole and the process is repeated.

A method of horizontal directional drilling is provided. The proposed method utilizes directional drilling in which boreholes are arranged in a pattern such that the surface area of extraction is maximized. The pattern can be achieved using a vertical borehole, multiple lateral boreholes and multiple subsidiary portions of the lateral boreholes. A lateral borehole is drilled extending beyond a vertical borehole towards the orebody, from which a subsidiary borehole is drilled into the orebody. Once the extraction is complete, the subsidiary borehole is back filled. A new subsidiary borehole is drilled extending beyond the lateral borehole and adjacent to the first subsidiary borehole. The subsidiary boreholes are planned to form a honeycomb or direct stacked pattern. Once all extraction is complete from a lateral borehole and its subsidiary boreholes, a new lateral borehole is drilled from the vertical borehole and the process is repeated.

Embodiments of the invention relate to bearing apparatuses in which one bearing surface of the bearing apparatus includes diamond, while another bearing surface includes a non-diamond superhard material (e.g., silicon carbide). For example, a bearing apparatus may include a bearing stator assembly and a bearing rotor assembly. The bearing stator assembly and bearing rotor assembly each include a support ring and one or more superhard bearing elements generally opposed to one another. The bearing surface(s) of the rotor or stator may include diamond, while the bearing surface(s) of the other of the rotor or stator do not include diamond. Another bearing apparatus may include both thrust- and radial bearing components. The generally opposed thrust-bearing elements may include diamond, while the generally opposed radial bearing elements may not include diamond, but include a non-diamond superhard material, such as silicon carbide.

A submarine shallow hydrate exploitation device, including an exploitation unit and a collection unit. The exploitation unit includes: a submarine ship working on a seabed; a drain chamber arranged on the submarine ship, wherein a pressure valve is arranged at a top of the drain chamber, one-way drain holes are formed in a bottom of the drain chamber, and water from massive hydrates is controlled to be discharged out of the drain chamber; a high-speed spiral bit configured to mine and convey sediments; a rotary ring arranged at an inlet end of the drain chamber and configured to connect the drain chamber with the high-speed spiral bit to provide rotation power for the high-speed spiral bit; a steering arm arranged on the submarine ship and configured to realize a rotation of the high-speed spiral bit; a crusher arranged on the submarine ship and configured to crush dried massive hydrates.

A submarine shallow hydrate exploitation device, including an exploitation unit and a collection unit. The exploitation unit includes: a submarine ship working on a seabed; a drain chamber arranged on the submarine ship, wherein a pressure valve is arranged at a top of the drain chamber, one-way drain holes are formed in a bottom of the drain chamber, and water from massive hydrates is controlled to be discharged out of the drain chamber; a high-speed spiral bit configured to mine and convey sediments; a rotary ring arranged at an inlet end of the drain chamber and configured to connect the drain chamber with the high-speed spiral bit to provide rotation power for the high-speed spiral bit; a steering arm arranged on the submarine ship and configured to realize a rotation of the high-speed spiral bit; a crusher arranged on the submarine ship and configured to crush dried massive hydrates.

Within the technical field of detecting a mining-induced failure range of rock mass, and particularly relating to a graded-pressure drop type detection system and detection method of borehole cracks, a detection system is provided including a test probe, a drilling rig, a drill pipe and a control operation platform. The test probe includes a plugging device and a pressure conversion assembly. The pressure conversion assembly is connected with the plugging device at the rear end through a connected pipe and includes a first stage pressure converting device and a second stage pressure converting device. The detection system simplifies the existing operating system, avoids the problem of drill pipes winding in drill hole, realizes plugging process and detection process with the same external water source, and ensures that the plugging process and the observation process operate under respective predetermined pressures.

A steerable drilling system in accordance to an embodiment includes a bias unit integrated with the drill bit to form a steering head and an electronic control system located remote from the steering head and electrically connected to a digital valve of the bias unit.