Patent classifications
E21B7/06
Directional drilling target steering apparatus and method
An apparatus and method are used in conjunction with a system for performing horizontal directional drilling, the system including a drill string extending from a drill rig to a boring tool such that the boring tool is steerable based on a roll orientation. The system also includes an arrangement for generating steering commands for guiding the boring tool to a target position. Responsive at least in part to the steering commands, a display is configured to selectively indicate each of a rotate command, a push command and a spin command. A steering indicator is described which indicates a current roll orientation of the boring tool. A 3-D grid can be animated and centered on either a steering or target indicator. Rounding of a steering command ratio can limit the display of target roll orientations to only those that a given boring tool transmitter is capable of sensing and indicating.
Directional drill bit attachment tools and method
A drill head assembly may include a sonde housing and a drill bit. Two or more alignment posts protruding from the steering face of the sonde housing may mate with holes on the underside of a Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) drill bit and are used to align the drill bit and transfer much of the forces from the drill bit to the sonde housing. The alignment posts reduce the load on the drill bit mounting bolts and help prevent these bolts from breaking while drilling in difficult ground conditions.
Hybrid bearing assemblies for downhole motors
A downhole motor includes a driveshaft assembly including a driveshaft housing and a driveshaft rotatably disposed within the driveshaft housing, and a bearing assembly including a bearing housing and a bearing mandrel rotatably disposed within the bearing housing, wherein the bearing mandrel is configured to couple with a drill bit, wherein the bearing assembly is configured to provide a first flowpath extending into a central passage of the bearing mandrel from an annulus formed between the bearing mandrel and the bearing housing and a second flowpath separate from the first flowpath, that extends through a bearing of the bearing assembly that is disposed radially between the bearing mandrel and the bearing housing, wherein a plurality of rotary seals are positioned radially between the bearing mandrel and the bearing housing to form an sealed chamber that is spaced from the bearing of the bearing assembly.
Surface Tracking Method for Downhole Wellbore Position and Trajectory Determination
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods of determining a wellbore position in a subterranean formation by using gravity sensors to detect a gravity anomaly related to a presence of the wellbore, contents within the wellbore, and or fluid flowing through an interface of the wellbore. A model of the subterranean formation predicts a gravity profile, including the gravity anomaly, and the model may be constrained with a depth of the gravity anomaly as calculated with at least one of a known dimension or a known gravitational field change related to the gravity anomaly. The wellbore position is determined within the model by changing model input data until the gravity profile converges with the gravity anomaly.
Drilling a borehole with a steering system using a modular cam arrangement
A cam system for use with a rotary steerable system, the cam system includes a housing, a cam positioned at least partially within the housing, and a solid cam shaft engaged with the cam and positioned at least partially within the housing, wherein the cam is operable to adjust an azimuthal orientation of the solid cam shaft.
Drilling a borehole with a steering system using a modular cam arrangement
A cam system for use with a rotary steerable system, the cam system includes a housing, a cam positioned at least partially within the housing, and a solid cam shaft engaged with the cam and positioned at least partially within the housing, wherein the cam is operable to adjust an azimuthal orientation of the solid cam shaft.
Apparatus for automated slide drilling
An automated slide drilling system (ASDS) may be used with a drilling rig system to control slide drilling. The ASDS may autonomously control slide drilling without user input during the slide drilling. The ASDS may further support a transition from rotary drilling to slide drilling to rotary drilling without user input during the transitions. The ASDS may also support user input and user notifications for various steps to enable manual or semi-manual control of slide drilling by a driller or an operator.
Telescoping transition joint for the protection of control lines and other tools and components
Systems and methods of the present disclosure relate to protecting a control line as it passes through a junction in a downhole environment. A retractable transition joint (RTJ) comprises at least two members. A first member is operable to retract into a second member. A tubular extends through the first and second members. The tubular comprises a distal end that is removably attached to a distal end of the second member. The first and second members are operable to receive the control line.
Inversion processing of well log data
The disclosed embodiments include devices and methods to perform inversion processing of well log data. In one embodiment, a method to perform inversion processing of well log data includes obtaining an initial model of an earth formation based on a plurality of modeling parameters that includes formation parameters of the earth formation and calibration factors associated with orientations of antennas of a logging tool utilized to measure raw measurements of the earth formation. The method also includes performing a forward modeling of the modeling parameters to obtain a modeling response, and performing a joint cost function of the first modeling response and raw measurements obtained by the logging tool. The method further includes readjusting the initial model if a result of the joint cost function is not below a threshold, and providing the modeling response if the result of the joint cost function is below the threshold.
METHOD FOR WASHING OVER AN ANCHORING SUBASSEMBLY
Provided, in one aspect, is a method for forming a well system. The method, in one aspect, includes forming a wellbore within a subterranean formation, and positioning an anchoring subassembly within the wellbore. The method, according to this aspect, further includes washing over at least a portion of the anchoring subassembly with a washover assembly, and then removing the washed over anchoring subassembly from the wellbore.