A method for drilling a subterranean wellbore includes rotating a bottom hole assembly (BHA) in the wellbore to drill. The BHA includes a rotary steerable tool or a steerable drill bit having at least one external pad configured to extend radially outward into contact with a wall of the wellbore and thereby steer the drilling. A rotation rate of the BHA is measured and a drilling parameter waveform is received. The rotation rate and the waveform are processed to select discrete times for extending the at least one external pad while drilling.

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.

The disclosed embodiments include a rotating survey tool. The rotating survey tool includes a first sensor array that in operation collects a first set of survey measurements during a downhole drilling operation. Additionally, the rotating survey tool includes a second sensor array directly coupled to the first sensor array that in operation collects a second set of survey measurements while a drill bit drills during the downhole drilling operation. Further, the second set of survey measurements has a greater base accuracy than the first set of survey measurements.

An easy building-up hybrid rotary steerable drilling system includes a front supporting body, a weight-on-bit (WOB)-torque-on-bit (TOB) deflectable transmission joint and a deflection control system. The WOB-TOB deflectable transmission joint includes a universal joint. A front end of the front supporting body is fixedly connected to a drill bit, and a rear end of the front supporting body is fixedly connected to an outlet end of the universal joint. A front push-the-bit assembly is provided on a circumferential surface of the front supporting body. The deflection control system controls radial push-the-bit parts of the front push-the-bit assembly to push a borehole wall along a radial direction of the front supporting body, such that the front supporting body generates a deviation angle relative to an input shaft of the universal joint by taking a center point of the universal joint as a center, thereby controlling a drilling direction.

A lateral wellbore is formed from a high side of a horizontal portion of a primary wellbore with a drill bit assembly that has a selectively extendable pilot bit. The drill bit assembly is mounted on a lower end of a drill string. A bit guide is disposed adjacent the drill bit assembly for urging the drill bit assembly in a lateral direction against the high side of the primary wellbore. Rotating the drill bit assembly while urging the drill bit assembly upward creates a groove in a subterranean formation adjacent the primary wellbore. This forms a ledge at a far end of the groove. The drill string is then drawn back from the groove, and the pilot bit is deployed. Urging the drill bit assembly forward engages the pilot bit with the ledge, providing leverage for retaining the drill bit assembly in an orientation for excavating the lateral wellbore.

A horizontal directional drilling sonde housing has a cavity for receiving a sonde. Signal channels extend from the cavity to an exterior of the housing. A polymer lines at least part of the cavity and fills the signal channels. The drilling tool has a bit body and a drilling body. The two bodies have respective lateral surfaces which engage each other to prevent the transverse movement of the drilling body relative to the bit body during operations. The drill bit has a forward extending drill tooth, which drill tooth is removable from a bore. A spacer is located in the bore between the bottom end of the bore and the tooth. The drilling bit has buttons located on the side in a spiral configuration about a longitudinal axis of the bit.

A drilling machine for a wellbore is provided. The drilling machine may include a dynamic lateral pad that is movable between an extended and retracted position. In the extended position, the pad moves the drill bit in a direction for drilling. The drilling machine may include a dynamic lateral cutter that is movable between an extended and retracted position. In at least the extended position, the cutter engages the wellbore and removes formation. The drilling machine may include a monolithic or integral drill bit/drive shaft to reduce the distance between a positive displacement motor and a distal end of the monolithic or integral drill bit/drive shaft. The drilling machine may include separate cutting structures that have different rotational speeds and can further utilize the integral drill bit/drift shaft and/or a bent housing that generates an off-axis rotation which helps optimize the formation removal in the center area of the wellbore.

A drilling apparatus including a rotary cutting tool having a proximal end and a distal end and further defining a rotary axis generally extending between the proximal and distal ends. The rotary cutting tool includes a proximally directed face located between the proximal and distal ends that face mainly in a proximal direction. The rotary cutting tool also includes an angled mounting face that extends between the proximally directed face and the proximal end. The angled mounting face is angled relative to the proximally directed face and the rotary axis where one of a mounting aperture and a mounting protrusion are provided at the proximally directed face. The one of the mounting aperture and the mounting protrusion have a mounting depth that extends generally in the direction of the rotary axis. The distal end includes a feature that is configured for at least one of cutting and grinding.

A rotary drill bit for directional drilling operations, in which a rotating bit with cutters advances a borehole in the earth invention, provides a smaller radius of curvature to increase drilling efficiency. The rotary drill bit comprises a box connection for connecting the bit to the drill string. The drill bit receives a pin connection that seats adjacent the plenum of the bit to shorten the distance between the bit face and steering tools behind the bit so the drill string can be steered more efficiently.

The present disclosure describes various embodiments, as well as features and aspects thereof, of an improved drill bit assembly for a percussion boring system. More specifically, one non-limiting embodiment of an improved drill bit assembly for a percussion boring system comprises a bit and a product engagement member. The bit comprises a slant faced head and at least one exhaust port. The product engagement member comprises a product coupling portion and at least one fluid restriction portion. This improved drill bit assembly is such that, when the product engagement member is detachably engaged with the slant faced head of the bit, a first portion of the fluid stream expelled from the bit is directed substantially forward of the slant faced head and a second portion of the fluid stream is directed substantially rearward from the slant faced head.