Patent classifications
E21B7/04
Directional Drilling-Exploring-Monitoring Integrated Method for Guaranteeing Safety of Underwater Shield Tunnel
A directional drilling-exploring-monitoring integrated method for guaranteeing safety of an underwater shield tunnel includes: drilling a small-diameter borehole below a water area, and establishing an initial geological model; reaming the small-diameter borehole into a large-diameter borehole, placing a parallel electrical method (PEM) power cable and a monitoring optical fiber cable into the large-diameter borehole, acquiring zero field data, primary field data and secondary field data through carbon rod measurement electrodes before tunnel excavation, and processing the data with an existing inversion method to form an inversion image, thereby obtaining a refined geological model of a stratum; starting the tunnel excavation, and respectively acquiring a disturbance condition of rock and soil and a sedimentation and deformation condition of rock and soil around the tunnel during the excavation, thereby implementing safety excavation of the tunnel; and continuously monitoring the tunnel and the surrounding rock and soil in later use of the tunnel.
ADAPTIVE TRAJECTORY CONTROL FOR AUTOMATED DIRECTIONAL DRILLING
Examples described herein provide a method for drilling a wellbore by a wellbore operation system into a subsurface of the earth. The wellbore operation system includes a bottom hole assembly. The method includes conveying the bottom hole assembly into the wellbore. The method further includes selecting a well plan for the wellbore. The method further includes measuring well data by at least one sensor in the wellbore operation system while the bottom hole assembly is in the wellbore. The method further includes generating, by a processing device, a steering proposal based at least in part on the well plan and the well data. The method further includes drilling, with the wellbore operation system, at least a portion of the wellbore based at least in part on the steering proposal.
HDD reamer having removable cutting teeth
A reamer for drill string pullback of a horizontal directional drill includes a shaft portion defining a central axis and a first end configured for attachment with a drill string of the horizontal directional drill. A plurality of vanes extend radially from an outer periphery of the shaft, each of the plurality of vanes defining an outer peripheral tooth base surface. On each of the plurality of vanes, a plurality of cutter teeth are individually and removably secured along the outer peripheral tooth base surface thereof, each one of the plurality of cutter teeth including a body and a PDC insert manufactured separately from the body and joined therewith. Each cutter tooth of the plurality is coupled to the respective one of the plurality of vanes by a removable fastener extending at least partially through the cutter tooth and at least partially through the one of the plurality of vanes.
Azimuth estimation for directional drilling
A method may comprise measuring during a survey operation a gravitational field data using a survey accelerometer and magnetic field data using a survey magnetometer and determining during a drilling operation an azimuth of a wellbore based on the gravitational field data and the magnetic field data obtained during the survey operation. A system may comprise a drilling rig; a pipe string attached to the drilling rig; a bottom hole assembly attached to the pipe string, wherein the bottom hole assembly comprises at least one sensor; a drill bit, wherein the at least one sensor measure a revolutions-per-minute (RPM) of the drill bit; and a computing subsystem.
Azimuth estimation for directional drilling
A method may comprise measuring during a survey operation a gravitational field data using a survey accelerometer and magnetic field data using a survey magnetometer and determining during a drilling operation an azimuth of a wellbore based on the gravitational field data and the magnetic field data obtained during the survey operation. A system may comprise a drilling rig; a pipe string attached to the drilling rig; a bottom hole assembly attached to the pipe string, wherein the bottom hole assembly comprises at least one sensor; a drill bit, wherein the at least one sensor measure a revolutions-per-minute (RPM) of the drill bit; and a computing subsystem.
Dual pipe drill head quick interchange joint
A system for connecting a drill bit and pipe puller to a drill string. The system includes a downhole tool having an internal cavity and a through-hole in its wall. A coupler may be slidingly received in the cavity and connected using one or more fasteners which interconnect a groove in the coupler to the wall of the downhole tool. Fasteners used may be screws or bolts interconnecting the wall of the tool with radial holes in the coupler. Alternatively, bolts may interconnect the wall with a circumferential groove on the coupler. A drill bit may be threaded into the coupler. The coupler allows drill bits and other tools to be connected and disconnected from a downhole tool without unthreading the drill bit.
Modular pipe loader assembly
A horizontal directional drilling machine having a modular pipe loader system. The system comprises a first and second pipe loader assembly supported on a drill frame. Each assembly supports a shuttle arm. The shuttle arms are configured to move independently of one another along a shuttle path that is traverse to a longitudinal axis of the drill frame. Movement of each shuttle arm is powered by an actuator supported on each pipe loader assembly. Each pipe loader assembly includes a sensor used to measure parameters related to the position of each shuttle arm relative to the drill frame. A controller analyzes the measured parameters and directs operation of each actuator in order to keep the shuttle arms moving in unison during operation.
METHODS AND APPARATUS TO IDENTIFY AND IMPLEMENT DOWNLINK COMMAND SEQUENCE(S)
A method of identifying an instruction combination executable by a surface control system of a drilling rig to change settings of a rotary steerable system (“RSS”) tool. The method includes identifying, by an electronic application, a first current RSS setting of the RSS tool; identifying, by the electronic application, a first target RSS setting of the RSS tool; identifying, by the electronic application, a plurality of instruction combinations configured to change the first current RSS setting to the first target RSS setting. Each instruction combination of the plurality of instruction combinations comprises a number of steps, and each step includes a downlink command sequence. The method also includes selecting, by the electronic application, an instruction combination that comprises the least number of steps.
METHODS AND APPARATUS TO IDENTIFY AND IMPLEMENT DOWNLINK COMMAND SEQUENCE(S)
A method of identifying an instruction combination executable by a surface control system of a drilling rig to change settings of a rotary steerable system (“RSS”) tool. The method includes identifying, by an electronic application, a first current RSS setting of the RSS tool; identifying, by the electronic application, a first target RSS setting of the RSS tool; identifying, by the electronic application, a plurality of instruction combinations configured to change the first current RSS setting to the first target RSS setting. Each instruction combination of the plurality of instruction combinations comprises a number of steps, and each step includes a downlink command sequence. The method also includes selecting, by the electronic application, an instruction combination that comprises the least number of steps.
METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CREATING AND USING A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL DATA MATRIX TO IDENTIFY AN OPTIMUM ROTARY STEERABLE SYSTEM SETTING
A method that includes an electronic application identifying an ending of a first drilling segment and a simultaneous beginning of a second drilling segment; identifying a data set of the first drilling segment; automatically creating, in response to the identification of the first drilling segment ending, a new row in a database table that stores a data set for each drilling segment, with the new row storing the variable values of the first drilling segment; creating a multi-dimensional data matrix based on the values in the database table; and extracting, from multi-dimensional data matrix, an optimum value of a variable for an upcoming drilling segment. The method may also include determining that a trajectory or location of a rotary steering system is outside of a tolerance window; and the step of extracting the optimum value of the variable is in response to this determination.