Instrumented rotary tools with attached cutters

Abstract

Wear sensors are provided on a drill bit or other rotary cutting tool which is for operation in a subterranean borehole and has a plurality of separate cutters protruding from a support structure towards the material to be cut by the tool. The electrically operated sensing means are located at or coupled to a sensing point within a protrusion from the support structure. This sensing point is located within a protrusion such that attrition of at least one cutter to a partially worn state brings the protrusion into abrasive contact with the material being cut and attrition of the protrusion then exposes the sensing point to the material which is being cut by the tool and thereby brings about a detectable change, which may include damage to the sensor at the sensing point, indicative of wear. The tool includes means to communicate data from the sensing means to the surface.

Claims

1. A rotary cutting tool for operation in a subterranean borehole, the tool comprising a support structure and a plurality of separate cutters attached to the support structure and protruding from the support structure toward the material to be cut by the tool, wherein the tool comprises: an electrically operated sensor disposed at or coupled to a sensing point within a protrusion from the support structure, the protrusion being separate from the cutters; and an electronics package to communicate data from the sensor to the surface; wherein the protrusion is located and dimensioned so as to extend from the support structure toward the material to be cut by the tool, but to follow behind one of the cutters as the tool rotates, to travel within a hole cut by one or more of the cutters of the tool, and to be shielded from contact with the material to be cut by the tool until attrition of at least one cutter reduces its size and brings the protrusion containing the sensing point into abrasive contact with the material to be cut by the tool; wherein the sensing point is located in the protrusion such that attrition of at least one cutter to a predetermined partially worn state exposes the sensing point to the material that is being cut by the tool and thereby brings about a change in condition at the sensing point; wherein the sensor is operative to detect the change at the sensing point.

2. The rotary cutting tool according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion containing the sensing point extends alongside a cutter.

3. The rotary cutting tool according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion containing the sensing point is spaced from the cutters.

4. The rotary cutting tool according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises at least one electrical conductor or optical fibre leading to the sensing point within the protrusion and is a sensor for damage to itself when the sensing point is exposed to the material that is being cut by the tool.

5. The rotary cutting tool according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a temperature sensor at the sensing point.

6. The rotary cutting tool according to claim 1, wherein the tool comprises a plurality of electrically operated sensors, each sensor disposed at or coupled to a sensing point located within a plurality of protrusions extending from the support structure, and wherein each sensing point is located such that attrition of at least one cutter to a predetermined partially worn state exposes the sensing point to the material that is being cut by the tool.

7. The rotary cutting tool according to claim 1, wherein the tool comprises a plurality of sensors fitted at different locations on the tool and an electronics package for monitoring the sensors to observe the pattern of measurements by the sensors.

8. The rotary cutting tool according to claim 1, wherein the cutters are PDC cutters.

9. The rotary cutting tool according to claim 1, which is a drill bit, a reamer or a milling tool.

10. The rotary cutting tool according to claim 1, wherein the tool is a drill bit and the support structure is a body of the drill bit comprising tungsten carbide particles and a metal binder.

11. The rotary cutting tool according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion includes two sensors disposed at or coupled to different sensing points within the protrusion.

12. A method of monitoring the condition of a rotary cutting tool operating in a subterranean borehole, the tool comprising a support structure and a plurality of separate cutters attached to the support structure and protruding from the support structure toward the material to be cut by the tool, the method comprising: providing the tool with an electrically operated sensor disposed at or coupled to a sensing point within a protrusion from the support structure, the protrusion being separate from the cutters; operating the sensor to sense the condition at the sensing point; and communicating sensed information to the surface; wherein the protrusion is located and dimensioned so as to extend from the support structure toward the material to be cut by the tool, but to follow behind one of the cutters as the tool rotates, to travel within a hole cut by one or more of the cutters of the tool, and to be shielded from contact with the material to be cut by the tool until attrition of at least one cutter reduces its size and brings the protrusion containing the sensing point into abrasive contact with the material to be cut by the tool; wherein the sensing point is located in the protrusion such that attrition of at least one cutter to a predetermined partially worn state exposes the sensing point to the material which that is being cut by the tool and thereby brings about a change in condition at the sensing point.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the tool has a plurality of electrically operated sensors, each sensor disposed at or coupled to a sensing point located within a plurality of protrusions extending from the support structure, wherein each sensing point is located such that attrition of at least one cutter to a predetermined partially worn state exposes the sensing point to the material that is being cut by the tool, and wherein the method comprises observing a pattern of sensed information from the plurality of sensing points.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein operation of the cutting tool at the subterranean location is one of: drilling to extend a borehole, reaming to sustain or enlarge the diameter of a borehole, and milling to remove material placed within a borehole.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the sensor comprises at least one electrical conductor or optical fibre leading to the sensing point within each protrusion and the electrical conductor or optical fibre is a sensor for damage to itself when the sensing point is exposed to the material that is being cut by the tool.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the cutters are PDC cutters.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the cutting tool is a drill bit, a reamer, or a milling tool.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIGS. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and an end on-view which both show a general arrangement of a conventional fixed cutter drill bit;

(2) FIG. 3 is a detail view along the blade of a drill bit showing a PDC cutter and provision of sensors in a protrusion;

(3) FIG. 4 is a similar view to FIG. 3 showing the same parts after some wear;

(4) FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the protrusion of FIG. 3;

(5) FIGS. 6 to 9 are similar views to FIG. 5 showing different types of sensor within a protrusion;

(6) FIG. 10 is a detail view similar to FIG. 3 showing a sensor in a protrusion located alongside a PDC cutter;

(7) FIG. 11 is a detail view akin to FIG. 3 but showing the blade of a drill bit and a cutter in section, and a sensor in the cutter;

(8) FIG. 12 shows a reaming tool;

(9) FIG. 13 is a view onto an extendable arm of the tool of FIG. 12;

(10) FIG. 14 schematically shows milling at the start of a sidetrack from a borehole;

(11) FIG. 15 shows a milling tool;

(12) FIG. 16 shows apparatus used for an experimental test;

(13) FIG. 17 is a plot of the results from a model experiment; and

(14) FIG. 18 is a plot of results from another model experiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(15) FIGS. 1 and 2 show by way of illustrative example the general form of a conventional fixed cutter drill bit which may be used for drilling a subterranean wellbore. The main body 10 of the drill bit is connected to a screw thread 16 at one end for attachment to a drill string. The main body includes projecting portions, referred to as blades 11, separated by channels 12. The body and more specifically the blades 11 provide a support structure for rows of cutters 40 which in this example are PDC cutters. The main body includes internal passages for drilling fluid supplied down the drill string to exit through outlets 14 and then flow along the channels 12 between the blades 11. Flow of drilling fluid cools the drill bit and carries away the drilling cuttings.

(16) Drill bit bodies may be made from a number of materials, but it is common for them to be formed from a particulate hard material such as tungsten carbide which is packed into a mould and infiltrated with molten metal binder. An example of a disclosure relating to matrix materials for drill bits is U.S. Pat. No. 8,211,203. The drill bit shown here in FIGS. 1 and 2 may have a body which is formed in this way from a matrix of tungsten carbide particles. When moulding a drill bit body in this way the mould may be made from graphite. Interior pathways within the drill bit may be created by placing graphite rods within the cavity defined by the mould and then packing the granular material around such rods.

(17) Each of the PDC cutters 40 may be of a conventional construction in which the cutter is a cylinder of hard material such as tungsten carbide matrix and has a disk 44 formed of polycrystalline diamond on one end face. The blades 11 of the body 10 are moulded with recesses to receive the PDC cutters 40. The cutters 40 are secured into these recesses by a brazing process and an example of a disclosure of such a process is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 8,360,176. The PDC cutters 40 are attached to the blades 11 in positions such that they face forward in the direction of rotation of the drill bit, indicated by arrow 45 in FIG. 2 but also protrude from the blades 11 so that the diamond disks 44 contact the formation as drilling takes place.

(18) FIG. 3 is a detail view of part of a fixed cutter drill bit embodying the invention. This drill bit is constructed generally as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 but is provided with a number of protrusions enclosing wear sensors. One PDC cutter 40 is seen in FIG. 3: as can be seen, it projects from the blade 11 at an angle and its diamond disk 44 contacts the formation 26 while the blade 11 remains spaced from the formation. Sensors 20, 22 are located in a protrusion 18 from the blade 11. The protrusion 18 may be made from the same material as the body 10 and may be formed integral with the body 10 when the body is made by moulding from a particulate matrix material. However, it is also possible that a protrusion could be made separately and then attached to the body of the drill bit, possibly by brazing as is used for the attachment of cutters.

(19) The protrusion 18 is separate from the cutter 40 and is positioned so that it follows behind the PDC cutter 40 as the drill bit is rotated. The protrusion 18 has dimensions such that when the drill bit is new and unworn, the protrusion 18 does not contact the formation 26. As seen in FIG. 3 there is a space 19 between the protrusion 18 and the formation 26. However, when the cutter 40 has been partially worn down through use, as shown in FIG. 4, the protrusion 18 does come into contact with the formation 26 and is itself subjected to abrasive wear.

(20) As shown by the enlarged view in FIG. 5, a sensor within each protrusion 18 is a wire 24 formed into a U-shape and coated with a refractory electrically insulating material such as alumina. Application of a refractory insulation may be carried out by a vapour deposition process. A number of physical and chemical vapour deposition processes are known including plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition, which may be used for the application of alumina or silica.

(21) The dimensions of the protrusion 18 and the position of the sensor wire 24 within the protrusion 18 are chosen such that when the PDC cutter 40 and the protrusion 18 have both worn away by a predetermined amount, the tip of the U-shaped wire 24 becomes exposed and is worn through, so that the electrical continuity through the wire is lost. This event can be detected easily by electronic circuitry. An electronics package, diagrammatically indicated at 41 in FIG. 3, may be accommodated within a cavity provided within the body of the drill bit and can provide circuitry to pass current through the wire 24 and detect when continuity through the wire 24 is lost. The electronics package can also operate the communication of measured data to the surface. A number of techniques for communication up and down a wellbore are known. Possibilities for the communication could be telemetry such as that used by downhole measurement while drilling (MWD) or logging while drilling (LWD) tools. Telemetry channels could be one or a combination of mud pulse telemetry through the drilling fluid, electromagnetic telemetry through the borehole wall and the earth around the wellbore, a fibre optic line going to the surface, and wired drill pipe.

(22) The sensor 22 is constructed similarly to the sensor 20, but is positioned further from the extremity of the protrusion 18 so that it remains intact until a greater amount of wear has taken place.

(23) It will be appreciated that by locating the sensing point 100 in a protrusion from the support structure which is the blade 11 of the drill bit, it is possible to detect partial wear of a cutter 40 while part of the cutter remains intact. This is achieved without modification of the cutter and without modification of the process for attachment of the cutter to the body of the cutting tool.

(24) There are a number of other possibilities for construction of the sensors. In place of plain wire 24, FIG. 6 illustrates a sensor which is formed from two wires 25, 26 of dissimilar metals joined at the tip 27 of the U-shape so that the connection between them is one junction of a thermocouple. FIG. 7 shows another possibility in which each sensor is a platinum resistance thermometer comprising a coil of this platinum wire wound around a ceramic former 28 and enclosed within a housing 30. Sensors as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 could be used to estimate the temperature within the protuberance 18 up until the moment when the sensor is destroyed through wear and would be expected to show an increase in temperature shortly before the sensor is destroyed.

(25) Another possibility is to make a sensor using an optical fibre to convey an optical signal. Electronic circuitry would then operate a light source to transmit an optical signal along the fibre and a light receiver such as a photodiode would be used to detect the optical signal coming from the sensing point.

(26) An optical fibre could extend in a loop like the wire 24, but as shown in FIG. 8 an optical fibre 32 may lead to a reflective coating at its end 34. So long as the end 34 of the fibre is intact, a substantial proportion of the light signal along the fibre is reflected back by this coating and can be detected, for example by a photodiode. When the end 34 of the fibre is worn away and the reflective coating is lost, the amplitude of the reflected signal drops sharply and so destruction of the sensor can be detected as a drop in amplitude of the reflected optical signal.

(27) FIG. 9 shows yet another possibility. A sensing point 100 within the protrusion is provided by one end of a closed tube 35 leading to a detection point within the drill bit. At the detection point a light source 36 illuminates a photodiode 37. Wearing down of the protrusion 18 eventually breaks into the closed tube 35, allowing the opaque drilling mud to enter the tube 35 and block the light path from source 36 to photodiode 37.

(28) FIG. 10 is analogous to FIG. 3 but shows a different constructional arrangement which would achieve a similar function. The sensor wire 24 is located in a protrusion 38 which is immediately adjacent to the cylindrical body of a PDC cutter 40 and is contiguous with the recess in blade 11 into which the PDC cutter is secured.

(29) FIG. 11 shows a further arrangement. The blade 11 and cutter 40 are shown in cross-section. The body of the cutter 40 is manufactured with a cylindrical hole 47 extending axially through it up to, but not into, the polycrystalline diamond disc 44. This hole 47 may be formed by moulding the body of the cutter around a graphite rod which is then subsequently removed, or by electrochemical machining of the cutter body 40 after it has been manufactured. The blade 11 of the body of the drill bit is manufactured with a passageway 48 extending through it. The cutter 40 is secured to the blade 11 by brazing with the cutter 40 oriented so that the hole 47 aligns with the passageway 48 and connects to it. If the passageway 48 or hole 47 becomes obstructed with brazing metal during this step, the obstruction can be removed with a flexible drill inserted through passageway 48.

(30) An insulated wire 24 bent into a U-shape is then inserted through the passageway 48 and hole 47 to the position shown so that the tip 49 of the wire 24 provides a sensor at a sensing point 100 behind the diamond disc 44. When abrasive wear of the cutter breaks into the hole 47, the wire 24 is broken at its tip 49 and ceases to conduct. Instead of the wire 24 as a sensor it would be possible to use an optical fibre, a thermocouple or a resistance thermometer as a sensor inserted within hole 47 analogously to their use in separate protrusions as described above with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. It would also be possible to use an arrangement analogous to that in FIG. 9 so that when wear exposes the hole 47, drilling fluid flows into the hole 47 and pathway 48 and is detected within the drill bit.

(31) Sensors may be located behind a number of PDC cutters on a cutting tool so as to observe the pattern of wear over the drill bit. Moreover, observation of the pattern of wear may reveal abnormal motion of a drill bit or other cutting tool. This is illustrated with reference to FIG. 2 which shows that protrusions with sensors in them may be provided at radially outer positions indicated by circles 50 and radially inner positions indicated as 52.

(32) Detection of wear at the positions 50, which are located outwardly from the centre of the drill bit, is indicative that abrasive wear of the radially outer cutters has taken place, which is to be expected in normal operation of a drill bit. Wear at positions 50 would normally be accompanied by detection of wear at the radially inner positions 52.

(33) However, if sensors at positions 52-cease to operate, apparently indicating wear at these positions, without wear at the positions 50, it is likely that the drill bit is in the condition referred to as whirling, in which the drill bit moves bodily in a circle as well as rotating around its own axis as intended. Such whirling would wear the radially inner protrusions more rapidly than in normal operation and might also damage them through impact rather than abrasion.

(34) FIGS. 12 and 13 show an under-reamer which may be provided with sensors in an embodiment of the concept disclosed here. The under-reamer shown by FIG. 11 is part of a bottom hole assembly. It is located above the drill bit and is used to enlarge the diameter of the borehole. The reamer has a body 60 which carries a pair of pads 62. A mechanism within the body 60 can move these pads 62 between a retracted position 63 as shown at the left of FIG. 12 and an extended position 64 as shown at the right. Each pad 62 carries a number of PDC cutters 66 which face forwardly in the direction of rotation and also protrude from the pad 62 so as to project radially outwardly and thus cut into the wall of the borehole when the drill string is rotated with the pads 62 extended.

(35) As shown by FIG. 13, the PDC cutters 66 on each pad 62 are arranged in groups above and below a smoother surface 67. They have polycrystalline diamond discs 44 at their forward faces. In this embodiment, protrusions which contain sensors and which may be similar to any of the protrusions 18 described above are positioned behind the PDC cutters at positions marked 68 on FIG. 13. The sensors in these protrusions 68 function in the manner described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 and so can be used to detect when the PDC cutters 66 have been worn away by a predetermined amount.

(36) FIGS. 14 and 15 refer to the start of a sidetrack from an existing borehole by use of a window mill. FIG. 14 illustrates this schematically. The existing borehole is lined with steel casing 70 surrounded by cement 72. In order to start a new hole branching from the existing borehole, a whipstock 74 is first secured in the existing borehole. A drill string is run down the borehole and is forced sideways by the inclined surface 75 of the whipstock 74 so as to travel along the path shown by chain dotted line 76 and mill a window through the existing casing 70 and cement 72 and thereby start a new bore into the formation.

(37) FIG. 15 shows an example of a milling tool used for this purpose. It has a main body on which there are blades 11 separated by channels 12, similarly to the drill bit of FIGS. 1 and 2. The body of the tool is steel. Attached to it by brazing are a number of cylindrical cutters. The cutters 80 on the leading end of the tool are PDC cutters. The cutters 82 on the sides of the tool have a longer period in contact with the steel casing 70 as the window through this casing is formed, and these cutters 82 are cylinders moulded from tungsten carbide and binder without any diamond face.

(38) The tool is provided with protrusions as illustrated by any of FIGS. 5 to 9 at the positions indicated by circles 84. These protrusions follow behind the cutters 82 and contain a sensor for wear of these cutters as already explained above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Protrusions with wear sensors are also provided at positions behind PDC cutters 80 but are not seen in FIG. 15.

(39) Model Experiments

(40) As shown by FIG. 16, two platinum resistance thermometers 90, 92 were positioned in holes drilled into a cylinder 93 of mild steel as a model for a protrusion 18 of the kind shown in FIG. 3. The platinum resistance thermometers 90, 92 were connected to separate channels of a data logger. The cylinder 93 was positioned at an angle as shown in FIG. 16 and worn down by grinding wheel 94. The voltages across thermometers 90 and 92 are shown as traces 95 and 97 respectively in FIG. 17 and it can be seen that they increased over time, indicating a rise in temperature and then fell to zero when the platinum wire was broken.

(41) FIG. 18 shows the result obtained using a glass optical fibre as a sensor. It was observed that only a small percentage of a light signal along an optical fibre was reflected back by a rough end, but much more of the signal was reflected back from a cleaved end to which a gold coating had been applied using a sputter coater. An optical fibre with such a coating on its end was used as a sensor in a hole drilled in a cylinder similar to the cylinder 93 in FIG. 16. This cylinder was abraded by a grinding wheel 94 as in FIG. 16. Light signals were directed along the fibre and the intensity of reflected signals as monitored by a photodiode is plotted in FIG. 18. As can be seen, the intensity of the reflected signal dropped after 500 seconds, as the end of the fibre was destroyed by the grinding wheel 94.

(42) A cutting tool as disclosed herein may also be provided with additional sensors which monitor characteristics other than wear, for instance accelerometers or magnetometers. Data from such additional sensors may be communicated to the surface together with data from sensors in one or more protrusions, as disclosed above.

(43) It will be appreciated that the example embodiments described in detail above can be modified and varied within the scope of the concepts which they exemplify. Features referred to above or shown in individual embodiments above may be used together in any combination as well as those which have been shown and described specifically. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the following claims.