Claims
- 1. A drilling tool having at least one drill collar and a drill bit, the drilling tool comprising;
a shaft adapted to a drill string for rotation of the drill bit; a sleeve having pads hydraulically extensible therefrom, the sleeve positioned about at least a portion of the shaft; a tube connecting the sleeve to the drill collar, the tube adapted to conduct fluid therethrough; and a valve system adapted to operatively conduct at least a portion of the drilling fluid to the pads whereby the pads move between the an extended and retracted position.
- 2. The drilling tool according to claim 1 wherein the tube is flexible.
- 3. The drilling tool according to claim 1 wherein the pads are selectively extensible by application of drilling fluid thereto.
- 4. The drilling tool according to claim 1 further comprising at least one stabilizer blade located on the sleeve, each stabilizer blade having at least one pad therein.
- 5. The drilling tool according to claim 4 wherein each pad comprises a piston.
- 6. The drilling tool according to claim 5 wherein the at least one stabilizer blade comprises at least one first conduit adapted to conduct fluid from the sleeve to at least one pad contained therein.
- 7. The drilling tool according to claim 6 wherein a plurality of stabilizer blades are located on the sleeve, the plurality of stabilizer blades each having at least one pad therein.
- 8. The drilling tool according to claim 7 wherein the at least one hydraulically extensible pad comprises a piston.
- 9. The drilling tool according to claim 1, wherein the operative coupling between the valve system and the at least one hydraulically extensible pad comprises;
the shaft comprising at least one second orifice; the sleeve comprising an inner surface, at least one first orifice, and at least one second conduit adapted to conduct the fluid from the at least one first orifice to the pads, the inner surface comprising at least one channel embedded therein surrounding the shaft, the at least one channel comprising the at least one first orifice; and at least one first and second seals located between the shaft and the sleeve and adapted to seal chamber comprising the at least one channel and the at least one first and second orifices.
- 10. The drilling tool according to claim 9 wherein each one of the at least one first and second seals comprise an inner and an outer ring.
- 11. The drilling tool according to claim 10 wherein the inner and outer rings are comprised of material selected from the group of metal and composite.
- 12. The drilling tool according to claim 10 where the inner and outer rings are comprised of a lossy seal system using pressure differentials to achieve piston extension.
- 13. The drilling tool according to claim 9 wherein;
the shaft comprises a plurality of third conduits, each one ending at a plurality of the second orifices and the sleeve comprises a plurality of first orifices and a plurality of the channels; and a plurality of the first and second seals are located within the shaft and the sleeve, each pair of seals adapted to seal a chamber comprising one of the plurality of channels, and one of the plurality of first and second orifices.
- 14. The drilling tool according to claim 13 wherein the sleeve comprises a plurality of the first orifices and a plurality of the hydraulically extensible pads.
- 15. The drilling tool according to claim 14 further comprising an actuating system adapted to actuate the valve system.
- 16. The drilling tool according to claim 15 wherein the actuating system comprises a j-slot mechanism.
- 17. The drilling tool according to claim 15 wherein the actuating system comprises a electromagnetic solenoid assembly
- 18. The drilling tool according to claim 13 further comprising a plurality of the stabilizer blades located on the sleeve, the sleeve comprising a plurality of second conduits, and the plurality of stabilizer blades each containing at least one hydraulically extensible pad.
- 19. The drilling tool according to claim 18 wherein each of the plurality of stabilizer blades comprises at least one fourth conduit adapted to conduct fluid from each of the plurality of the first orifices to the at least one hydraulically extensible pad.
- 20. The drilling tool according to claim 19 further comprising an actuating system adapted to actuate the valve system.
- 21. The drilling tool according to claim 20 wherein each hydraulically extensible pad comprises a piston.
- 22. The drilling tool according to claim 20 wherein the actuating system comprises a j-slot mechanism.
- 23. The drilling tool according to claim 20 wherein the actuating system comprises an electromagnetic solenoid assembly.
- 24. The drilling tool according to claim 1 wherein the actuating system is contained in the drill collar.
- 25. The drilling tool according to claim 1 further comprising a sensor system for detecting the position of the sleeve in the wellbore.
- 26. The drilling tool according to claim 25 wherein the sensor system is contained in the drill collar.
- 27. A drilling tool positionable in a wellbore, the drilling tool having at least one drill collar, a rotating shaft and a drill bit rotated by the shaft to drill the wellbore, the drilling tool comprising;
a non-rotating sleeve having extendable pads therein, the sleeve positioned about at least a portion of the shaft; and an actuator adapted to divert at least a portion of a fluid passing through the tool to the sleeve whereby the pads are selectively moved between an extended and retracted position.
- 28. A radial seal for use in a downhole drilling tool, the downhole drilling tool comprising a sleeve and a shaft therein, comprising:
Outer ring positionable adjacent the sleeve; An inner ring positionable adjacent the shaft; and An elastomeric ring positionable adjacent one of the rings whereby the misalignment of the sleeve to the inner shaft is absorbed.
- 29. The radial seal of claim 28 wherein the elastomeric ring is positioned between the outer ring and the sleeve.
- 30. The radial seal of claim 29 wherein the elastomeric ring is positioned between the inner ring and the shaft.
- 31. The radial seal of claim 28 wherein the outer and inner rings are lossy elements
- 32. A method of drilling a wellbore, comprising:
positioning a drilling tool in a wellbore, the drilling tool having a bit and a sleeve with extendable pads therein; passing a fluid through the tool; and diverting at least a portion of the fluid to the sleeve for selective extension of the pads whereby the tool drills in the desired direction.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from Provisional Application No. 60/296,020, filed Jun. 5, 2001.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60296020 |
Jun 2001 |
US |