None.
The present disclosure relates generally to damping vibrations or rotational oscillations during drilling operations using rotary steerable systems, and specifically to inertial damping systems converting vibration energy into heat energy, resulting in the desired damping effect.
In hydrocarbon drilling operations, boreholes are typically drilled by rotating a drill bit attached to the end of a drill string. The drill bit can be rotated by rotating the drill string at the surface and/or by a fluid-driven downhole mud motor, which may be part of a bottom hole assembly (BHA). For example, a mud motor may be used when directional drilling using a rotary steerable system (RSS). The combination of forces and moments applied by the drill string and/or mud motor and forces and moments resulting from the interaction of the drill bit with the formation can have undesirable effects on the drilling system, including reducing the effectiveness of the cutting action, damage to BHA components, reduction in BHA components' life, and interference in measuring various drilling parameters.
To mitigate such negative effects, a BHA may be equipped with a damping system to draw vibration energy from the BHA and thereby damping the effects associated with torsional vibration excitation. A vibration damping device may be used with and adapted for use with a downhole tool. The downhole tool may have a tool axis and may include a drill string component.
A vibration damping device may comprise a body integral with or mechanically coupled to the drill string component, an inertial mass slidably disposed in the lateral bore, and a cap mechanically coupled to the lateral bore. The body may include a longitudinal bore therethrough and at least one lateral bore, the lateral bore having a bore opening and an end wall. The lateral bore may be orthogonal to a radius of the body and lies in a plane normal to the tool axis. The body may include a plurality of lateral bores in a co-planar arrangement or a plurality of co-planar arrangements. Each lateral bore may be a blind hole and may be positioned in the body so that it does not intersect the longitudinal bore or another lateral bore. The cap may enclose the bore opening.
The device may further include a first biasing means positioned between one end of the inertial mass and the lateral bore and a second biasing means positioned between another end of the inertial mass and the cap. The lateral bore may be a stepped hole comprising a first bore section and a second bore section. The second bore section may define the inner end of the lateral bore and may have a smaller diameter than the first bore section, and one end of the first biasing means may be disposed in the second bore section.
The cap and the lateral bore may define a bore chamber and a portion of the bore chamber that is not occupied by the inertial mass may be occupied by a liquid. The device may further include a cartridge housing disposed in and mechanically coupled to the lateral bore. The cap may enclose the cartridge housing and define a bore chamber therewith, and the inertial mass may be slidably disposed in the bore chamber. The device may further include a first biasing means positioned between one end of the inertial mass and the cartridge and a second biasing means positioned between another end of the inertial mass and the cap.
A portion of the bore chamber not occupied by the inertial mass may be occupied by a liquid. The inertial mass may include at least one fluid passage therethrough. Each lateral bore may further include a fluid-filled piston chamber and each inertial mass may include a piston extending into the piston chamber. The piston may include fluid orifices therethrough such that as the piston reciprocates within the piston chamber, fluid in the piston chamber flows through the orifices. The fluid in the piston chamber may be the same or different from the fluid in the bore chamber.
The present disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is emphasized that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.
It is to be understood that the following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of various embodiments. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.
The present disclosure hereby includes the concepts and features described in U.S. Application Ser. No. 62/952,233, filed Dec. 21, 2019 and entitled “Method and Apparatus for Damping/Absorbing Rotational Vibrations/Oscillations,” and U.S. Application Ser. No. 62/976,898, filed Feb. 14, 2020 and entitled “Method and Apparatus for Damping/Absorbing Rotational Vibrations/Oscillations,” each of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.
Referring initially to
According to
The damping device may be part of any BHA component.
Referring now to
Body 20 may include at least one lateral bore 30 extending from outer surface 22 of body 20 into wall 24. In some embodiments, each lateral bore 30 may be orthogonal to a radius of body 20 and lie in a plane normal to longitudinal axis 25. In some embodiments, body 20 may include a plurality of bores 30 located in a plane, i.e. at the same point along the longitudinal axis of body 20 and may include a plurality of such co-planar arrangements. In the embodiment shown in
As best illustrated in
In some embodiments, a damping cartridge 40 may be received in and mechanically coupled to each lateral bore 30. Each damping cartridge 40 may be retained in its respective bore 30 by any suitable means, including but not limited to friction, adhesive, set screws, and/or threads. Damping cartridge 40 may include a cartridge housing 49 having a first body section 42 and a second body section 44 having a smaller diameter than the first body section 42. Second body section 44 is adjacent to first body section 42 and a shoulder 48 is defined at the interface of first and second body sections 42, 44. First body section 42 may have inner and outer surfaces 41, 43, respectively. In some embodiments, first body section 42 may be sized such that outer surface 43 forms a friction fit with first bore section 32 of lateral bore 30. Similarly, second body section 44 may have inner and outer surfaces 45, 47, respectively. In some embodiments, second body section 44 may be sized such that outer surface 47 forms a friction fit with second bore section 34 of lateral bore 30. Damping cartridge 40 may be positioned in lateral bore 30 so that first body section 42 is disposed with first bore section 32, second body section 44 is disposed with second bore section 34, and shoulder 48 abuts end wall 38.
Damping device 10 may further include a cap 60 affixed to and enclosing cartridge housing 49. Together, cartridge housing 49 and cap 60 define a bore chamber 62.
Still referring to
The portion of each bore chamber 62 that is not occupied by inertial mass 50 or optional elastomeric members may be occupied by a damping fluid and/or one or more elastomeric members. The fluid may be a specifically selected damping fluid, such as a viscous medium including, for example, silicone oil. The damping fluid may have a high viscosity, such as for example up to 1,000,000 cSt at 25° C. In some embodiments, body 20, inertial mass 50, and/or cap 60 may include ports and/or channels (not shown) for evacuating or filling chambers 62, 82 and/or 83 with damping fluid. Such damping fluid and/or elastomeric members may absorb energy from the movement of inertial mass 50 and dissipate it as heat. In some embodiments, inertial mass 50 may comprise multiple stacked pieces arranged within first body section 42. In other embodiments, inertial mass 50 may include one or more surface features, such as fins, that serve to resist movement of inertial mass 50 through a fluid.
In some embodiments, a volume compensation element 68 may be included in bore chamber 62. The damping fluid may expand and contract, depending on surrounding pressure and temperature. To allow an equalization of pressure between bore chamber 62 and the annulus, the volume needs to adapt. Volume compensation element 68 may comprise a compressible elastomeric element, variable-volume gas-containing enclosed chamber, volume-adjusting piston, or any other suitable device.
Referring now to
In some instances, it may be desired to include one or more adjustable flow restrictors in one or more of the fluid flow paths. Higher restriction causes higher damping and a stiffer characteristic. The desired damping characteristic may be tunable and may require an adjustment of one or more factors including but not limited to restriction, fluid viscosity, spring stiffness, inertia, and the like. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to provide a magnetorheological fluid in each bore chamber 62 and to adjust the properties of the magnetorheological fluid by applying a variable magnetic field across all or a portion of damping device 10.
In some embodiments, all or a portion of one or more bore chambers 62 may be also occupied by an elastomer or one or more elastomeric bodies. The elastomer may have specific elastic and damping properties so that it can deform and dissipate energy while deforming. For both choices (a high viscosity fluid and an elastomer) it is required that the molecular chains of the material move relative to each other so as to dissipate energy.
Referring now to
It may be desirable to tune the components of each damping device so as to achieve damping over a broader range of frequencies. In some embodiments, damping device 10 may be tuned to an eigenfrequency that matches one or more eigenfrequencies of the system to which it is mechanically coupled.
Parameters that can be adjusted as part of the tuning process may include but are not limited to: the mass, material, and configuration of inertial mass 50, the size and configuration of fluid passage 52 therethrough, the width and length of any shear gap, various coefficients of friction, preload, the distance between lateral bore 30 and axis 25, the number of damping cartridges 40, the properties of the optional biasing members, and the properties of any fluid and/or elastomeric members included in chambers 62, 82. Damping device 10 may be provided as an integral part of the BHA or one of its components, where all needed elements are integrated into readily available tools, or damping device 10 may be provided as a module or unit separate from the BHA.
Referring again to
It may be desirable to tune the components of each damping device so as to achieve damping over a broader range of frequencies. In some embodiments, damping device 10 may be tuned to an eigenfrequency that matches one or more eigenfrequencies of the system to which it is mechanically coupled.
In some embodiments, damping device 10 can be tuned to at least one torsional natural frequency of the tool or component it is intended to protect, which may include, for example, the BHA, RSS, or other components of the RSS. In these embodiments, the tool or component is modeled and its natural frequency(ies) is(are) calculated.
According to some embodiments, damping device 10 can be adapted to a drill string or component thereof using the following steps:
In some embodiments, it may be advantageous to position a damping device 10 at each of one or more anti-nodes. In some instances, it may be desirable to position a damping device 10 close to or at the point with the largest absolute value of modal displacement.
A system including one or more damping devices may be configured to damp vibrations at one or more frequencies. In some embodiments, damping devices tuned to different frequencies can be used to damp multiple (separate) frequencies. In other embodiments, a single damping device that is capable of damping a broad range of frequencies can be used. The effective frequency range of a damping device can be influenced by various parameters, as set out above.
The purpose of the present damping device is to protect the BHA, or certain parts of said BHA, from torsional vibrations that exceed detrimental magnitudes. In some instances, the device may be used for damping loads that occur during drilling operation, such as torque peaks and/or torsional accelerations/oscillations. A drilling system may include one or a plurality of said damping devices in different locations. The damping device can be an integral part of the BHA or one of its components, where all needed elements are integrated into readily available tools. It can also be added to the BHA as a separate device (module), where all elements are integrated into a tool on its own.
The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that a person of ordinary skill in the art may better understand the aspects of the present disclosure. Such features may be replaced by any one of numerous equivalent alternatives, only some of which are disclosed herein. One of ordinary skill in the art may readily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein. One of ordinary skill in the art may make various changes, substitutions, and alterations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
20120228028 | Turner | Sep 2012 | A1 |
20150259989 | Gajji | Sep 2015 | A1 |