Patent Grant
12031383
The disclosure generally relates to the field of drilling, and more particularly to increasing drilling efficiency during drilling.
Various applications in exploration, resource acquisition, construction, and storage may benefit from drilling boreholes into a volume of solid material, such as rock or ice in the subsurface of the Earth. A common method of generating and lengthening these holes is to extend an arm with a drill bit into the hole and mill away the solid material using the drill bit. Once generated in an appropriate region, these holes provide access to previously inaccessible resources, such as hydrocarbons, water, or minerals.
A drill bit includes a drill bit body and a set of cutters, wherein the cutters include one or more mechanically stiff elements such as a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) table layered on a carbide bed. Cutters can be positioned around the drill bit body and at the end of the drill bit body. During drilling, physical contact between the cutters the material being drilled increases the borehole length and/or width.
Embodiments of the disclosure may be better understood by referencing the accompanying drawings.
The description that follows includes example systems, methods, techniques, and program flows that embody embodiments of the disclosure. However, it is understood that this disclosure can be practiced without these specific details. For instance, this disclosure refers to shaped cutters having a partially flattened boundary in illustrative examples. Aspects of this disclosure can be instead applied to other shaped cutters, such as a shaped cutter having multiple partially flattened boundaries, a shaped cutter having a star-shaped boundary, etc. In other cases, well-known instruction instances, protocols, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obfuscate the description.
Various embodiments may relate to an apparatus having a tilted shaped cutter on a drill bit and a method for use of the drill bit. A shaped cutter can include a sharp-edged drill bit cutter that has an engagement surface, wherein at least a portion of the engagement surface boundary is exposed and flattened/partially flattened. In some embodiments, the engagement surface of the shaped cutter can be engaged with the material being drilled through during a drilling operation, though can also be unengaged based on a cutter orientation of its corresponding cutter and/or when its corresponding cutter is active during the drilling operation. The exposed partially flattened boundary can be flatter than another boundary segment of the same shaped cutter and can be either straight or semi-curved. The system tilts the shaped cutter until a contact point of the shaped cutter is off-centered with respect to a center of the exposed partially flattened boundary. The shaped cutter can be used on a drill bit to increase drilling efficiency during a drilling operation. However, the force applied to an area of engagement on the shaped cutters can degrade the shaped cutters.
By tilting the shaped cutter about a center of the engagement surface, stresses facing the first cutter can be re-distributed to reduce cutter degradation and increase the lifespan of the shaped cutter. Specifically, a shaped cutter can be tilted over a specific orientation range relative to a cutter reference vector to form a tilted shaped cutter that changes the area of engagement between the shaped cutter and the material being drilled. The stresses experienced at the new contact point after tilting can be off-centered, which can re-distribute stress to a more durable edge of the partially flattened boundary. In some embodiments, the cutter reference vector can be a drill blade normal vector at the same axial and radial position as a portion of the tilted shaped cutter.
The orientation range available for the tilt of a tilted shaped cutter can limit the tilt of a cutter centerline at the center of the exposed partially flattened boundary, wherein the cutter centerline can be a vector that is perpendicular to a boundary of the engagement surface, bisects the boundary of the engagement surface, and is co-planar with the engagement surface. In a tilted shaped cutter, the cutter centerline is at a different angle and thus not parallel with a cutter reference vector, wherein the cutter reference vector can be determined based on a drill blade normal vector that is normal to a drill blade point on the drill blade surface, wherein the drill blade point includes a same axial position and/or radial position as a portion of the tilted shaped cutter.
In some embodiments, the tilted shaped cutters can be arranged to have a leading tilted bit cutter and at least one trailing tilted bit cutter, wherein at least a portion of the trailing tilted bit cutter is at the same axial position as a portion of the leading tilted bit cutter. The leading and trailing bit cutters can have an alternating arrangement, wherein the contact points of the leading and trailing bit cutters can be at different axial positions. In addition, the contact point can be at a lower end of the leading shaped cutter and the trailing contact point can be at an upper end of the trailing shaped cutter, wherein the lower and upper ends are provided with respect to their axial positions on an axis of rotation. Such an arrangement can cause the tilt of the trailing bit cutter to be different from the tilt of the leading bit cutter, wherein the cutter centerlines of the leading bit cutter and the trailing bit cutter can be non-parallel to the respective cutter reference vectors of the leading bit cutter and the trailing bit cutter. Alternatively, or in addition, the shaped cutters can have a step profile arrangement as described further for
Modifying the arrangement of one or more tilted shaped cutters can reduce the rate of degradation achieved during a drilling operation. The reduced degradation and increased cutting efficiency can likewise increase drilling efficiency. The increase in drilling efficiency can reduce time and material costs used to replace degraded drill bits and increase safety during a drilling operation.
Example Drill Bits
The drill blades 131-135 include bit cutters mounted on the drill blade 131-135. Each of the drill blades 131-135 have an arc such as the arc 141 at the edge of the blade 131, wherein the arc 141 can have a drill blade normal vector at any position on the surface of the arc 141. For example, the drill blade normal vector 117 is at the axial and radial position represented by the point 119, wherein the point 119 shares an axial and radial position with a portion of a shaped cutter 110 and has a different azimuthal position from the shaped cutter 110. The bit cutters can include rounded cutters such as a rounded cutter 120 or shaped cutters such as the shaped cutter 110. Each of the rounded cutters can have a circular cutter surface. For example, the rounded cutter 120 can have a circular cutter surface 122.
Each of the shaped cutters can have a shaped cutter surface, wherein the shaped cutter surface has a partially flattened boundary exposed to outside of the drill bit 100. For example, the shaped cutter 110 includes an engagement surface 112 comprising a PDC material that has an exposed partially flattened boundary 114, wherein the exposed partially flattened boundary 114 can be flat or semi-curved, and wherein a semi-curved exposed partially flattened boundary has a curvature that is less than an equivalent curvature of a circle having a radius equal to the maximum radius of the engagement surface 112. As an additional example, with reference to
Alternatively, instead of a cutter reference vector based on the drill blade, the system can use a profile tilt vector. In some embodiments, a profile tilt vector is directed from a point on the shaped cutter to a contact point on the tilted shaped cutter during a drilling operation, wherein the contact point of a shaped cutter is a point on the boundary of the shaped cutter that is the first point to come into contact with a material being drilled during a drilling operation. Alternatively, the contact point can be determined based on an area of engagement, wherein the contact point is at a boundary of the area of engagement, and wherein the area of engagement is the area on the engagement surface that engages with the material being drilled during a drilling operation. For example, a profile tilt vector can be a vector directed from the center of the engagement surface 112 and a bit profile 132, wherein the bit profile 132 is a succession of lines and/or arcs that represents a portion of a surface connecting the contact points on each bit cutter during a drilling operation. As an additional example, the bit profile 132 can be similar to the bit profile 340 shown in
Example Bit Cutters
Example Tilted Bit Cutters
In some embodiments, the system can determine a profile tilt vector that is directed from at least one of a center and an edge of the shaped cutter profile 614 to a contact point 624, wherein the contact point 624 is at the same point as the center of the partially flattened boundary 618 and is included in a bit profile 620. The contact point 624 is shown to be on-center with respect to the center of the exposed partially flattened boundary 618, wherein the contact point 624 is at the center of the partially flattened boundary 618. As described below for the flowcharts 1000 and 1100 of
During a drilling operation, the shaped cutter engagement surface 611 can be in contact with a borehole wall at the contact point 624. The shaped cutter engagement surface 611 can experience stress along a significant portion of the area of engagement 616, wherein the stress can be elevated over the elevated stress zone 615. This stress can damage and/or degrade the shaped cutter engagement surface 611, wherein the damage/degradation can be reduced by tilting the shaped cutter engagement surface 611 with respect to the cutter reference vector.
In some embodiments, the system can determine a profile tilt vector that is directed from at least one of a center and an edge of the shaped cutter profile 644 to a contact point 654, wherein the contact point 624 is included in a bit profile 640. The contact point 654 is off-centered with respect to the exposed partially flattened boundary center 659, wherein being off-centered means that the contact point 654 is a non-zero distance away from the exposed partially flattened boundary center 659. Described below in flowcharts 1000 and 1100, the bit profile 640 can be determined based on previous results stored in a data structure, experimental results, a mechanical simulation, and/or a surface minimization method. For example, the bit profile 640 can be determined using a mechanical simulation.
During a drilling operation, the shaped cutter engagement surface 641 is in contact with a borehole wall at the contact point 654. In contrast with the area of engagement 646, an exposed partially flattened boundary 648 experiences less stress over the body of the shaped cutter, when compared to the example shown in box 610. The elevated stress zone 645 is instead concentrated near the contact point 654, resulting in a smaller area of engagement 646 relative to the area of engagement 616 of box 610, and a smaller elevated stress zone 645 relative to the elevated stress zone 615 of box 610. Thus, in comparison to an un-tilted shaped cutter, the efficiency of the tilted shaped cutter engagement surface 641 is increased by focusing stress on a corner of the shaped cutter engagement surface 641 and away from a central flank of the tilted shaped cutter engagement surface 641.
The leading tilted shaped cutter 710 has a leading exposed partially flattened boundary 711 with a leading exposed partially flattened boundary center 719. The leading tilted shaped cutter 710 can include a leading cutter centerline 721 that passes through the leading exposed partially flattened boundary center 719 and is tilted with respect to the leading cutter reference vector 722. The leading tilted shaped cutter 710 also has a leading contact point 714, wherein the leading tilted shaped cutter 710 is in contact with a bit profile 701 at the leading contact point 714. As shown in
The trailing tilted shaped cutter 730 has a trailing exposed partially flattened boundary 731 with a trailing exposed partially flattened boundary center 739. The trailing shaped cutter 730 can include a trailing cutter centerline 741 that passed through the trailing exposed partially flattened boundary center 739 and is tilted with respect to the trailing cutter reference vector 742. The trailing tilted shaped cutter 730 also has a trailing contact point 734, wherein the trailing tilted shaped cutter 730 is in contact with the bit profile 701 at the trailing contact point 734. As shown in
The saw teeth cross cut arrangement is an alternating arrangement wherein the cutter centerlines of leading and trailing cutters are non-parallel with respect to each other and their respective reference vectors. For example, the leading cutter centerline 721 and the trailing cutter centerline 741 are non-parallel, the leading cutter centerline 721 is non-parallel with respect to the leading cutter reference vector 722, and the trailing cutter centerline 741 is non-parallel with respect to the trailing cutter reference vector 742. In such an arrangement, contact points of a leading tilted shaped cutter and a trailing tilted shaped cutter can be at opposite ends of their respective exposed partially flattened boundaries. For example, the leading contact point 714 is on the lower end of the leading exposed partially flattened boundary 711 with respect to the drill bit's axis of rotation (not shown), and the trailing contact point 734 is on the upper end of the leading exposed partially flattened boundary 731 with respect to the drill bit's axis of rotation. In other embodiments, a leading contact point can be on the right end of a leading exposed partially flattened boundary and the trailing contact point can be on the left end of the corresponding trailing exposed partially flattened boundary. Moreover, while leading shaped cutter and trailing shaped cutter are distinguished for illustrative purposes in this application, it should be apparent that any first shaped cutter sharing an axial position with a second shaped cutter along a drill bit can be set as a leading shaped cutter, wherein the second shaped cutter can be set as a trailing shaped cutter.
In some embodiments a set of shaped cutters can define a stepped profile arrangement, wherein the set of shaped cutters can have subsets of same-step shaped cutters in the step profile arrangement. For each subset of same-step shaped cutters, each same-step shaped cutter in the subset can have the same maximum distance from the drill bit axis 890. For example, a first maximum distance represented by line 871 can be equal to the second maximum distance represented a line 872, wherein the first maximum distance is the maximum distance between a first shaped cutter at a position/orientation represented by the shaped cutter shape 812 and the drill bit axis 890, and wherein the second maximum distance is the maximum distance between a second shaped cutter at a position/orientation represented by the shaped cutter shape 813 and the drill bit axis 890. The shaped cutters at the positions represented by the shaped cutter shapes 812-813 can be part of a first subset of same-step shaped cutters. Furthermore, the radial distance represented by the lines 871-872 can correspond with a first step represented by the dashed line 851, wherein the first step corresponds with the first subset of same-step shaped cutters.
Similarly, a third maximum distance represented by line 873 can be equal to the fourth maximum distance represented a line 874, wherein the third maximum distance is the maximum distance between a third shaped cutter at a position/orientation represented by the shaped cutter shape 814 and the drill bit axis 890, and wherein the fourth maximum distance is the maximum distance between a fourth shaped cutter at a position/orientation represented by the shaped cutter shape 815 and the drill bit axis 890. The shaped cutters at the positions represented by the shaped cutter shapes 814-815 can be part of a second subset of same-step shaped cutters. Furthermore, the radial distance represented by the lines 873-874 can correspond with a second step represented by the dashed line 852, wherein the second step corresponds with the second subset of same-step shaped cutters.
In addition, a shaped cutter can be at the position and orientation represented by the shaped cutter shape 811 and can have a cutter centerline 861 that is normal to the exposed partially flattened boundary 831. Furthermore, a tilted shaped cutter can be at the position and orientation represented by the shaped cutter shape 825 and can be tilted with respect to the cutter reference vector 864. The tilted shaped cutter profile 825 has a cutter centerline 863 that points from a cutter center 862 to the center of an exposed partially flattened boundary 842, wherein the cutter centerline 861 is at an angle with respect to the cutter reference vector 864. In some embodiments, the cutter reference vector 864 can be determined to be a vector directed from the cutter center 862 to the contact point 844. In some embodiments, a cutter center can be a geometric center of an engagement surface. Alternatively, a cutter center can be at a center of rotation with respect to a circular arc of the engagement surface.
The shaped cutter shapes 913-915, 922-923 and 929 can represent tilted cutter orientations. The shaped cutter shape 913 can represent a first side cutter position and a tilted cutter orientation wherein a shaped cutter centerline 931 is tilted with respect to a shaped cutter reference vector 932 at an angle greater than or equal to 5 degrees in the uphole direction. The shaped cutter shape 914 can represent a second side cutter position and a tilted cutter orientation wherein a shaped cutter centerline 933 is tilted with respect to a shaped cutter reference vector 934 at an angle greater than 9 degrees in the uphole direction. The shaped cutter shape 915 can represent a third side cutter position and a tilted cutter orientation wherein a shaped cutter centerline 935 is tilted with respect to a shaped cutter reference vector 936 at an angle greater than or equal to 5 degrees in the downhole direction. The shaped cutter shape 922 can represent a first shoulder cutter position and a tilted cutter orientation wherein a shaped cutter centerline 937 is tilted with respect to a shaped cutter reference vector 938 at an angle greater than or equal to 5 degrees in the uphole direction. The shaped cutter shape 923 can represent a second shoulder cutter position and a tilted cutter orientation wherein a shaped cutter centerline 941 is tilted with respect to a shaped cutter reference vector 942 at an angle greater than or equal to 5 degrees in the uphole direction. The shaped cutter shape 929 can represent a bottom position of the drill bit and a tilted cutter orientation wherein a shaped cutter centerline 943 is tilted with respect to a shaped cutter reference vector 944 at an angle greater than or equal to 5 degrees in the uphole direction, and wherein the shaped cutter reference vector 944 is parallel with the axis of rotation of the drill bit.
In the example approach shown in
In the examples shown in
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In the example shown in
Example Flowchart
The flowcharts described below are provided to aid in understanding the illustrations and are not to be used to limit scope of the claims. The flowcharts depict example operations that can vary within the scope of the claims. Additional operations may be performed; fewer operations may be performed; the operations shown may be performed in parallel; and the operations shown may be performed in a different order. For example, the operations depicted in blocks 1004-1008 of
At block 1004, the system can determine a cutter reference vector and/or a possible contact point of a shaped cutter on the drill bit. In some embodiments, the cutter reference vector can be determined based on a drill blade normal vector of a drill blade position on a drill blade surface that the shaped cutter is mounted on, wherein the drill blade position shares a same radial and axial position as a portion of the shaped cutter. For example, if a portion of the shaped cutter has a radial position of 40 centimeters, an axial position of 4 meters, and an azimuthal position of 270 degrees, the cutter reference vector can be based on the cutter centerline for a drill blade position at the radial position of 40 centimeters, the axial position of 4 meters, and an azimuthal position of 265 degrees or any other azimuthal position. By determining a cutter reference vector, the system can also determine the possible contact point for a shaped cutter attached to a drill blade based on a bit profile, wherein the cutter reference vector intersects the cutter boundary at the possible contact point for the shaped cutter.
In some embodiments, the system can determine a profile tilt vector based on a cutter contact point in a bit profile and use the profile tilt vector in place of the cutter reference vector. The bit profile of a drill bit can be a pre-determined design comprising lines and curves having different angles. Alternatively, the bit profile of the drill bit can include one or more points on a drill bit that is contact with a material being drilled through during a drilling operation. The bit profile can be determined based on information retrieved from a database. The bit profile can also be determined based on results from drilling experiments or a simulation of the rotating drill bit. For example, the area of engagement can be determined by drilling at a first drilling speed, wherein drilling at the first drilling speed corresponds with a threshold force detected on the shaped cutter, and wherein the position on the shaped cutter that experiences the greatest force can be the contact point of the engagement.
Alternatively, the contact point for each shaped cutter and its corresponding cutter reference vector can be determined based on information retrieved from a database, geometric analysis to determine the smoothest surface of the drill bit exterior, and/or a simulation of drill bit behavior to determine an area of engagement that includes the contact point. For example, with reference to
At block 1008, the system can determine a tilt angle and/or an off-centering distance for the shaped cutter based on the cutter reference vector and/or possible contact point. The tilt angle for the shaped cutter can be determined based on the angle between the cutter reference vector and a shaped cutter centerline. In some embodiments, the cutter reference vector and the shaped cutter centerline can be parallel and the corresponding tilt angle is zero. Alternatively, the cutter reference vector and the shaped cutter centerline can be non-parallel and the corresponding tilt angle is non-zero. In some alternative embodiments, the system can determine the tilt angle for the shaped cutter based on the profile tilt vector, wherein the tilt angle is based on the angle between the profile tilt vector and the shaped cutter centerline. Similarly, the system can determine the off-centering distance, wherein an off-centering distance is the distance along the partially flattened boundary of the shaped cutter from the possible contact point to the center of the partially flattened boundary. For example, with reference to
At block 1012, a determination is made if whether the tilt angle and/or off-centering distance is less than one or more thresholds. In some embodiments, a threshold can be a threshold tilt angle and can be a value greater than zero such as 0.5 degrees, 1 degree, 3 degrees, 5 degrees, 10 degrees, etc. In some embodiments, a threshold can be an offset threshold and the system can determine whether the off-centering distance of the contact point is less than the offset threshold. If the system determines that the off-centering distance is less than an off-centering threshold, the system can behave as if the tilt angle is below the threshold tilt angle. For example, the system can set the off-centering threshold to be the distance from the center of a partially flattened boundary to the upper edge of the partially flattened boundary. If the tilt angle and/or off-centering is less than the one or more thresholds, the system can proceed to block 1016. Otherwise, the operations of the flowchart 1000 can be considered complete.
At block 1016, the arrangement of the shaped cutter can be modified based on a pre-determined tilt angle. In some embodiments, modifying the arrangement of the shaped cutter can include tilting the shaped cutter on a drill blade in a virtual environment to increase the off-centering distance and change the possible contact point to a new contact point. In some embodiments, the drill bit having a shaped cutter arrangement can be modified to have the modified shaped cutter arrangement by a mechanical tilting operation of one or more shaped cutters on the drill bit to a pre-determined tilt angle to increase the off-centering distance and change the possible contact point to a new contact point. In some embodiments, the pre-determined tilt angle can be any value in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. In some embodiments, the pre-determined tilt angle can be equal to or greater than the threshold tilt angle. For example, a shaped cutter can be tilted to have a tilt angle of 5 degrees clockwise from the reference angle, wherein a tilt angle equal to or greater than 5 degrees can reduce the possibility that cutter wear results in a repositioning of the contact point of the shaped cutter away from a side of a partially flattened boundary of the cutter during a drilling operation. Alternatively, a new drill bit can be generated to have the shaped cutters pre-tilted to have a tilt equal to the pre-determined tilt angle with respect to the cutter reference vector. In some embodiments, if the tilt angle was determined based on the profile tilt vector, the system can tilt the shaped cutter with respect to the profile tilt vector instead of the cutter reference vector. Once the cutter is tilted, operations of the flowchart 1000 can be complete.
At block 1104, the system lowers a drill bit that includes a tilted shaped cutter arrangement into a borehole. The system can lower the drill bit with the tilted shaped cutter arrangement during a drilling operation. In some embodiments, the drill bit can be used for extending a vertical or horizontal borehole. Alternatively, or in addition, the drill bit can be used to deepen a borehole of any orientation, and/or drill a branching well in a borehole. Alternatively, or in addition, the drill bit can include a step profile arrangement.
At block 1108, the system can activate drill bit rotation. In some embodiments, the system can activate drill bit rotation, perhaps by pumping drilling mud into a drill pipe to initiate rotation by a mud pump motor. For example, with reference to
At block 1112, a determination is made as to whether one or more shaped cutters on the drill bit have a degraded portion. In some embodiments, one more shaped cutters of the drill bit can be analyzed during or after a drilling operation to determine the condition of the one or more shaped cutters. The analysis can determine whether the one or more shaped cutters include degradation, such as blunting, cracking, or chipping over a portion of the shaped cutter. The analysis can be performed using various visual analysis methods, including image recognition methods. If the one or more shaped cutters on the drill bit have a degraded portion, operation of the flowchart 1100 can proceed to block 1116. Otherwise, operations of the flowchart 1100 can be considered complete.
At block 1116, the system can modify the shaped cutter arrangement of the drill bit based on the cutter degradation. The system can select one or more of the shaped cutters for a tilting operation. For example, with reference to
Example Onshore Drilling Platform
The drilling rig 1202 may thus provide support for the drill string 1208. The drill string 1208 may operate to rotate the rotary table 1210 for drilling the borehole 1212 through subsurface formations 1214. The drill string 1208 may include a Kelly 1216, drill pipe 1218, and a bottom hole assembly 1220, perhaps located at the lower portion of the drill pipe 1218.
The bottom hole assembly 1220 may include drill collars 1222, a down hole tool 1224, and a drill bit 1226. The drill bit 1226 may operate to create a borehole 1212 by penetrating the surface 1204 and subsurface formations 1214. The down hole tool 1224 may comprise any of a number of different types of tools including measurement while drilling (MWD) tools, logging while drilling (LWD) tools, and others.
During drilling operations, the drill string 1208 (perhaps including the Kelly 1216, the drill pipe 1218, and the bottom hole assembly 1220) may be rotated by the rotary table 1210. In addition to, or alternatively, the bottom hole assembly 1220 may also be rotated by a motor such as a mud motor that is located down hole. The drill collars 1222 may be used to add weight to the drill bit 1226. The drill collars 1222 may also operate to stiffen the bottom hole assembly 1220, allowing the bottom hole assembly 1220 to transfer the added weight to the drill bit 1226, and in turn, to assist the drill bit 1226 in penetrating the surface 1204 and subsurface formations 1214. In some embodiments, the drill bit 1226 can include a modified shaped cutter arrangement comprising at least one of a tilted shaped cutter arrangement or a step profile arrangement. The computer system 1298 can perform some or all of the operations described above in the flowcharts in
During drilling operations, a mud pump 1232 may pump drilling fluid (sometimes known by those of ordinary skill in the art as “drilling mud”) from a mud pit 1234 through a hose 1236 into the drill pipe 1218 and down to the drill bit 1226. The drilling fluid can flow out from the drill bit 1226 and be returned to the surface 1204 through an annular area 1240 between the drill pipe 1218 and the sides of the borehole 1212. The drilling fluid may then be returned to the mud pit 1234, where such fluid is filtered. In some embodiments, the drilling fluid can be used to cool the drill bit 1226, as well as to provide lubrication for the drill bit 1226 during drilling operations. Additionally, the drilling fluid may be used to remove subsurface formation 1214 cuttings created by operating the drill bit 1226.
Example Computer
The computer device 1300 can include a cutter orientation system 1311. The cutter orientation system 1311 can perform one or more operations to determine and/or set a shaped cutter arrangement as described above. For example, the cutter orientation system 1311 can determine a cutter reference vector of a shaped cutter on a drill bit and determine a tilt angle for a shaped cutter. Additionally, the cutter orientation system 1311 can determine whether a shaped cutter has a degraded portion. The cutter orientation system 1311 may operate by acquiring an image of the bit, and the associated cutters, to determine the orientation of the cutters, for example, whether the cutters are tilted or not tilted, and the degree of tilt, with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bit.
The computer device 1300 can include a drill bit controller 1313. The drill bit controller 1313 can perform one or more operations to control a drill bit as described above. For example, the drill bit controller 1313 can lower a drill bit during a drilling operation. Additionally, the cutter orientation system 1311 can activate a drill bit having tilted shaped cutters during the drilling operation. In addition, although illustrated together, the computer device 1300 can include the drill bit controller 1313 without the cutter orientation system 1311 or include the cutter orientation system 1311 without the drill bit controller 1313.
Any one of the previously described functionalities can be partially (or entirely) implemented in hardware and/or on the processor 1301. For example, the functionality can be implemented with an application specific integrated circuit, in logic implemented in the processor 1301, in a co-processor on a peripheral device or card, etc. Further, realizations can include fewer or additional components not illustrated in
As will be appreciated, aspects of the disclosure can be embodied as a system, method or program code/instructions stored in one or more machine-readable media. Accordingly, aspects can take the form of hardware, software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.), or a combination of software and hardware aspects that can all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit” or “system.” The functionality presented as individual units in the example illustrations can be organized differently in accordance with any one of platform (operating system and/or hardware), application ecosystem, interfaces, programmer preferences, programming language, administrator preferences, etc.
Any combination of one or more machine readable medium(s) can be utilized. The machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to, a system, apparatus, or device, that employs any one of or combination of electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor technology to store program code. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the machine-readable storage medium would include the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a machine-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable storage medium is not a machine-readable signal medium.
A machine-readable signal medium can include a propagated data signal with machine readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal can take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A machine-readable signal medium can be any machine readable medium that is not a machine-readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
Program code embodied on a machine-readable medium can be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as the Java® programming language, C++ or the like; a dynamic programming language such as Python; a scripting language such as Perl programming language or PowerShell script language; and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code can execute entirely on a stand-alone machine, can execute in a distributed manner across multiple machines, and can execute on one machine while providing results and or accepting input on another machine.
Terminology and Variations
The program code/instructions can also be stored in a machine-readable medium that can direct a machine to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the machine-readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
Plural instances may be provided for components, operations or structures described herein as a single instance. Finally, boundaries between various components, operations and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in the context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within the scope of the disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate components in the example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the disclosure.
Use of the phrase “at least one of” preceding a list with the conjunction “and” should not be treated as an exclusive list and should not be construed as a list of categories with one item from each category, unless specifically stated otherwise. A clause that recites “at least one of A, B, and C” can be infringed with only one of the listed items, multiple of the listed items, and one or more of the items in the list and another item not listed. A set of items can have only one item or more than one item. For example, a set of numbers can be used to describe a single number or multiple numbers.
Example Embodiments
Example embodiments include the following:
Embodiment 1: A device comprising: a drill bit body defining an axis of rotation; a plurality of drill blades on the drill bit body; and a shaped cutter secured to at least one of the plurality of drill blades, the shaped cutter including an engagement surface having an exposed partially flattened boundary, wherein a contact point of the engagement surface during drilling is off-centered with respect to a center of the exposed partially flattened boundary.
Embodiment 2: The device of Embodiment 1, wherein the shaped cutter is a leading shaped cutter, the contact point is a leading contact point, and wherein the device of claim 1 comprises a trailing shaped cutter comprising a trailing engagement surface, wherein a trailing contact point of the trailing engagement surface is at a different axial position from the leading contact point.
Embodiment 3: The device of Embodiment 2, wherein the leading contact point is at an upper end of the leading shaped cutter with respect to the axis of rotation and the trailing contact point is at a lower end of the trailing shaped cutter with respect to the axis of rotation.
Embodiment 4: The device of any of Embodiments 1-3, wherein a cutter centerline of the engagement surface is non-parallel with a drill blade normal vector, wherein the drill blade normal vector is normal to a point on the drill blade that the shaped cutter is mounted on, and wherein the point on the drill blade is at a same axial position and radial position as the shaped cutter.
Embodiment 5: The device of any of Embodiments 1-4, wherein the shaped cutter is a first shaped cutter, and wherein the exposed partially flattened boundary is a first exposed partially flattened boundary, and wherein the device of claim 1 comprises: a second shaped cutter attached to the drill bit body comprising a second exposed semi-flattened boundary, wherein the second shaped cutter has a second cutter centerline that is perpendicular to the second exposed semi-flattened boundary; and a third shaped cutter attached to the drill bit body comprising a third exposed semi-flattened boundary, wherein the third shaped cutter has a third cutter centerline that is perpendicular to the third exposed semi-flattened boundary, and wherein at least a portion of the third shaped cutter is at a different axial position along the axis of rotation, and wherein a distance from the axis of rotation to the second shaped cutter is equal to a distance from the axis of rotation to the third shaped cutter.
Embodiment 6: The device of any of Embodiments 1-5, wherein a minimum angle between a cutter centerline of the shaped cutter and a line from the center of the exposed partially flattened boundary to the contact point is greater than or equal to 5 degrees.
Embodiment 7: The device of any of Embodiments 1-6, wherein the shaped cutter is located at a bottom position of the drill bit body, and wherein a cutter centerline of the shaped cutter is at least 5 degrees offset from the axis of rotation.
Embodiment 8: The device of any of Embodiments 1-7, wherein the engagement surface comprises a polycrystalline diamond compact bit material.
Embodiment 9: A method comprising: determining a possible contact point on an exposed partially flattened boundary of a shaped cutter attached to a drill blade based on a bit profile; determining whether an off-centering distance of the contact point is less than an offset threshold; and in response to a determination that the off-centering distance is less than an off-centering threshold, tilting the shaped cutter to change the possible contact point to a new contact point.
Embodiment 10: The method of Embodiment 9, wherein determining whether the off-centering distance of the contact point is less than the offset threshold comprises determining the off-centering distance as the distance along the exposed partially flattened boundary from the possible contact point to a center of the exposed partially flattened boundary.
Embodiment 11: The method of Embodiments 9 or 10, wherein tilting the shaped cutter comprises tilting the shaped cutter until the off-centering distance is greater than or equal to the off-centering threshold.
Embodiment 12: The method of any of Embodiments 9-11, wherein the new contact point comprises a leading contact point, and wherein the method further comprises tilting a trailing shaped cutter to a trailing tilt angle, and wherein the trailing shaped cutter comprises a trailing contact point, and wherein at least a portion of the trailing shaped cutter is at a same axial position as the trailing shaped cutter, and wherein the trailing contact point is at a different axial position than the leading contact point.
Embodiment 13: The method of any of Embodiments 9-12, wherein tilting the shaped cutter comprises tilting the shaped cutter by an angle greater than 5 degrees.
Embodiment 14: A system comprising: a drill pipe in a borehole; a drill bit body defining an axis of rotation, wherein the drill bit body is in the borehole and attached to the drill pipe; a plurality of drill blades on the drill bit body; and a shaped cutter secured to at least one of the plurality of drill blades, the shaped cutter including an engagement surface having an exposed partially flattened boundary, wherein a contact point of the engagement surface during drilling is off-centered with respect to a center of the exposed partially flattened boundary.
Embodiment 15: The system of Embodiment 14, wherein the shaped cutter is a leading shaped cutter, the contact point is a leading contact point, and wherein the system further comprises a trailing shaped cutter with a trailing contact point, and wherein the trailing contact point is at a different axial position than the leading contact point.
Embodiment 16: The system of Embodiment 15, wherein the leading contact point is at an upper end of the leading shaped cutter with respect to the axis of rotation and the trailing contact point is at a lower end of the trailing shaped cutter with respect to the axis of rotation.
Embodiment 17: The system of any of Embodiments 14-16, wherein a cutter centerline of the engagement surface is non-parallel with a drill blade normal vector, wherein the drill blade normal vector is normal to a point on the drill blade that the shaped cutter is mounted on, and wherein the point on the drill blade is at a same axial position and radial position as the shaped cutter.
Embodiment 18: The system of any of Embodiments 14-17, wherein the shaped cutter is a first shaped cutter, and wherein the exposed partially flattened boundary is a first exposed partially flattened boundary, and wherein the system further comprises: a second shaped cutter attached to the drill bit body comprising a second exposed semi-flattened boundary, wherein the second shaped cutter has a second cutter centerline that is perpendicular to the second exposed semi-flattened boundary; and a third shaped cutter attached to the drill bit body comprising a third exposed semi-flattened boundary, wherein the third shaped cutter has a third cutter centerline that is perpendicular to the third exposed semi-flattened boundary, and wherein at least a portion of the third shaped cutter is at a different axial position along the axis of rotation, and wherein a distance from the axis of rotation to the second shaped cutter is equal to a distance from the axis of rotation to the third shaped cutter.
Embodiment 19: The system of any of Embodiments 14-18, wherein a minimum angle between a cutter centerline of the shaped cutter and the center of the exposed partially flattened boundary is greater than or equal to 5 degrees.
Embodiment 20: The system of any of Embodiments 14-19, wherein the shaped cutter is located at a bottom position of the drill bit body, and wherein a cutter centerline of the shaped cutter is at least 5 degrees offset from the axis of rotation.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2019/021199 | 3/7/2019 | WO |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2020/180330 | 9/10/2020 | WO | A |
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| PCT Application Serial No. PCT/US2019/021199, International Written Opinion, mailed Dec. 6, 2019, 5 pages. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20220074270 A1 | Mar 2022 | US |
