MUD MOTOR ASSEMBLY
HISTORY OF RELATED U.S. PATENT
APPLICATIONS TO WHICH PRIORITY IS CLAIMED
The present application is a related application of co-pending U.S. patent application Serial No. 13/068,133, filed on May 2, 2011, that is entitled "Universal Drilling and Completion System".
U.S. patent application Serial No. 13/068,133, filed on May 2, 2011, claimed priority from the following nineteen (19) U.S. Provisional Patent Applications:
(1) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/395,081, filed 5/6/2010, that is entitled "Annular Pressure Smart Shuttle";
(2) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/396,030, filed on 5/19/2010, that is entitled "The Hydroelectric Drilling Machine";
(3) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/396,420, filed on 05/25/2010, that is entitled "Universal Drilling and Completion System";
(4) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/396,940, filed on 06/05/2010, that is entitled "Subterranean Drilling Machine with Counter-Rotating Cutters";
(5) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/465,608, filed on 03/22/2011, that is entitled "Drilling Machine with Counter-Rotating Cutters to Drill Multiple Slots in a Formation to Produce Hydrocarbons";
(6) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/397,848, filed on 06/16/2010, that is entitled "Modified Pe1ton Type Tangential Turbine Hydraulic Drives to Replace Electric Motors in Electrical Submersible Pumps";
(7) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/399,110, filed on 07/06/2010, that is entitled "Hydraulic Subsea System Used to Remove Hydrocarbons From Seawater in the Event of a Seafloor Oil/Gas Well Failure";
(8) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/399,938, filed on 07/20/2010, that is entitled "Deep Upweller";
(9) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/401,974, filed on 08/19/2010, that is entitled "Universal Drilling and Completion System and Deep Upweller";
(10) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/404,970, filed on 10/12/2010, that is entitled "UDCS and Pelton-like Turbine Powered Pumps";
(11) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/455,123, filed on 10/13/2010, that is entitled "UDCS Presentation";
(12) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/456,986, filed on 11/15/2010, that is entitled "New Vane Mud Motor for Downhole Drilling Applications";
(13) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/458,403, filed on 11/22/2010, that is entitled "Leaky Seal for Universal Drilling and Completion System";
(14) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/458,490, filed on 11/24/2010, that is entitled "Transverse Flow Channel Mud Motor";
(15) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/459,896, filed on 12/20/2010, that is entitled "The Force Sub";
(16) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/460,053, filed on 12/23/2010, that is entitled "The Force Sub - Part 2";
(17) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/461,266, filed on 01/14/2011, that is entitled "The Force Sub ¨ Part 3";
(18) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/462,393, filed on 02/02/2011, that is entitled "UDCS, The Force Sub, and The Torque Sub"; and
(19) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/517,218, filed on 04/15/2011, that is entitled "UDCS, The Force Sub, and The Torque Sub - Part 2".
Corresponding US application 13/506,887, filed 5/22/2012, a related application to US 13/068,133, filed on 12/17/2009, which is a related application to US
12/653,740, filed on 12/17/2009, claims priority of the following 6 provisional applications:
(1) US
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/519,487, filed May 23, 2011, that is entitled "Modeling of Lateral Extended Reach Drill Strings and Performance of the Leaky SealTm with Cross-Over".
(2) US Provisional Patent Application No. 61/573,631, filed September 8, 2011, that is entitled "Selected Embodiments of the New Mud Motor".
(3) US Provisional Patent Application No. 61/629,000, filed November 12, 2011, that is entitled "Selected Embodiments of the New Mud Motor ¨ Part Ir.
(4) US Provisional Patent Application No. 61/633,776, filed February 18, 2012, that is entitled "Selected Embodiments of the New Mud Motor ¨ Part III".
(5) US Provisional Patent Application No. 61/687,394, filed April 24, 2012, that is entitled "Selected Embodiments of the New Mud Motor ¨ Part 1V".
(6) US Provisional Patent Application No. 61/688,726, filed May 18, 2012, that is entitled "Modeling of Lateral Extended Reach Drill Strings and Performance of the Leaky SealTM with Cross-Over ¨ Part II".
Serial No. 13/068,133, filed on May 2, 2011, is a related application of co-pending U.S. patent application Serial No. 12/653,740, filed on 12/17/2009, that is entitled "Long-Lasting Hydraulic Seals for Smart Shuttles, for Coiled Tubing Injectors, and for Pipeline Pigs".
U.S. patent application Serial No. 12/653,740, filed on 12/17/2009, claimed priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/274,215, filed on 8/13/2009, that is entitled "Long-Lasting Hydraulic Seals for Smart Shuttles, for Coiled Tubing Injectors, and for Pipeline Pigs".
PRIORITY CLAIMS FROM PREVIOUS U.S. PATENT APPLICATIONS
Applicant claims priority for this application to U.S. patent application Serial No.
13/068,133, filed on May 2, 2011, which application claimed priority to the above nineteen Provisional Patent Applications, and applicant also claims priority to those same nineteen (19) Provisional Patent Applications that are not repeated here again solely in the interests of brevity.
Applicant also claims priority for this application to the above U.S. patent application Serial No. 12/653,740, filed on 12/17/2009, and also claims priority for this application to the above U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/274,215, filed on 8/13/2009.
Applicant claims priority for this application to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/519,487, filed 5/23/2011, that is entitled "Modeling of Lateral Extended Reach Drill Strings and Performance of the Leaky Sea1TM with Cross-Over".
Applicant claims priority for this application to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/573,631, filed 9/8/2011, that is entitled "Selected Embodiments of the New Mud Motor".
Applicant claims priority for this application to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/629,000, filed 11/12/2011, that is entitled "Selected Embodiments of the New Mud Motor - Part II".
Applicant claims priority for this application to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/633,776, filed 02/18/2012, that is entitled "Selected Embodiments of the New Mud Motor - Part III".
Applicant claims priority for this application to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/687,394, filed 4/24/2012, that is entitled "Selected Embodiments of the New Mud Motor - Part IV".
Applicant claims priority for this application that was Mailed to the USPTO on Friday, May 18, 2012, by U.S. Express Mail, Express Mail Label No. EH 689 324 240 US, using a Certificate of Deposit by Express Mail, that is entitled "Modeling of Lateral Extended Reach Drill Strings and Performance of the Leaky Sea1TM
with Cross-Over - Part II".
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This section is divided into "Cross References to Related U.S. Patent Applications", "Other Related U.S. Applications", "Related Foreign Applications", "Cross-References to Related U.S. Provisional Patent Applications", and "Related U.S.
Disclosure Documents". This is done so for the purposes of clarity.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED U.S. PATENT APPLICATIONS
The present application is related to U.S. Patent application Serial No.
12/583,240, filed on Aug. 17, 2009, that is entitled "High Power Umbilicals for Subterranean Electric Drilling Machines and Remotely Operated Vehicles".
Serial No.
12/583,240 was published on December 17, 2009 having Publication Number US
2009/0308656 Al.
The present application is related U.S. Patent application Serial No.
12/005,105, filed on Dec. 22, 2007, that is entitled "High Power Umbilicals for Electric Flowline Immersion Heating of Produced Hydrocarbons". Serial No. 12/005,105 was published on Jun. 26, 2008 having Publication Number US 2008/0149343 Al.
The present application is related to U.S. Patent application Serial No.
10/800,443, filed on Mar. 14, 2004, that is entitled "Substantially Neutrally Buoyant and Positively Buoyant Electrically Heated Flowlines for Production of Subsea Hydrocarbons". Serial No. 10/800,443 was published on Dec. 9, 2004 having Publication Number US 2004/0244982 Al. Serial No. 10/800,443 issued as U.S. Pat. No.
7,311,151 B2 on Dec. 25, 2007.
The present application is related U.S. Patent application Serial No.
10/729,509, filed on Dec. 4, 2003, that is entitled "High Power Umbilicals for Electric Flowline Immersion Heating of Produced Hydrocarbons". Serial No. 10/729,509 was published on Jul. 15, 2004 having the Publication Number US 2004/0134662 Al. Serial No.
10/729,509 issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,658 B2 on the date of Apr. 25, 2006.
The present application is related to U.S. Patent application Serial No.
10/223,025, filed Aug. 15, 2002, that is entitled ''High Power Umbilicals for Subterranean Electric Drilling Machines and Remotely Operated Vehicles".
Serial No.
10/223,025 was published on Feb. 20, 2003, having Publication Number US
2003/0034177 Al. Serial No. 10/223,025 issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,857,486 B2 on the date of Feb. 22, 2005.
Applicant does not claim priority from the above five U.S. Patent applications Serial No. 12/583.240, Serial No. 12/005,105, Serial No. 10/800,443, Serial No.
10/729,509 and Serial No. 10/223,025.
OTHER RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS
The following applications are related to this application, but applicant does not claim priority from the following related applications.
This application relates to Serial No. 09/375,479, filed Aug. 16, 1999, having the title of "Smart Shuttles to Complete Oil and Gas Wells", that issued on Feb.
20, 2001 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,621 Bl.
This application also relates to application Serial No. 09/487,197, filed Jan.
19, 2000, having the title of "Closed-Loop System to Complete Oil and Gas Wells", that issued on Jun. 4, 2002 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,946 Bl.
This application also relates to application Serial No. 10/162,302, filed Jun.
4, 2002, having the title of "Closed-Loop Conveyance Systems for Well Servicing", that issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,868,906 B1 on Mar. 22, 2005.
This application also relates to application Serial No. 11/491,408, filed Jul.
22, 2006, having the title of "Methods and Apparatus to Convey Electrical Pumping Systems into Wellbores to Complete Oil and Gas Wells", that issued as U.S. Pat. No.
7,325,606 B1 on Feb. 5, 2008.
And this application also relates to application Serial. No. 12/012,822, filed Feb.
5, 2008, having the title of "Methods and Apparatus to Convey Electrical Pumping Systems into Wellbores to Complete Oil and Gas Wells", that was published as US
2008/128128 Al on Jun. 5, 2008, that issued as U.S. Patent No, 7,836,950 B2 on November 23, 2010. =
RELATED FOREIGN APPLICATIONS
The following foreign applications are related to this application, but applicant does not claim priority from the following related foreign applications.
This application relates to PCT Application Serial Number PCT/US00/22095, filed Aug. 9, 2000, having the title of "Smart Shuttles to Complete Oil and Gas Wells'', that has International Publication Number WO 01/12946 Al, that has International Publication Date of Feb. 22, 2001, that issued as European Patent No.
1,210,498 B1 on the date of Nov. 28, 2007.
This application also relates to Canadian Serial No. CA2000002382171, filed Aug. 9, 2000, having the title of "Smart Shuttles to Complete Oil and Gas Wells", that was published on Feb. 22, 2001, as CA 2382171 AA, that issued as Canadian Patent 2,382,171 on April 6, 2010.
This application further relates to PCT Patent Application Number PCT/US02/26066 filed on Aug. 16, 2002, entitled "High Power Umbilicals for Subterranean Electric Drilling Machines and Remotely Operated Vehicles", that has the International Publication Number WO 03/016671 A2, that has International Publication Date of Feb. 27, 2003, that issued as European Patent No. 1,436,482 131 on the date of Apr. 18, 2007.
This application further relates to Norway Patent Application No. 2004 0771 filed on Aug. 16, 2002, having the title of "High Power Umbilicals for Subterranean Electric Drilling Machines and Remotely Operated Vehicles", that issued as Norway Patent No. 326,447 that issued on Dec. 8, 2008.
This application further relates to PCT Patent Application Number PCT/US2011/035496, filed on May 6, 2011, having the title of "Universal Drilling and Completion System'', that has the International Publication Number WO
2011/140426 Al, that has the International Publication Date of Nov. 10, 2011.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED
U.S. PROVISIONAL PATENT APPLICATIONS
This application relates to Provisional Patent Application No. 60/313,654 filed on Aug. 19, 2001, that is entitled ''Smart Shuttle Systems".
This application also relates to Provisional Patent Application No. 60/353,457 filed on Jan. 31, 2002, that is entitled "Additional Smart Shuttle Systems".
This application further relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
60/367,638 filed on Mar. 26, 2002, that is entitled "Smart Shuttle Systems and Drilling Systems".
And yet further, this application also relates the Provisional Patent Application No. 60/384,964 filed on Jun. 3, 2002, that is entitled "Umbilicals for Well Conveyance Systems and Additional Smart Shuttles and Related Drilling Systems".
This application also relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
60/432,045, filed on Dec. 8, 2002, that is entitled "Pump Down Cement Float Valves for Casing Drilling, Pump Down Electrical Umbilicals, and Subterranean Electric Drilling Systems".
And yet further, this application also relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
60/448,191, filed on Feb. 18, 2003, that is entitled "Long Immersion Heater Systems".
Serial No. 10/223,025 claimed priority from the above Provisional Patent Application No. 60/313,654, No. 60/353,457, No. 60/367,638 and No. 0/384,964, and Applicant claims any relevant priority in the present application.
Serial No. 10/729,509 claimed priority from various Provisional Patent Applications, including Provisional Patent Application No. 60/432,045, and 60/448,191, and Applicant claims any relevant priority in the present application.
The present application also relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
60/455,657, filed on Mar. 18, 2003, that is entitled "Four SDCI Application Notes Concerning Subsea Umbilicals and Construction Systems.
The present application further relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
60/504,359, filed on Sep. 20, 2003, that is entitled "Additional Disclosure on Long Immersion Heater Systems".
The present application also relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
60/523,894, filed on Nov. 20, 2003, that is entitled "More Disclosure on Long Immersion Heater Systems".
The present application further relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
60/532,023, filed on Dec. 22, 2003, that is entitled "Neutrally Buoyant Flowlines for Subsea Oil and Gas Production".
And yet further, the present application relates to Provisional Patent Application No. 60/535,395, filed on Jan. 10, 2004, that is entitled "Additional Disclosure on Smart Shuttles and Subterranean Electric Drilling Machines".
Serial No. 10/800,443 claimed priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Applications No. 60/455,657, No. 60/504,359, No. 60/523,894, No. 60/532,023, and No.
60/535,395, and applicant claims any relevant priority in the present application.
Further, the present application relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
60/661,972, filed on Mar. 14, 2005, that is entitled "Electrically Heated Pumping Systems Disposed in Cased Wells, in Risers, and in Flowlines for Immersion Heating of Produced Hydrocarbons".
Yet further, the present application relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
60/665,689, filed on Mar. 28, 2005, that is entitled "Automated Monitoring and Control of Electrically Heated Pumping Systems Disposed in Cased Wells, in Risers, and in Flowlines for Immersion Heating of Produced Hydrocarbons".
Further, the present application relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
60/669,940, filed on Apr. 9, 2005, that is entitled "Methods and Apparatus to Enhance Performance of Smart Shuttles and Well Locomotives".
And further, the present application relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
60/761,183, filed on Jan. 23, 2006, that is entitled "Methods and Apparatus to Pump Wirelines into Cased Wells Which Cause No Reverse Flow".
And yet further, the present application relates to Provisional Patent Application No. 60/794,647, filed on Apr. 24, 2006, that is entitled "Downhole DC to AC
Converters to Power Downhole AC Electric Motors and Other Methods to Send Power Downhole".
Still further, the present application relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
61/189,253, filed on Aug. 15, 2008, that is entitled "Optimized Power Control of Downhole AC and DC Electric Motors and Distributed Subsea Power Consumption Devices".
And further, the present application relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
61/190,472, filed on Aug. 28, 2008, that is entitled "High Power Umbilicals for Subterranean Electric Drilling Machines and Remotely Operated Vehicles".
And finally, the present application relates to Provisional Patent Application No.
61/192,802, filed on Sep. 22, 2008, that is entitled "Seals for Smart Shuttles".
Serial No. 12/583,240 claimed priority from Provisional Patent Applications Serial. No. 61/189,253, No. 61/190,472, No. 61/192,802, No. 61/270,709, and No.
61/274,215, and applicant claims any relevant priority in the present application.
RELATED U.S. TRADEMARKS
Applications for U.S. Trademarks have been filed in the USPTO for several terms used in this application. An application for the Trademark "Smart Shuttle" was filed on Feb. 14, 2001 that is Serial No. 76/213676. The term Smart Shuttle is now a Registered Trademark. The "Smart ShuttleTM" is also called the "Well Locomotive". An application for the Trademark "Well Locomotive" was filed on Feb. 20, 2001 that is Serial Number 76/218211. The term "Well Locomotive" is now a registered Trademark.
An application for the Trademark of "Downhole Rig" was filed on Jun. 11, 2001 that is Serial Number 76/274726. An application for the Trademark "Universal Completion Device" was filed on Jul. 24, 2001 that is Serial Number 76/293175An application for the Trademark "Downhole BOP" was filed on Aug. 17, 2001 that is Serial Number 76/305201.
Accordingly, in view of the Trademark Applications, the term "smart shuttle"
will be capitalized as "Smart Shuttle"; the term "well locomotive" will be capitalized as "Well Locomotive"; the term "downhole rig" will be capitalized as "Downhole Rig"; the term "universal completion device" will be capitalized as "Universal Completion Device"; and the term "downhole bop" will be capitalized as "Downhole BOP".
Other U.S. Trademarks related to the invention disclosed herein include the following: "Subterranean Electric Drilling Machine'', or "SEDMTm"; "Electric Drilling MachineTm", or "EDMTm"; "Electric Liner Drilling MachineTm", or "ELDMTm";
"Continuous Casing Casting MachineTm", or "CCCMTm"; "Liner/Drainhole Drilling MachineTm", or "LDDMTm"; "Drill and Drag Casing Boring MachineTm", or "DDCBMTm"; "Next Step Drilling MachineTm", or "NSDMTm"; "Next Step Electric Drilling MachineTm", or "NSEDMTm"; "Next Step Subterranean Electric Drilling MachineTm", or "NSSEDMTm"; and "Subterranean Liner Expansion ToolTm", or "SLETTm"
Other additional Trademarks related to the invention disclosed herein are the following: ''Electrically Heated Composite UmbilicalTm", or "EHCUTm";
"Electric Flowline Immersion Heater AssemblyTm", or "EFIHATm"; and "Pump-Down Conveyed Flowline Immersion Heater AssemblyTm", or "PDCFIHATm".
Yet other additional Trademarks related to the invention disclosed herein are the following: "Adaptive Electronics Control SystemTm", or "AECSTm"; "Subsea Adaptive Electronics Control SystemTm'', or "SAECSTm"; "Adaptive Power Control SystemTm", or "APCSTm"; and "Subsea Adaptive Power Control SystemTm", or "SAPCSTm".
The Universal Drilling and Completion SystemTmis comprised of the Universal Drilling MachineTm and the Universal Completion MachineTM.
UDCSTM is the trademarked abbreviation for the Universal Drilling and Completion System.
UDMTm is the trademarked abbreviation for the Universal Drilling MachineTM.
UCMTm is the trademarked abbreviation for the Universal Completion MachineTM.
The Leaky SealTM, The Force SubTM and The Torque SubTM are used in various embodiments of these systems and machines.
The Mud Motor Apparatus described herein is now called the Mark IV Mud MotorTM for commercial purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention The general field of the invention relates to the drilling and completion of wellbores in geological formations, primarily in the oil and gas industries.
Commercially available progressing cavity mud motors are used in many drilling applications. The particular field of the invention relates to a new type of long-lasting mud motor that is not based upon the typical progressing cavity design, but may be used in many similar or analogous applications.
2. Description of the Related Art Typical rotary drilling systems may be used to drill oil and gas wells. Here, a surface rig rotates the drill pipe attached to the rotary drill bit at depth.
Mud pressure down the drill pipe circulates through the bit and carries chips to the surface via annular mud flow.
Alternatively, a mud motor may be placed at the end of a drill pipe, which uses the power from the mud flowing downhole to rotate a drill bit. Mud pressure still carries chips to the surface, often via annular mud flow.
Typical mud motors as presently used by the oil and gas industry are based upon a progressing cavity design, typically having a rubber type stator and a steel rotor. These are positive displacement devices that are hydraulically efficient at converting the power available from the mud flow into rotational energy of the drill bit. These devices convert that energy by having an intrinsically asymmetric rotor within the stator cavity - so that following pressurization with mud, a torque develops making the rotor spin.
These devices also generally have tight tolerance requirements.
In practice, mud motors tend to wear out relatively rapidly, requiring replacement that involves tripping the drill string to replace the mud motor. Tripping to replace a mud motor is a very expensive process. In addition, there are problems using these mud motors at higher temperatures. It is probably fair to say, that if the existing mud motors were much more long-lasting, that these would be used much more frequently in the industry. This is so in part because the rotary steering type directional drilling controls function well with mud motors, providing relatively short radaii of curvature as compared to standard rotary drilling long with drill pipes. Mud motors also work well with industry-standard LWD/MWD data acquisition systems.
As an alternative to using mud motors, there are turbine drilling systems available today. These are not positive displacement type motors. They work at relatively high RPM to achieve hydraulic efficiency, often require a gear box to reduce the rotational speed of any attached rotary drill bit, are expensive to manufacture, and are relatively fragile devices having multiple turbine blades within their interiors.
So, until now, there are two widely used basic alternatives - rotary drilling and the use of mud motors. The mud motors "almost work well enough" to satisfy many industry requirements. However, looking at the progressing cavity design a little more closely also reveals that the rotor must be asymmetric in its stator to develop torque. In general, positive displacement motors suffer from this disadvantage - they are generally not cylindrically symmetric about a rotational axis. This in turn results in requiring that the output of a shaft of the mud motor couple to a "wiggle rod" to decouple the unwanted motion from the rotary drill bit. Such eccentric motion results in unwanted vibrations in adjacent equipment - such as in directional drilling systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a long-lasting mud motor assembly that may be used in applications where progressing cavity mud motors are presently used.
Another object of the invention is to provide a long-lasting mud motor assembly that continues to function even when its internal parts undergo significant wear.
Another object of the invention is to provide a long-lasting mud motor assembly that is primarily made from all-metal parts.
Another object of the invention is to provide a long-lasting mud motor assembly having internal parts that have relatively loose tolerances that are therefore relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
Another object of the invention is to provide a long-lasting mud motor assembly that is primarily made from all-metal, relatively loosely fitting parts that operates at temperatures much higher than the operational temperatures of typical progressing cavity type mud motors.
Another object of the invention is to provide a long-lasting mud motor assembly having loosely fitting internal parts that allows relatively small amounts of pressurized mud to leak through these loosely fitting internal parts.
Another object of the invention is to provide a long-lasting mud motor assembly having at least one loosely fitting internal piston within a cylindrical housing that forms a leaky seal that allows a predetermined mud flow through the leaky seal during operation.
Another object of the invention is to provide a long-lasting mud motor assembly that produces more power per unit length than standard progressing cavity mud motors.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a mud motor assembly having a drive shaft that rotates concentrically about an axis of rotation.
Another object of the invention is to provide a mud motor assembly that does not require a wiggle rod to compensate for eccentric motion of internal parts.
In one embodiment, a mud motor apparatus (12) is provided possessing one single drive shaft (20) that turns a rotary drill bit (70), which apparatus is attached to a drill pipe (486) that is a source of high pressure mud (14) to said apparatus, wherein said drive shaft (20) receives at least a first portion (494) of its rotational torque from any high pressure mud (492) flowing through a first hydraulic chamber (84) within said apparatus, and said drive shaft (20) receives at least a second portion (498) of its rotational torque from any high pressure mud (496) flowing through a second hydraulic chamber (98) within said apparatus.
In a second embodiment, a method is provided to provide torque and power to a rotary drill bit (70) rotating clockwise attached to a drive shaft (20) of a mud motor assembly (12) comprising at least the following steps:
a. providing relatively high pressure mud (14) from a drill pipe (486) attached to an uphole end of said mud motor assembly (484);
b. passing at least a first portion (492) of said relatively high pressure mud through a first hydraulic chamber (84) having a first piston (24) that rotates a first crankshaft (22) clockwise about its own rotation axis from its first relative starting position at 0 degrees through a first angle of at least 210 degrees, but less than 360 degrees during its first power stroke (Figures 9, 9A, 9B,9C, 9D, 9E, 9F,and 9G);
c. mechanically coupling said first crankshaft (22) by a first ratchet means (30) to a first portion (44) of said drive shaft (20) to provide clockwise rotational power to said drive shaft during said first power stroke (Figures 9, 9A, 9B,9C, 9D, 9E, 9F,and 9G);
d. passing at least a second portion (496) of said relatively high pressure mud through a second hydraulic chamber (98) having a second piston (28) that rotates a second crankshaft (26) clockwise about its own rotation axis from its first relative starting position of 0 degrees through a second angle of at least 210 degrees, but less than 360 degrees during its second power stroke (502);
e. mechanically coupling said second crankshaft (26) by a second ratchet means (48) to a second portion (62) of said drive shaft (20) to provide clockwise rotational power to said drive shaft during said second power stroke 502; and f providing first control means (46) of said first ratchet means (30), and providing second control means (64) of said second ratchet means (48), to control the relative timing of rotations of said first crankshaft and said second crankshaft (Figures 20, 21A, and 21 B) so that at the particular time that said first crankshaft (22) has rotated from its first relative starting position through 180 degrees nearing the end of its first power stroke at 210 degrees, said second crankshaft begins its rotational motion from its relative starting position of 0 degrees were it begins its second power stroke 502.
In a third embodiment, said first ratchet means (30) is comprised of a first pawl (40) that is flexibly attached by a first torsion rod spring (350) and second torsion rod spring (352) to said first crankshaft (22), and first pawl latch (44) that is an integral portion of the drive shaft (20).
In a fourth embodiment, said second ratchet means (48) is comprised of a second pawl (58) that is flexibly attached by third torsion rod spring (504) and fourth torsion rod spring (506) to said second crankshaft (26), and second pawl latch (62) that is an integral portion of the drive shaft (20).
In a fifth embodiment, said first control means is comprised of a first pawl lifter means (46) that is an integral portion of the drive shaft (20) that lifts said first pawl (40) in a first fixed relation to said drive shaft (20).
In a sixth embodiment, said second control means is comprised of a second pawl lifter (64) means that is an integral portion of the drive shaft (20) that lifts said second pawl (58) in a second fixed relation to said drive shaft.
In a seventh embodiment, following the clockwise rotation of the said first crankshaft (22) about its rotational axis through an angle of at least 210 degrees during its first power stroke(Figures 9, 9A, 9B,9C, 9D, 9E, 9F,and 9G), said first pawl lifter means (46) disengages said first pawl (40) from said first pawl latch (44), so that first torsion spring (78) returns first crankshaft (22) in a counter-clockwise rotation to its initial starting position completing a first power stroke and first return cycle for said first crankshaft (22) while said drive shaft (20) continues to rotate clockwise unimpeded by the return motion of said first crankshaft (Figure 9J and Figure 16B).
In an eighth embodiment, following the clockwise rotation of the said second crankshaft (26) about its rotational axis through an angle of at least 210 degrees during its second power stroke (502), said second pawl lifter means (64) disengages said second pawl (58) from said second pawl latch (62), so that second torsion spring (92) returns second crankshaft (26) in a counter-clockwise rotation to its initial starting position completing a second power stroke and second return cycle for the second crankshaft (26) while said drive shaft (20) continues to rotate clockwise unimpeded by the return motion of said second crankshaft (508 and 510).
In a ninth embodiment, the first torsional energy stored in said first torsion return spring (78) at the end of said first power stroke is obtained by said first crankshaft (22) twisting said first torsion return spring (78) during said first power stroke (Figures 9, 9A, 9B,9C, 9D, 9E, 9F,and 9G).
In a tenth embodiment, the second torsional energy stored in said second torsion return spring (92) at the end of said second power stroke is obtained by said second crankshaft 26 twisting said second torsion return spring (92) during said second power stroke (502).
In an eleventh embodiment, said first power stroke and said second power stroke are repetitiously repeated so that torque and power is provided to said clockwise rotating drive shaft (20) attached to said drill bit (70), whereby said clockwise rotation is that rotation observed looking downhole toward the top of the rotary drill bit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 shows a side view of the Mud Motor Assembly 12.
Figure 2 shows regions within the Mud Motor Assembly having Relatively High Pressure Mud Flow (RHPMF) 14. Special shadings are used in Figures 2 and 2A as discussed in the specification.
Figure 2A shows regions within the Mud Motor Assembly having Relatively Low Pressure Mud Flow (RLPMF) 16 Figure 3 shows the Housing 18 of the Mud Motor Assembly. Special shadings are used for the series of Figure 3, 4 and 5 drawings as discussed in the specification.
Figure 3A shows the Drive Shaft 20 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3B shows Crankshaft A 22 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3C shows Piston A 24 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3D shows Crankshaft B 26 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3E shows Piston B 28 of the Mud Motor Assembly Figure 3F shows Ratchet Assembly A 30 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3G shows Return Assembly A 32 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3H shows Flywheel A 34 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3J shows the Raised Guide for Pawl A Capture Pin 36 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3K shows the Pawl A Capture Pin 38 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3L shows Pawl A 40 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3M shows Drive Pin A 42 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3N schematically shows the Pawl A Latch Lobe 44 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3P schematically shows the Pawl A Lifter Lobe 46 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4 shows Ratchet Assembly B 48 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4A shows Return Assembly B 50 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4B shows Flyweel B 52 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4C shows the Raised Guide for Pawl B Capture Pin 54 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4D shows the Pawl B Capture Pin 56 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4E shows Pawl B 58 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4F shows Drive Pin B 60 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4G schematically shows the Pawl B Latch Lobe 62 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4H schematically shows the Pawl B Lifter Lobe 64 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4J shows the Drill Bit Coupler 66 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4K shows the Drill Pipe 68 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4L shows the Rotary Drill Bit 70 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4M shows the Upper, Middle and Lower Main Bearings (respectively numerals 72, 74, and 76 from left-to-right) of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4N shows Return Spring A 78 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4P shows Intake Valve A 80 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5 shows the First External Crankshaft A Bearing 82 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5A schematically shows Chamber A 84 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5B shows the Internal Crankshaft A Bearing 86 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5C shows Second External Crankshaft A Bearing 88 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5D shows Exhaust Valve A 90 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5E shows Return Spring B 92 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5F shows Intake Valve B 94 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5G shows the First External Crankshaft B Bearing 96 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5H schematically shows Chamber B 98 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5J shows the Internal Crankshaft B Bearing 100 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5K shows the Second External Crankshaft B Bearing 102 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5L shows the Exhaust Valve B 104 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5M shows the Coupler Bearing 106 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 6 side view of the Mud Motor Assembly 108 which is longitudinally divided into portions shown in Figures 6A, 68, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F and 6G.
Figure 6A shows an enlarged first longitudinal portion 110 of the Mud Motor Assembly as noted on Figure 6.
Figure 6B shows an enlarged second longitudinal portion 112 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 6C shows an enlarged third longitudinal portion 114 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 6D shows an enlarged fourth longitudinal portion 116 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 6E shows an enlarged fifth longitudinal portion 118 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 6F shows an enlarged sixth longitudinal portion 120 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 6G shows an enlarged seventh longitudinal portion 122 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 7 shows an Isometric View of Hydraulic Chamber S 124 that is a schematic portion of one embodiment of one embodiment of a Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 7A shows an Isometric View of Hydraulic Chamber T 182 that is a schematic portion of one embodiment of one embodiment of a Mud Motor Assembly.
Figures 7B shows a end view 238 of Chamber S looking uphole which is Shown Isometically in Figure 7.
Figure 7C shows an End View 240 of Chamber T looking uphole which is shown isometrically in Figure 7A.
Figure 8 shows the Right-Hand Rule 268 appropriate for the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 9 shows a cross-section view FF of the Mud Motor Assembly in Figure 6C with Piston A at angle theta of 0 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 9A shows Piston A in Position at 30 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly during its Power Stroke.
Figure 9B shows Piston A in Position at 60 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly during its Power Stroke.
Figure 9C shows Piston A in Position at 90 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly during its Power Stroke.
Figure 9D shows Piston A in Position at 120 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly during its Power Stroke.
Figure 9E shows Piston A in Position at 150 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly during its Power Stroke.
Figure 9F shows Piston A in Position at 180 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly during its Power Stroke.
Figure 9G shows Piston A in Position at 210 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly at the end of its 100% full strength Power Stroke.
Figure 9H shows the various compnents within cross section FF in Figure 6C.
Figure 9J shows Piston A during a portion of its Reset Stroke, or its Return Stroke.
Figure 9K shows Piston A during a portion of its Power Stroke.
Figure 9L shows new positions for previous elements 278 and 280.
Figure 10 shows a Cross-Section View of the Housing 18 in the Mud Motor Assembly. Special shadings are used for the series of Figure 10 drawings as discussed in the specification.
Figure 10A shows a Cross-Section View of Crankshaft A 22 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10B shows a Cross-Section View of the Internal Crankshaft A Bearing 86 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10C shows a Cross-Section View of the Drive Shaft 20 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure IOD shows a Cross-Section of Piston A 24 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10E shows a Cross-Section of Backstop A 272 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure IOF shows a Cross-Section of Bypass Tube A-1 274 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10G shows a Cross-Section of Bypass Tube A-2 276 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10H shows a Cross-Section of the Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA") 278 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10J shows a Cross-Section of the Exhaust Port of Chamber A ("EPCHA'') 280 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10K shows a Cross-Section of the Backstop Port of Chamber A
("BPCHA'') 282 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10L shows a Cross-Section of the Backstop to Housing Weld 284 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10M shows a Cross-Section of Piston A to Crankshaft A Weld 286 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 11 shows the Basic Component Dimensions for a preferred embodiment of the Mud Motor Assembly having an OD of 6 1/4 Inches.
Figure 12 shows an Uphole View of the Upper Main Bearing 72 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 12A shows a Section View of the Upper Main Bearing 72 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 12B shows an Uphole View of the Middle Main Bearing 74 in the Mud Motor Assembly having passageways.
Figure 12C shows a Section View of the Middle Main Bearing 74 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 13 shows a Section View of Installed Return Spring A 78 Which is a Portion of Ratchet Assembly A 30 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 13A shows a Perspective View of Return Spring A 78 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 14 shows a Cross Section View CC of Ratchet Assembly A in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 14A shows a cross section portion 354 of Drive Pin A for a Preferred Embodiment of the Mud Motor Assembly Having an OD of 6 1/4 Inches.
Figure 14B shows a Cross Section View DD of one embodiment of Ratchet Assembly A in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 14C shows a Cross Section View EE of one embodiment of Ratchet Assembly A in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 14D shows How to Utilize a Larger Drive Pin 364 than that shown in Figure 14C.
Figure 14E shows an Optional Larger and Different Shaped Drive Pin 370 than in Figure 14C.
Figure 14F shows a Cross Section View AA of Ratchet Assembly A in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 14G shows an Uphole View of Flywheel A and Raised Guide for Pawl A
Capture Pin in Section BB of Ratchet Assembly A Showing Sequential Movement of Pawl A Capture Pin in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 15 shows one embodiment of the Pawl A Latch Lobe 44 Fully Engaged With Pawl A 40 at mating position 376 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 15A shows one embodiment of the Pawl A Latch Lobe 44 Completely Disengaged From Pawl A 40 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 15B shows an Optional Slot 378 Cut in Pawl A 40 to Make Torsion Cushion at mating position 376 During Impact of Pawl A Latch Lobe in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 16 shows the Pawl A Lifter Lobe at theta of 0 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 16A shows the Pawl A Lifter Lobe at 210 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 16B shows the Pawl A Lifter Lobe 46 at -90 Degrees and the Partial Return of Pawl A 40 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 17 shows Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 Passing theta of 0 Degrees allowing relatively high pressure mud to flow through the Intake Port A 402 and then through the Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA") 278 and thereafter into Chamber A, thus beginning the Power Stroke of Piston A in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 17A shows the Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 Passing theta of degrees during the Power Stroke of Piston A in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 17B shows the Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 Passing theta of 180 degrees during the Power Stroke of Piston A in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 17C shows the Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 Passing theta of 210 degrees during the very end of the Power Stroke of Piston A in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 17D shows Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 Passing theta of 240 degrees after the Power Stroke of Piston A has ended.
Figure 17E shows Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 at theta of - 30 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly During the Return Stroke of Piston A.
Figure 17F shows Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A again passing theta of 0 degrees that begins the Power Stroke of Piston A in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 18 shows the upper portion of the Bottom Hole Assembly 408 that includes the Mud Motor Assembly 12.
Figure 19 shows the downhole portion of the Bottom Hole Assembly 422.
Figure 20 shows the Relatively High Pressure Mud Flow ("RHPMF") through various ports, valves, and channels within the Mud Motor Apparatus.
Figure 20A shows the Relatively Low Pressure Mud Flow ("RLPMF") through various ports, valves, and channels within the Mud Motor Apparatus.
Figure 21 compares the pressure applied to the Drive Port of Chamber B
("DPCHB") to the pressure applied to Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA").
Figure 21A shows that a low pressure PL is applied to the Exhaust Port of
21 Chamber A ("EPCHA") and to the Exhaust Port of Chamber B ("EPCHB") during the appropriate Return Strokes.
Figure 21B shows the relationship between the maximum lift of the tip of the Pawl A Lifter Lobe 394 and the pressure applied to the Drive Port of Chamber A
("DPCHA'').
This concludes the Brief Description of the Drawings. In all, there are 119 Figures, but with two Figures on one page in the case of Figures 7B and 7C, there are 118 Sheets of Drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Figure 1 shows a side view of the Mud Motor Assembly 12.
High and Low Pressure Mud Flow Figure 2 shows regions within the Mud Motor Assembly having Relatively High Pressure Mud Flow (RHPMF) 14 designated by the unique shading used only for this purpose defined on the face of Figure 2.
Figure 2A shows regions within the Mud Motor Assembly having Relatively Low Pressure Mud Flow (RLPMF) 16 designated by the unique shading used only for this purpose defined on the face of Figure 2A.
Cross-Hatch Shading of Individual Components of Mud Motor Assembly (forty three figures) Note: There are not a sufficient number of unique shadings for drawing components which can be used to identify individual components of the Mud Motor Assembly and which satisfy the drawing rules at the USPTO. Consequently, in this series of figures, the same identical double cross-hatching is used in each figure to identify a specific component on any one figure, but the same looking double cross-hatching shading is used in all the different figures in this series of figures for component labeling purposes. On any one figure, there is only one component identified with double cross-hatching, but the meaning of that double cross-hatching is unique and applies solely and only to that one figure. In general, the meaning of the double cross-hatching is defined by a relevant box on the face of the figure having an appropriate legend.
22 Figure 3 shows the Housing 18 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3A shows the Drive Shaft 20 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3B shows Crankshaft A 22 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3C shows Piston A 24 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3D shows Crankshaft B 26 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3E shows Piston B 28 of the Mud Motor Assembly Figure 3F shows Ratchet Assembly A 30 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3G shows Return Assembly A 32 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3H shows Flywheel A 34 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3J shows the Raised Guide for Pawl A Capture Pin 36 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3K shows the Pawl A Capture Pin 38 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3L shows Pawl A 40 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3M shows Drive Pin A 42 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3N schematically shows the Pawl A Latch Lobe 44 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 3P schematically shows the Pawl A Lifter Lobe 46 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4 shows Ratchet Assembly B 48 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4A shows Return Assembly B 50 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4B shows Flyweel B 52 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4C shows the Raised Guide for Pawl B Capture Pin 54 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4D shows the Pawl B Capture Pin 56 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4E shows Pawl B 58 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4F shows Drive Pin B 60 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4G schematically shows the Pawl B Latch Lobe 62 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4H schematically shows the Pawl B Lifter Lobe 64 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4J shows the Drill Bit Coupler 66 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4K shows the Drill Pipe 68 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
23 Figure 4L shows the Rotary Drill Bit 70 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4M shows the Upper, Middle and Lower Main Bearings (respectively numerals 72, 74, and 76 from left-to-right) of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4N shows Return Spring A 78 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 4P shows Intake Valve A 80 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5 shows the First External Crankshaft A Bearing 82 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5A schematically shows Chamber A 84 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5B shows the Internal Crankshaft A Bearing 86 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5C shows Second External Crankshaft A Bearing 88 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5D shows Exhaust Valve A 90 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5E shows Return Spring B 92 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5F shows Intake Valve B 94 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5G shows the First External Crankshaft B Bearing 96 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5H schematically shows Chamber B 98 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure Si shows the Internal Crankshaft B Bearing 100 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5K shows the Second External Crankshaft B Bearing 102 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5L shows the Exhaust Valve B 104 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 5M shows the Coupler Bearing 106 of the Mud Motor Assembly.
Enlarged Portions of Mud Motor Assembly (eight figures) Figure 6 shows a particular side view of the Mud Motor Assembly 108 which is longitudinally divided into seven portions respectively identified by double-ended arrows meant to designate the particular longitudinal portions appearing in Figures 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F and 6G.
Figure 6A shows an enlarged first longitudinal portion 110 of the Mud Motor
24 Assembly as noted on Figure 6. Cross-sections AA, BB, CC, DD and EE are defined in Figure 6A.
Figure 6B shows an enlarged second longitudinal portion 112 of the Mud Motor Assembly as noted on Figure 6. Cross-sections AA, BB, CC, DD and EE are defined in Figure 6B.
Figure 6C shows an enlarged third longitudinal portion 114 of the Mud Motor Assembly as noted on Figure 6. Cross-section CC is defined in Figure 6C.
Figure 6D shows an enlarged fourth longitudinal portion 116 of the Mud Motor Assembly as noted on Figure 6.
Figure 6E shows an enlarged fifth longitudinal portion 118 of the Mud Motor Assembly as noted on Figure 6.
Figure 6F shows an enlarged sixth longitudinal portion 120 of the Mud Motor Assembly as noted on Figure 6.
Figure 6G shows an enlarged seventh longitudinal portion 122 of the Mud Motor Assembly as noted on Figure 6.
Schematic Views of Hydraulic Chambers S and T
(four figures) Figure 7 Figure 7 shows an Isometric View of Hydraulic Chamber S 124 that is a schematic portion of one embodiment of one embodiment of a Mud Motor Assembly.
This view is looking uphole. It posses cylindrical housing 126 and integral interior backstop 128 that may be welded to the interior of the housing 126. Piston S
130 is welded to rotating shaft 132 that rotates in the clockwise direction (see the legend CW) looking downhole.
Lower plate 134 and upper plate 135 (not shown) form a hydraulic cavity.
Relatively high pressure mud 136 is forced into input port 138, and relatively low pressure mud 140 flows out of the hydraulic chamber through exhaust port 142.
The distance of separation 146 between the downhole edge 148 of the cylindrical housing and the uphole face 150 of lower plate 134 results in a gap between these components that generally results in mud flowing in direction 152 during the Power Stroke of Piston S
130. The distance of separation and other relevant geometric details defines of the leaky seal 154. Different distances of separation may be chosen. For example, various embodiments of the invention may choose this distance to be .010, .020, .030 or .040 inches. A close tolerance in one embodiment might be chosen to be .001 inches.
A
loose tolerance in another embodiment might be chosen to be .100 inches. How much mud per unit time F154 flows out of this leaky seal 154 at a given pressure P136 of mud flowing into input port 138 is one parameter of significant interest. Rotating shaft 132 is constrained to rotate concentrically within the interior of cylindrical housing 126 by typical bearing assemblies 156 (not shown for brevity) that are suitably affixed to a splined shaft (158 not shown), a portion of which slips into splined shaft interior 160 through hole 161 in lower plate 134.
In Figure 7, pressure P136 is applied to input port 138 that causes mud to flow into that input port 138 at the rate of F136. Typical units of pressure P136 are in psi (pounds per square inch) and typical units of mud flow rates F136 into that input port 138 are in gpm (gallons per minute). In Figure 7, mud 140 flows out of the exhaust port 142 at the rate of F140 and at pressure P140. In a hypothetical example, there might be only one leaky seal 154 in Hydraulic Chamber S, and then mud flows out of leaky seal 154 at the rate of F154. In the further hypothetical example that leaky seal 154 might be a tight seal and impervious to leakage, then the flow rate F136 into the Hydraulic Chamber S would then equal the flow rate F140 out of the Hydraulic Chamber S.
The horsepower HP136 delivered to the mud 136 flowing into the input port 138 is given by the following:
HP136 = P136 x F136 (Equation 1) The horsepower HP140 delivered to the mud 140 flowing out the exhaust port 142 is given by the following:
HP140 = P140 x F140 (Equation 2) The difference in the two horsepower's is used to provide rotational power to the rotating shaft 132 (1-IP132) and to overcome mechanical and fluid frictional effects (HPF). So, in this case of a tight seal 154:
HP132 = HP136 - HP140 - HPFS (Equation 3) (In general, HPFS = HPMS + HPFS. where HPMS provide the combined mechanical frictional losses and HPF are combined fluid frictional losses in Hydraulic Chamber S, and each of these components, can be further subdivided into individual subcomponents.) This rotational power can be used to do work - including providing the rotational power to rotate a drill bit during a portion of the "Power Stroke"
of Piston S 130. The rotational speed of the Piston S 130 is given by the volume swept out by the piston as it rotates about the axis of rotating shaft 132. That rotational speed is in RPM, and is defined by RPM132. If the volume swept out by Piston S due to a hypothetical 360 degree rotation is VPS360, then one estimate of the RPM is given by the following:
RPM = VPS360/ F136 (Equation 4) However, if there is fluid flow F154 through leaky seal 154, then part of the power is delivered to mud flowing out of the leaky seal that is HP154. In this case, the power delivered to the rotating shaft is then given by:
HP132 = HP136 - HP140 - HPFS -HP154 (Equation 5) In general, hydraulic cavities are relatively expensive to manufacture. And, close tolerances typically lead to relatively earlier failures - especially in the case of using Hydraulic Chamber S to provide rotational energy from mud flowing down a drill string.
The looser the tolerances on the leaky seal, the less expensive, and more prone to long service lives. So, there is a trade-off between loss of horsepower delivered to mud flowing through leaky seal 154 in this one example, and expense and longevity of the related Hydraulic Chamber S.
The Hydraulic Chamber S shown in Figure 7 may have many leaky seals. Leaky seal 154 has been described. However, there may be another leaky seal 158 between the analogous seal between the upper edge 162 of housing 126 and the downhole face (not shown) of upper plate 135 (not shown). Yet another leaky seal 168 exists between the outer radial portion of the rotating shaft 170 (not shown) and the inner edge of the backstop 172 (not shown). Yet another leaky seal 174 exists between the outer radial edge of Piston S 176 (not shown) and the inside surface of the housing 178 (not shown).
The mud flow rates associated with these leaky seals 154, 158, 168 and 174 are respectively F154, F158, F168, and F174. The horsepower's consumed by these leaking seals are respectively HP154, HP158, HP168 and 11P174. In this case, the power delivered to the rotating shaft during the Powered Stroke of Piston is then given by:
HP132 = HP136 -1110- HPFS - HP154 - HP158 - HP168 - HP174 (Equation 6) The Power Stroke of Piston S 130 is defined as when Piston S is rotating CW as shown in Figure 7. Of course, as shown there, Piston S 130 will eventually rotate through an angle approaching 360 degrees, and will hit the backstop 128.
Therefore, to extract further power, Piston S 130 must be "reset" by rotation CCW back to its original starting position. This is called the Reset Stroke of Piston S 130. To provide continuous rotation to a rotating drill bit then requires other features to be described in the following.
Figure 7A
Figure 7A shows an Isometric View of Hydraulic Chamber T 182 that is a schematic portion of one embodiment of one embodiment of a Mud Motor Assembly.
This view is looking uphole. It posses cylindrical housing 184 and integral interior backstop 186 that may be welded to the interior of the housing 184. Piston T
188 is welded to rotating shaft 190 that rotates in the clockwise direction (see the legend CW) looking downhole. Lower plate 192 and upper plate 193 (not shown) form a hydraulic cavity. Relatively high pressure mud 194 is forced into input port 196, and relatively low pressure mud 198 flows out of the hydraulic chamber through exhaust port 200. The distance of separation 204 between the downhole edge 206 of the cylindrical housing and the uphole face 208 of lower plate 192 results in a gap between these components that generally results in mud flowing in direction 210 during the Power Stroke of Piston T
188. The distance of separation and other relevant geometric details defines of the leaky seal 212. Different distances of separation may be chosen. For example, various embodiments of the invention may choose this distance to be .010, .020, .030 or .040 inches. A close tolerance in one embodiment might be chosen to be .001 inches.
A
loose tolerance in another embodiment might be chosen to be .100 inches. A
loose tolerance in another embodiment might be chosen to be .100 inches. How much mud per unit time F212 flows out of this leaky seal 212 at a given pressure P194 of mud flowing into input port 196 is one parameter of significant interest.
Rotating shaft 190 is constrained to rotate concentrically within the interior of cylindrical housing 184 by typical bearing assemblies 214 (not shown for brevity) that are suitably affixed to a splined shaft (216 not shown), a portion of which slips into splined shaft interior 218 through hole 219 in lower plate 192.
In Figure 7A, pressure P194 is applied to input port 196 that causes mud to flow into that input port 196 at the rate of F194. Typical units of pressure P194 are in psi (pounds per square inch) and typical units of mud flow rates F194 into that input port 196 are in gpm (gallons per minute). In Figure 7A, mud 198 flows out of the exhaust port 200 at the rate of F198 and at pressure P198. In a hypothetical example, there might be only one leaky seal 212 in Hydraulic Chamber T, and then mud flows out of leaky seal 212 in a direction 210 at the rate of F212. In the further hypothetical example that leaky seal 212 might be a tight seal and impervious to leakage, then the flow rate F194 into the Hydraulic Chamber T would then equal the flow rate F198 out of the Hydraulic Chamber T. The horsepower HP194 delivered to the mud 194 flowing into the input port 196 is given by the following:
HP194 = P194 x F194 (Equation 7) The horsepower HP198 delivered to the mud 198 flowing out the exhaust port 200 is given by the following:
HP198 = P198 x F198 (Equation 8) The difference in the two horsepower's is used to provide rotational power to the rotating shaft 190 (HP190) and to overcome mechanical and fluid frictional effects in chamber T (HPFT). So, in this case of a tight seal 212:
HP212 = HP194 - HP198 - HPFT (Equation 9) (In general, HPFT = HPMT + HPFT, where HPMT provide the combined mechanical frictional losses HPMT and HPFT are combined fluid frictional losses in Chamber T, and each of these components, can be further subdivided into individual subcomponents.) This rotational power can be used to do work - including providing the rotational power to rotate a drill bit during a portion of the "Power Stroke"
of Piston T
188. The rotational speed of the Piston T 188 is given by the volume swept out by the piston as it rotates about the axis of rotating shaft 190. That rotational speed is in RPM, and is defined by RPM190. If the volume swept out by Piston T due to a hypothetical 360 degree rotation is VPT360, then one estimate of the RPM is given by the following:
RPM = VPT360/ F136 (Equation 10) However, if there is fluid flow F212 through leaky seal 212, then part of the power is delivered to mud flowing out of the leaky seal that is HP212. In this case, the power delivered to the rotating shaft is then given by:
HP190 = HP194 - HP198 - HPFT - HP212 (Equation 11) In general, hydraulic cavities are relatively expensive to manufacture. And, close tolerances typically lead to relatively earlier failures - especially in the case of using Hydraulic Chamber T to provide rotational energy from mud flowing down a drill string.
The looser the tolerances on the leaky seal, the less expensive, and more prone to long service lives. So, there is a trade-off between loss of horsepower delivered to mud flowing through leaky seal 212 in this one example, and expense and longevity of the related Hydraulic Chamber T.
The Hydraulic Chamber T shown in Figure 7A may have many leaky seals.
Leaky seal 212 has been described. However, there may be another leaky seal between the analogous seal between the upper edge 220 of housing 184 and the downhole face 222 (not shown) of upper plate 193 (not shown). Yet another leaky seal 226 exists between the outer radial portion of the rotating shaft 228 (not shown) and the inner edge of the backstop 230 (not shown). Yet another leaky seal 232 exists between the outer radial edge of Piston T 234 (not shown) and the inside surface of the housing 236 (not shown).
The mud flow rates associated with these leaky seals 212, 216, 226 and 232 are respectively F212, F216, F226, and 232. The horsepower's consumed by these leaking seals are respectively HP212, HP216, HP226 and HP232. In this case, the power delivered to the rotating shaft during the Powered Stroke of Piston T is then given by:
HP190 = 11P194 - HP198 - HPFT - HP212 - HP216 - HP226 - HP232 (Equation 12) The Power Stroke of Piston T 188 is defined as when Piston T is rotating CW as shown in Figure 7A. Of course, as shown there, Piston T 188 will eventually rotate through an angle approaching 360 degrees, and will hit the backstop 186.
Therefore, to extract further power, Piston T 188 must be "reset" by rotation CCW back to its original starting position. This is called the Reset Stroke of Piston T 188. To provide continuous rotation to a rotating drill bit then requires other features to be described in the following.
Figures 7B and 7C
Figures 7B shows a end view 238 of Chamber S looking uphole which is Shown Isometically in Figure 7. The other numerals have been previously defined above.
Figure 7C shows an End View 240 of Chamber T looking uphole which is shown isometrically in Figure 7A. The other numerals have been previously defined above.
Two Hydraulic Chambers Various possibilities were examined that provided a mud motor assembly having two hydraulic chambers, each having its own power stroke and return stroke, acting together, and providing continuous power to a rotary drill bit.
With regards to Figure 7, it states above: "Rotating shaft 132 is constrained to rotate concentrically within the interior of cylindrical housing 126 by typical bearing assemblies 156 (not shown for brevity) that are suitably affixed to a splined shaft (158 not shown), a portion of which slips into splined shaft interior 160 through hole 161 in lower plate 134."
With regards to Figure 7A, it states above: "Rotating shaft 190 is constrained to rotate concentrically within the interior of cylindrical housing 184 by typical bearing assemblies 214 (not shown for brevity) that are suitably affixed to a splined shaft (216 not shown), a portion of which slips into splined shaft interior 218 through hole 219 in lower plate 192."
In a series of preferred embodiments of the invention, methods and apparatus are disclosed that allow two separate Power Chambers, each having its own Power Stoke, and Return Stroke, to provide continuous rotation to a to a rotary drill bit.
In terms of the simple diagrams in Figures 7 and 7A, 7B, and 7C, different methods and apparatus are disclosed that allow Hydraulic Chamber S and Hydraulic Chamber T to provide continuous rotation to a rotary drill drill bit. The applicant has investigated several different approaches to this problem including several that are briefly listed below.
A First Embodiment of the Invention Using a Shuttling Splined Shaft In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, a special splined shaft 242 (not shown) with a first splined head 244 (not shown) and a second splined head 246 (not shown) is used to accomplish this goal. This invention is disclosed in detail in Serial No.
61/573,631. This embodiment of the device generally works as follows:
a. During the Power Stroke of Hydraulic Chamber S, first splined head 244 is engaged splined shaft interior 160.
b. During the Return Stoke of Hydraulic Chamber S, first splined head 244 is disengaged from splined shaft interior 160.
c. During the Power Stroke of Hydraulic Chamber T, second splined head 246 is engaged within splined shaft interior 218.
d. During the Return Stoke of Hydraulic Chamber T, second splined head 246 is disengaged within splined shaft interior 218.
Basically, the single splined shaft having two splined heads shuttles back and forth during the appropriate power strokes to provide continuous rotation of the drive shaft that is suitably coupled to the rotating drill bit. Different methods and apparatus are used to suitably control the motion of the two splined heads. Many methods and apparatus here use hydraulic power for the Return Strokes of the Pistons within the Hydraulic Chambers. This approach, while very workable, requires additional hydraulic passageways within the Hydraulic Chambers to make the hydraulic Return Stokes work.
A Second Embodiment of the Invention Using a Shuttling Backstop Another embodiment of the invention is disclosed in Serial No. 61/629,000.
Here, a different version of the backstop 128 is slid through a new slot plate 134 in and out of the hydraulic cavity so that Piston S 130 can continuously rotate -which is attached to the rotating shaft 132. However, this sliding backstop method requires relatively large motions of the sliding backstop that is a disadvantage of this approach.
A Third Embodiment of the Invention Using Hydraulic Return Mechanisms Another embodiment of the invention is described in Serial No. 61/629,000.
Here, a Return Springs are used for for the Return Stokes, but there is a Distributor section to establish proper timing. A Distributor for the purposes herein directs the incoming high pressure mud to various tubes connected to hydraulic chambers, etc. The Distributor here sets the timing - much like an ignition distributor on an old V-8. This approach may not "free run" without the Distributor section. By "Free Run", means when the mud flow starts, the mud motor begins to rotate and requires no separate devices to synchronize its internal functioning.
A Fourth Embodiment of the Invention -The "Mark IV Mud Motor"
The preferred embodiment of the invention described herein has advantages over the first, second and third approaches. With the exception of Figures 7, 7A, 7B, and 7C, the figures in this application are directed at this fourth approach. In Serial No.
61/629,000, in Serial No. 61/633,776 and in Serial No. 61/687,394 this fourth approach is called "The Mark IV Mud Motor (TM)". The Mark IV is drives from the 4th fundamental approach to provide continuous rotation of the rotary drill bit by two separate Hydraulic Chambers each having its own Power Stroke and Return Stroke - and which "Free Runs".
General Comments About Quasi-Positive Displacement Mud Motors Typical rotary drilling systems may be used to drill oil and gas wells. Here, a surface rig rotates the drill pipe attached to the rotary drill bit at depth.
Mud pressure carries chips to the surface via annular mud flow.
Alternatively, a mud motor may be placed at the end of a drill pipe 482 (not shown), which uses the power from the mud flowoing downhole to rotate a drill bit.
Mud pressure still carries chips to the surface, often via annular mud flow.
Typical mud motors as used by the oil and gas industry are based upon the a progressing cavity design, typically having a rubber stator and a steel rotor.
These are positive displacement devices that are hydraulically efficient at turning the power available from the mud flow into rotational energy of the drill bit. These devices convert that energy by having intrinsically asymmetric rotors within the stator cavity - so that following pressurization with mud, a torque develops making the rotor spin.
These devices also generally have tight tolerance requirements. However, in practice, mud motors tend to wear out relatively rapidly, requiring replacement that involves tripping the drill string to replace the mud motor. Tripping to replace a mud motor is a very expensive process. In addition, there are problems using these mud motors at higher temperatures. It is probably fair to say, that if the existing mud motors were much more long-lasting, that these would be used much more frequently in the industry.
This is so in part because the rotary steering type directional drilling controls work well with mud motors, providing relatively short radaii of curvature as compared to standard rotary drilling with drill pipes. Mud motors also work well with industry-standard LWD/MWD
data acquisition systems.
An alternative to using mud motors, there are the turbine drilling systems available today. These are not positive displacement type motors. They work at relatively high RPM to achieve hydraulic efficiency, often require a gear box to reduce the rotational speed of any attached rotary drill bit, are expensive to manufacture, and are relatively fragile devices having multiple turbine blades within their interiors.
So, until now, there are two basic alternatives. The mud motors "almost work well enough'' to satisfy many industry requirements. However, looking at the progressing cavity design a little more closely also reveals that the stator must be asymmetric in its stator to develop torque. In general, positive displacement motors suffer from this disadvantage - they are generally not cylindrically symmetric about a rotational axis. This in turn results in requiring that the output of a shaft of the mud motor couple to a "wiggle rod" to decouple the unwanted motion from the rotary drill bit.
The applicant began investigating motor designs having parts that run concentrically about an axis. If all the parts are truly concentric about a rotational axis, then in principle, there is no difference between right and left, and no torque can develop. However, the applicant decided to investigate if it was possible to make motors that are "almost" positive displacement motors that can be described as "quasi-positive displacement motors" which do develop such torque. The Mark IV Mud Motor is one such design. It runs about a concentric axis. However, the existence of leaky seals within its interior means that it is not a true positive displacement mud motor. If the leaky seals leak about 10% of the fluid from within a hydraulic chamber to the mud flow continuing downhole without imparting the energy from the leaked fluids to the piston, nevertheless, the piston would still obtain 90% of its power from the mud flow. In this case, a relatively minor fraction of the horsepower, such as 15% would be "lost". These leaky seal devices can then be classified as "quasi-positive displacement motors". For example, such motors may have relatively loose fitting components that reduce manufacturing costs. But more importantly, as the interior parts of these motors wear, the motor keeps operating. Therefore, these "quasi-postive displacement motors" have the intrinsic internal design to guarantee long lasting operation under adverse environmental conditions. Further, many of the embodiments, the "quasi-positive displacement motors" are made of relatively loose fitting metal components, so that high temperature operation is possible. The materials are selected so that there is no galling during operation, or jamming due to thermal expansion.
Right-Hand Rule for Mud Motor Assembly Figure 8 shows the Right-Hand Rule 268 appropriate for the Mud Motor Assembly. In Figure 8, the uphole view is looking to the left-hand side, and the downhole view is looking to the right-hand side.
As an example, the Drive Shaft in Figure 8 can be chosen to be Drive Shaft 20 in Figure 3A, And, for example, the flywheel can be chosen to be Flywheel A 34 in Figure 3H. It is conceivable to make another assembly drawing appropriate for only this situation that could be labeled with numeral 270 (not shown), but in the interests of brevity, this approach will not be used any further.
Position of Piston A During Its Power Stroke and Return Stroke (twelve figures) Figure 9 shows a cross-section view FF of the Mud Motor Assembly in Figure 6C with Piston A at angle theta of 0 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly. This view is looking uphole. The position of theta equal 0 degrees is defined as that position of Piston A when mud pressure inside Chamber A reaches a sufficient pressure where Piston A just begins initial movement during the Power Stroke of Piston A.
Figure 9A shows Piston A in Position at 30 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly during its Power Stroke.
Figure 9B shows Piston A in Position at 60 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly during its Power Stroke.
Figure 9C shows Piston A in Position at 90 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly during its Power Stroke.
Figure 9D shows Piston A in Position at 120 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly during its Power Stroke.
Figure 9E shows Piston A in Position at 150 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly during its Power Stroke.
Figure 9F shows Piston A in Position at 180 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly during its Power Stroke.
Figure 9G shows Piston A in Position at 210 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly at the end of its 100% full strength Power Stroke.
Figure 9H shows the various compnents within cross section FF in Figure 6C.
Numerals 18, 20, 22, 24 and 86 had been previously defined. Numerals 272, 274, 276, 278, 280, 282, 284, and 286 are defined in Figures 10, 10A,...., 10L, 10M
which follow.
Element 288 in this direction looking uphole shows the direction of the Power Stroke for Piston A.
Figure 9J shows Piston A during a portion of its Reset Stroke, or its Return Stroke, where Piston A rotates clockwise looking uphole (counter-clockwise looking downhole), until it reaches at "Stop" at theta equals 0 degrees. As will be described later, the "Stop" it may be mechanical in nature, or may be hydraulic in nature.
Element 290 is this direction looking uphole shows the direction of the Reset Stroke, or Return Stroke, of Piston A.
Figure 9K shows Piston A during a portion of its Power Stroke. During the Power Stroke of Piston A, leaky seal 292 may produce mud flowing in a direction past the seal shown as element 294 in Figure 9K. F292 is the flow rate in gpm through leaky seal 292. HP292 is the horsepower dissipated by the mud flow F292 through leaky seal 292. F292 and HP 292 are expected, of course, to be dependent upon the average pressure acting on Piston A during its Power Stroke. Here, the term "average pressure"
includes a spatial or volumetric average, but that average may be at just one instant in time. The "average pressure" may be time dependent. Similar comments apply below to the usage "average pressure".
During the Power Stroke of Piston A, leaky seal 296 may produce mud flowing in a direction past the seal shown as element 298 in Figure 9K. F296 is the flow rate in gpm through leaky seal 296. HP296 is the horsepower dissipated by the mud flow through leaky seal 296. F296 and HP296 are expected, of course, to be dependent upon the average pressure acting on Piston A during its Power Stroke.
Element 300 in Figure 9K defines the region called the Power Chamber.
Pressurized mud in the Power Chamber 300 acts upon Piston A to cause it to move during its Power Stroke. The average pressure acting upon Piston A during its Power Stroke is defined to be P300. The pressure within the Power Chamber 300 may vary with position, and that knowledge is a minor variation of this invention.
Element 302 in Figure 9K defines the region called the Backstop Chamber. The mud within the Backstop Chamber 302 may will have an average pressure acting upon the "back side" Piston A. The average pressure acting upon the back side of Piston A
during its Power Stroke is defined to be P302. The pressure within the Backstop Chamber may vary with position, and that knowledge is a minor variation of this invention.
The portion of Piston A facing the Power Chamber 300 is designated by numeral 304, and has average pressure P304 acting on that portion 304.
The portion of Piston A facing the Backstop Chamber 302 is designated by numeral 306, and has average pressure P306 acting on that portion 306.
The portion of the Backstop facing the Power Chamber 300 is designated by numeral 308, and has average pressure P308 acting on that portion 308. The portion of the Backstop facing the Backstop Chamber 302 is designated by numeral 310, and has average pressure P310 on that portion of 310.
Figure 9L shows new positions for previous elements 278 and 280. Element 312 corresponds to original 278 ("DPCHA"). Element 314 corresponds to original element 280 ("EPCHA"). As shown in Figure 9L, centers of elements 312 and 314 are now at different radii in this embodiment which may assist in the design of the proper operation of intake and exhaust valuing. Either of these new elements can be put at different radial positions than the radial position of the center of 282 ("EPCHA"). See Figures 10H, 10J, and 10K.
Cross Section Views of the Mud Motor Assembly (thirteen figures) Note: There are not a sufficient number of unique shadings for drawing components which can be used to identify all of the individual components of the Mud Motor Assembly and which satisfy the drawing rules at the USPTO. Consequently, in this series of figures, the same identical double cross-hatching is used in each figure to identify a specific component on any one figure, but the same looking double cross-hatching shading is used in all the different figures in this series of figures for component labeling purposes. On any one figure, there is only one component identified with double cross-hatching, but the meaning of that double cross-hatching is unique and applies solely and only to that one figure. In general, the meaning of the double cross-hatching is defined by a relevant box on the face of the figure having an appropriate legend. These comments pertain to Figures 10, 10A, ... 10L, and 10M. The below Cross-Sections pertain to Cross Section FF in Figure 6C.
Figure 10 shows a Cross-Section View of the Housing 18 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10A shows a Cross-Section View of Crankshaft A 22 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10B shows a Cross-Section View of the Internal Crankshaft A Bearing 86 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure IOC shows a Cross-Section View of the Drive Shaft 20 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10D shows a Cross-Section of Piston A 24 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10E shows a Cross-Section of Backstop A 272 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10F shows a Cross-Section of Bypass Tube A-1 274 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10G shows a Cross-Section of Bypass Tube A-2 276 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10H shows a Cross-Section of the Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA") 278 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10J shows a Cross-Section of the Exhaust Port of Chamber A (''EPCHA") 280 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10K shows a Cross-Section of the Backstop Port of Chamber A
("BPCHA") 282 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10L shows a Cross-Section of the Backstop to Housing Weld 284 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 10M shows a Cross-Section of Piston A to Crankshaft A Weld 286 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
6 1/4 Inch OD Mud Motor Figure 11 shows the Basic Component Dimensions for a preferred embodiment of the Mud Motor Assembly having an OD of 6 1/4 Inches. The original source drawing used to generate Figure 1 herein was a scale drawing that showed on a 1:1 scale the parts that would be used to make a 6 1/4 inch OD Mud Motor Assembly. Many of those details appear in Serial No. 61/687,394 which contains many drawings (which is pages long).
There is a legend on Figure 11 that is quoted as follows: 3/8" STRIP. It is applicant's understanding that for a typical 6 1/2 inch OD mud motor now presently manufactured having a progressing cavity design, that the torque and horsepower output is often calculated based upon having an average 3/8 inch wide strip of effective differential piston area that is subject to the mud pressure that generates the torque on the rotor within the stator. The total area causing the torque in such a presently designed and manufactured mud motor is then given by 3/8 inch x the length of the rotor.
By contrast, the present design for a 6 1/4 inch OD Mud Motor Assembly shows that the effective piston width (the legend "PISTON W" in Figure 11), is 0.9625 inches wide. So, the width available to produce torque inside the new design is a factor of 2.6 greater. This is the reason why the new Mud Motor Assembly should be at least twice as powerful per unit length as a presently manufactured progressing cavity type mud motor.
Furthermore, no "wiggle shaft" is needed with the new design, thereby again, making the present invention much more powerful per unit length (other factors being equal.) Bearings Figure 12 shows an Uphole View of the Upper Main Bearing 72 in the Mud Motor Assembly. It is a "split bearing" having an upper bearing part 316 and a lower bearing part 318. The bearing joining line is shown as element 320. It has a hole 322 that is designed to have the proper clearance around the drive shaft during operation.
The split bearing is assembled over the proper portion of the drive shaft, and then Allen head cap screws 324 and 326 are tightened in place. When first placed on the drive shaft, and after the caps screws are tightened, bearing 72 will rotate about the center line of the drive shaft. The entire interior portion of the mud motor assembly is designed to slip into the housing. Then, external Allen head cap screws such as those designed by numeral 328 in Figure 20 are used to hold the bearing in place within the housing by screwing into threaded hole 330. To get threaded hole 330 lined up, a narrow tool can be inserted into the hole in the housing used to accept the cap screw, and that tool can be used to rotate the bearing into proper orientation. Small holes on the radial exterior of the bearing called "indexing holes" 332 (not shown) can be used to conveniently line up the bearing before the cap screw is put into place through the housing to engage threaded hole 330. Typical assembly methods and apparatus known to those having ordinary skill in the art are employed to design and install such split bearings.
Bearing materials are chosen so as not to gall against the drive shaft.
Figure 12A shows a Section View of the Upper Main Bearing 72 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 12B shows an Uphole View of the Middle Main Bearing 74 in the Mud Motor Assembly. Hole passageways 334 and 336 are shown in Figure 12B. These are typical of the various types of passageways through a bearing for the pass-through of tubing above and below a bearing as may be typically required.
Figure 12C shows a Section View of the Middle Main Bearing 74 in the Mud Motor Assembly. Tubing 335 is shown passing through the hole 334 shown in Figure 12B. Tubing 337 is shown passing through the hole 336 shown in Figure 12B.
During assembly, such tubing is first passed through the bearing, and then the entire assembly is pushed into the Housing for further assembly as previously described.
Return Spring A
Figure 13 shows a Section View of Installed Return Spring A 78 Which is a Portion of Ratchet Assembly A 30 in the Mud Motor Assembly. In this embodiment, one end 338 of the Return Spring A is positively anchored into a portion of Crankshaft A
22. The other end 340 of the Return Spring A is positively anchored into a split-bearing-like structure 344 held in place to the housing 18 by Allen cap screw 346 as is typical with such parts in the Mud Motor Assembly. Return Spring A 78 is a type of torsion spring. Typical design and testing procedures are used that are well known to individuals having ordinary skill in the art. Adequate space is to be made available to allow the Return Spring A to suitably change its radial dimensions during operation.
Figure 13A shows a Perspective View of Return Spring A 78 in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Cross Sections of Ratchet Assembly A
(eight figures) Figure 14 shows a Cross Section View CC of Ratchet Assembly A in the Mud Motor Assembly. Housing 18, drive shaft 20, and Crankshaft A 22 have already been defined. This Cross Section CC is marked on Figure 6B. This figure derives from a 1:1 scale drawing for a 6 1/4 inch OD Mud Motor Assembly. The detailed dimensions can be found in Serial No. 61/687,394. In one embodiment, the rounded base portion 348 of the Drive Pin A 42 may be chosen to be a robust 3/4 inches OD. First torsion rod return spring 350 and second torsion rod return spring 352 are shown. The first and second torsion rod return springs provide the spring forces to drive the Pawl A 40 onto the Pawl A Latch Lobe 44 during the final portion of the Return Stroke of Piston A. The symbol EQ stands for equal angles, and convenient choices may be made. There are many different choices for other dimensions including the radii identified by the legends R2, R4, R5 and R6. One particular choice radial dimensions for one embodiment invention may be found in Serial No. 61/687,394 that are appropriate for a 6 1/4 inch OD
Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 14 A shows a cross section portion 354 of Drive Pin A 42 for a Preferred Embodiment of the Mud Motor Assembly Having an OD
of 6 1/4 Inches.
Figure 14B shows a Cross Section View DD of one embodiment of Ratchet Assembly A in the Mud Motor Assembly. This Cross Section DD is marked on Figure 6B. Portion 356 of Drive Pin A 42 is shown. First and second torsion rods 350 and 352 are also shown. Various dimensions are shown that are appropriate for a 6 1/4 inch OD
Mud Motor Assembly. There are many different choices for other dimensions including the radius R4 and a distance of separation X15. One particular choice of these dimensions for one embodiment invention may be found in Serial No. 61/687,394 that are appropriate for a 6 1/4 inch OD Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 14C shows a Cross Section View EE of one embodiment of Ratchet Assembly A in the Mud Motor Assembly. This Cross Section EE is marked on Figure 6B. Portion 358 of Drive Pin A 42 is shown. First and second torsion rods 350 and 352 are also shown. A portion 360 of Pawl A 40 is shown. Drive Pin A Slot 362 is also shown. Various dimensions are shown that are appropriate for a 6 1/4 inch OD
Mud Motor Assembly. There are many different choices for other dimensions including the radii identified by the legends R2 and R4, and the distances identified by the legends X6 and X7. One particular choice of these dimensions for one embodiment invention may be found in Serial No. 61/687,394 that are appropriate for a 6 1/4 inch OD Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 14D shows How to Utilize a Larger Drive Pin 364 than that shown in Figure 14C. Arrows 366 and 368 show the directions of the enlargement of the Drive Pin A Slot 362. The dimensions shown are appropriate for a 6 1/4 inch OD Mud Motor Assembly. The remainder of the legends have been previously defined.
Figure 14E shows an Optional Larger and Different Shaped Drive Pin 370 than in Figure 14C. The dimensions shown are appropriate for a 6 1/4 inch OD Mud Motor Assembly. The remainder of the legends have been previously defined.
Figure 14F shows a Cross Section View AA of Ratchet Assembly A in the Mud Motor Assembly. This Cross Section AA is marked on Figure 6B. Pawl A Capture Pin 38 is shown in its ''down position" 372 seated against the OD of Drive Shaft 20. This drawing was derived from a 1:1 scale drawing for a Mud Motor Assembly having an OD
of 6 1/4 inches. There are many different choices for other dimensions including the radii identified by the legends RI, R2, and R3, and the distances identified by the legends X7, X8, and X9. One particular choice of these dimensions for one embodiment invention may be found in Serial No. 61/687,394 that are appropriate for a 6 1/4 inch OD
Mud Motor Assembly.
Figure 14G shows an Uphole View of Flywheel A and Raised Guide for Pawl A
Capture Pin in Section BB of Ratchet Assembly A Showing Sequential Movement of Pawl A Capture Pin in the Mud Motor Assembly.
A portion 374 of Flywheel 40 is shown. Raised Guide for Pawl A Capture Pin 36 is also shown. Sequential positions a, b, and c of the Pawl A Capture Pin 38 shows how that pin is captured so that the Pawl A 40 is returned to its proper seated position at the end of the Reset Stroke of Piston A. In position "a", the Pawl A Capture Pin is shown in its maximum radial distance R2 away from the center of rotation of the Drive Shaft 20, which is it's maximum "up position" and which can be identified herein as R2(a). In position "c". the Pawl A Capture Pin is in its closest radial distance R2 away from the center of rotation of the Drive Shaft 20, which is it's "down position" and which can be identified herein as R2(c). Position "b" shows an intermediate position of the Pawl A
Capture Pin. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the mathematical difference R2(a) - R2(c) = 3/8 inch plus 1/32 inch. It that embodiment, the Pawl A Seat Width ("PASW") is chosen to be 3/8" (see element 377 in Figure 15A), so that the clearance distance 379 is 1/32" between the Tip of Pawl A lifter Lobe 381 and the ID 383 of the Pawl A 40 in Figure 15A.
There are many choices for Flywheel A. In one preferred embodiment, the energy stored in Flywheel A and in Flywheel B is sufficient to keep the rotary drill bit turning through 360 degrees even if the mud pressure through the drill string drops significantly.
Pawl A and Pawl A Latch Lobe Figure 15 shows one embodiment of the Pawl A Latch Lobe 44 Fully Engaged With Pawl A 40 at mating position 376 in the Mud Motor Assembly. As shown, the Pawl A Capture Pin 38 is opposite theta of 0 degrees ready for the beginning of the Power Stroke of Piston A.
Figure 15A shows one embodiment of the Pawl A Latch Lobe 44 Completely Disengaged From Pawl A 40 in the Mud Motor Assembly. Here the Pawl A Capture Pin is opposite an angle theta slightly in excess of 230 degrees. Pawl A 40 has been lifted into this position by the Pawl A Lifter Lobe 46 of the Mud Motor Assembly, and is ready to begin its return with the Return Stoke of Piston A. Numeral 377 is to designate the Pawl A Seat Width ("PASW''). In several preferred embodiments of the 6 1/4 inch OD
Mud Motor Assembly, PASW is chosen to be 3/8". Figure 15A shows the clearance distance 379 between the Tip of Pawl A Lifter Lobe 381 and the ID 383 of the Pawl A
40. As explained in relation to Figure 14G, the clearance distance 379 is chosen to be 1/32 inch in one preferred embodiment.
Figure 15B shows a Optional Slot 378 Cut in Pawl A 40 to Make Torsion Cushion at mating position 376 During Impact of Pawl A Latch Lobe in the Mud Motor Assembly.
Pawl A Lifter Lobe and Pawl A
Figure 16 shows the Pawl A Lifter Lobe at theta of 0 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly. One embodiment of the Pawl A Lifter Lobe 46 in shown in Figure 16.
Pawl A 40 is also shown. The Pawl A Lifter Lobe 46 has Lifter Lobe Profile 380 that rides within Pawl A Lifter Recession 382. At theta equals 0 degrees, the Pawl A Lobe Lifter 46 does NOT contact any portion of the Pawl A Lifter Recession 382. There is a clearance 384 between the Pawl A Lobe Lifter 46 and any portion of the Pawl A.
Pawl A Stop 386 is shown that is welded in place with weld 388 to the Housing 18 at location 390.
Figure 16A shows the Pawl A Lifter Lobe at 210 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly. Here, the leading edge 392 of Pawl A has made contact with the Pawl A Stop 386, and when that happens, the Pawl A Lifter Lobe makes contact with the Pawl A Lift Recession 382, and drives the Pawl A radially away from the center line of the Mud Motor Assembly. Eventually, the tip of the Pawl A Lifter Lobe 394 rides on the interior portion of the maximum excursion 396 of the Pawl A Lifter Recession 382. As time moves forward from the event shown in Figure 16A, the Pawl A Lifter Lobe that is a part of the Drive Shaft 20 continues its clockwise rotation looking downhole.
Meanwhile, Pawl A will begin its return ruing the Return Stroke of Piston A.
Figure 16B shows the Pawl A Lifter Lobe 46 at -90 Degrees and the Partial Return of Pawl A 40 in the Mud Motor Assembly. The Pawl A Lifter Lobe 46 is rotating clockwise 398 looking downhole. The Pawl A in Figure 16 is rotating counter-clockwise 400 looking downhole.
Intake Valve A
(seven figures) Figure 17 shows Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 Passing theta of 0 Degrees allowing relatively high pressure mud to flow through the Intake Port A 402 and then through the Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA") 278 and thereafter into Chamber A, thus beginning the Power Stroke of Piston A in the Mud Motor Assembly. This portion of mud flowing through this route is designated as numeral 492 (not shown).
The Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 is shown as a dotted line; the Drive Port of Chamber A (''DPCHA") 278 is shown as a solid circle; and these conventions will be the same in the following through Figure 17F. These views are looking uphole. The distance of separation between Intake Port A 402 in Valve 80 and the Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA'') 278 is discussed in relation to Figures 20A and 20B.
Figure 17A shows the Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 Passing theta of degrees during the Power Stroke of Piston A in the Mud Motor Assembly. When the input power to the Mud Motor Assembly matches the output power delivered, then under ideal circumstances, the Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA") 278 synchronously tracks Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80. By "synchronously tracks" means that the two travel at the same angular velocity and they overlap.
Figure 17B shows the Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 Passing theta of 180 degrees during the Power Stroke of Piston A in the Mud Motor Assembly. The Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA") 278 is shown still synchronously tracking the Intake Port 402 while rotating in the clockwise direction 404.
Figure 17C shows the Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 Passing theta of 210 degrees during the very end of the Power Stroke of Piston A in the Mud Motor Assembly. The Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA") 278 is shown still synchronously tracking the Intake Port A 402.
Figure 17D shows Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 Passing theta of 240 degrees after the Power Stroke of Piston A has ended. The Port A 402 in Intake Valve A
80 is an integral part of the Drive Shaft 20, and continues to rotate in the clockwise direction 404 looking downhole. The Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA") 278 is shown during its counter-clockwise motion during the Return Stroke of Piston A
that is rotating in the counter-clockwise direction 406 looking downhole.
Figure 17E shows Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 at theta of - 30 Degrees in the Mud Motor Assembly During the Return Stroke of Piston A. The Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA'') 278 is shown at the end of the Return Stroke of Piston A.
Figure 17F shows Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A again passing theta of 0 degrees that begins the Power Stroke of Piston A in the Mud Motor Assembly.
That Power Stroke of Piston A begins when relatively high pressure mud flows through Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A and then through the Drive Port of Chamber A
("DPCHA") 278 and then into Chamber A that in turns puts a torque on Piston A.
Directional Drilling, MWD & LWD
Figure 18 shows the upper portion of the Bottom Hole Assembly 408 that includes the Mud Motor Assembly 12. The upper threaded portion 410 of the housing 18 accepts the lower threaded portion 412 of the Instrumentation and Control System 414. The upper threaded portion 484 of the Instrumentation and Control System 414 is attached to the drill pipe 486 (not shown) that receives mud from the mud pumps 488 (not shown) located on the surface near the hoist 490 (not shown). The Instrumentation and Control System may include directional drilling systems, rotary steerable systems, Measurement-While-Drilling ("MWD") Systems, Logging-While-Drilling Systems ("LWD"), data links, communications links, systems to generate and determine bid weight, and all the other typical components used in the oil and gas industries to drill wellbores, particularly those that are used in conjunction with currently used progressing cavity mud motors. The uphole portion of the Bottom Hole Assembly 408 is connected to the drill string 416 (not shown) that is in turn connected to suitable surface hoist equipment typically used by the oil and gas industries 418 (not shown). For handling convenience, housing 18 may be optionally separated into shorter threaded sections by the use of suitable threaded joints such the one that is identified as element 420. The threads 420 may also be conveniently used when assembling Piston A and related parts into Chamber A. Similar threads are used in the Housing near Chamber B that is element 512 (not shown). Other threads 514 (not shown) are also in the Housing.
Element 328 is representative of the Allen head caps screws used to hold bearings and other components in place that is further referenced in relation to Figure 12.
Downhole Portion of BHA
The downhole portion of the Bottom Hole Assembly 422 is shown in Figure 19.
The entire Bottom Hole Assembly 424 (not shown) is comprised of elements 408 and 422 and is being used to drill borehole 426. Downward flowing mud 428 is used to cool the bit and to carry rock chips with the mud flowing uphole 430 in annulus 432 that is located in geological formation 434. The legend RLPMF stands for Relatively Low Pressure Mud Flow (RLPMF) 16 designated by the unique shading used only for this purpose in this application (see Figure 2A).
Mud Flow Paths Identified Figure 20 shows the Relatively High Pressure Mud Flow ("RHPMF") through the Mud Motor Apparatus. See Figure 2. The paths for mud flow through the apparatus is described. Whether or not fluid actually flows is, of course, dependent upon whether or not certain valves are open, and in turn, that depends upon the "Timing State"
of the apparatus.
The Mud Motor Apparatus 12 receives its input of mud flow 436 from the drill pipe 484 (not shown) and through the Instrument and Control System 414. The RHPMF
then flows through upper apparatus A flow channels 438 and proceeds to two different places (dictated by the timing of the apparatus):
(a) through Intake Port A 402 in Intake Valve A 80 and then through the Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA") 278 and thereafter into Chamber A 84, thus providing the RHPMF for the Power Stroke of Piston A 24 in the Mud Motor Assembly, and the portion of mud flowing through this route is designated as numeral 492 (not shown) that produces a first portion of rotational torque 494 (not shown) on drive shaft 20 ; and (b) through Bypass Tube A-1 274 and Bypass Tube A-2 276 through upper apparatus B
flow channels 440 to Intake Port B 442 in Intake Valve B 94 and then through the Drive Port of Chamber B ("DPCHB'') 444 and thereafter into Chamber B 98 thus providing the RHPMF for the Power Stroke of Piston B 28 in the Mud Motor Assembly, and the portion of mud flowing through this route is designated as numeral 496 (not shown) that produces a second portion of torque 498 (not shown) on drive shaft 20.
Figure 20A shows the Relatively Low Pressure Mud Flow ("RLPMF") through the Mud Motor Apparatus. See Figure 2A. The paths for mud flow through the apparatus is described. Whether or not fluid actually flows is, of course, dependent upon whether or not certain valves are open, and in turn, that depends upon the "Timing State"
of the apparatus. Mud flows to the drill bit as follows:
(c) during the Return Stroke of Piston A 24 in the Mud Motor Apparatus, RLPMF exhausts through the Exhaust Port of Chamber A ("EPCHA") 280, and then through Exhaust Port A 446 of Exhaust Valve A 90, and then into lower apparatus A
flow channels 448, and then through Bypass Tube B-1 450 and Bypass Tube B-2 452, and then into RLPMF co-mingle chamber 454, and thereafter as a portion of co-mingled mud flow 428 through drill pipe 68 to the drill bit 70; and (d) during the Return Stoke of Piston B 28 in the Mud Motor apparatus, RLPMF exhaust through the Exhaust Port of Chamber B ("EPCHB") 456 and then through Exhaust Port B 458 of Exhaust Valve B
104, and then into RLPMF co-mingle chamber 454, and thereafter as a portion of co-mingled mud flow 428 through drill pipe 68 to the drill bit 70.
It should be noted that there are many ways to assemble the Intake Valve A 80 into its mating position with Crankshaft A 22. The Intake Valve A 80 can be a split member itself, and welded or bolted in place before the entire assembly is slipped into the Housing 10. Similar comments apply to the other intake and exhaust valves.
There are many mating parts where one or both move. The distance of separation between any of the parts shown in Figure 20 can chosen depending upon the application.
In some preferred embodiments, such distances are chosen to be 1/32 of an inch for many mating parts. In other embodiments, distances of separation of .010 inches may be chosen. There are many alternatives.
In several preferred embodiments, the customer chooses the desired mud flow rate, the RPM, and the required HP (horsepower). If a pressure drop across the Mud Motor Assembly is then chosen to be a specific number, such as 750 psi for example, then the internal geometry of the Chambers and Pistons can thereafter be determined using techniques known to anyone having ordinary skill in the art.
Timing Diagrams for the Mud Motor Assembly Figure 21 compares the pressure applied to the Drive Port of Chamber B
("DPCHB") to the pressure applied to Drive Port of Chamber A ("DPCHA"). The pressure applied to the DPCHB lags that applied to DPCHA by 180 degrees. Here, PH
stands for higher pressure, and PL stands for lower pressure.
Figure 21A shows that a low pressure PL is applied to the Exhaust Port of Chamber A ("EPCHA") and to the Exhaust Port of Chamber B ("EPCHB") during the appropriate Return Strokes.
Figure 21B shows the relationship between the maximum lift of the tip of the Paw A Lifter Lobe 394 and the pressure applied to the Drive Port of Chamber A
("DPCHA").
Analogous Figures for Chamber B and Piston B
Figures 9, 9A, 9B,9C, 9D, 9E, 9F, and 9G show a Power Stroke for Chamber A.
Analogous figures can be made for the Power Stroke for Chamber B. Those for "B"
strongly resemble those for "A". If relative angles are used, then they would look very similar. If absolute angles are used, then the starting position for the Power Stroke for Piston B in Chamber B would start at 180 degrees on Figure 9 and proceed clockwise (180 degrees plus 210 degrees). This analogous second set of Figures for the Power Stoke for Chamber B is called numeral 502 herein for reference purposes, but it is not shown on any figures.
In the above disclosure, much effort has been directed at disclosing how Chamber A, Piston A, and related portions of the Mud Motor Assembly work. In the interests of brevity, many of those drawings were not repeated for Chamber B, Piston B, and related portions of the Mud Motor Assembly. Chamber B and Piston B work analogously to that of Chamber A and Piston A. Anybody with ordinary skill in the art can take the first description to get to second one. For example, the first torsion rod spring 350 and second torsion rod spring 352 apply to Crankshaft A and Chamber A. But analogous structures exist in relation to Crankshaft B and Chamber B. Anyone with ordinary skill in the art would know that these structures are present from the figures presented so far even if they were not numbered. These elements could be hypothetically numbered b350 and b352 - meaning they are analogous for Chamber B. Accordingly, all numerals herein defined are also defined for any numeral adding a "b" in front as stated. In the interests of brevity, applicant has decided not to do that explicitly herein.
Instead, for example:
The third torsion rod return spring for Crankshaft B is 504 (also b350).
The fourth torsion rod return spring for Crankshaft B is 506 (also b352) Figure 9J pertains to Chamber A. The analogous figure pertaining to Chamber B
is numeral 508 (not shown).
Figure 16B pertains to Chamber A. The analogous figure pertaining to Chamber B is 510 (not shown).
Other Comments The Mud Motor Assembly 12 is also called equivalently the Mud Motor Apparatus 12.
Theta describes the angle shown on many of the Figures including Figure 9. The word "theta" describes in the text the symbol shown opposite Piston A in Figure 9.
Figure 3F shows Ratchet Assembly A 30 of the Mud Motor Assembly. However, Ratchet Assembly A 30 is an example of a ratchet means. Similar comments apply to other parts in the Mud Motor Assembly. Any such part can be an example of a "means".
Elements 520, 521, .... are reserved in the event that these are necessary to replace legends on the various figures.
References The below references provide a description of what is known by anyone having ordinary skill in the art. In view of the above disclosure, particular preferred embodiments of the invention may use selected features of the below defined methods and apparatus.
References Cited in the Description of the Related Art Paper No. CSUG/SPE 137821, entitled "New Approach to Improve Horizontal Drilling", by Vestavik, et.al., October 19-21, 2010.
Paper No. SPE 89505, entitled "Reverse Circulation With Coiled Tubing ¨
Results of 1600+ Jobs", by Michel, et.al., March 23-24, 2004.
Paper No. IADC/SPE 122281, entitled "Managed-Pressure Drilling: What It Is and What It is Not", by Malloy, et. al., February 12-13, 2009.
Paper No. SPE 124891, entitled "Reelwell Drilling Method ¨ A Unique Combination of MPD and Liner Drilling", by Vestavik of Reel Well a.s., et.al., September 8-11, 2009.
U.S. Patent No. 6,585,043, entitled "Friction Reducing Tool", inventor Geoffrey Neil Murray, issued July 1, 2003, assigned to Weatherford.
U.S. Patent No. 7,025,136, entitled "Torque Reduction Tool", inventors Tulloch, et. al., issued April 11, 2006.
U.S. Patent No. 7,025,142, entitled ''Bi-Directional Thruster Pig Apparatus and Method of Utilizing Same", inventor James R. Crawford, issued April 11, 2006.
Paper No. OTC 8675, entitled "Extended Reach Pipeline Blockage Remediation", by Baugh, et. al., May 4-7, 1998.
Standard Text Books on Fluid Flow and Mud Properties Include:
The book entitled "Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics", Third Edition, by Giles, et.
al., Schaum's Outline Series, McGraw-Hill, 1994.
The book entitled "Well Production Practical Handbook", by H. Cholet, Editions Technip, 2008.
The book entitled "Applied Drilling Engineering", by Bourgoyne, Jr., et.al., Society of Petroleum Engineers, 1991.
The book entitled "Petroleum Well Construction", by Economides, et. al., John Wiley & Sons, 1988.
The book entitled "Drilling Mud and Cement Slurry Rheology Manual", Edited by R. Monicard, Editions Technip, Gulf Publishing Company, 1982.
Other Standard References The book entitled "Dictionary of Petroleum Exploration, Drilling &
Production", by Norman J. Hyne, Ph.D., Pennwell Publishing Company, 1991.
The book entitled "The Illustrated Petroleum Reference Dictionary", 4th Edition, Edited by Robert D. Langenkamp, Pennwell Publishing Company, 1994.
The book entitled "Handbook of Oil Industry Terms & Phrases", R. D.
Langenkamp, Pennwell Books, Pennwell Publishing Company, Tulsa, Okla., 5th Edition, 1994.
Rotary Drilling Series and Related References Typical procedures used in the oil and gas industries to drill and complete wells are well documented. For example, such procedures are documented in the entire "Rotary Drilling Series" published by the Petroleum Extension Service of The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas comprised of the following:
Unit I--"The Rig and Its Maintenance" (12 Lessons);
Unit II--"Normal Drilling Operations" (5 Lessons);
Unit III--Nonroutine Rig Operations (4 Lessons);
Unit IV--Man Management and Rig Management (1 Lesson);
and Unit V--Offshore Technology (9 Lessons).
Additional procedures used in the oil and gas industries to drill and complete wells are well documented in the series entitled "Lessons in Well Servicing and Workover" published by the Petroleum Extension Service of The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas that is comprised of all 12 Lessons.
Reference Related to Feedback and Control Systems The book entitled "Feedback and Control Systems", Second Edition, by DiStefano, III, Ph.D., et.al., Schaum's Outline Series, McGraw-Hill, 1990, which describes the general features used in feedback control systems particularly including Chapter 2 "Control Systems Terminology"; and Chapter 7, "Block Diagram Algebra and Transfer Functions of Systems".
Additional References Related to Reelwell Paper No. SPE 96412, entitled New Concept for Drilling Hydraulics", by Vestavik of Reel Well as., September 6-9, 2005.
Paper No. SPE 116838, entitled "Feasibility Study of Combining Drilling with Casing and Expandable Casing", by Shen, et.al., October 28-30, 2006.
Paper No. SPE/IADC 119491, entitled "Reelwell Drilling Method", by Vestavik of Reel Well a.s., et.al., March 17-19, 2009.
Paper No. SPE 123953, entitled "Application of Reelwell Drilling Method in Offshore Drilling to Address Many Related Challenges", by Rajabi, et.al., August 4-6, 2009.
Paper No. SPE/IADC 125556, entitled "A New Riserless Method Enable Us to Apply Managed Pressure Drilling in Deepwater Environments", by Rajabi, et.al, October 26-28, 2009.
Paper No. IADC/SPE 126148, entitled "Riserless Reelwell Drilling Method to Address Many Deepwater Drilling Challenges", by Rajabi, et.al., February 2-4, 2010.
References Related to Thruster Pigs U.S. Patent No. 6,315,498, entitled "Thruster Pig Apparatus For Injecting Tubing Down Pipelines", inventor Benton F. Baugh, issued November 13, 2001.
In the following, to save space, U.S. Patent No. 6,315,498 will be abbreviated as US6315498, and other references will be similarly shorted. References cited in US6315498 include the following: US3467196 entitled "Method for running tubing using fluid pressure"; US3495546 entitled "Speed control device for pipeline inspection apparatus"; U S3525401 entitled "Pumpable plastic pistons and their use";
entitled "Plugging a home service sewer line"; US3827487 entitled "Tubing injector and stuffing box construction"; US4073302 entitled "Cleaning apparatus for sewer pipes and the like"; US4360290 entitled "Internal pipeline plug for deep subsea pipe-to-pipe pull.
in connection operations"; US4585061 entitled "Apparatus for inserting and withdrawing coiled tubing with respect to a well"; U54729429 entitled "Hydraulic pressure propelled device for making measurements and interventions during injection or production in a deflected well"; US4756510 entitled "Method and system for installing fiber optic cable and the like in fluid transmission pipelines"; US4919204 entitled "Apparatus and methods for cleaning a well"; US5069285 entitled "Dual wall well development tool"; US5180009 entitled "Wireline delivery tool"; US5188174 entitled "Apparatus for inserting and withdrawing coil tubing into a well"; US5208936 entitled "Variable speed pig for pipelines"; US5209304 entitled "Propulsion apparatus for positioning selected tools in tubular members"; US5309990 entitled "Coiled tubing injector"; US5309993 entitled "Chevron seal for a well tool"; US5316094 entitled "Well orienting tool and/or thruster"; US5429194 entitled "Method for inserting a wireline inside coiled tubing"; US5445224 entitled "Hydrostatic control valve";
US5447200 entitled "Method and apparatus for downhole sand clean-out operations in the petroleum industry"; US5494103 entitled "Well jetting apparatus";
entitled "Apparatus for introducing sealant into a clearance between an existing pipe and a replacement pipe"; US5566764 entitled "Improved coil tubing injector unit";
US5692563 entitled "Tubing friction reducer"; US5695009 entitled "Downhole oil well tool running and pulling with hydraulic release using deformable ball valving member";
US5704393 entitled "Coiled tubing apparatus"; US5795402 entitled "Apparatus and method for removal of paraffin deposits in pipeline systems"; US6003606 entitled "Puller-thruster downhole tool"; and US6024515 entitled "Live service pipe insertion apparatus and method ".
Further, other patents cite US6315498, which are listed as follows: US7406738 entitled "Thruster pig"; U S7279052 entitled "Method for hydrate plug removal";
US7044226 entitled "Method and a device for removing a hydrate plug";
entitled "Bi-directional thruster pig apparatus and method of utilizing same";
US6651744 entitled "Bi-directional thruster pig apparatus and method of utilizing same"; US6481930 entitled "Apparatus and method for inserting and removing a flexible first material into a second material"; and US6382875 entitled "Process for laying a tube in a duct and device for pressurizing a tube during laying".
References Related to Managed Pressure Drilling Paper No. IADC/SPE 143093, entitled "Managed Pressure Drilling Enables Drilling Beyond the Conventional Limit on an HP/HT Deepwater Well in the Mediterranean Sea", by Kemche, et. al., April 5-6, 2011.
Paper No. IADC/DPE 143102, entitled "The Challenges and Results of Applying Managed Pressure Drilling Techniques on an Exploratory Offshore Well in India -A
Case History", by Ray and Vudathu, April 5-6, 2011.
References Related to Closed Loop Drilling Systems U.S. Patent No. 5,842,149, entitled "Closed Loop Drilling System", inventors of Harrell, et. al., issued November 24, 1998.
In the following, to save space, U.S. Patent No. 5,842,149 will be abbreviated as 1JS582149, and other references will be similarly shorted. References cited in US582149 include the following: US3497019 entitled "Automatic drilling system";
US4662458 entitled "Method and apparatus for bottom hole measurement";
entitled "Drilling monitor with downhole torque and axial load transducers";
US4794534 entitled "Method of drilling a well utilizing predictive simulation with real time data"; US4854397 entitled "System for directional drilling and related method of use"; US4972703 entitled "Method of predicting the torque and drag in directional wells"; US5064006 entitled "Downhole combination tool"; US5163521 entitled "System for drilling deviated boreholes"; U55230387 entitled "Downhole combination tool"; US5250806 entitled "Stand-off compensated formation measurements apparatus and method ".
Further, other patents cite US5842149, which are listed as follows: USRE42245 entitled "System and method for real time reservoir management"; US7866415 entitled "Steering device for downhole tools"; US7866413 entitled "Methods for designing and fabricating earth-boring rotary drill bits having predictable walk characteristics and drill bits configured to exhibit predicted walk characteristics"; US7857052 entitled "Stage cementing methods used in casing while drilling"; USRE41999 entitled "System and method for real time reservoir management"; US7849934 entitled "Method and apparatus for collecting drill bit performance data"; US7832500 entitled "Wellbore drilling method"; US7823655 entitled "Directional drilling control"; US7802634 entitled "Integrated quill position and toolface orientation display";
US7730965 entitled "Retractable joint and cementing shoe for use in completing a wellbore";
entitled "Top drive casing system"; U57669656 entitled "Method and apparatus for resealing measurements while drilling in different environments"; US7650944 entitled "Vessel for well intervention"; US7645124 entitled "Estimation and control of a resonant plant prone to stick-slip behavior"; US7617866 entitled "Methods and apparatus for connecting tubulars using a top drive"; US7607494 entitled "Earth penetrating apparatus and method employing radar imaging and rate sensing";
U S7604072 entitled "Method and apparatus for collecting drill bit performance data";
U S7584165 entitled "Support apparatus, method and system for real time operations and maintenance"; US7509722 entitled "Positioning and spinning device"; US7510026 entitled "Method and apparatus for collecting drill bit performance data";
entitled "Method and apparatus for collecting drill bit performance data";
entitled "Apparatus and methods of setting and retrieving casing with drilling latch and bottom hole assembly"; US7500529 entitled "Method and apparatus for predicting and controlling secondary kicks while dealing with a primary kick experienced when drilling an oil and gas well"; US7497276 entitled "Method and apparatus for collecting drill bit performance data"; US7413034 entitled "Steering tool"; US7413020 entitled "Full bore lined wellbores"; US7395877 entitled "Apparatus and method to reduce fluid pressure in a wellbore"; US7370707 entitled "Method and apparatus for handling wellbore tubulars"; US7363717 entitled "System and method for using rotation sensors within a borehole"; US7360594 entitled "Drilling with casing latch"; US7358725 entitled "Correction of NMR artifacts due to axial motion and spin-lattice relaxation";
US7350410 entitled "System and method for measurements of depth and velocity of instrumentation within a wellbore"; U S7334650 entitled "Apparatus and methods for drilling a wellbore using casing"; US7325610 entitled "Methods and apparatus for handling and drilling with tubulars or casing"; US7313480 entitled "Integrated drilling dynamics system"; U S7311148 entitled "Methods and apparatus for wellbore construction and completion"; U57303022 entitled "Wired casing"; US7301338 entitled "Automatic adjustment of NMR pulse sequence to optimize SNR based on real time analysis"; US7287605 entitled "Steerable drilling apparatus having a differential displacement side-force exerting mechanism"; US7284617 entitled "Casing running head"; US7277796 entitled "System and methods of characterizing a hydrocarbon reservoir"; US7264067 entitled "Method of drilling and completing multiple wellbores inside a single caisson"; US7245101 entitled "System and method for monitoring and control"; US7234539 entitled "Method and apparatus for resealing measurements while drilling in different environments"; US7230543 entitled "Downhole clock synchronization apparatus and methods for use in a borehole drilling environment";
US7228901 entitled "Method and apparatus for cementing drill strings in place for one pass drilling and completion of oil and gas wells"; US7225550 entitled "System and method for using microgyros to measure the orientation of a survey tool within a borehole"; US7219730 entitled "Smart cementing systems"; US7219744 entitled "Method and apparatus for connecting tubulars using a top drive"; US7219747 entitled "Providing a local response to a local condition in an oil well"; US7216727 entitled "Drilling bit for drilling while running casing"; US7213656 entitled "Apparatus and method for facilitating the connection of tubulars using a top drive";
entitled "Method and apparatus for estimating distance to or from a geological target while drilling or logging"; US7195083 entitled "Three dimensional steering system and method for steering bit to drill borehole"; US7193414 entitled "Downhole NMR
processing"; US7191840 entitled "Casing running and drilling system";
entitled "Hybrid rotary steerable system"; US7188687 entitled "Downhole filter";
US7172038 entitled "Well system"; US7168507 entitled "Recalibration of downhole sensors"; US7165634 entitled "Method and apparatus for cementing drill strings in place for one pass drilling and completion of oil and gas wells"; US7158886 entitled "Automatic control system and method for bottom hole pressure in the underbalance drilling"; US7147068 entitled "Methods and apparatus for cementing drill strings in place for one pass drilling and completion of oil and gas wells"; US7143844 entitled "Earth penetrating apparatus and method employing radar imaging and rate sensing";
US7140445 entitled "Method and apparatus for drilling with casing"; US7137454 entitled "Apparatus for facilitating the connection of tubulars using a top drive";
US7136795 entitled "Control method for use with a steerable drilling system";
US7131505 entitled "Drilling with concentric strings of casing"; US7128161 entitled "Apparatus and methods for facilitating the connection of tubulars using a top drive";
US7128154 entitled "Single-direction cementing plug"; US7117957 entitled "Methods for drilling and lining a wellbore"; US7117605 entitled "System and method for using microgyros to measure the orientation of a survey tool within a borehole";
entitled "Apparatus and method to reduce fluid pressure in a wellbore";
entitled "Methods and apparatus for cementing drill strings in place for one pass drilling and completion of oil and gas wells"; US7100710 entitled "Methods and apparatus for cementing drill strings in place for one pass drilling and completion of oil and gas wells"; US7093675 entitled "Drilling method"; US7090021 entitled "Apparatus for connecting tublars using a top drive"; US7090023 entitled "Apparatus and methods for drilling with casing"; US7082821 entitled "Method and apparatus for detecting torsional vibration with a downhole pressure sensor"; US7083005 entitled "Apparatus and method of drilling with casing"; US7073598 entitled "Apparatus and methods for tubular makeup interlock"; US7054750 entitled "Method and system to model, measure, recalibrate, and optimize control of the drilling of a borehole"; US7048050 entitled "Method and apparatus for cementing drill strings in place for one pass drilling and completion of oil and gas wells"; US7046584 entitled "Compensated ensemble crystal oscillator for use in a well borehole system"; US7043370 entitled "Real time processing of multicomponent induction tool data in highly deviated and horizontal wells";
US7036610 entitled "Apparatus and method for completing oil and gas wells";
US7028789 entitled "Drilling assembly with a steering device for coiled-tubing operations"; US7026950 entitled "Motor pulse controller"; US7027922 entitled "Deep resistivity transient method for MWD applications using asymptotic filtering";
US7020597 entitled "Methods for evaluating and improving drilling operations";
US7002484 entitled "Supplemental referencing techniques in borehole surveying";
US6985814 entitled "Well twinning techniques in borehole surveying"; US6968909 entitled "Realtime control of a drilling system using the output from combination of an earth model and a drilling process model"; US6957575 entitled "Apparatus for weight on bit measurements, and methods of using same"; US6957580 entitled "System and method for measurements of depth and velocity of instrumentation within a wellbore";
US6944547 entitled "Automated rig control management system"; US6937023 entitled "Passive ranging techniques in borehole surveying"; US6923273 entitled "Well system"; US6899186 entitled "Apparatus and method of drilling with casing";
US6883638 entitled "Accelerometer transducer used for seismic recording";
US6882937 entitled "Downhole referencing techniques in borehole surveying";
US6868906 entitled "Closed-loop conveyance systems for well servicing";
entitled "Well system"; US6857486 entitled "High power umbilicals for subterranean electric drilling machines and remotely operated vehicles"; US6854533 entitled "Apparatus and method for drilling with casing"; US6845819 entitled "Down hole tool and method"; US6843332 entitled "Three dimensional steerable system and method for steering bit to drill borehole"; US6837313 entitled "Apparatus and method to reduce fluid pressure in a wellbore"; US6814142 entitled "Well control using pressure while drilling measurements"; US6802215 entitled "Apparatus for weight on bit measurements, and methods of using same"; US6785641 entitled "Simulating the dynamic response of a drilling tool assembly and its application to drilling tool assembly design optimization and drilling performance optimization"; US6755263 entitled "Underground drilling device and method employing down-hole radar"; U S6727696 entitled "Downhole NMR processing"; US6719071 entitled "Apparatus and methods for drilling"; US6719069 entitled "Underground boring machine employing navigation sensor and adjustable steering"; US6662110 entitled "Drilling rig closed loop controls";
US6659200 entitled "Actuator assembly and method for actuating downhole assembly";
US6609579 entitled "Drilling assembly with a steering device for coiled-tubing operations"; US6607044 entitled "Three dimensional steerable system and method for steering bit to drill borehole"; US6601658 entitled "Control method for use with a steerable drilling system"; US6598687 entitled "Three dimensional steerable system";
US6484818 entitled "Horizontal directional drilling machine and method employing configurable tracking system interface"; US6470976 entitled "Excavation system and method employing adjustable down-hole steering and above-ground tracking";
US6467341 entitled "Accelerometer caliper while drilling"; US6469639 entitled "Method and apparatus for low power, micro-electronic mechanical sensing and processing"; US6443242 entitled "Method for wellbore operations using calculated wellbore parameters in real time"; US6427783 entitled "Steerable modular drilling assembly"; US6397946 entitled "Closed-loop system to compete oil and gas wells":
US6386297 entitled "Method and apparatus for determining potential abrasivity in a wellbore"; US6378627 entitled "Autonomous downhole oilfield tool"; US6353799 entitled "Method and apparatus for determining potential interfacial severity for a formation"; US6328119 entitled "Adjustable gauge downhole drilling assembly";
US6315062 entitled "Horizontal directional drilling machine employing inertial navigation control system and method"; US6308787 entitled "Real-time control system and method for controlling an underground boring machine"; US6296066 entitled "Well system"; 1JS6276465 entitled "Method and apparatus for determining potential for drill bit performance"; US6267185 entitled "Apparatus and method for communication with downhole equipment using drill string rotation and gyroscopic sensors";
entitled "Magnetorheological fluid apparatus, especially adapted for use in a steerable drill string, and a method of using same"; U S6256603 entitled "Performing geoscience interpretation with simulated data"; 1iS6255962 entitled "Method and apparatus for low power, micro-electronic mechanical sensing and processing"; US6237404 entitled "Apparatus and method for determining a drilling mode to optimize formation evaluation measurements"; US6233498 entitled "Method of and system for increasing drilling efficiency"; US6208585 entitled "Acoustic LWD tool having receiver calibration capabilities"; US6205851 entitled "Method for determining drill collar whirl in a bottom hole assembly and method for determining borehole size"; US6166654 entitled "Drilling assembly with reduced stick-slip tendency"; US6166994 entitled "Seismic detection apparatus and method"; US6152246 entitled "Method of and system for monitoring drilling parameters"; US6142228 entitled "Downhole motor speed measurement method"; US6101444 entitled "Numerical control unit for wellbore drilling";
1JS6073079 entitled "Method of maintaining a borehole within a multidimensional target zone during drilling"; US6044326 entitled "Measuring borehole size"; US6035952 entitled "Closed loop fluid-handling system for use during drilling of wellbores";
US6012015 entitled "Control model for production wells ".
Still further, the Abstract for US5842149 states: "The present invention provides a closed-loop drilling system for drilling oilfield boreholes. The system includes a drilling assembly with a drill bit, a plurality of sensors for providing signals relating to parameters relating to the drilling assembly, borehole, and formations around the drilling assembly. Processors in the drilling system process sensors signal and compute drilling parameters based on models and programmed instructions provided to the drilling system that will yield further drilling at enhanced drilling rates and with extended drilling assembly life. The drilling system then automatically adjusts the drilling parameters for continued drilling. The system continually or periodically repeats this process during the drilling operations. The drilling system also provides severity of certain dysfunctions to the operator and a means for simulating the drilling assembly behavior prior to effecting changes in the drilling parameters."
Yet further, Claim 1 of US 5842149 states the following: "What is claimed is:
1. An automated drilling system for drilling oilfield wellbores at enhanced rates of penetration and with extended life of drilling assembly, comprising: (a) a tubing adapted to extend from the surface into the wellbore; (b) a drilling assembly comprising a drill bit at an end thereof and a plurality of sensors for detecting selected drilling parameters and generating data representative of said drilling parameters; (c) a computer comprising at least one processor for receiving signals representative of said data; (d) a force application device for applying a predetermined force on the drill bit within a range of forces; (e) a force controller for controlling the operation of the force application device to apply the predetermined force; (0 a source of drilling fluid under pressure at the surface for supplying a drilling fluid (g) a fluid controller for controlling the operation of the fluid source to supply a desired predetermined pressure and flow rate of the drilling fluid; (h) a rotator for rotating the bit at a predetermined speed of rotation within a range of rotation speeds; (i) receivers associated with the computer for receiving agnate signals representative of the data; (j) transmitters associated with the computer for sending control signals directing the force controller, fluid controller and rotator controller to operate the force application device, source of drilling fluid under pressure and rotator to achieve enhanced rates of penetration and extended drilling assembly life."
References Related to Closed-Loop Drilling Rig Controls U.S. Patent No. 6,662,110, entitled "Drilling Rig Closed Loop Controls", inventors of Bargach, et. al., issued December 9, 2003.
In the following, to save space, U.S. Patent No. 6,662,110 will be abbreviated as US6662110, and other references will be similarly shorted. References cited in US6662110 include the following: US4019148 entitled "Lock-in noise rejection circuit"; US4254481 entitled "Borehole telemetry system automatic gain control";
US4507735 entitled "Method and apparatus for monitoring and controlling well drilling parameters";US4954998 entitled "Method for reducing noise in drill string signals";
US5160925 entitled "Short hop communication link for downhole MWD system";
U55220963 entitled "System for controlled drilling of boreholes along planned profile";
US5259468 entitled "Method of dynamically monitoring the orientation of a curved drilling assembly and apparatus"; US5269383 entitled "Navigable downhole drilling system"; US5314030 entitled "System for continuously guided drilling";
entitled "Method and apparatus for automatic closed loop drilling system"; U
entitled "System and method for indirectly determining inclination at the bit";
US5812068 entitled "Drilling system with downhole apparatus for determining parameters of interest and for adjusting drilling direction in response thereto";
US5842149 entitled "Closed loop drilling system"; U55857530 entitled "Vertical positioning system for drilling boreholes"; US5880680 entitled "Apparatus and method for determining boring direction when boring underground"; US6012015 entitled "Control model for production wells"; US6021377 entitled "Drilling system utilizing downhole dysfunctions for determining corrective actions and simulating drilling conditions"; US6023658 entitled "Noise detection and suppression system and method for wellbore telemetry"; US6088294 entitled "Drilling system with an acoustic measurement-while-driving system for determining parameters of interest and controlling the drilling direction"; US6092610 entitled "Actively controlled rotary steerable system and method for drilling wells"; US6101444 entitled "Numerical control unit for wellbore drilling"; US6206108 entitled "Drilling system with integrated bottom hole assembly"; US6233524 entitled "Closed loop drilling system"; US6272434 entitled "Drilling system with downhole apparatus for determining parameters of interest and for adjusting drilling direction in response thereto"; US6296066 entitled "Well system"; US6308787 entitled "Real-time control system and method for controlling an underground boring machine"; US6310559 entitled "Monitoring performance of downhole equipment"; US6405808 entitled "Method for increasing the efficiency of drilling a wellbore, improving the accuracy of its borehole trajectory and reducing the corresponding computed ellise of uncertainty"; US6415878 entitled "Steerable rotary drilling device"; US6419014 entitled "Apparatus and method for orienting a downhole tool"; US20020011358 entitled "Steerable drill string"; US20020088648 entitled "Drilling assembly with a steering device for coiled-tubing operations".
Further, other patents cite US6662110, which are listed as follows: US7921937 entitled "Drilling components and systems to dynamically control drilling dysfunctions and methods of drilling a well with same"; US7832500 entitled "Wellbore drilling method"; US7823656 entitled "Method for monitoring drilling mud properties";
US7814989 entitled "System and method for performing a drilling operation in an oilfield"; US7528946 entitled "System for detecting deflection of a boring tool";
US7461831 entitled "Telescoping workover rig"; US7222681 entitled "Programming method for controlling a downhole steering tool"; US7128167 entitled "System and method for rig state detection"; US7054750 entitled "Method and system to model, measure, recalibrate, and optimize control of the drilling of a borehole";
entitled "Automated method and system for determining the state of well operations and performing process evaluation"; US6854532 entitled "Subsea wellbore drilling system for reducing bottom hole pressure".
References Related to Closed-Loop Circulating Systems U.S. Patent No. 7,650,950, entitled "Drilling System and Method", inventor of Leuchenberg, issued January 26, 2010.
In the following, to save space, U.S. Patent No. 7,650,950 will be abbreviated as US7650950, and other references will be similarly shorted. References cited in US7650950 include the following: US3429385 entitled "Apparatus for controlling the pressure in a well"; US3443643 entitled "Apparatus for controlling the pressure in a well"; US3470971 entitled "Apparatus and method for automatically controlling fluid pressure in a well bore"; US3470972 entitled "Bottom-hole pressure regulation apparatus"; US3550696 entitled "Control of a well"; US3552502 entitled "Apparatus for automatically controlling the killing of oil and gas wells"; US3677353 entitled "Apparatus for controlling oil well pressure"; US3827511 entitled "Apparatus for controlling well pressure"; US4440239 entitled "Method and apparatus for controlling the flow of drilling fluid in a wellbore"; US4527425 entitled "System for detecting blow out and lost circulation in a borehole"; US4570480 entitled "Method and apparatus for determining formation pressure"; US4577689 entitled "Method for determining true fracture pressure"; U54606415 entitled "Method and system for detecting and identifying abnormal drilling conditions"; US4630675 entitled "Drilling choke pressure limiting control system"; US4653597 entitled "Method for circulating and maintaining drilling mud in a wellbore"; US4700739 entitled "Pneumatic well casing pressure regulating system"; US4709900 entitled "Choke valve especially used in oil and gas wells"; US4733232 entitled "Method and apparatus for borehole fluid influx detection";
US4733233 entitled "Method and apparatus for borehole fluid influx detection";
US4840061 entitled "Method of detecting a fluid influx which could lead to a blow-out during the drilling of a borehole"; US4867254 entitled "Method of controlling fluid influxes in hydrocarbon wells"; US4878382 entitled "Method of monitoring the drilling operations by analyzing the circulating drilling mud"; US5005406 entitled "Monitoring drilling mud composition using flowing liquid junction electrodes"; US5006845 entitled "Gas kick detector"; US5010966 entitled "Drilling method"; US5063776 entitled "Method and system for measurement of fluid flow in a drilling rig return line";
US5070949 entitled "Method of analyzing fluid influxes in hydrocarbon wells";
US5080182 entitled "Method of analyzing and controlling a fluid influx during the drilling of a borehole"; US5115871 entitled "Method for the estimation of pore pressure within a subterranean formation"; US5144589 entitled "Method for predicting formation pore-pressure while drilling"; US5154078 entitled "Kick detection during drilling";
US5161409 entitled "Analysis of drilling solids samples"; US5168932 entitled "Detecting outflow or inflow of fluid in a wellbore"; US5200929 entitled "Method for estimating pore fluid pressure"; US5205165 entitled "Method for determining fluid influx or loss in drilling from floating rigs"; US5205166 entitled "Method of detecting fluid influxes"; US5305836 entitled "System and method for controlling drill bit usage and well plan"; US5437308 entitled "Device for remotely actuating equipment comprising a bean-needle system"; US5443128 entitled "Device for remote actuating equipment comprising delay means"; US5474142 entitled "Automatic drilling system";
US5635636 entitled "Method of determining inflow rates from underbalanced wells";
US5857522 entitled "Fluid handling system for use in drilling of wellbores";
US5890549 entitled "Well drilling system with closed circulation of gas drilling fluid and fire suppression apparatus"; US5975219 entitled "Method for controlling entry of a drillstem into a wellbore to minimize surge pressure"; US6035952 entitled "Closed loop fluid-handling system for use during drilling of wellbores"; US6119772 entitled "Continuous flow cylinder for maintaining drilling fluid circulation while connecting drill string joints"; US6176323 entitled "Drilling systems with sensors for determining properties of drilling fluid downhole"; US6189612 entitled "Subsurface measurement apparatus, system, and process for improved well drilling, control, and production";
US6234030 entitled "Multiphase metering method for multiphase flow"; US6240787 entitled "Method of determining fluid inflow rates"; US6325159 entitled "Offshore drilling system"; US6352129 entitled "Drilling system"; US6374925 entitled "Well drilling method and system"; US6394195 entitled "Methods for the dynamic shut-in of a subsea mudlift drilling system"; US6410862 entitled "Device and method for measuring the flow rate of drill cuttings"; US6412554 entitled "Wellbore circulation system";
US6434435 entitled "Application of adaptive object-oriented optimization software to an automatic optimization oilfield hydrocarbon production management system";
US6484816 entitled "Method and system for controlling well bore pressure";
US6527062 entitled "Well drilling method and system"; US6571873 entitled "Method for controlling bottom-hole pressure during dual-gradient drilling"; US6575244 entitled "System for controlling the operating pressures within a subterranean borehole";
US6618677 entitled "Method and apparatus for determining flow rates";
entitled "Method and apparatus for controlling pressure and detecting well control problems during drilling of an offshore well using a gas-lifted riser";
entitled "Automated method and system for recognizing well control events";
US6904981 entitled "Dynamic annular pressure control apparatus and method";
US7044237 entitled "Drilling system and method"; US7278496 entitled "Drilling system and method"; US20020112888 entitled "Drilling system and method";
US20030168258 entitled "Method and system for controlling well fluid circulation rate";
US20040040746 entitled "Automated method and system for recognizing well control events"; US20060037781 entitled "Drilling system and method"; US20060113110 entitled "Drilling system and method".
References Related to Closed-Loop Underbalanced Drilling U.S. Patent No. 7,178,592, entitled "Closed Loop Multiphase Underbalanced Drilling Process'', inventors of Chitty, et.al., issued February 20, 2007.
In the following, to save space, U.S. Patent No. 7,178,592 will be abbreviated as US7178592, and other references will be similarly shorted. References cited in US7178592 include the following: US4020642 entitled "Compression systems and compressors"; US4099583 entitled "Gas lift system for marine drilling riser";
US4319635 entitled "Method for enhanced oil recovery by geopressured waterflood";
US4477237 entitled "Fabricated reciprocating piston pump"; US4553903 entitled "Two-stage rotary compressor"; U S4860830 entitled "Method of cleaning a horizontal wellbore"; US5048603 entitled "Lubricator corrosion inhibitor treatment";
entitled "Sucker rod actuated intake valve assembly for insert subsurface reciprocating pumps"; US5156537 entitled "Multiphase fluid mass transfer pump"; US5226482 entitled "Installation and method for the offshore exploitation of small fields";
US5295546 entitled "Installation and method for the offshore exploitation of small fields"; US5390743 entitled "Installation and method for the offshore exploitation of small fields"; US5415776 entitled "Horizontal separator for treating under-balance drilling fluid"; US5496466 entitled "Portable water purification system with double piston pump"; US5501279 entitled "Apparatus and method for removing production-inhibiting liquid from a wellbore"; US5638904 entitled "Safeguarded method and apparatus for fluid communiction using coiled tubing, with application to drill stem testing"; US5660532 entitled "Multiphase piston-type pumping system and applications of this system"; US5775442 entitled "Recovery of gas from drilling fluid returns in underbalanced drilling"; US5857522 entitled "Fluid handling system for use in drilling of wellbores"; US5992517 entitled "Downhole reciprocating plunger well pump system"; US6007306 entitled "Multiphase pumping system with feedback loop";
US6032747 entitled "Water-based drilling fluid deacidification process and apparatus";
U56035952 entitled "Closed loop fluid-handling system for use during drilling of wellbores"; US6089322 entitled "Method and apparatus for increasing fluid recovery from a subterranean formation"; US6138757 entitled "Apparatus and method for downhole fluid phase separation"; US6164308 entitled "System and method for handling multiphase flow"; U56209641 entitled "Method and apparatus for producing fluids while injecting gas through the same wellbore"; US6216799 entitled "Subsea pumping system and method for deepwater drilling"; U56234258 entitled "Methods of separation of materials in an under-balanced drilling operation"; US6315813 entitled "Method of treating pressurized drilling fluid returns from a well"; US6318464 entitled "Vapor extraction of hydrocarbon deposits"; US6325147 entitled "Enhanced oil recovery process with combined injection of an aqueous phase and of at least partially water-miscible gas"; US6328118 entitled "Apparatus and methods of separation of materials in an under-balanced drilling operation"; US6454542 entitled "Hydraulic cylinder powered double acting duplex piston pump"; US6592334 entitled "Hydraulic multiphase pump"; US6607607 entitled "Coiled tubing wellbore cleanout";
entitled "Method and apparatus for removing water from well-bore of gas wells to permit efficient production of gas"; US6668943 entitled "Method and apparatus for controlling pressure and detecting well control problems during drilling of an offshore well using a gas-lifted riser"; US20030085036 entitled "Combination well kick off and gas lift booster unit"; US20040031622 entitled "Methods and apparatus for drilling with a multiphase pump"; US20040197197 entitled "Multistage compressor for compressing gases"; US20060202122 entitled "Detecting gas in fluids"; US20060207795 entitled "Method of dynamically controlling open hole pressure in a wellbore using wellhead pressure control ".
Further, other patents cite US7178592, which are listed as follows: US7740455 entitled "Pumping system with hydraulic pump"; US 7650944 entitled "Vessel for well intervention".
References Related to Friction Reduction U.S. Patent No. 6,585,043, entitled "Friction Reducing Tool", inventor of Murray issued July 1, 2003.
U.S. Patent No. 7,025,136, entitled "Torque Reduction Tool", inventors of Tulloch, et.al., issued April 11, 2006.