Method and apparatus for remotely changing flow profile in conduit and drilling bit

Abstract

The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for remotely adjusting the drill bit hydraulic horse power per square inch (HSI). Varying the nozzle geometry remotely without the need to pull the drill string outside the hole has obvious advantage. Changing the nozzle flow geometry results in changing the nozzle HSI, which is beneficial to optimize drilling a well having different rock formations. The drill bit nozzle geometry of the present invention can be varied by causing a change of at least one physical property of the environment. The variable geometry nozzle is not limited to drill bit, it can be placed within the inner flow passage or between the inner flow passage and annular flow passage for controlling flow profile within a wellbore, a tubular string or a flow conduit.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 846,946, filed Mar. 18, 2013, for APPARATUS AND METHOD TO REMOTELY CONTROL FLUID FLOW IN TUBULAR STRINGS AND WELLBORE ANNULUS, by Ahmed M. Tahoun, Raed I. Kafafy, Karam J. Jawamir, Mohamed A. Aldheeb, Abdul M. Khalil, included by reference herein and for which benefit of the priority date is hereby claimed.[0002]The present application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 861,255, filed Apr. 11, 2013, for APPARATUS AND METHOD TO REMOTELY CONTROL FLUID FLOW IN TUBULAR STRINGS AND WELLBORE ANNULUS, by Ahmed M. Tahoun, Raed I. Kafafy, Karam J. Jawamir, Mohamed A. Aldheeb, and Abdul M. Khalil, included by reference herein and for which benefit of the priority date is hereby claimed.[0003]The present application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61 / 648,575, filed May 17, 2...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text explains that changing the geometry of a fluid passage can affect the velocity of the fluid stored in the passage. This includes increasing or decreasing the area of the nozzle outlet orifice. The technical effect of this is that it allows for better control over the speed at which the fluid comes out of the nozzle, improving accuracy and efficiency in various applications.

Problems solved by technology

When drilling in Earth formations going through earth layers having variations in mechanical properties, the drill bit nozzle hydraulic horse power per square inch (HSI) can be too high for some formation layers which gets over drilled or too low which results in less efficient cuttings removal.

Conventionally, the drill bit nozzle lowered in the wellbore has a fixed flow geometry and total flow area (TFA) and it is not possible to change the nozzle geometry without pulling the tubular string out of the wellbore.

This may result in undesired annular flow velocity which causes deterioration in the hole cleaning efficiency through increase of suspended solids or cuttings within the wellbore or causing a washout when formation or other undesirable acts.

Pulling out the tubular string from the wellbore to replace the nozzle with another of the desired TFA costs the operator significant time and money and increases the drilling risks.

The size of nozzle needed cannot be determined in advance due to the many factors affecting the nozzle size.

At the drilling site, the correct-size nozzle is installed whereas unused nozzles are normally discarded or lost which increases the cost and time of drilling.

However, adjusting size of the nozzle outlet orifice must be done before inserting the tubular string into the wellbore and changing the nozzle outlet orifice requires pulling the tubular string out of hole which involves time and cost.

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