Adjustable Bent Housings for Directional Drilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current directional drilling techniques require frequent removal and replacement of bent housings to adjust drilling angles, which is costly and time-consuming, and lack efficient mechanisms for real-time angle adjustments during drilling operations.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable bent housing system with an adjustment mechanism that allows for in-situ adjustment of the bend angle using actuators, sacrificial support members, and energy delivery systems to alter the preload and induce failure of support members, enabling real-time angle adjustments without removing the drill string from the wellbore.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the entire drill string is removed to replace the bent housing with another that defines a different bend angle, then the drilling angle can be adjusted, but the operation becomes expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The bent housing is designed with an adjustable bend angle mechanism that allows dynamic adjustment of the drilling angle while the drill string remains in the wellbore. The support members can be selectively activated or deactivated to change the bend angle, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one that adapts to different drilling requirements without requiring removal from the wellbore.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes measurement mechanisms that automatically detect the current bend angle and provide feedback to the control system. This self-measuring capability allows the system to automatically determine when adjustment is needed and track the adjustment process, eliminating the need for manual measurement and reducing operational time.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the entire drill string is removed to replace the bent housing, then the bend angle can be changed, but the operation becomes costly
Solution Approach 1:
The bent housing incorporates adjustable support members that can be selectively activated to change the bend angle dynamically. This eliminates the need to remove and replace entire bent housing assemblies, reducing operational costs associated with rig time, labor, and equipment handling while maintaining the ability to adapt to different drilling angle requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters by allowing continuous or discrete adjustment of the bend angle through the selective activation of support members. This parameter adjustment capability replaces the need for physical replacement of bent housing components, thereby reducing operational costs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If an adjustable bent housing is provided that permits adjustment to over a range of bend angles once the drill string is removed, then angle flexibility is improved, but the adjustment process still requires removing the drill string
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism is extracted as a self-contained system within the bent housing, with support members that can be independently activated. This allows the adjustment function to operate autonomously without requiring removal of the drill string, making the operation simpler and more efficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement mechanisms provide automatic detection and feedback of the bend angle, enabling the system to self-regulate and self-adjust without requiring external measurement tools or complex manual procedures. This self-service capability simplifies the adjustment operation significantly.
Data Source
AI summary
Adjustable drill string housings are described for use in the directional drilling of wellbores, e.g. wellbores for hydrocarbon recovery wells. The adjustable drill string housings permit adjustment of a bend angle in the housings without removing the housings from a wellbore. In some exemplary embodiments, the bend angle can be adjusted by changing the internal stresses in a support member carried by the housings. In other embodiments, the bend angle may be adjusted by causing failure of sacrificial support members carried by the housings, and the failure may be caused by delivering chemicals through a chemical delivery system to the sacrificial support members. Methods of operating the adjustable drill string housings include multi-lateral drilling operations wherein the bend angle is adjusted when a casing window has been detected.