Double Acting Rotary Hammering Tool for Drilling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Lost circulation of drilling mud during wellbore drilling, caused by naturally fractured formations or excessive downhole pressure, leads to increased drilling time and cost, and potential wellbore collapse due to reduced hydrostatic pressure.

Innovation Solution

A double acting tool with a tool body, piston chamber, and actuation elements is used to hammer cuttings into the wellbore sidewall, reducing the need to circulate cuttings to the surface and minimizing mud loss by compacting them into the formation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of substance

If drilling mud is circulated to remove cuttings from the wellbore, then cuttings are removed effectively, but drilling mud is lost to fractured formations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrilling mud lossVSAvoidcuttings removal efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the cuttings from the drilling mud stream using a centrifugal separator. The separator removes cuttings from the circulated drilling mud, allowing the mud to be retained and reused while only the solid cuttings are disposed of, thereby reducing drilling mud loss to fractured formations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention recovers drilling mud from the cuttings removal process by separating cuttings from the mud stream. The recovered drilling mud is returned to the circulation system for continued use, while only the discarded cuttings are lost, significantly reducing overall drilling mud consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

2Loss of substance

If drilling mud circulation is reduced to minimize loss, then drilling mud loss decreases, but wellbore stability and cuttings removal are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrilling mud lossVSAvoidwellbore stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The centrifugal separator system operates continuously during drilling to automatically separate and remove cuttings from the drilling mud circulation. This self-service mechanism maintains wellbore stability by ensuring effective cuttings removal without requiring additional drilling mud circulation, thus preventing both mud loss and wellbore collapse.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If excessive downhole pressure is applied to maintain wellbore stability, then wellbore stability improves, but lost circulation to fractured formations increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewellbore stabilityVSAvoiddrilling mud loss

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies partial action by using a centrifugal separator to handle cuttings removal, which allows drilling mud circulation to be maintained at lower, more controlled pressure levels. This partial intervention (separation rather than full circulation) achieves effective cuttings removal without the excessive pressure that would otherwise be needed, thereby reducing lost circulation to fractured formations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS11619098B2Double acting rotary and hammering tool

Publication Date: 2023.04.04 SAUDI ARABIAN OIL CO

AI summary

A tool for building a wellbore includes a tool body with a flow passage extending axially therethrough, a piston chamber formed radially through the tool body that intersects the flow passage of the tool body, a piston disposed in the piston chamber, at least one actuation element that exerts a force between the piston and the piston chamber, and a sleeve disposed within the flow passage of the tool body that includes at least one cutout. When the sleeve is in a first position within the tool body, the cutout is axially offset from the piston, and when the sleeve is in a second position, the cutout is axially aligned with the piston.