Drill Rod Shoulder Crushing Element for Cuttings Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drill rods experience significant wear on the shoulder due to accumulation of large rock cuttings, leading to decreased energy transfer efficiency, especially in deep borehole drilling where flushing is insufficient to remove these cuttings effectively.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a crushing element with a radially extending peripheral surface featuring non-constant distances from the longitudinal axis, which impacts and crushes large cuttings against the borehole wall, allowing them to be flushed away effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If flushing is used to transport cuttings away from the borehole, then small cuttings can be removed effectively, but large rock pieces accumulate on the shoulder due to gravity and cannot be transported away
Solution Approach 1:
The crushing element acts as an intermediary component between the shoulder and the large cuttings. It crushes the large rock pieces into smaller fragments that can then be effectively removed by the flushing system, preventing accumulation and wear on the shoulder.
Solution Approach 2:
The crushing element performs preliminary action by crushing large cuttings before they can accumulate on the shoulder. This pre-crushing process converts harmful large pieces into removable small fragments, preventing the wear problem before it occurs.
2Productivity
If the shoulder is exposed to high pressure flushing, then cuttings are transported away, but the high pressure causes extensive wear on the shoulder as cuttings contact it on their route away
Solution Approach 1:
The crushing element serves as a mediator that intercepts and processes large cuttings before they reach the shoulder during the flushing process. By crushing them in advance, it prevents direct contact between high-pressure flushing and the shoulder, reducing wear while maintaining transport efficiency.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a crushing element with non-constant radial distance is added to the drill rod, then large cuttings can be crushed and removed effectively, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The crushing element is integrated locally at the shoulder region of the drill rod, rather than requiring a complete redesign of the entire drill rod structure. This localized addition provides the necessary crushing function while minimizing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The crushing element is merged with the existing drill rod structure, combining the crushing function with the drill rod's structural components. This integration approach reduces the number of separate parts and simplifies the overall device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The crushing element effectively reduces shoulder wear by breaking large cuttings into smaller pieces, enhancing energy transfer and drilling efficiency by preventing accumulation and facilitating efficient flushing.
Implementation Method 1
a crushing element (30; 40; 50) positioned adjacent a trailing end of the shoulder... which impacts and crushes large cuttings against the borehole wall
Implementation Method 2
a through-going flushing channel... The flushing agent will arrive at the bottom of the hole at a high pressure to flush the cuttings
Implementation Method 3
If this is the case large pieces of rock will be collected, due to gravity, on the side of the shoulder that is away from the drill bit
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
A drill rod 12 for percussive drilling comprising: a hollow elongate main length section 14, defining a longitudinal axis 5 of the drill rod 12, extending axially between a leading male end 16, for connecting the drill rod 12 to a drill bit 2, and a trailing female end 18, a through-going flushing channel 7, the female end 18 comprising a female thread, the male end 16 comprising a male thread 17 and a radially projecting shoulder 20 between the male thread 17 and the main length section 14, the main length section 14 having a circular cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drill rod 12, the shoulder 20 comprising a peripheral surface having a greater outer diameter than the outer diameter of the main length section, and wherein a crushing element 30,40, 50 is positioned adjacent a trailing end of the shoulder 17 and in that a radially peripheral surface of the crushing element 30, 40, 50 has a non-constant distance to the longitudinal axis 5 of the drill rod 12 around the circumference of the radially peripheral surface of the crushing element 30, 40, 50.