Particle Impact Drilling System for Hard Formation Excavation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drilling methods are inefficient in excavating hard formations, such as metals and metal composites, and struggle with removing filter cake and near-borehole damage, which reduces formation permeability and increases drilling time and costs.
Innovation Solution
A Particle Impact Drilling (PID) system that uses a drill string with nozzles to accelerate solid material impactors to high velocities, directing them at the formation to structurally alter and remove material, thereby increasing wellbore diameter, removing filter cake, and enhancing formation permeability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional drilling methods are used to excavate hard formations, then drilling equipment and procedures are simple, but drilling rate is slow and drilling time is long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical drilling systems with a particle impact drilling system that uses high-velocity particles (sand, water, or air jet) to erode and remove formation material. This substitution enables dramatically higher drilling rates through hard formations by using kinetic energy from particle impact rather than mechanical cutting or crushing, directly resolving the contradiction between simple equipment and slow drilling rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the drilling mechanism from mechanical contact to high-velocity particle impact by adjusting parameters such as fluid pressure, particle size distribution, and injection velocity. These parameter changes enable the drilling system to achieve rates 3-5 times faster than conventional methods while maintaining equipment simplicity through the use of readily available materials like sand and water.
2Reliability
If conventional drilling methods are used, then equipment complexity is low, but ability to remove filter cake and near-borehole damage is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical cleaning methods with high-velocity particle impact to remove filter cake and near-borehole damage. The particle jet effectively cleans the borehole wall and restores formation permeability without requiring complex mechanical scraping or brushing equipment, thus improving reliability while keeping device complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses adjustable particle velocity, size distribution, and fluid pressure parameters to optimize filter cake removal effectiveness. By varying these parameters, the system can adapt to different formation types and damage severities, improving formation permeability recovery while maintaining relatively simple equipment configuration.
3Productivity
If conventional drilling methods are used, then operational costs are lower initially, but total drilling costs increase due to extended drilling time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical drilling with particle impact drilling, achieving drilling rates 3-5 times faster than conventional methods. This substitution dramatically reduces operational time and associated costs despite the added complexity of the particle delivery system, as the time savings translate to lower overall operational expenses in time-sensitive drilling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes particle velocity, concentration, and size distribution parameters to maximize drilling efficiency. By carefully controlling these parameters, the system achieves high productivity while minimizing fluid consumption and particle wear, thereby reducing operational costs despite the advanced technology involved.
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 PID system excaves through hard formations at 3-5 times the rate of conventional systems, effectively penetrates metals and metal composites, and significantly improves wellbore permeability by removing filter cake and near-borehole damage, reducing operational costs and increasing drilling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
flowing a mixture of impactors and pressurized circulating fluid within the drill string so that the impactors in the mixture exit the nozzles with sufficient energy to structurally alter the object when contacting the object
Implementation Method 2
flowing a mixture of impactors and pressurized circulating fluid within the drill string
Implementation Method 3
the exiting impactors contact the identified portion of the borehole wall with sufficient energy to compress and structurally alter the identified portion thereby eroding away the identified portion in the borehole
Implementation Method 4
compress and structurally alter the formation
Implementation Method 5
eroding the object by directing at least one of the nozzles at the object so that the exiting impactors contact and structurally alter the object
Data Source
AI summary
A particle impact drilling system and method are described. In several exemplary embodiments, the system and method may be a part of, and/or used with, an apparatus or system, methods, to excavate a subterranean formation. The system can including, for example, removing near-borehole damage, casing, window milling, fishing, drilling with casing, under reaming, coring, perforating, effective circulatory density management, assisted annular flow, and directional control. Embodiments of associated systems and methods are also included.