Selectable Hole Trimmer and Methods Thereof

The present invention relates generally to a device for use in downhole drilling.

While performing drilling operations in an oil and gas well, a drill string rotates a drill bit at an end of the drill string and circulates fluids, such as drilling mud, through the drill string and the drill bit. The fluids may lubricate, cool, and clean the drill bit. The fluids may also control downhole pressure, stabilize the wall of the borehole, and remove drill bit cuttings from the bottom of the hole. Very often, the fluids are engineered with different chemical make-ups to suit specific well applications. Sometimes controlling certain physical or operation properties of the fluids, such as the flow rate through the drill bit, may be as important as controlling the chemical make-ups.

Sometimes operations of downhole tools may be controlled using various sensors and controllers in a closed control loop. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,879,518 discloses an intelligent reamer for drilling using rotation sensor, fluid operation sensor, and a control scheme based on the measured rotational rate of the drill string (e.g., an rpm protocol).

Conventionally, a specialized downhole tool (i.e., DSI PBL® sub) may be used to bypass fluids from the drill bit. Such specialized downhole tool may achieve the bypass function by dropping a metal or polymer, hard or malleable ball into the drill string from the derrick floor. The ball then travels downhole and eventually seats into the bypass sub, sealing against the passage downhole. After sealing, the drilling fluids are forced toward lateral vent holes, thus bypassing the drill bit. To terminate this bypass, additional small balls are pumped down the drill string. The smaller balls will block the lateral vent holes. As the lateral vent holes are closed, the malleable metal or polymer ball are deformed and pushed through its seat and into a collector below, thus restoring the flow path to the drill bit.

Such downhole tool (i.e., DSI PBL® sub) often takes a long time for the various balls (either to cause the bypass or to restore the flow) to travel through the drill string and be seated on the seal. In some instances, pumping at 600 gpm down a 10,000 ft drill pipe of 5½-inch diameter would take approximately 12-15 minutes. Such downhole tool (i.e., DSI PBL® sub) also has a limited number of bypass/restore cycles before tool replacement. In some instances, because the collector becomes fully filled, only five sets of malleable metal or polymer ball may be inserted to cause bypasses before the whole downhole tool (i.e., DSI PBL® sub) must be replaced before further bypass operations. Furthermore, dropping the balls into the drill string to be pumped down to the bypass sub is typically a manual operation.

Another specialized tool (i.e., a fixed blade reamer) may be used to slightly enlarge a hole. The fixed blade reamer has a larger diameter than the rest of the drill string. Due to this larger diameter, the fixed blade reamer creates a high drag when sliding and not rotating in directional drilling. This high drag is problematic to the directional drilling process.

Accordingly, a downhole device (e.g., a selectable hole trimmer) is needed that does not create a high drag when sliding and not rotating in directional drilling.

illustrates an exemplary drilling environmentfor implementing the disclosed downhole device. As shown, the exemplary drilling environmentincludes a drilling rig having a drilling fluid (e.g., drilling mud) circulation system summarized below. The drilling environmentprovides a conceptual understanding for the placement of the disclosed downhole device to be discussed and may include other components not shown in. The drilling environmentincludes a mud reservoiron the ground. The mud reservoirreceives return drilling mud caught in the mud pitand supplies the mud pumpdrilling mud to send to the mud feed line. The mud feed linefeeds drilling mud into the drill stringthrough the swivel or top drive. The drilling mud travels along the drill stringfrom the Kelly drivedown to and exits the drill bit. The drilling mud carries away heat and debris from the drill bitand returns it to the groundvia the annulus. The annulusis the clearance space created between the outer diameter of the drill stringand the side surfaceof the drilled hole created by the drill bit. The returning mudflows from the drill bitin the annulusupward. After returning to the ground, the returning mudtravels in the mud return lineto return to the mud pits, passing by the shale shakerto remove the drill debris.

shows a local cross-sectional side view of a conceptual operation of the downhole devicein the exemplary drilling environmentof. The downhole devicemay be positioned at a desired location between the drill bitand the ground. Other components or downhole devices may be installed or positioned between the downhole deviceand the drill bit. When the downhole deviceis actuated, a portionof the drilling mud may bypass the drill bitand flows into the annuluswhile the returning mudmay include the remaining portion of the drilling mud. Details of the structure of the downhole devicein different embodiments are illustrated inand discussed below.

shows a cross-sectional side view of a first exemplary embodiment of the downhole device. As shown, the downhole deviceincludes a body as part of the drill string, a sleevesealingly slidable inside the body. See e.g.,:. The sleevemay include at least one portalignable with a corresponding bypass outletof the body. See e.g.,:,,&. The bypass outletmay include an erosion resistant nozzle. Id. The downhole devicefurther includes a resilient member(e.g., a spring) biasing the sleeveagainst the body. See e.g.,:&. The downhole devicefurther includes a three-way valve with an actuatorthat is configured to provide a pressure to the sleeve. See e.g.,:&. The actuatorcan actuate the sleeveto move relative to the body, such as to align the bypass outletwith the port. See e.g.,:,,&. The downhole devicealso includes a controller (e.g., the controller electronicsshown in, or implemented as the computer deviceofas discussed below) configured to operate the actuatorin response to a change of a monitored operation condition. Id.

In some embodiments, the downhole devicewould use information, measurements, and other received signals (electric or mechanical, such as pressure signals) to actuate the actuator. See e.g.,:. For example, the downhole devicemay sense or measure the rotation rate in revolutions per minute (“rpm”), a flow rate of drilling mud fluid (e.g., in GPM), weight or pressure signals (e.g., related to well depth, length of drill string, and installed components) and control the actuatorin response to the measured signals. Id.

Turning to, the downhole devicemay have a neutral position where the sleeveis biased away from the bypass outlet. See e.g.,:&. As a result, the sleeveforms a volumewith the body. Id. Before actuation, the drill string inletcommunicates fluid or its pressure (or both) to the volume inlet. See e.g.,:. Since the drill string inlettakes drilling mud from the bore of the drill stringand is fluidly connected to the volume inletvia the three-way valve actuator, the sliding sleeve volumewould have the same fluid pressure as that of the drill string. See e.g.,:&. This pressure of the sliding sleeve volumewould be equal to the pressure outside of the sleeveand therefore the sleeveis subject only to the springand in the neutral position. See e.g.,:&.

In the illustrated embodiment, a lock ringmay further be used to define the neutral position, for example, to allow the springto statically push the sleeveagainst the lock ring. See e.g.,:&. The lock ring, however, may be optional if an equivalent form of stopping mechanism, such as a catch key or the like formed in the sleeveis employed. Id. Different configurations of providing the neutral position of the sleeveunder similar principle are possible and not exhaustively enumerated here. Id.

During operation, when the downhole deviceis to shift flow paths to bypass the drill bit, a signal may be sent via rpm, for example, to the downhole device. The signal may be measured and/or processed in a microprocessor in the downhole device. The processor may then send a signal to the three-way valve and actuatorto change the pressure in the volume inlet. See e.g.,:. For example, the actuatormay increase or decrease the pressure in the volume. Id.

In some embodiments, the actuatormay connect the volume inletto the annulus outletand equalize the pressures in the sliding sleeve volumeto the annulus. See e.g.,:. Because the pressure in the annulusis lower than the pressure in the drill string(often by 2000 psi), the pressure applied to external surfaces of the sleeve(outside the volume) becomes greater than the pressure applied to inner surfaces of the sleeve(surfaces forming the volume). Id. The collective effect of this pressure difference would cause the sleeveto compress the springand move toward the bypass outlet. See e.g.,:,&.

The springmay have a desired elasticity such that the pressure difference between the drill string pressure and the annulus pressure may fully align the bypass portto the bypass outlet. See e.g.,:,&. At least a portion of the drilling mud may bypass the drill bitwhen the bypass portis at least partially aligned with the bypass outlet. See e.g.,:&. When the downhole devicesends a different rpm signal or stops sending a triggering signal, the actuator(or its controller,) may shift the sleeveback to the neutral position, by reconnecting the drill string inletto the volume inlet. See e.g.,:&. As such, the operation of the sleeveneed not be externally powered, and the operation may fully use the existing pressure differences between the drill stringand the annulus. Id. The control and actuation of the three-way valve actuatormay be electrically powered like other downhole tools. See e.g.,:.

In some embodiments, the springmay be a coil spring providing a biasing force corresponding to a threshold trigger pressure, i.e., a pressure balancing the force applied by the springto the sleeve. See e.g.,:&. Once the pressure difference exceeds the threshold trigger pressure, the sleevemay be moved toward the bypass outlet. See e.g.,:&.

In some embodiments, the actuatormay be controlled in response to other signals besides rpm signals, such as an internal drill string pressure variation measured in a pressure transducer. See e.g.,:. For example, the internal drill string pressure variation satisfies a trigger condition for initiating a bypass of the drilling fluids. Sensors for measuring pressures, rpm, and other aspect of the downhole deviceor the drill stringmay be installed in various locations along the drill string, or may be onboard other tools of the drill string. Controller, power supply and other electronics are discussed in relation tobelow.

shows a cross-sectional side view of a second exemplary embodiment of the downhole device. Similar to the previous embodiment, the downhole deviceincludes a body as part of the drill string, a sleevesealingly slidable inside the body. See e.g.,:. The sleevemay include at least one portalignable with a corresponding bypass outletof the body. See e.g.,:&. The bypass outletmay include an erosion resistant nozzle. The downhole devicefurther includes a resilient member(e.g., a spring) biasing the sleeveagainst the body. See e.g.,:&. The downhole devicefurther includes a motor driven pump(herein called motor pump) that is configured to provide a pressure to the sleeve. See e.g.,:&. The motor pumpcan actuate the sleeveto move relative to the body, such as to align the bypass outletwith the port. See e.g.,:,&.

The downhole devicemay have a neutral position where the sleeveis biased toward the bypass outletand the bypass portis offset from the bypass outlet. See e.g.,:&. The sleeveis pushed by the springsecured at a lock ringtoward the bypass outlet, forming a volumewith the body. See e.g.,:,&. The volumeis connected to the motor pumpvia a motor pump fluid line. See e.g.,:&. In this embodiment, the pressure of the drilling fluids in the downhole devicebore (or the drill string) may communicate with an accumulator/pressure compensation vessel(the “accumulator”). See e.g.,:. The accumulatormay actuate the adjacent piston to pressurize the internal oil in its oil chamber to the same pressure as that of the downhole device(i.e., pressure inside the drill string). Id. The accumulatorand the motor pumpmay both be housed in a radial housingof the body. See e.g.,:,&.

During operation, a microprocessor (e.g., included in the electronicsof) sends control signals to the motor pump. See e.g.,:. Upon receiving the control signals from the microprocessor, the motor pumpmay pump pressurized oil from the accumulatorto the volumevia the motor pump fluid line. See e.g.,:,&. As such, the pumped oil pressure caused by the motor pumpmay move the sleeveto align the bypass portwith the bypass outlet. See e.g.,:,&. Because the drill string inletis hydraulically linked to the motor pump fluid line, the motor pumpneeds not overcome the pressure in the drill stringand needs only overcome the bias force applied by the spring. See e.g.,:,,&. When the bypass portand the bypass outletare aligned, a portion of the drilling mud passing through the downhole deviceis bypassed to the annulus. See e.g.,:. Whenever rpm ceased the downhole devicemay be and is typically programmed to close the bypass path.

In some embodiments, the microprocessor sends control signals based on preprogrammed rpm protocols. When the operator decides to put the downhole deviceto sleep and stop the bypass flow from the bore to the annulus, then a different, pre-programmed rpm protocol would be performed. Such intent may be transmitted through the drill stringand recognized by an accelerometer connected to the microprocessor. The resulting signal may shut off the pump and allow the springto return the sleeveto the original position to seal the bypass outlet. See e.g.,:&.

In some embodiments, the actuation of the sleeveby the motor pumpmay include linear sliding motion, spiral sliding motion, rotational motion, or a combination thereof. See e.g.,:&. For example, the bypass portand the bypass outletmay be apart linearly or radially in different embodiments. See e.g.,:. The motor pumpmay employ various hydraulic actuators to move the sleeve, not limited to the disclosed examples. See e.g.,:&.

shows a cross-sectional side view of a third exemplary embodiment of the downhole device. Similar to the previous embodiments, the downhole devicein this embodiment also includes a body as part of the drill string, a sleevesealingly slidable inside the body. The sleevemay include at least one portalignable with a corresponding bypass outletof the body. The bypass outletmay include an erosion resistant nozzle. The downhole devicefurther includes a resilient member(e.g., a spring) biasing the sleeveagainst the body. The downhole devicefurther includes a three-way valvethat is configured to provide a pressure to the sleeveto actuate the sleeveto move relative to the body, such as to align (as illustrated when bypass actuation conditions are met) the bypass outletwith the port. See e.g.,.

In, the bodyincludes a radial housingfor enclosing a bore pressure oil accumulator, an annulus pressure oil accumulator, and the three-way valve. See e.g.,:&. The bore pressure oil accumulatoris connected to the drill string inletthat is open to the bore to receive pressure therein. Id. The bore pressure oil accumulatormay have mud from the drill stringto enter the volumeand apply pressure to the bore pressure oil accumulator. See e.g.,:&. The bore pressure is communicated to the three-way valvevia the bore pressure oil accumulator inlet. Id. The annulus pressure oil accumulatoris connected to the annulus inletto receive pressure therein. See e.g.,:. The annulus pressure oil accumulatormay have mud from the annulusto enter the volumeand apply pressure to the annulus pressure oil accumulator. Id. The annulus pressure is communicated to the three-way valvevia the annulus pressure oil accumulator inlet. Id.

During operation, the pressure in the bore of the downhole deviceis higher than the pressure in the annulus, often by about 1000-2000 psi. The bore pressure is communicated from the drill string inletthrough the bore pressure oil accumulatorto the three-way valve. See e.g.,:. Similarly, the pressure of the mud in the annulus between the downhole deviceand the side surfaceof the drilled hole is communicated to the volumeand the annulus pressure oil accumulator. See e.g.,:. The oil from the annulus pressure oil accumulatoris then communicated to the three-way valve. Id.

The output port of the three-way valveis shown as the sleeve volume inletand communicates, via the volume inlet, to the volumebetween the sliding sleeveand the downhole device's inner diameter, sealed by seals that allows for relative movement between the sleeveand the body. See e.g.,.

Inside that volumeis also a springwhich forces the sleeveto the left (toward top of the downhole device) when there is no pressure differential between the bore and the volume, similar to the first embodiment shown in. When the three-way valverelays the pressure from the drill string inletto the sleeve volume inlet, the sleeveis positioned in a normally “closed” position. See e.g.,.

Whenever an rpm protocol or other prescribed signal (pressure, bit weight, etc.) is sensed by one or more accelerometers and communicated to the microprocessor (both located in another pocket in the downhole device(not shown) then the valve (V) is signaled to shift to the non-closed position. The three-way valvecommunicates the pressure of the annulusvia the annulus pressure oil accumulator inletto the volume inletand thus to the volume. See e.g.,. Because the annulus pressure can be said to be always lower than the internal flow in the tool, this lower pressure in the volumeshifts the sleeveto the right as shown, aligning the bypass portto the bypass outlet. This actuates the bypass flow and allows free flow of drilling fluids from the bore to the annulus.

When drilling mud bypass is no longer desired, then an rpm signal (or other types of signals) may be given, such as stopping the rotation entirely. The accelerometer measures such signals and the microprocessor processes the measured signals to determine a corresponding control output. The three-way valvemay then be controlled to shift back to the original closed position. This is achieved by communicating the bore pressure from the drill string inletto the volume(which are identical pressures) and allowing the springto move the sleeveto offset the bypass portfrom the bypass outlet, sealing off the bypass flow. See e.g.,.

shows a cross-sectional top view of an exemplary embodiment of the downhole device. The configuration shown inis applicable to the previous embodiments discussed in. For example, the downhole devicemay include one or more radial housing,, orfor containing the actuator,, or. The downhole devicemay include an internal tube (e.g., the internal cylindrical surface) housing the sleeve,, or.

As shown, the downhole deviceincludes three radial housings, possibly equally spaced 120 degrees apart. In some embodiments, one or more, such as two, or four, or another different number of radial housings may be used instead of three. The radial housing,, ormay each include one or more, or all the component(s) of the bypass actuation system without preference or limitations. For example, the radial housing,, ormay include at least one of an oil accumulator, a motor pump, a battery, the actuator, the three-way valve, or motor pump,, or, or the controller/electronics,as discussed above.

In some embodiments, the battery, the electronics, and the actuators,, andmay respectively be connected by a wireand a control line. For example, the control linemay be embedded in a bored hole or holes in the bodyaround the sleeve,, orto reach the corresponding radial housing,, or. In some embodiments, the power linemay connect directly with the actuator or motor pump,, or. In other embodiments, the power linemay connect directly with the electronics,. In other embodiments, the power linemay connect indirectly with the actuator or motor pump,, orvia the electronics,. Other arrangements are possible. In some implementations, wireless communication for receiving sensing signals and sending control signals may be employed between the electronicsand the actuator or pump,, or. Although the battery, the electronics, and the actuator or pump,, orare shown to be separately placed in individual radial housings,, or, they may be reconfigured to share one or more radial housings as desired.

illustrates an exemplary schematic for controlling the downhole deviceas shown in. The electronicsmay include a microprocessor, one or more accelerometers, a voltage regulator, and a pressure sensor, for example. In some embodiments, the illustrated schematic applies to. For example, the electronicsmay send control signals to a motor or actuatorthat is operable to power the motor pump. Details of data acquisition and generation of the control signals may reference U.S. Pat. No. 9,879,518, specifically,and the corresponding descriptions.

Upon receiving power or actuation from the actuator, the motor pumpmay communicate pressurized oil from the oil reservoir or accumulatorto actuate the sleeveto overcome the bias force by the springand to align bypass portwith bypass outlet. The mudin borehole is communicated to the oil accumulatorthat provides the pressurized oil to the oil accumulator. Different configurations are possible in view of the bypass method discussed below.

shows an exemplary schematic of a controllerof the electronicsapplicable to the downhole device. Referring to the drawings in general, and initially toin particular, the controlleris but one example of a suitable configuration for the electronicsand is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of this disclosure. Neither should the controllerbe interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated.

Embodiments of this disclosure may be described in the general context of computer code or machine-executable instructions stored as program modules or objects and executable by one or more computing devices, such as a laptop, server, mobile device, tablet, etc. Generally, program modules including routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., refer to code that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Embodiments of this disclosure may be practiced in a variety of system configurations, including handheld devices, consumer electronics, general-purpose computers, more specialty computing devices, and the like. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks may be performed by remote-processing devices that may be linked through a communications network.

With continued reference to, the controllerof the downhole deviceincludes a busthat directly or indirectly couples the following devices: memory, one or more processors, one or more presentation components, one or more input/output (I/O) ports, I/O components, a user interfaceand an illustrative power supply(such as the batteryof). The presentation componentsand the user interfacemay be above ground and connected to the busremotely or when the tool is located above ground for servicing. The busrepresents what may be one or more busses (such as an address bus, data bus, or combination thereof).

Although the various blocks ofare shown with lines for the sake of clarity, in reality, delineating various components is not so clear, and metaphorically, the lines would more accurately be fuzzy. For example, one may consider a presentation component such as a display device to be an I/O component. Additionally, many processors have memory. The diagram ofis merely illustrative of an exemplary computing device that can be used in connection with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Further, a distinction is not made between such categories as “workstation,” “server,” “laptop,” “mobile device,” etc., as all are contemplated within the scope ofand reference to “computing device.”

The controllerof the downhole devicetypically includes a variety of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that may be accessed by the controllerand include both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer-storage media and communication media.

The computer-storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computer-storage media includes, but is not limited to, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other holographic memory, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to encode desired information and which can be accessed by the controller.

The memoryincludes computer-storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory. The memorymay be removable, non-removable, or a combination thereof. Suitable hardware devices include solid-state memory, hard drives, optical-disc drives, etc. The controllerof the downhole deviceincludes one or more processorsthat read data from various entities such as the memoryor the I/O components.

The presentation component(s)present data indications to a user or other device. In an embodiment, the controlleroutputs present data indications including separation rate, temperature, pressure and/or the like to a presentation component. Suitable presentation componentsinclude a display device, speaker, printing component, vibrating component, and the like.

The user interfaceallows the user to input/output information to/from the controller. Suitable user interfacesinclude keyboards, key pads, touch pads, graphical touch screens, and the like. For example, the user may input a type of signal profile into the controlleror output a separation rate to the presentation componentsuch as a display. In some embodiments, the user interfacemay be combined with the presentation component, such as a display and a graphical touch screen. In some embodiments, the user interfacemay be a portable hand-held device. The use of such devices is well known in the art.

The one or more I/O portsallow the controllerto be logically coupled to other devices including the accelerometers, pressure sensors, rpm sensors, and other I/O components, some of which may be built in. Examples of other I/O componentsinclude a control terminal above the ground, the actuators,, and, wireless device, other sensors, and actuators in the drill string, and the like. During operation, for example, the I/O portsenables the controller, via the control line, for example, to operate on the three-way valvesandto alter the connection between different ports.

Any suitable controller may be used with this invention. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,879,518 discloses an intelligent reamer for drilling using rotation sensor, fluid operation sensor, and a control scheme based on the measured rotational rate of the drill string (e.g., an rpm protocol). The U.S. Pat. No. 9,879,518 disclosure regarding the data acquisition, sensing, signal transmission, signal processing, control, and other technical aspects in the that patent are hereby cited as background and incorporated by reference to the extent that they is not inconsistent with this invention.

shows a side view of an exemplary embodiment of the downhole devicehaving carved structuresandfor regulating the annular fluid flow.shows a cross-sectional side view, andshows a cross-sectional top view of the same. The carved structuresandmay be slots carved on the external surface of the bodyof the downhole device. The carved structureis lower than the carved structurewhen the example downhole deviceis positioned in an erected orientation. The carved structuresandmay motivate the annular flow of the drilling fluids upward. For example, the carved structuresandform helical profiles that when the carved structuresandare rotated clockwise (viewing downward into the well), the fluids in the carved structuresandwould receive an upward actuation. This may be similar to a full coverage stabilizer or a spiral collar.

In some embodiments, the carved structuresandmay cause turbulence to bring the cuttings off the wall and allow the upward flow from the bit to carry them upward in the well. In some embodiments, the carved structuremay intersect with the bypass outlet,, orto provide the helical motion of the circulated drill fluids in the annulusfrom the outset. Althoughillustrates the carved structuresandto be certain helical shape, different shapes, such as the varying degrees of helical angles, may be used, as long as they form a general axial arrangement. In some embodiments, the carved structuresandmay have a substantial depth based on the wall thickness, as shown in.

shows a side view of an exemplary embodiment of an alternative downhole devicehaving carved structuresandfor regulating annular fluid flow.shows a cross-sectional side view, andshows a cross-sectional top view of the same. The carved structuresandmay be slots carved on the external surface of the bodyof the downhole device. The carved structureis lower than the carved structurewhen the example downhole deviceis positioned in an erected orientation. The carved structuresandmay motivate the annular flow of the drilling fluids upward. For example, the carved structuresandform helical profiles that when the carved structuresandare rotated clockwise (viewing downward into the well), the fluids in the carved structuresandwould receive an upward actuation. This may be similar to a full coverage stabilizer or a spiral collar.

In some embodiments, the carved structuresandmay cause turbulence to bring the cuttings off the wall and allow the upward flow from the bit to carry them upward in the well. In some embodiments, the carved structuremay intersect with the bypass outlet,, orto provide the helical motion of the circulated drill fluids in the annulusfrom the outset. Althoughillustrates the carved structuresandto be certain helical shape, different shapes, such as the varying degrees of helical angles, may be used, as long as they form a general axial arrangement. In some embodiments, the carved structuresandmay have a substantial depth based on the wall thickness, as shown in.