Boring or penetrating the earth inventions 03/06

20060065440 - Method and apparatus for determining drill string movement mode: A method is disclosed for determining movement mode in a drill string. The method includes measuring lateral acceleration of the drill string, determining lateral position of the drill string from the acceleration measurements, and determining mode from the position with respect to time. Also disclosed is a method including measuring...

20060065441 - Single solenoid guide system: Measurement of the location and direction of a drill head in a borehole extending beneath an obstacle such as a body of water utilizes a single AC solenoid at a known location but having an unknown orientation. The measurements are used to direct the path of the borehole....

20060065442 - Method and system for installing and maintaining a pipeline while minimizing associated ground disturbance: A pipeline installation and maintenance method and system is disclosed in which a number of interconnectible platform modules are assembled into drilling platforms from which a segmented pipeline route is flexibly installed. Using modified push/pull rigs to carry out a transverse drilling process established between platforms, successive portions of the...

20060065443 - Drilling fluid filter: A drilling fluid filter for placement within a bore wall of a tubular drill string component comprises a perforated receptacle with an open end and a closed end. A hanger for engagement with the bore wall is mounted at the open end of the perforated receptacle. A mandrel is adjacent...

20060065444 - Filter for a drill string: A filter for a drill string comprises a perforated receptacle having an open end and a perforated end and first and second mounting surfaces are adjacent the open end. A transmission element is disposed within each of the first and second mounting surfaces. A capacitor may modify electrical characteristics of...

20060065445 - Rock-bit seals with asymmetric contact profiles: Sealing arrangements for a rotary cone rock-bit comprising a leg extending from a bit body and a cone rotatably mounted to the leg. A seal is disposed radially between the cone and the leg. A footprint defines an area of contact between the seal and the leg. Compression of the...

20060065446 - Rotary drill bit having cutting insert with a notch: A rotary drill bit insert that includes an elongate body that is rotatable about a central axis wherein the elongate body has a pair of symmetrical halves symmetrical about the central axis. The elongate body contains a central notch disposed between the symmetric halves of the elongate body. Each symmetrical...

20060065447 - Cutting elements and bits incorporating the same: Cutting elements and bits incorporating such cutting elements are provided. The cutting elements include a substrate having an interface surface over which is formed an ultra hard material layer. A plurality of lands are formed on the interface surface. A plurality of depressions are formed on the lands....

20060054354 - Downhole tool: A downhole tool comprising: an axial drive unit (10) having a connection for an electric power cable extending up the borehole, and including an anchoring mechanism (12, 16) operable in the borehole between a first configuration in which the anchoring mechanism resists rotational and axial movement of the unit, and...

20060054355 - Nozzle bore for pdc bits: An earth boring bit includes a bit body including plurality of PDC cutter elements and a fluid plenum connecting a fluid inlet to at least one fluid orifice. Furthermore, a ledge formed between a bottom of the fluid plenum and the at least one fluid orifice includes a relief region...

20060054357 - Two-cone drill bit: A two-cone drill bit with a hydraulic arrangement that can be used for one or more of the following: cleaning roller cones, impinging on a hole bottom, or inducing a helical flow field. A two-cone drill bit having a bit body formed from two leg sections and two spacing members....

20060054356 - Working platform: The invention illustrates and describes a working platform which, for straightforward use in a vertical shaft, has a basic body, on which is provided a supporting means for support on a vertically running surface, and a working means, which is connected to the basic body by connecting means such that...

20060054358 - Coring bit with uncoupled sleeve: A coring bit, including an outer hollow coring shaft, and a rotationally uncoupled internal sleeve disposed inside the outer hollow coring shaft. The rotationally uncoupled internal sleeve may be a non-rotating internal sleeve. The rotationally uncoupled internal sleeve may be a free-floating internal sleeve....

20060054359 - Method of decreasing the disintegration of shale-containing cuttings and drilling fluid therefor: The invention provides a method of enhancing the recovery of shale-containing cuttings during the drilling of a borehole in a shale-containing subterranean formation which comprises adding to the drilling fluid circulating in the borehole a finely ground, very sparingly soluble, anhydrous, alkali metal silicate glassy material to provide the drilling...

20060054360 - Apparatus for guiding and steering an earth boring machine and casing assembly: A steering head that comprises a forward pivot block and a rearward pivot block. The forward pivot block is attached to a leading edge of a casing. The rearward pivot block is attached to a trailing portion of the casing, the leading edge being separated from the trailing portion by...

20060054361 - Two-cone drill bit with enhanced stability: A two-cone drill bit that exhibits improved stability. In one embodiment, the two-cone drill bit has a first and a second roller cone arranged to have a cone separation angle between about 145 degrees and about 166 degrees. In some embodiments, the two-cone drill bit has a plurality of cutting...

20060054362 - Bit assembly for a hammering drill: A bit assembly for a hammering and rotating drill, in which assembly the drill body (1) is arranged to drill essentially the middle portion of the hole and in the drill body (1) mounted one or more hammering bit (2), (3) is arranged to drill the outer circle of the...

20060054363 - Method for forming cutting elements: The present invention provides a cutting element having a cylindrical body having a canted end face on which is formed an ultra hard material layer and a method of forming the same. One or a plurality of transition layers may be provided between the ultra hard material layer and the...

20060048970 - Electronic roll indexing compensation in a drilling system and method: An assembly is configured for sensing its roll orientation, referenced to a roll indexing orientation that is defined by the assembly, so as to produce a roll output signal and for transmitting the roll output signal in a predetermined way. A housing is configured to support the assembly for fixedly...

20060048972 - Pressure activated release member for an expandable drillbit: An apparatus for use in a wellbore. The apparatus includes a body and a blade assembly. The blade assembly is movable between a collapsed position whereby the expandable apparatus has a smaller outer diameter and an expanded position whereby the expandable apparatus has a larger outer diameter. The apparatus further...

20060048973 - Rotary drill bits including at least one substantially helically extending feature, methods of operation and design thereof: A rotary drill bit is disclosed, including at least one cutting element affixed thereto and configured to form a distinct borehole surface in response to drilling a subterranean formation. At least one substantially helically extending feature associated with the at least one cutting element may be formed upon the leading...

20060048971 - Welded joints for rotary-vibratory drills having reduced stress: A drill string for a rotary-vibratory drill comprises a plurality of drill pipes. Each of the drill pipes has a longitudinal axis and at least one end. A female connector member and a male connector member are between the ends of adjacent said drill pipes, the female connector member having...

20060048974 - Guide frame for an earth drilling apparatus: A guide frame (1) for an earth drilling apparatus includes a support plate (6) for holding the drive unit (7) and a handle frame (2) having handle sections (17, 18) for holding and guiding the earth drilling apparatus. Operator-controlled elements (19a, 19b, 19c) for controlling the drive unit (7) are...

20060042835 - Apparatus and method for drilling a branch borehole from an oil well: A wireline drill train is used to drill an elongated, small diameter, lateral branch borehole from near the base of a main well. The drill train, includes a drill module, a first self-propelled thrust module coupled to the drill module, and a second self-propelled thrust module pivotally coupled to the...

20060042836 - Freer flowing liquid-solid suspensions and methods of use in subterranean formations: The invention relates to methods for improving the suspension of solids in liquids; more particularly, to reducing the potential stresses caused by increased particle loading in a fluid. An example of a method is a method of enhancing the flow of particles. Another example of a method is a method...

20060042837 - Maintaining carburized case during neutral to the core heat treatment processes: The preferred embodiments are directed toward methods and apparatus for manufacturing components for earth-boring drill bits. In the preferred embodiments, a portion of the component is coated and the component is exposed to a carbon-rich environment at an elevated temperature. During this exposure, some portions of the component are not...