Boring or penetrating the earth inventions 06/06

20060137909 - Portable electrocrushing drill: The present invention relates to a portable, electrocrushing drilling apparatus and method....

20060137910 - Drilling machine having a movable rod handling device: A drilling machine including a frame, a tower, a rotary head, and a rod handling device. The frame is supported for movement over the ground and the tower is mounted on the frame. The rotary head is movable along the tower and is engageable with the drill string for rotating...

20060137911 - Method and apparatus for cementing drill strings in place for one pass drilling and completion of oil and gas wells: The steel drill string attached to a drilling bit during typical rotary drilling operations used to drill oil and gas wells is used for a second purpose as the casing that is cemented in place during typical oil and gas well completions. Methods of operation are described that provide for...

20060137912 - Method and apparatus for horizontal drilling and oil recovery: An oil tool forms holes or perforations which extend horizontally away from the borehole and into the formation for recovering additional oil and gas from the formation. The tool provides a downhole tool capable of drilling horizontally into a formation and further capable of operating in a relatively small well...

20060131074 - Method for estimating confined compressive strength for rock formations utilizing skempton theory: A method for estimating the CCS for a rock in the depth of cut zone of a subterranean formation which is to be drilled using a drilling fluid is disclosed. An UCS is determined for a rock in the depth of cut zone. A change in the strength of the...

20060131076 - Enlarging well bores having tubing therein: An underreamer for forming a cavity within a well bore includes a fluid motor having a first body and a second body arranged about a longitudinal axis. The first body is adapted to rotate about the longitudinal axis in relation to the second body when fluid is passed between the...

20060131075 - Percussive drill bit: A percussion drill bit for drilling into a subterranean earth formation. The drill bit has a central longitudinal axis and is operable by applying repetitive axial percussive impacts on the drill bit in a direction having a component along the axis and by applying rotary motion about the axis relative...

20060131077 - Directional drill head: A drill head is shown that provides improved steering in difficult ground conditions such as dry and compacted soil. A drill head is shown with features that include a narrow front portion, a sharp hardened insert such as a carbide point, and a curved rear portion of the drill head....

20060131078 - Mobile chemical preparation plant and method of managing a chemical inventory thereon: A mobile chemical preparation plant and method of managing a chemical inventory is claimed. The mobile chemical preparation plant includes a mobile work area outfitted with a chemical compound preparation unit, a remote processing unit, and a global positioning system. Inventory of one or more chemical agents is also located...

20060131079 - Composite motor stator: A hollow stator for a Moineau-style motor is constructed from a composite material such as fiberglass or graphite. A series of lobes arranged along its inner surface corresponds to the external lobes of a rotor inserted in the stator, and enables use of a constant width elastomer layer between the...

20060131080 - Method, system, and apparatus for controlling in-vehicle apparatus: Method and apparatus for the cooling of drilling fluids (also referred to as mudcooler), includes use of two heat exchangers, wherein the drilling fluid (or warm drilling oil) is led through the first heat exchanger and is cooled by a mixture of glycol and water, while the glycol/water mixture is...

20060131081 - Cemented carbide inserts for earth-boring bits: This invention relates to cutting inserts for earth boring bits comprising a cutting zone, wherein the cutting zone comprises first cemented hard particles and a body zone, wherein the body zone comprises second cemented hard particles. The first cemented hard particles may differ in at least one property from the...

20060124352 - Control systems and methods for active controlled bottomhole pressure systems: An active differential pressure device (APD device) in fluid communication with a returning fluid creates a differential pressure across the device, which controls pressure below the APD Device. In embodiments, a control unit controls the APD Device to provide a selected pressure differential at a wellbore bottom, adjacent a casing...

20060124354 - Modular drilling apparatus with power and/or data transmission: The present invention relates to devices and methods for conveying power and/or data signal along a wellbore bottomhole assembly (BHA) having a steering unit, a bidirectional data communication and power (“BCPM”) unit, a sensor sub, a formation evaluation sub, stabilizers. A power and/or data transmission line enables power transfer and...

20060124353 - Pipe running tool having wireless telemetry: A system for measuring desired drilling parameters of a pipe string during an oil and gas well drilling operation is provided that includes a top drive assembly; a pipe running tool engageable with the pipe string and coupled to the top drive assembly to transmit translational and rotational forces from...

20060124355 - Establishing positions of locating field detectors and path mapping in underground boring tool applications: Specific apparatus and associated methods are described for use in establishing the positions of locating field detectors and for path mapping within a region for the purpose of tracking and/or guiding the movement of an underground boring tool. In one aspect, an improvement is provided forming part of an arrangement...

20060124357 - Adjustable rotating guides for spider or elevator: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for gripping one or more tubulars, which may include casing, during a tubular handling operation, drilling operation, and/or drilling with casing operation. The gripping apparatus comprises a housing having a bore extending therethrough and one or more gripping members which extend radially...

20060124356 - Apparatus and method for handling wellbore tubulars: A handling apparatus and method for manipulation of tubulars include an elongate base such as a trailer supporting one or more layers of tubulars in a stack. A trough extends along the base for receiving and supporting a tubular and can be actuated to adjust its elevation such as to...

20060124358 - Impact resistant pdc drill bit: A drill bit includes at least two different sets of cutting elements, each being the primary cutting set corresponding to a different formation. Upon encountering a significant change in formation characteristics, the first set of cutting elements may be sacrificed so that the second set of cutting elements becomes exposed,...

20060124359 - Method of avoiding the need for a scraper run in drill out operations and a downhole drilling motor assembly: A method of avoiding the need for a scraper run in drill out operations. The method involves the single step of incorporating a rotary scraper into the downhole drilling motor assembly in such a manner that the rotary scraper rotates with the drill bit and follows the drill bit to...

20060124360 - Methods and apparatus for drilling, completing and configuring u-tube boreholes: A borehole network including first and second end surface locations and at least one intermediate surface location interconnected by a subterranean path, and a method for connecting a subterranean path between a first borehole including a directional section and a second borehole including a directional section. A directional drilling component...

20060124361 - Method of pumping drill cuttings and dual cylinder positive displacement pump for moving drill cuttings: A dual cylinder positive displacement pump is used to move drill cuttings. The pump may include one or more of a self-sealing wear ring member/wear plate member interface, stainless steel pumping cylinders, and a hopper with an inclined surface....

20060124362 - Floating head reaction turbine rotor with improved jet quality: A rotary jetting tool including a pressure-balanced rotor, which is achieved using a vented volume. Axial movement of the rotor relative to the housing caused by pressure imbalances acting on the rotor selectively uncovers or opens a vent that places the volume in fluid communication with an ambient volume, enabling...

20060124363 - Steerable drill bit arrangement: This invention relates to a steerable drill bit arrangement, in particular for the use in drilling boreholes for oil and gas extraction. There is provided a steerable drill bit arrangement in which the drill bit (20) is connected to a drill string (16) including a steering component (12) and a...

20060113110 - Drilling system and method: A closed-loop circulating system for drilling wells has control of the flow rates in and out of the wellbore. Kicks and fluid losses are quickly controlled by adjusting the backpressure. Kick tolerance and tripping margins are eliminated by real-time determination of pore and fracture pressure. The system can incorporate a...

20060113111 - System, apparatus, and method of conducting measurements of a borehole: A method is provided for conducting measurements of a borehole while drilling the borehole in a geological formation. First, a rotatable drilling assembly is provided that has, at a forward end, a drill bit and a borehole measurement tool connected rearward of the drill bit. The measurement tool includes at...

20060113112 - Method and system for precise drilling guidance of twin wells: A method to guide a drilling path of a second well in proximity to a first well including: applying a time-varying electrical current to a conductive casing or liner of the first well; from the drilling path of the second well, sensing an electromagnetic field generated by the current in...

20060113113 - Steerable underreamer/stabilizer assembly and method: A bottom hole assembly includes a drill bit, a stabilized underreamer assembly located behind the drill bit, and a drilling assembly. A method to drill a formation includes positioning a stabilized underreamer assembly behind a drill bit, positioning a drilling assembly behind the stabilized underreamer assembly, and rotating the drill...

20060113114 - Drilling tool and method: A drill tool comprising a drill pipe having a turbine and a hydraulic pump, wherein drilling fluid is passed through the turbine and into the hydraulic pump through a hollow shaft in the drill pipe. The drill tool also includes a high pressure jet at a distal end of the...

20060113115 - Ball operated by-pass tool for use in drillstring: A by-pass tool for incorporation in a drillstring is adjustable between an inactive mode in which it allows fluid flow lengthwise of the drillstring during normal drilling operation, and an active by-pass mode when drilling is to be interrupted. The tool includes an outer casing, an axially displaceable sleeve within...

20060113116 - Roller cone bits with reduced packing: A roller-cone drill bit in which a large groove is machined into the backface of each cone, near the crack where the cone meets the arm assembly. By making the outer lip of this crack more exposed to the open volume of turbulent flow, turbulence near the crack is increased,...

20060113117 - Multi-use earth auger: An earth auger has a central shaft with proximal and distal ends. Spiral earth-engaging flights are mounted on the distal end and a fitting is formed on the proximal end for engagement by an electric drill to enable rotation of the auger to bore into the earth. A ring is...