Boring or penetrating the earth inventions 07/06

20060162961 - Sonic drill: A sonic drilling apparatus having a work piston within a cylinder chamber to provide a vibratory force through the alternate application of fluid under pressure into the bore above and below the piston in a manner that the piston will be forced to reciprocate within the bore. The cylinder chamber...

20060162962 - Wellbore operations monitoring & control systems & methods: A method for a wellbore operation with a wellbore system, the method, in at least certain aspects, including acquiring with sensor systems data corresponding to a plurality of parameters, the data indicative of values for each parameter, each parameter associated with part of the wellbore system, and, based on said...

20060162963 - Drill frame with tool magazine: A drill frame or drill platform 1 is allocated to a ship caisson 6 in order to allow bore holes 12, 13 to be driven, for example, into the bottom of a lake 11. Since said bore holes 12, 13 must subsequently be filled with explosives, the use of several...

20060162964 - Tool for excavating an object: A tool for excavating an object, the tool comprising a jetting system having nozzle means arranged to receive a fluid and abrasive particles via an abrasive particle inlet, and arranged to impinge the object to be excavated with a jetted stream of the fluid mixed with the abrasive particles, the...

20060162965 - Rock drill bit: The present invention relates to a rock drill bit for percussive drilling. The drill bit comprises a bit body, a head portion defining a longitudinal center axis. The head portion includes an axially forward rock-crushing surface and a skirt that extends axially rearwardly from the rock-crushing surface. The rock-crushing surface...

20060162966 - Rotary drag bit including a central region having a plurality of cutting structures, method of manufacture thereof, and displacement for manufacture thereof: A rotary drag bit including an inverted cone geometry proximate the longitudinal axis thereof is disclosed. The inverted cone region may include a central region, the central region including a plurality of cutting structures affixed thereto and arranged along at least one spiral path. The at least one spiral path...

20060162967 - Abrasive-impregnated cutting structure having anisotropic wear resistance and drag bit including same: An abrasive-impregnated cutting structure for use in drilling a subterranean formation is disclosed. The abrasive-impregnated cutting structure may comprise a plurality of abrasive particles dispersed within a substantially continuous matrix, wherein the abrasive-impregnated cutting structure exhibits an anisotropic wear resistance. One or more of the amount, average size, composition, properties,...

20060162968 - Pdc drill bit using optimized side rake distribution that minimized vibration and deviation: A fixed cutter drill bit and a method for designing a fixed cutter drill bit includes simulating the fixed cutter drill bit drilling in an earth formation. A performance characteristic of the simulated fixed cutter drill bit is determined. A side rake angle distribution of the cutters is adjusted at...

20060162969 - Cutting elements formed from ultra hard materials having an enhanced construction: Cutting elements of this invention include an ultra hard body joined with a metallic substrate. The body includes an uppermost layer comprising a plurality of bonded ultra hard crystals and interstitial regions, and that defines a body working surface. The uppermost layer includes an outer region that is relatively more...

20060157275 - Method and system for building modular structures from which oil and gas wells are drilled: A method and system for building modular platform structures from which oil and gas wells are drilled and maintained is disclosed, wherein a plurality of easily transportable, multifunctional platform modules are interconnected on-site to form a unitary platform structure. The interconnected platform modules are elevated above a ground surface on...

20060157276 - Pipe burster with spherical bursting member: An apparatus for bursting pipe is preferably adapted to receive energy from a drill string. The apparatus has a plurality of spherical pipe-bursting members driven by movement of the drill string to burst an in situ pipe. In a preferred embodiment a single-member drill string is used to drive operation...

20060157277 - Method and system of controlling drilling direction using directionally sensitive resistivity readings: A method and system of controlling drilling direction using directionally sensitive resistivity readings. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising transmitting an interrogating electromagnetic wave from a tool in a borehole into a formation surrounding the borehole, receiving a first responsive electromagnetic wave from the formation by...

20060157278 - Centralizer-based survey and navigation device and method: A Centralizer based Survey and Navigation (CSN) device designed to provide borehole or passageway position information. The CSN device can include one or more displacement sensors, centralizers, an odometry sensor, a borehole initialization system, and navigation algorithm implementing processor(s). Also, methods of using the CSN device for in-hole survey and...

20060157280 - Drilling efficiency through beneficial management of rock stress levels via controlled oscillations of subterranean cutting elements: A device and system for improving efficiency of subterranean cutting elements uses a controlled oscillation super imposed on steady drill bit rotation to maintain a selected rock fracture level. In one aspect, a selected oscillation is applied to the cutting element so that at least some of the stress energy...

20060157279 - Fixed-head bit with stabilizing features: A fixed-head drill bit includes a bit body having a plurality of cutting elements and at least one wear knuckle disposed on the bit body. Each cutting element includes a cutting surface defining a swept cutting profile when the bit is rotated about an axis. The at least one wear...

20060157281 - Bi-directional rotary steerable system actuator assembly and method: Methods and apparatuses to direct a drill bit of a directional drilling assembly are disclosed. The methods and apparatuses employ the use of bi-directional actuators that are capable of displacing a hybrid steering sleeve in positive and negative directions. The bi-directional actuators are capable of greater control and precision in...

20060157282 - Managed pressure drilling: Embodiments of the present invention include methods and apparatus for dynamically controlling pressure within a wellbore while forming the wellbore. In one aspect, one or more pressure control apparatus are used to maintain desired pressure within the wellbore while drilling the wellbore. In another aspect, pressure is dynamically controlled while...

20060157283 - Steerable drilling system: A bias unit comprising at least one bias pad 20 moveable, by a piston 36, between retracted and extended positions, wherein the piston 36 is of non-circular effective cross-sectional shape....

20060157284 - Method and device for the production of bores: A method and a device are disclosed for the production of a bore with a special shape, for example a bore which deviates from a cylindrical shape or a bore with an undercut. First, a first bore portion is produced using an oscillatingly driven tool, the first bore portion having...

20060157285 - Polycrystalline diamond insert, drill bit including same, and method of operation: Polycrystalline diamond inserts are disclosed. For example, a polycrystalline diamond insert may comprise a polycrystalline diamond layer affixed to a substrate at an interface. In addition the polycrystalline diamond layer may comprise: an arcuate exterior surface, a first region including a catalyst and a second region from which the catalyst...

20060157286 - Superabrasive inserts including an arcuate peripheral surface: Superabrasive inserts are disclosed. More particularly, a superabrasive insert may comprise a superabrasive layer bonded to a substrate at an interface. Further, the superabrasive layer may include a central substantially planar surface, a peripheral side surface, and an arcuate peripheral surface extending between the central substantially planar surface and the...

20060151211 - Transmitting electric power into a bore hole: A system for transmitting electric power into a bore hole, the system having an electric transmission line extending through the bore hole between an electric power source and a receiving station, wherein the receiving station includes frequency increasing means for increasing the frequency of the electric current supplied through the...

20060151212 - Traction control for downhole tractor: Apparatus, system and methods useful for controlling the traction of a downhole tractor in a borehole include the capability of repeatedly adjusting the normal force applied to at least one component that causes movement of the tractor in the borehole....

20060151213 - Sonde housing and method of manufacture: A sonde (transmitter) housing having a one-piece design for improved housing rigidity. The housing includes a mechanically-adjustable mounting configuration adaptable to a variety of sonde applications. A method of making the sonde housing in a one-piece design and infinitely orienting the sonde clocking electronics....

20060151214 - Geometrical optimization of multi-well trajectories: A novel method is presented to automatically design a multi-well development plan given a set of previously interpreted subsurface targets. This method identifies the optimal plan by minimizing the total cost as a function of existing and required new platforms, the number of wells, and the drilling cost of each...

20060151215 - Anti-collision system: This invention relates to a system for controlling the movements of objects in an automated or remote operated system, as well as a related method and use of the system comprising independent transporting means for moving a number of objects relative to each other, the system being providing with means...

20060151216 - Downhole drilling tool: A downhole drilling tool 136 comprises a drillstring 138, a drilling head 140, and a freewheel 144 for transferring drive from the drillstring to the drilling head. The freewheel 144 is positioned between the drillstring 138 and the drilling head 140....

20060144619 - Thermal management apparatus, systems, and methods: An apparatus and a system, as well as a method and article, may operate to circulate a coolant through a thermal conduit thermally coupled to a chassis heat exchange element including a plurality of receiving sections thermally coupled to a corresponding plurality of electronic devices. The temperature of one or...

20060144620 - Wellbore consolidating tool for rotary drilling applications: A subpart (430) of a drill string (211) is described having an outer circumferential surface which is contoured and adapted to engage the wall of the borehole with a small angle of attack while exerting during rotary drilling operations an compacting pressure on mud cake and/or cuttings present in the...

20060144621 - Tool insert: A tool insert comprises a substrate (40), a layer of ultra-hard abrasive material (52) bonded to the substrate and presenting a primary cutting edge (54) for the tool insert, and a protective layer (56) bonded to the ultra-hard abrasive material so as to protect the primary cutting edge thereof. The...

20060144622 - Rotating control head radial seal protection and leak detection systems: A system and method for reducing repairs to radial seals used in a rotating control head used while drilling is disclosed. Also, a system and method to detect leaks in the rotating control head and a latching system to latch the rotating control head to a housing is disclosed....

20060144623 - Downhole tool: A downhole tool comprises a body having slots communicating the outside of the body with the body through-bore. A sleeve actuator and mandrel are selectively axially slidable. The actuator has flanges extending into the slots. The flanges have ribs on their sides that are inclined at an acute angle to...