Boring or penetrating the earth inventions 08/06

20060191716 - Well drilling and production using a surface blowout preventer: Production and drilling may be achieved by a system which uses a rotating head coupled to surface blowout preventer stack for fluid flow control. A casing connects these surface components to a subsea shutoff assembly with a pair of ram shear devices to cut off the string to the wellhead....

20060191718 - Impact excavation system and method with injection system: A system and method according to which at least one vessel injects a suspension of liquid and a plurality of impactors into a formation to remove at least a portion of the formation....

20060191717 - Impact excavation system and method with two-stage inductor: A system and method for excavating a subterranean formation according to which a fluid is introduced into a vessel to draw a plurality of impactors into the vessel to form a suspension. The suspension is discharged from the vessel and into another vessel, and fluid is introduced into the other...

20060191719 - Method of geothermal loop installation: According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for drilling a hole into the ground and installing a geothermal transfer loop. A drilling apparatus is positioned at a desired location. The drilling apparatus includes a rotating and vibrating apparatus, such as a sonic drill, for rotating...

20060191720 - Stabilized down hole drilling motor: A down hole drilling motor includes a stator housing having an exterior surface, an upper end, a lower end, an upper vane mounting region at the upper end and lower vane mounting region at the lower end. An upper mounting sleeve engages the upper vane mounting region, such that rotation...

20060191721 - Roller cutter: A roller cutter includes a hub having crushing members mounted on an outer periphery thereof, and a shaft on which the hub is mounted for rotation. Opposite ends of the shaft include respective spigots. Seals are disposed adjacent respective ends of the shaft and are arranged radially between the shaft...

20060191723 - Thermally stable polycrystalline diamond materials, cutting elements incorporating the same and bits incorporating such cutting elements: A cutting element is provided including a substrate and a TSP material layer over the substrate. The TSP material layer includes at least a property having a value that varies through the layer....

20060191722 - Ultrahard composite constructions: Ultrahard composite constructions comprise a plurality of first phases dispersed within a matrix second phase, wherein each can comprise an ultrahard material including PCD, PcBN, and mixtures thereof. The constructions are formed from a plurality of granules that are combined and sintered at HP/HT conditions. The granules include a core...

20060185898 - Method and apparatus for stimulating wells with propellants: The present invention relates to apparatus and methods to stimulate subterranean production and injection wells, such as oil and gas wells, utilizing rocket propellants. Rapid production of high-pressure gas from controlled combustion of a propellant, during initial ignition and subsequent combustion, together with proper positioning of the energy source in...

20060185899 - Underground drilling device employing down-hole radar: Devices for sensing at an underground drilling device in communication with an above-ground locator involve transmitting a radar probe signal from the underground drilling device. A radar return signal is received at the underground drilling device. The radar return signal is processed at the underground drilling device to produce sensor...

20060185900 - Programming method for controlling a downhole steering tool: A method for communicating with a downhole tool located in a subterranean borehole is disclosed. Exemplary embodiments of the method include encoding data and/or commands in a sequence of varying drill string rotation rates and drilling fluid flow rates. The varying rotation rates and flow rates are measured downhole and...

20060185901 - Drilling tool equipped with improved cutting element layout to reduce cutter damage through formation changes, methods of design and operation thereof: A drilling tool including at least two cutting elements (e.g., redundant or upon a selected profile region) sized, positioned, and configured thereon so as to contact or encounter a change in at least one drilling characteristic of subterranean formation along an anticipated drilling path prior to other cutting elements thereon...

20060185902 - Spring mechanism for downhole steering tool blades: A steering tool for use in a well bore is disclosed. The tool includes at least one extendable and retractable blade deployed thereon. The blade is elastically spring biased radially inwards towards the tool such that upon removal of an actuating force, the blade retracts. In exemplary embodiments, the blade...

20060185903 - Acrylic block copolymer low temperature flow modifiers in lubricating oils: The present invention relates to acrylic block copolymers synthesized by a controlled free-radical process, and their use as low temperature flow modifiers in oil-based compositions. They are especially useful in modifying the low temperature flow behavior in lubricating oils. The acrylic copolymers are especially useful as pour point depressants in...

20060185904 - Rotatable support for inclinable masts of drilling machines: The rotatable support for inclinable masts of drilling machines includes a connecting element, assembled on the back side, or anyway connected with the self-propelled carriage or with the lifting mechanism of the perforating machine, on the front vertex of which a coupling elements fit for bearing the mast, rotating by...

20060185905 - Dynamic damper for use in a drill string: A dynamic damper for installation in a drill string (1), the purpose of which damper is to reduce the risk of jamming the drill bit (5), thereby avoiding damages in the event of unwanted extreme oscillations and rotational speed of the drill string caused by uncontrolled release of torsional energy...

20060185906 - Methods 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...

20060185907 - Device for transporting particles of a magnetic material and tool comprising such a device: A device for transporting particles containing a magnetic material in a selected direction, the device having: a support member having a support surface for supporting the particles, the support surface extending in the selected direction; a magnet arranged to generate a magnetic field for retaining the particles on the support...

20060185908 - Layered hardfacing, durable hardfacing for drill bits: A drill bit having a bit body having at least one blade thereon, at least one cutter pocket disposed on the at least one blade, at least one cutter disposed in the at least one cutter pocket, hardfacing applied to at least a selected portion of the drill bit is...

20060180349 - Time and depth correction of mwd and wireline measurements using correlation of surface and downhole measurements: Differences in times of a time clock at the surface and a downhole time clock are determined using a correlation technique. These differences can be used to provide better correspondence between downhole formation evaluation (FE) sensor measurements and drilling measurements, as well as between different FE sensors....

20060180350 - Impact excavation system and method with particle trap: A system and method for excavating a subterranean formation, according to which a slurry of liquid and a plurality of impactors are introduced into at least one cavity formed in a body member and are discharged from the cavity so that the impactors remove a portion of the formation. The...

20060180351 - Air injection collar: The present invention is an air injection collar for use in the drilling industry that is used to reduce the weight of the column of returning drilling mud and debris without causing unnecessary frictional wear on the drill pipe. The invention is a unique sleeve that is coupled to a...

20060180352 - Method and device for the drilling of holes in ground or rocky material: In a method and device for drilling, in particular percussion drilling or rotary percussion drilling, holes in soil or rock material, wherein a borehole is formed by a percussive and/or rotational movement carried out by a drill bit (1) mounted on a drill rod assembly (4) and an envelope tube...

20060180353 - Conserving components of fluids: A cavitation device is used to heat, concentrate and recycle or otherwise reuse dilute and other oil well fluids, brines and muds, and solution mining fluids, all of which commonly contain ingredients worthy of conservation. The cavitation device is powered by a Diesel engine whose exhaust may be used to...

20060180354 - Stress-relieved diamond inserts: A drill bit including at least one stress-relieved cutting element, wherein the at least one cutting element is mounted on the drill bit, wherein the stress-relieved cutting element includes a substrate, at least one transition layer disposed upon the substrate and a polycrystalline diamond layer having a thickness of at...

20060180355 - Drill bit: A drill bit constructed to improve a tip end of the cutting pointed portion to efficiently discharge chips from a center portion of a crush face of a drill hole to thereby improve cutting efficiency, is disclosed. A plurality of cutting blades 3a, 3b, and 3c are formed to be...

20060180356 - Pdc drill bit using optimized side rake angle: 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...

20060175089 - Rotating drum variable depth sampler: A sampling device for collecting depth-specific samples in silt, sludge and granular media has three chambers separated by a pair of iris valves. Rotation of the middle chamber closes the valves and isolates a sample in a middle chamber....

20060175090 - Drilling system and method: Drilling system and method for drilling a bore hole into an earth formation, the bore hole having an inside wall. A drill string reaches into the bore hole and leaves a drilling fluid return passage between the drill string and the bore hole inside wall. A drilling fluid discharge conduit...

20060175091 - Control valve in a percussion device and a method comprising a closed pressure space at the end position of the piston: The invention relates to a control valve, a percussion device and a method of controlling a working cycle of a percussion device. The percussion device (1) used for breaking rock comprises an impact element (8), which is controlled by a control valve (2). The control valve comprises a control element...

20060175092 - Flow valve and method: An apparatus for controlling the flow of a medium. The apparatus comprises a base having a plurality of arms extending from the base. The base and arms define a cage. A valve member is positioned within the cage. The apparatus further includes a biasing housing disposed within the base, and...

20060175093 - Method and device for boring holes in soil or rock: In a method and device for boring or drilling, in particular percussion drilling or rotary percussion drilling, holes in soil or rock, wherein a borehole is formed by a percussive and/or rotary movement carried out by a drill bit (2) mounted on a drill rod assembly (3) and a jacket...

20060175094 - Jet assisted drilling method: The drill string is fitted for drilling activity in the formation expected, including a jet nozzle equipped drill head, and a near bit kick sub. The drill string is deflected to change the progressing well bore to a preferred direction. After the change in well bore direction is accomplished by...

20060175095 - Boring machine: In a boring machine, rotation of a motor is transferred to a pipe spindle and a shaft, a cutting edge feeding mechanism arranged side by side with the pipe spindle moves the shaft toward a workpiece and a cutting edge attached to an end of the shaft drills a hole...

20060169491 - Method and arrangement for performing drilling operations: An arrangement and a method to control and regulate the bottom hole pressure in a well during subsea drilling at deep waters: The method involves adjustment of a liquid/air interface level in a drilling riser. The arrangement comprises a drilling riser with an outlet at a depth below the water...

20060169492 - Ice auger cordless drill adaptor: An ice auger adaptor for connecting a portable drill to an ice auger. The adaptor includes a connecting pin having a first end for connection to the chuck of a power drill and a second end configured to install on the shaft of an ice auger. Disposed on the connection...

20060169493 - Remote operation wire line core sampling device: A remote operation wire line core sampling device capable of increasing the efficiency of working and maintaining the wall of a hole by using a stabilized sea-bottom core drill at a sea-bottom and adopting a wire line system, comprising a drill rod held by the chuck of the sea-bottom core...

20060169494 - Apparatus and methods for sponge coring: A sponge core barrel for use in performing sponge coring and methods of assembling the sponge core barrel, as well as methods of performing sponge coring. The sponge core barrel includes an outer barrel assembly, a core bit secured to a lower end thereof, and an inner barrel assembly disposed...

20060169495 - Sleeved hose assembly and method for jet drilling of lateral wells: A sleeved hose assembly for lateral jet drilling through an ultra-short radius curve. The sleeved hose assembly includes a wire-wound high-pressure hose inserted inside a reinforcing sleeve. In general, wire-wound high-pressure hoses exhibit transverse moduli that are insufficient to resist buckling forces encountered during lateral drilling. A sleeve is selected...

20060169496 - Apparatus and methods for sponge coring: A sponge core barrel for use in performing sponge coring and methods of assembling the sponge core barrel, as well as methods of performing sponge coring. The sponge core barrel includes an outer barrel assembly, a core bit secured to a lower end thereof, and an inner barrel assembly disposed...