Boring or penetrating the earth inventions 08/08

20080202810 - Apparatus for determining the dynamic forces on a drill string during drilling operations: The Apparatus acting as a counterforce presented for measuring, indicating and recording the weight of the drill string, the torque applied to the drill string and the bending force at the top drive during drilling operations where a plurality of strain gauges for measuring the force of tension, torque and... Agent: Michael Joseph John Gomez

20080202811 - Drilling cutting analyzer system and methods of applications: An apparatus and method for analyzing the continuous flow of drilling cuttings in real time on a surface while drilling employs a set of sensors placed around an analyzer tube and main auger or within the main auger related to the formation with a defined space-time shift. The method includes... Agent: Diederiks & Whitelaw, PLC

20080202813 - Mouse hole support unit with rotatable or stationary operation: The present invention provides improved methods and apparatus for supporting and engaging drill pipe in a mouse hole that allows for multiple drill pipe sections to be attached together before being attached to an existing drill string. The present invention is designed to allow for engagement and disengagement of drill... Agent: Mark D Miller Kimble, Macmichael & Upton

20080202812 - Simultaneous tubular handling system: A system and method for building and handling oilfield tubular stands while drilling operations are simultaneously and independently occurring with one drilling deck, one derrick, and one rotary system. An offline guided path horizontal to vertical arm lifts and moves in the same plane tubulars stored horizontally on the catwalk... Agent: Strasburger & Price, LLP Attn:IPSection

20080202814 - Earth-boring tools and cutter assemblies having a cutting element co-sintered with a cone structure, methods of using the same: Methods of forming cutter assemblies for use on earth-boring tools include sintering a cone structure to fuse one or more cutting elements thereto. In some embodiments, one or more green, brown, or fully sintered cutting elements may be positioned on a green or brown cone structure prior to sintering the... Agent: Trask Britt

20080202815 - Drilling fluids: This invention relates to drilling fluids, to drilling lubricants for such drilling fluids and to methods of drilling wells, particularly oil and/or gas wells using such drilling fluids. In particular, the invention relates to the inclusion of lubricants which afford lubrication in drilling fluids in which the lubricant compatibility and/or... Agent: Jones Day

20080202816 - Torque converter for use when drilling with a rotating drill bit: A torque converter for use in drilling with a rotating drill bit, the purpose of the torque converter being to absorb impacts and bring about an axial movement of the drill bit when the torque exceeds a predetermined value. For this purpose the torque converter is composed of two cylindrical... Agent: Andrus, Sceales, Starke & Sawall, LLP

20080202817 - Hardfacing around ball loading hole for earth-boring bit: A rotary cone earth boring bit has at least one bit leg with a cone retaining ball passage that intersects an outer surface of the bit leg and is closed by a ball plug. An upwardly curved lower hardfacing bead is on the outer surface of the bit leg at... Agent: Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

20080202818 - Rotary roller reamer: A bore hole rotary reamer (1) includes a body (2) having cutters (4) contained in respective recesses (3) formed in the body (2). Each cutter (4) is rotatably mounted by one or more respective spindles (5). A bearing region (10) is formed by an inner bearing surface (11) rotatable on... Agent: Nixon Peabody, LLP

20080202819 - Reversible cutting tool with shield: A cutting tool has a first cutting end, a second cutting end, a shoulder at an interface between the first cutting end and the second cutting end, and a shield removably mounted on one of the first cutting end and second cutting end. The cutting ends each have a cutting... Agent: Drinker Biddle & Reath (dc)

20080202820 - Consolidated hard materials, earth-boring rotary drill bits including such hard materials, and methods of forming such hard materials: The present invention includes consolidated hard materials, methods for producing them, and industrial drilling and cutting applications for them. A consolidated hard material may be produced using hard particles such as B4C or carbides or borides of W, Ti, Mo, Nb, V, Hf, Ta, Zr, and Cr in combination with... Agent: Trask Britt

20080202821 - Multi-layer encapsulation of diamond grit for use in earth-boring bits: A method of constructing an earth-boring, diamond-impregnated drill bit has a first step of coating diamond grit with tungsten to create tungsten-coated diamond particles. These coated particles are then encapsulated in a layer of carbide powder held by an organic green binder material. The encapsulated granules are then mixed along... Agent: Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

20080196942 - Wellbore monitor: A system for determining produced drill solids volume including a receiving vessel for receiving drill solids and a pressure vessel coupled to the receiving vessel. The receiving vessel has an isolation valve system to control the flow of drill solids between the receiving vessel and the pressure vessel, and the... Agent: Osha Liang/mi

20080196943 - Condition checking apparatus and method: An apparatus (1) is described for the condition checking of a screen cloth in a vibrating screen for drilling fluid, comprising a pump (2) for drawing a drilling fluid sample from the bottom tray of the vibrating screen into the apparatus (1); a filter (3) for filtering the drilling fluid... Agent: Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP

20080196944 - Impact excavation system and method with suspension flow control: A system and method for excavating a subterranean formation, according to which a suspension of liquid and a plurality of impactors are passed between a drill string to a body member for discharge from the body member to remove at least a portion of the formation. The flow of the... Agent: Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

20080190663 - Method and system for return of drilling fluid: A system and method is described for use and return of drilling fluid/cuttings from a well, which is drilled on the ocean floor, in connection with offshore related oil production and gas production, where, from a drilling rig or drilling vessel (10), a drill stem (12) runs down into the... Agent: Abelman, Frayne & Schwab

20080190664 - Soil testing apparatus: An apparatus for in situ testing of a soil sample comprises an elongate body having a hollow core and an open end; an upper barrier or means for forming, in use, an upper barrier, within soil, across the hollow core; means for forming, in use, a lower barrier, within soil,... Agent: Adams Intellectual Property Law, P.a.

20080190665 - Rotary vector gear for use in rotary steerable tools: A rotary vector gear for controlling longitudinal axis offset about a central longitudinal axis is disclosed. The device uses single rotary motion through a rotary vector gear to produce hypotrochoidic offset similar to a flower petal and is capable or ready return to zero offset. The device may be used... Agent: Conley Rose, P.c. David A. Rose

20080190666 - Gage insert: A hard formation drill bit that includes a bit body, and at least one roller cone attached to the bit body, and able to rotate with respect to the bit body. Furthermore, the drill bit includes a plurality of gage cutting elements disposed on the at least one roller cone,... Agent: Osha, Liang LLP / Smith

20080190667 - Recoil auger with clutch bearing: A recoil auger enables holes to be drilled by using only straight line motions of a person's hand, arm, and shoulder. The recoil auger is comprised of a recoil drive system connected to an output shaft, which in turn is connected to an auger. The recoil drive system has a... Agent: Laura A. Dable Ryan Kromholz & Manion, S.c.

20080190668 - Separation of evolved gases from drilling fluids in a drilling operation: A fluid handling system for drilling cuttings utilizes a constant and gravity managed liquid level between a substantially atmospheric separator and a shale shaker to maximize fluid residence time within the separator and ensure substantially all of the gas entrained in the cuttings is evolved and passed to a flare... Agent: Sean W. Goodwin

20080190669 - Bearing assembly for downhole mud motor: A bearing assembly for use with a mud motor includes a two-piece mandrel and a housing. Two radial bearings and a triple stack axial thrust on-bottom bearing are disposed between the mandrel and housing.... Agent: Edward Yoo C/o Bennett Jones

20080190670 - Rotary drag bit with increased back rake angle gauge cutter: A fixed cutter rotary drill bit having gauge cutting elements at large back rake angles are disclosed. The gauge is located at the outer diameter side wall portion of the bit that extends from the cutting end. The gauge and its cutting components contact the side wall of the bore... Agent: Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

20080185184 - Cryogenic drilling method: A method of drilling a wellbore using a cryogenic fluid to prevent sloughing of the wellbore during drilling operations is provided. The method includes providing non-rotatable tubing constructed of a material capable of withstanding temperatures of at least about −320° F. and back pressure exerted on the tubing during the... Agent: Dunlap Codding & Rogers, P.C.

20080185185 - Automatic control system for connecting a dual-member pipe: A system and method of making up and breaking out a dual-member drill string. The system comprises a spindle, a spindle carriage and a drive frame. The drive frame provides thrust to the spindle, while the spindle carriage provides rotation. The spindle has an outer spindle and an inner spindle,... Agent: Tomlinson & O'connell, P.C.

20080185186 - Drilling assembly: An assembly for use in drilling in earth borehole using a drill string including a drill bit comprising a first downhole motor having a rotor operatively connected to said drill bit, a second downhole motor distal said first downhole motor, said second downhole motor having a rotor with a passageway... Agent: Browning Bushman P.C.

20080185187 - Snap ringed bit retainer ring: A bit retainer system includes a bit having a head and a shank, a driver sub disposed around the shank of the bit and adapted to engage a hammer case, a bit retainer disposed around the shank of the bit and abutting an upper end of the driver sub, wherein... Agent: Osha, Liang LLP / Smith

20080185188 - In-situ composite formation of damage tolerant coatings utilizing laser: A coating steel component with a pattern of an iron based matrix with crystalline particles metallurgically bound to the surface of a steel substrate for use as disc cutters or other components with one or more abrading surfaces that can experience significant abrasive wear, high point loads, and large shear... Agent: Akerman Senterfitt

20080185189 - Manufacture of thermally stable cutting elements: A method of forming a thermally stable cutting element that includes disposing at least a portion of a polycrystalline abrasive body containing a catalyzing material to be leached into a leaching agent; and subjecting the polycrystalline abrasive object to an elevated temperature and pressure is disclosed. Thermally stable cutting elements... Agent: Smith International Inc.