Boring or penetrating the earth inventions

20090277686 - Analyzing resistivity images for determining downhole events and removing image artifacts: Borehole images obtained with MWD measurements have a mismatch with subsequent images obtained when measurements are repeated over the same depth interval after the drillstring has been raised up. The difference is attributable to stretch of the drillstring. This can be estimated by correlating the two images. The difference can... Agent: Madan & Sriram, P.C.

20090277689 - Activating device for a downhole tool: An activating device is mounted in a drill string to control the activation and deactivation of an enlargement tool used for enlarging a bore hole. In order to assemble the activating device, pistons are mounted in passages and spline bars, in which plates are screwed, are then slid along T-slots... Agent: Kirton And Mcconkie

20090277687 - Electro-mechanical thruster: A drilling system, including: a drill bit; and a thruster to apply a force to the drill bit. The thruster may include: an inner tubular member disposed within and configured to axially move within an outer tubular member; a thrust piston to transmit a hydraulic force to the inner tubular... Agent: Osha, Liang LLP / Smith

20090277688 - Sonic wireline dry slough barrel: Slough removal assemblies and methods for removing slough from boreholes are described. A slough removal assembly containing a slough barrel is lowered into a borehole having excess slough, driven into the slough to cause the slough to enter the slough barrel, and the slough removal assembly is then removed along... Agent: Workman Nydegger 1000 Eagle Gate Tower

20090277690 - Drilling jar: A bidirectional drilling jar, capable of repeated unidirectional firing, including a sliding assembly that is disposed in a sliding relation to the interior of a barrel assembly. A portion of the inner diameter of the barrel assembly forms a restricted barrel segment. The restriction intermediate an upper chamber and a... Agent: Keeling Patents And Trademarks, LLC

20090277691 - Drilling tool, in particular spiral drill: In a drilling tool, in particular a spiral drill, in particular for drilling rock, comprising a tool-side fastening end, a workpiece-side cutting end and an interposed cutting part comprising at least one main helical groove extending along the cutting part, which is defined by a substantially constant helix pitch, and... Agent: Moore & Van Allen PLLC

20090272578 - Dual motor systems and non-rotating sensors for use in developing wellbores in subsurface formations: A method for forming a subsurface wellbore is disclosed. The method includes operating a drilling string in a first direction of rotation. A first motor located near the end of the drilling string is operated in a direction of rotation opposite that of the drilling string. A drill bit is... Agent: Shell Oil Company

20090272579 - Steerable bit: Steerable drilling systems for facilitating drilling according to a prescribed, three-dimensional trajectory are described. Steering may be achieved using passive actuators which require little or no power. For example, damping elements which couple a drill bit to a drill collar can be used to tilt the drill bit with respect... Agent: Schlumberger-doll Research Attn: Intellectual Property Law Department

20090272580 - Drilling system with drill string valves: A method to control borehole fluid flow includes detecting a drilling condition and operating at least one valve in the drill string to place an exterior of the drill string in fluid communication with an interior of the drill string in response to detecting the drilling condition.... Agent: Schlumberger Oilfield Services

20090272581 - Load distribution for multi-stage thrust bearings: A drilling motor includes an upper end connection adapted to connect to a drill string, and a lower end connection adapted to connect to a drill bit, a thrust bearing assembly having a plurality of stages assembled in a stack, each stage including at least one rotating inner bearing subassembly... Agent: Osha, Liang LLP / Smith

20090272582 - Modular hybrid drill bit: An earth-boring bit comprising a bit body is cofigured at its upper end for connection into a drillstring. A fixed blade depends axially downwardly from the bit body. An axially extending slot is formed in the bit body adjacent the fixed blade. A bit leg is received and retained in... Agent: Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP Attn:IPDocketing

20090272583 - 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... Agent: Holland & Hart LLP

20090266608 - Torsional resonance prevention: According to the invention, a system for drilling a cavity in a medium is disclosed. The system may include a drill bit, a processor, and a controller. The drill bit may be configured to rotate in the medium and remove at least a portion of the medium. The processor may... Agent: Schlumberger-doll Research Attn: Intellectual Property Law Department

20090266610 - Determination of azimuthal offset and radius of curvature in a deviated borehole using periodic drill string torque measurements: Methods and apparatus for determining the direction of borehole azimuthal offset and the borehole radius of curvature. Rotation rate of a borehole assembly is measured and mathematically converted into azimuthal torque imparted to the borehole assembly. Relative azimuthal offset is determined from variations in azimuthal torque over a rotation cycle... Agent: (weatherford) Wong Cabello Lutsch Rutherford & Brucculeri LLP

20090266609 - Downhole sample rate system: In one aspect of the invention, a downhole sensor system comprises at least one downhole sensor disposed on or within a downhole component of a tool string. The downhole sensor is adapted to detect at least one characteristic of a downhole formation adjacent the downhole component. The downhole sensor has... Agent: Tyson J. Wilde Novatek International, Inc.

20090266611 - Position indicator for drilling tool: Embodiments described herein comprise a position indicator for use in a dowhole tool. The position indicator has a sensor that detects the position of a portion of the tool as the tool rotates. The sensor sends a signal to a controller to relay the position of the tool to a... Agent: The Mcbride Law Firm, P.C.

20090266612 - Vibrating downhole tool: A vibrating downhole tool comprising a housing, an inner mandrel disposed within the housing and configured to receive a drilling fluid, a mass coupled to the inner mandrel, and a plurality of turbine blades configured to receive the drilling fluid and to rotate the inner mandrel and the mass, thereby... Agent: Osha, Liang LLP / Smith

20090266613 - force balancing system for use with a well bore tool: A method and apparatus for a system for use with a well bore tool that is adapted to decouple the weight of the drill string from the operation and utilizes instead hydraulic or pneumatic pressure to advance a drilling tool into a well bore.... Agent: Patterson & Sheridan, L.L.P.

20090266614 - Methods, systems, and bottom hole assemblies including reamer with varying effective back rake: Reamer bits have cutters with different effective back rake angles. Drilling systems include a pilot bit and a reamer bit, wherein cutters in shoulder regions of the reamer bit have a greater average effective back rake angle than cutters in shoulder regions of the pilot bit. Methods of drilling wellbores... Agent: Traskbritt, P.C.

20090266615 - Bi-steel percussive drill rod: A drill rod includes a first end section, a mid-section, wherein the first end section and the mid-section are connected and wherein the first end section is manufactured using different steel than is used for the mid-section. Such a configuration can reduce the costs associated with forming a drill rod... Agent: Workman Nydegger 1000 Eagle Gate Tower

20090266616 - Connection device for forming a fluid supply: The invention relates to a connection device for forming a fluid supply to a rotating tool, comprising a rotary feedthrough which has a rotor and a stator, the rotor being supported in a rotating manner relative to the stator. Furthermore, a torque support is provided, which is connected in a... Agent: Jacobson Holman PLLC

20090266617 - Sleeve arrangement: Sleeve arrangement for a drill rig, especially adapted for damping sound and sealing to the ground, said drill rig comprising a feed beam (4) having a drill end (41) and a rear end (42), said feed beam (4) comprising a first and a second part (411, 412) near the drill... Agent: Mark P. Stone

20090266618 - Rotating drill pipe protector attachment and fastener assembly: An attachment and fastener system rigidly secures a rotatable drill pipe protector (RDPP) to a drill pipe. The RDPP comprises a sleeve which is split axially along at least one side. Parallel hinge bars are contained in first and second hinge sections which wrap around the hinge bars along opposite... Agent: Christie, Parker & Hale, LLP

20090266619 - Fixed cutter bit with backup cutter elements on secondary blades: In an embodiment, a drill bit for drilling a borehole comprises a bit body having a bit axis and a bit face. In addition, the drill bit comprises a primary blade extending radially along the bit face. Further, the drill bit comprises a plurality of primary cutter elements mounted to... Agent: Conley Rose, P.C. David A. Rose

20090260876 - Multiple distributed force measurements: Methods, computer programs, and systems for detecting at least one downhole condition are disclosed. Forces are measured at a plurality of locations along the drillstring. The drillstring includes a drillpipe. At least one of the forces is measured along the drillpipe. At least one downhole condition is detected based, at... Agent: Baker Botts, LLP

20090260877 - Cutting elements and earth-boring tools having grading features, methods of forming such elements and tools, and methods of grading cutting element loss in earth-boring tools: Earth-boring tools include one or more cutting elements having at least one grading feature positioned a known distance from an initial working surface of the cutting element. Methods of grading cutting element loss on earth-boring tools include comparing locations of wear surfaces on cutting elements to locations of one or... Agent: Traskbritt, P.C.

20090260881 - Formation dip geo-steering method: A method of drilling a well that includes calculating an estimated formation dip angle, wherein said estimated formation dip angle being based on offset well data, seismic data, core data, pressure data. Next, the method includes drilling a well with a logging while drilling means so that real time logging... Agent: Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere & Denegre, L.L.P.

20090260879 - Magnetic ranging while drilling using an electric dipole source and a magnetic field sensor: A system and methods for drilling a well in a field having an existing well are provided. In accordance with one embodiment, a method of drilling a new well in a field having an existing well includes drilling the new well using a bottom hole assembly (BHA) having a drill... Agent: Schlumberger Oilfield Services

20090260880 - Method for determining a set of net present values to influence the drilling of a wellbore and increase production: A method is disclosed for modeling a first reservoir while drilling a wellbore into a corresponding second reservoir, the first reservoir having a plurality of stations, comprising: determining a plurality of values of net present value corresponding, respectively, to the plurality of stations of the first reservoir; and drilling the... Agent: Schlumberger Information Solutions

20090260878 - Method for drilling wells in close relationship using magnetic ranging while drilling: Methods for drilling wells using magnetic ranging while drilling to position the wells with respect to one another are provided. In accordance with one embodiment, a method of drilling a well includes leaving a drill string in position within a primary well, and drilling a secondary well using the drill... Agent: Schlumberger Oilfield Services

20090260882 - Braking devices and methods for use in drilling operations: A braking device for drilling operations in a borehole includes a brake retainer having a plurality of brake connector openings defined therein, a body member having a tapered surface having a first diameter and a second diameter, the second diameter being larger than the first diameter, at least one brake... Agent: Workman Nydegger 1000 Eagle Gate Tower

20090260883 - Continuous measurement of heterogeneity of geomaterials: A method for continuous measurement of heterogeneity of geomaterials. The method includes identifying a core section from a first well within a field, obtaining the core section from the first well, and obtaining a continuous measurement of the core section. The method further includes overlaying the continuous measurement with a... Agent: Schlumberger Information Solutions

20090260884 - Steering device for downhole tools: An apparatus for drilling a wellbore may include a first section, a second section, and a third section, all of which are rotatably interconnected with pivot bearings and positioned along a drill string. The second section and the third section may be configured to form a controllable bend angle in... Agent: Madan & Sriram, P.C.

20090260885 - Methods of preparing hydrocarbon, water and organophilic clay emulsions and compositions thereof: This invention relates to compositions and methods for improving the performance of organophilic organic-clay complexes, which are dispersible in organic liquids to form a gel therein. Depending on the composition of the gel, such gels may be useful as lubricating greases, oil-based muds, oil base packer fluids, paint-varnish-lacquer removers, paints,... Agent: St. Onge Steward Johnston & Reens, LLC

20090260886 - Method for recovering valuable drilling mud materials using a binary fluid: This invention relates to a system and process for recovering and recycling valuable target recycle materials such lost circulation material and weighting agents from drilling fluid used in hydrocarbon drilling operations. The system and process includes use of a binary fluid that is separate from the drilling fluid and has... Agent: Conocophillips Company -IPServices Group Attention: Docketing

20090260887 - Spring preloaded bearing assembly and well drilling equipment comprising same: A well drilling head comprises a housing and a bearing assembly. The housing has a sidewall structure defining a central bore. The bearing assembly includes an outer barrel, an inner barrel, bearing units and a preload force exerting member. The outer barrel has a central bore and the inner barrel... Agent: David Odell Simmons

20090260888 - Fiber reinforced pressure compensator diaphragm: A drill bit for drilling a wellbore, the drill bit having a body and at least one bearing. A rotary cone is rotatably attached to the bit body at the bearing. A lubricant reservoir is located in an inner portion of the bit body and is in fluid communication with... Agent: Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

20090260889 - Backhead and drill assembly with backhead: In representative embodiments, a backhead for a drill assembly comprises an elongate member having a proximal end connectible to a source of pressurized fluid, a side wall defining an axial bore and an open distal end. A portion of the bore extending proximally from the distal end has an inner... Agent: Klarquist Sparkman, LLP

20090260890 - Anti-tracking feature for rock bits: The harmful effects of tracking are reduced for a drill bit having roller cones with at least one of the outermost rows of active teeth containing one or more teeth having a height that does not extend to the height of at least one of the outermost rows on another... Agent: Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

20090260892 - Drill rod, drill bit, and drilling tool: A drill rod having a fitting portion protruding toward the distal end and of the drill rod and extending along a first axial line, wherein the fitting portion includes: a parallel male thread portion in which a minimum distance from the first axial line in a cross-section perpendicular to the... Agent: Darby & Darby P.C.

20090260891 - Method of mechanized construction for earth wire under-bracing and extendable excavating unit for auger crane: A method of mechanized construction has developed for installing an earth wire under-bracing by using an auger crane and adjustable excavating unit with an auger crane. The extendable excavating unit is mounted to the lower end of an auger shaft of the auger crane and excavation teeth extendable and retractable... Agent: Gwips Peter T. Kwon

20090260894 - Jack element for a drill bit: In one aspect of the present invention, a drill bit has an axis of rotation and a working face with a plurality of blades extending outwardly from a bit body. The blades form in part an inverted conical region, and a plurality of cutters with a cutting surface is arrayed... Agent: Tyson J. Wilde Novatek International, Inc.

20090260893 - Matrix powder for matrix body fixed cutter bits: A matrix powder for forming a matrix bit body, the matrix powder essentially consisting of a plurality of carbide particles having a particle size distribution of ±20% of a median particle size; and a plurality of metal binder particles is disclosed.... Agent: Osha, Liang LLP / Smith

20090260895 - Polycrystalline diamond materials, methods of fabricating same, and applications using same: m