Drill Bit With Weight And Torque Sensors

• US 20100051292A1
• Filed: 08/26/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Holdings LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Trinh, Tu Tien, Sullivan, Eric, Pritchard, Daryl
• Granted Patent: US 8,245,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/378
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/013 Devices specially adapted for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits

Abstract

A drill bit made according to one embodiment includes at least one of a weight sensor and a torque sensor configured to provide signals representative of the weight and torque on the drill bit when the drill bit is used for cutting into a formation. A circuit may be configured to process signals from the weight and torque sensors to provide an estimate the weight and torque on the bit when the drill bit used for cutting into the formation.

Claims

1. A drill bit, comprising:

a bit body;

a weight sensor in the bit body configured to provide signals corresponding to weight on the drill bit when the drill bit is used for drilling a wellbore.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a torque sensor in the bit body configured to provide signals corresponding to torque on the drill bit when the drill bit is used for drilling the wellbore.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least one of the weight sensor and the torque sensor is one of:

a micro-machined sensor; and

a piezoelectric sensor.

4. The drill bit of claim 3, wherein the at least one of the weight sensor and the torque sensor is attached to the bit body by one of:

placing a head section of the at least one of the weight sensors in a compliant trough in the bit body;

welding a member associated with the at least one of the weight and torque sensors to the bit body; and

securing the at least one of the weight and torque sensors to the bit body by a removable mechanical device.

5. The drill bit of claim 2, wherein the weight sensor and the torque sensor are placed on a common base.

6. The drill bit of claim 1 further comprising a circuit in the bit body configured to at least partially process signals from the weight sensor.

7. The drill bit of claim 2, wherein the weight sensor and the torque sensor are placed in a shank portion of the bit body.

9. The drill bit of claim 1, wherein the torque sensor is one of:

a micro-machined sensor; and

a piezoelectric sensor.

8. A drill bit, comprising:

a bit body; and

a torque sensor in the bit body configured to provide signals corresponding to torque on the drill bit when the drill bit is used for drilling a wellbore.

10. A method of making a drill bit, comprising:

placing in a bit body of the drill bit at least one of a weight sensor configured to provide signals representative of weight on the drill bit when the drill bit is deployed for drilling a wellbore and a torque sensor configured to provide signals representative of torque on the drill bit when the drill bit is deployed for drilling a wellbore.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising placing a circuit in the drill bit configured to process signals from the at least one of the weight sensor and the torque sensor.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising placing both the weight sensor and the torque sensor in the bit body, wherein both the weight sensor and the torque sensor are micro-machined sensors placed on a common platform.

13. A drilling assembly for use in drilling of a wellbore in an earth formation, comprising:

a drill bit having a bit body; and

at least one of a weight sensor in the bit body configured to provide signals representative of a weight on the drill bit when the drill bit is deployed in the wellbore and a torque sensor in the bit body configured to provide signals representative of a torque on the drill bit when the drill bit is deployed in the wellbore.

14. The drilling assembly of claim 13 further comprising a controller configured to process signals from the at least one of the weight sensor to provide an estimate of weight on bit and the torque sensor to provide an estimate of the torque on the bit.

15. The drilling assembly of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the weight sensor and the torque sensor is one of:

a micro-machined sensor; and

a piezoelectric sensor.

16. The drilling assembly of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the processing circuit is placed in the drill bit.

17. The drilling assembly of claim 13, wherein the control circuit is configured to control an operation of the drilling assembly in response to one of a weight on bit and torque on bit.

18. The drilling assembly of claim 14 wherein the control unit is further configured to communicate information relating to one of the weight sensor and the torque sensor to a surface control unit when the drilling assembly is deployed in the wellbore.