SOLID STATE WEAR TRACERS FOR DRILL BITS

• US 20130008717A1
• Filed: 07/10/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ulterra Drilling Technologies LP (Patterson-Uti Energy Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ulterra Drilling Technologies LP (Patterson-Uti Energy Incorporated)
• Inventors: DEEN, ARON
• Granted Patent: US 9,551,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/39
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/00 Drill bits specially adapted for deflecting the direction of boring E21B7/064; with means for collecting substances E21B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 12/02 Wear indicators
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/00 Survey of boreholes or wells monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing a reliable signal to the operator while drilling when a bit or tool becomes worn or damaged to a predetermined extent. The approach, in an exemplary embodiment, is to integrate one or more wear tracer elements into one or more parts of a drill bit or downhole tool that do not engage the earthen formation until the predetermined wear or damage occurs. At that time wear tracer elements are released upon wearing of the bit body, cutters, inserts, nozzles, or other components that include the wear tracer elements and enter the drill fluid. The presence of wear tracer elements in drilling fluid can be detected at the surface directly, or indirectly as a result of, for example, one or more reactions between the wear tracer elements and the mud, formation, or other subterranean elements, which yield some compound that may then be reliably detected.

Claims

1. A system for evaluating drill bit condition during subterranean formation drilling, comprising:

a drill bit adapted for coupling to a drill string and including at least one cutting element and a wear tracing element;

a drilling fluid; and

a wear tracer sensor, wherein the wear tracer sensor is configured to detect wear in the drill bit by detecting in the drilling fluid at least on of the group consisting of said wear tracing element and a reaction byproduct of the wear tracing element.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

at least one drill bit component from of the group of consisting of said cutting element, a bearing component, a bit body, a hard facing, a coating, a brazing filler, an insert, a cutter substrate, a nozzle, and a metal seal include said wear tracing element.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the wear tracing element includes at least one of the group consisting of nickel, zinc, silver, copper, and any alloy thereof.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the wear tracing element includes a radioactive element.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the wear tracer sensor is adapted and configured to directly detect the presence of the wear tracing element in the drilling fluid.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the wear tracer sensor is adapted and configured to directly detect a reaction of the wear tracing element.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein:

the reaction comprises a reaction between the wear tracing element and a subterranean element.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein:

the reaction comprises a reaction between the wear tracing element and the drilling fluid.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the wear tracer sensor includes a gas analyzer.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein:

the wear tracer sensor includes a mass spectrometer.

11. A drill bit comprising:

at least one cutting element; and

at least one drill bit component including a wear tracing element, wherein the drill bit component is configured so that indirect detection of the wear tracing element indicates wear of the drill bit component.

12. The drill bit of claim 11 wherein:

the drill bit component is a cutting element.

13. The drill bit of claim 11 wherein:

the drill bit component is one of the group consisting of a bearing or bearing component, a bit body, a hard facing or coating material, a brazing material for retaining other components, an inserted component for controlling depth of cut, a component added wholly for the benefit of tracing wear, a cutter surface, a cutter substrate, a matrix bit body, a load limiter, a nozzle, and a metal seal.

14. A system for evaluating drill bit condition during subterranean formation drilling, comprising:

a down-hole tool component adapted for coupling to a drill string, the down-hole tool comprising a wear tracing element;

a drilling fluid; and

a gas analyzer, wherein the gas analyzer is configured to detect wear in a down-hole tool component by detecting a reaction byproduct of the wear tracing element in the drilling fluid.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein:

the down-hole tool component is a drill bit.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein:

the down-hole tool component is a stabilizer.