APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR OBTAINING AT-BIT MEASUREMENTS FOR AN EARTH-BORING DRILLING TOOL

• US 20170175520A1
• Filed: 03/06/2017
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Holdings LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Element Six (Holdings) Ltd. (Anglo American PLC), Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Scott, Danny E., Mollart, Timothy Peter, Brandon, John Robert
• Granted Patent: US 10,024,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2005/001 Cutting tools, earth boring or grinding tool other than table ware
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2005/005 Article surface comprising protrusions
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 7/06 of composite workpieces or articles from parts, e.g. to form tipped tools B22F7/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 26/00 Alloys containing diamond or cubic or wurtzitic boron nitride, fullerenes or carbon nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/54 the bit being of the rotary drag type, e.g. fork-type bits
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/55 with preformed cutting elements
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/56 Button-type inserts E21B10/52 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/567 with preformed cutting elements mounted on a distinct support, e.g. polycrystalline inserts
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 12/00 Accessories for drilling tools
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 12/02 Wear indicators
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 44/00 Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/00 Survey of boreholes or wells monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/013 Devices specially adapted for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/003 by analysing drilling variables or conditions E21B49/005 takes precedence; systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions E21B44/00

Abstract

An earth-boring drilling tool comprises a cutting element. The cutting element comprises a substrate, a diamond table, and at least one sensing element formed from a doped diamond material disposed at least partially within the diamond table. A method for determining an at-bit measurement for an earth-boring drill bit comprises receiving an electrical signal generated within a doped diamond material disposed within a diamond table of a cutting element of the earth-boring drill bit, and correlating the electrical signal with at least one parameter during a drilling operation.

Claims

1. An instrumented cutting element for use on an earth-boring tool, the instrumented cutting element comprising:

a substrate;

a diamond table bonded to the substrate and having a cutting surface;

at least one sensing element disposed at least partially within the diamond table, the at least one sensing element comprising a substantially annular shaped feature comprising a doped diamond material; and

an electrical conductor coupled with the at least one sensing element and extending along at least a portion of the cutting surface.

2. The instrumented cutting element of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensing element is located at the cutting surface, the doped diamond material of the at least one sensing element being at least partially embedded within the diamond table.

3. The instrumented cutting element of claim 1, wherein the electrical conductor is located in a non-cutting region of the cutting surface, the electrical conductor being configured to transmit an electrical signal away from the at least one sensing element.

4. The instrumented cutting element of claim 1, further comprising a dielectric material disposed in at least one conduit, the dielectric material at least partially surrounding the electrical conductor and electrically isolating the electrical conductor from the diamond table.

5. The instrumented cutting element of claim 4, wherein the at least one conduit is located in a groove extending along a surface of the diamond table and in a direction at least substantially parallel to the cutting surface.

6. The instrumented cutting element of claim 1, wherein the diamond table comprises polycrystalline diamond including inter-bonded diamond grains with interstitial spaces between the inter-bonded diamond grains, at least a portion of the interstitial spaces being at least substantially free of metal solvent catalyst material in a region proximate the at least one sensing element.

7. The instrumented cutting element of claim 1, wherein the doped diamond material of the at least one sensing element includes a continuous annular shape.

8. The instrumented cutting element of claim 7, wherein the at least one sensing element is at least substantially surrounded by a non-doped diamond material of the diamond table.

9. The instrumented cutting element of claim 1, wherein the doped diamond material of the at least one sensing element includes a plurality of concentric annular shaped features each comprising the doped diamond material.

10. An earth-boring tool, comprising:

a body; and

at least one instrumented cutting element attached to the body, the at least one instrumented cutting element comprising;

a diamond table having a cutting surface and having at least one chamber;

at least one sensing element located within the at least one chamber, the at least one sensing element comprising a doped diamond material;

a substrate attached to the diamond table, the doped diamond material of the at least one sensing element extending from the cutting surface to an interface between the substrate and the diamond table; and

at least one electrical conductor in communication with the at least one sensing element, the at least one electrical conductor configured to transmit an electrical signal away from the at least one sensing element.

11. The earth-boring tool of claim 10, further comprising a dielectric material disposed within the at least one chamber of the diamond table such that the dielectric material is between the doped diamond material and the diamond table.

12. The earth-boring tool of claim 10, further comprising a conductive contact coupled with the substrate on a surface thereof opposite the diamond table, wherein the substrate is configured to be electrically conductive such that the at least one electrical conductor is in communication with the at least one sensing element through the substrate and the conductive contact.

13. The earth-boring tool of claim 10, further comprising:

a power source in communication with the at least one sensing element, the power source configured to energize the at least one sensing element through the at least one electrical conductor; and

a data collection module in communication with the at least one sensing element, the data collection module configured to detect a signal from the at least one sensing element through the at least one electrical conductor.

14. The earth-boring tool of claim 13, wherein the body includes:

a pocket in which the at least one instrumented cutting element is at least partially disposed; and

wiring passing through the pocket coupling the at least one electrical conductor of the at least one instrumented cutting element to at least one of the power source and the data collection module.

15. The earth-boring tool of claim 14, wherein:

the at least one sensing element comprises two or more sensing elements and the at least one electrical conductor comprises two or more electrical conductors;

each electrical conductor of the two or more electrical conductors is coupled with a respective sensing element of the two or more sensing elements; and

the electrical signal from each sensing element is read individually using a processor of the data collection module.

16. The earth-boring tool of claim 10, wherein the at least one sensing element is configured to use at least one of resistivity sensing, piezoresistivity sensing, or thermistor sensing.

17. A method for obtaining a measurement at an earth-boring tool, the method comprising:

receiving, during at least one of a borehole drilling operation and a borehole enlarging operation through a subterranean formation, an electrical signal through a conduit extending through a diamond table of an instrumented cutting element from a doped diamond material disposed at least partially within the diamond table of the instrumented cutting element attached to the earth-boring tool; and

correlating at least one characteristic of the electrical signal with at least one parameter associated with the at least one of a borehole drilling operation and a borehole enlarging operation, wherein the correlating the at least one characteristic of the electrical signal with at least one parameter includes correlating the at least one characteristic of the electrical signal with at least one characteristic of the subterranean formation.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein correlating the at least one characteristic of the electrical signal with at least one parameter includes correlating at least one characteristic of the instrumented cutting element with the at least one characteristic of the electrical signal.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising actively controlling the at least one of a borehole drilling operation and a borehole enlarging operation through the subterranean formation responsive to data derived from the electrical signal.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving an electrical signal through the conduit extending through the diamond table of the instrumented cutting element comprises receiving the electrical signal through the conduit extending through the diamond table and along a cutting surface of the instrumented cutting element.