METHODS FOR FORMING INSTRUMENTED CUTTING ELEMENTS OF AN EARTH-BORING DRILLING TOOL

• US 20170183915A1
• Filed: 03/10/2017
• Published: 06/29/2017
• 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: Mollart, Timothy Peter, Brandon, John Robert, Scott, Danny E.
• Granted Patent: US 10,443,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 15/32 twist-drills
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 18/0009 using moulds or presses
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 99/005 Segments of abrasive wheels
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/567 with preformed cutting elements mounted on a distinct support, e.g. polycrystalline inserts
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/013 Devices specially adapted for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits

Abstract

A method of forming an instrumented cutting element comprises forming a free-standing sintered diamond table having at least one chamber in the free-standing sintered diamond table, providing a doped diamond material within the at least one chamber, and attaching a substrate to the free-standing sintered diamond table to form an instrumented cutting element. The instrumented cutting element includes the doped diamond material disposed within the sintered diamond table on the substrate. A method of forming an earth-boring tool comprises attaching at least one instrumented cutting element to a body of an earth-boring tool. The at least one instrumented cutting element has a diamond table bonded to a substrate. The diamond table has at least one sensing element disposed at least partially within the diamond table. The at least one sensing element comprises a doped diamond material.

Claims

1. A method of forming an instrumented cutting element for an earth-boring drilling tool, the method comprising:

forming a sintered diamond table having at least one object embedded therein;

removing at least a portion of the sintered diamond table to access the at least one object embedded therein;

removing the at least one object embedded within the sintered diamond table to form at least one chamber within the sintered diamond table; and

providing an electrically conductive doped diamond material within the at least one chamber to form at least one sensing element within the sintered diamond table.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one object is a metal insert.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein forming the sintered diamond table having the at least one object embedded therein includes embedding a plurality of objects such that a plurality of chambers and a plurality of sensing elements are formed therein.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the metal insert is formed from nickel or titanium.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein forming the sintered diamond table having at least one object embedded therein includes forming a free-standing sintered diamond table having the at least one object embedded therein.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein forming the free-standing sintered diamond table includes performing a first high temperature, high pressure (HTHP) sintering process.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising performing a second HTHP sintering process on the free-standing sintered diamond table after providing electrically conductive doped diamond material within the at least one chamber.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein forming the free-standing sintered diamond table includes:

performing the first HTHP sintering process to form the sintered diamond table attached to an initial substrate; and

removing the initial substrate to form the free-standing sintered diamond table.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising attaching another substrate to the free-standing sintered diamond table such that the electrically conductive doped diamond material within the at least one chamber is electrically coupled with a conductive material at an interface of the free-standing sintered diamond table and the substrate.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein attaching the another substrate to the free-standing sintered diamond table occurs while subjecting both the substrate and the free-standing sintered diamond table with the electrically conductive doped diamond material within the at least one chamber to the second HTHP process.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein removing the at least one object embedded within the sintered diamond table includes dissolving the metal insert.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein removing at least a portion of the sintered diamond table includes at least one of grinding, electric discharge machining, laser cutting, spark eroding, or applying a hot metal solvent to form at least one passageway the sintered diamond table to access the at least one object embedded therein.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming at least one conduit in the another substrate of the instrumented cutting element, the at least one conduit coupled with the electrically conductive doped diamond material within the at least one chamber of the sintered diamond table.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising leaching at least a portion of the sintered diamond table to remove metal solvent catalyst in interstitial spaces between inter-bonded diamond grains in the sintered diamond table proximate the at least one sensing element.

14. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the at least one conduit further comprises forming the at least one conduit to extend through at least a portion of the sintered diamond table.

16. A method of forming an earth-boring tool, the method comprising:

forming at least one instrumented cutting element by;

forming a sintered diamond table having at least one object embedded therein;

removing a portion of the sintered diamond table to access the at least one object;

removing the at least one object to form at least one chamber; and

providing a doped diamond material within the at least one chamber; and

attaching the at least one instrumented cutting element to a body of an earth-boring tool.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein removing the at least one object includes dissolving at least one metal insert embedded within the sintered diamond table.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein forming the sintered diamond table having at least one object embedded therein includes sintering a diamond powder having the metal insert embedded therein with tungsten carbide substrate in a first HTHP process to form the sintered diamond table attached to an initial substrate.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

removing the initial substrate prior to providing the doped diamond material within the at least one chamber; and

sintering the sintered diamond table and the doped diamond material within the at least one chamber in a second HTHP process.

20. The method of claim 19, disposing a dielectric material within the at least one chamber prior to providing the doped diamond material within the at least one chamber.