System and method for optimizing drilling operations

• US 3,324,717 A
• Filed: 10/28/1963
• Issued: 06/13/1967
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1963
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James T. Dean, Warren B. Brooks
• Original Assignee: James T. Dean, Warren B. Brooks
• Inventors: Brooks, Warren B., Dean, James T.
• Application Number:
  US04/319,287
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• US Class Current: 73/152.45
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/084 with flexible drawing means, e.g. cables
• 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

Claims

1. A DRILLING INFORMATION GATHERING SYSTEM FOR OPTIMIZING DRILLING BY A DRILLING RIG WHEREIN A POWER ROTATING MEANS DELIVERS TORQUE TO ROTATE A DRILL STRING SUSPENDED FROM A TRAVELING BLOCK MOVING IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF A CABLE ARRANGED OVER MULTIPLE SHEAVES MOUNTED IN A CROWN BLOCK, AND TURNING A BIT DRILLING A BOREHOLE INTO SUBSURFACE FORMATIONS WHILE CIRCULATING A DRILLING FLUID TO KEEP THE BIT AND BOTTOM OF THE BOREHOLE CLEANED OF CUTTINGS, WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION:

(A) MEANS FOR GENERATING A FIRST FUNCTION REPRESENTATIVE OF PENETRATION OF THE BIT INTO THE SUBSURFACE FORMATION, WHICH MEANS COMPRISES A WHEEL MOUNTED IN JUXTAPOSITION SELECTED SHEAVE IN SAID CROWN BLOCK FOR CONTROLLABLE PROPORTIONING MOVEMENT AND TROUBLEFREE OPERATION, AND RESPONSIVE TO ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT THEREOF, A CONSTANT VOLTAGE D.C. POWERED, 360*, SINGLE-TURN, CONTINUOUSLY ROTATABLE POTENTIOMETER CONNECTED TO SAID WHEEL AND MOVING IN PROPORTION TO ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT THEREOF TO GENERATE SAID FIRST FUNCTION ACCURATELY REPRESENTING SMALL AND LARGE MOVEMENTS OF SAID BIT WITH RESPECT TO TIME, (B) MEANS FOR GENERATING A SECOND FUNCTION REPRESENTATIVE OF WEIGHT ON THE BIT,