Negative pressure vortex nozzle

• US 5,494,124 A
• Filed: 10/08/1993
• Issued: 02/27/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vortexx Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Vortexx Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Dove, Norval R., Smith, Stephen K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buiz, Michael Powell
• Application Number:
  US08/134,085
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 175/424, 175/393, 175/339, 175/340, 175/65, 175/61
• US Class Current: 175/424
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/02 designed to produce a jet, spray, or other discharge of particular shape or nature, e.g. in single drops, or having an outlet of particular shapeB05B1/26, B05B1/28, B05B1/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/60 characterised by conduits or nozzles for drilling fluids for roller bits E21B10/18; for percussion drill bits E21B10/38
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/61 characterised by the nozzle structure
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/18 Drilling by liquid or gas jets, with or without entrained pellets E21B7/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and abstract of removing a surface subject to a subsurface pressure and an environmental surface pressure at least equal to the subsurface pressure, which comprises jetting fluid through a nozzle facing and located a predetermined distance from said surface, said nozzle being shaped to eject the fluid in a steam having a higher core pressure than said environmental pressure, said higher pressure stream having adjacent thereto at least one zone of pressure negative relative to said subsurface pressure, said distance being predetermined to expose said surface to said zone of negative pressure, whereby said surface is caused to explode into said zone of negative pressure from the force of said subsurface pressure.

Claims

1. A nozzle comprising a body having first end and second ends, said first end including means for connection to a fluid supply, said body having an inlet at said first end and an interior cavity extending from said inlet, said cavity converging to an outlet at said second end, said second end having at least one slot configuration therein included in said outlet and extending to said cavity, said cavity convergence reaching a maximum at said slot and together being effective, when fluid is forced therethrough under turbulent flow conditions into a fluid environment having a positive hydrostatic pressure, to eject said fluid as a zone of higher hydrostatic pressure than the environment hydrostatic pressure having adjacent thereto a zone of hydrostatic pressure lower than said environment hydrostatic pressure.

2. The nozzle of claim 1 in which said convergence is to a longitudinal axis and is axially symmetrical.

3. The nozzle of claim 1 in which said convergence is to a longitudinal axis and is axially asymmetrical.

4. The nozzle of claim 2 in which said cavity convergence is frustoconical.

5. The nozzle of claim 4 in which the convergence is at an angle that intersects the axis of said outlet portion exteriorly of said outlet.

6. The nozzle of claim 1 in which said slot is plane parallel to the axis of said outlet.

7. The nozzle of claim 1 in which said slot is linear.

8. The nozzle of claim 1 in which said slot is curvilinear.

9. The nozzle of claim 1 in which said connection is into a drill bit in fluid communication with a fluid supply of drilling fluid.

10. The nozzle of claim 2 wherein said slot has at least two ends, said ends being equal distance from the geometric center of the nozzle.

11. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein said slot comprises at least two ends, said ends being non-equal distance from the geometric center of the nozzle.

12. The nozzle in claim 1 wherein said converging cavity comprises a frustoconical passageway through which the drilling fluid passes, said passageway tapering inwardly toward the longitudinal axis of said nozzle at a predetermined angle, the apex of which being at a point of projection on the longitudinal axis beyond said outlet;

and a second incline surface inclined toward said longitudinal axis within said passageway at a lesse angle of incline than said first frustoconical surface originating at the intersection of said cylindrical portion and said frustoconical portion.

13. A nozzle, for a drilling bit which comprises a body having a longitudinal axis, said body defining an interior passageway along said longitudinal axis, said passageway including an inlet at a first end of the body, a frustoconical portion distal from said inlet and a slot portion distal from said inlet conterminous with said frustoconical portion, said slot portion transsecting said frustoconical portion in a plane parallel to said longitudinal axis, said frustoconical and slot portions simultaneously terminating in an outlet from said passageway, said outlet including said slot portion.

14. A nozzle for conducting and directing drilling fluid through a drilling or cutting mechanism comprising:

a body having an inlet end and an outlet end;

a cavity within said body forming a fluid connection from said inlet end to said outlet end, said cavity having a cylindrical portion adjacent said inlet end and continuously converging end, said cavity having a cylindrical portion adjacent said inlet end and continuously converging and reducing in cross-sectional area from said cylindrical portion to said outlet end; and

said outlet end includes means for ejecting a non-cavitating, non-resonating stream of drilling fluid from said outlet into a fluid environment having an existing pressure in a manner to create a zone of hydrostatic pressure greater than said existing pressure and an adjacent zone of hydrostatic pressure lower than said existing pressure.

15. The invention as claimed in claim 14, wherein:

said ejecting means includes a non-circular orifice shaped to impart to said stream zones of pressure less than said existing pressure at the surface of the material being drilled.

16. The invention as claimed in claim 14, wherein:

said outlet end includes at least one radial slot through which said drilling fluid is ejected from said nozzle into said environment.