Method and apparatus for collecting drill bit performance data

• US 7,510,026 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2007
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Holdings LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Trinh, Tu Tien, Sullivan, Eric C., Pastusek, Paul E., Lutes, Paul J., Pritchard, Daryl L., Glasgow, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell; David J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stephenson; Daniel P
• Application Number:
  US11/939,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20080060848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: 175/45, 175/40, 175/501, 731/524.8, 731/525.9, 173/327
• US Class Current: 175/40
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/08 Controlling or monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid, e.g. automatic filling of boreholes, automatic control of bottom pressure valve arrangements therefor E21B21/10
• 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 47/017 Protecting measuring instruments

Abstract

Drill bits and methods for sampling sensor data associated with the state of a drill bit are disclosed. A drill bit for drilling a subterranean formation comprises a bit body and a shank. The shank further includes a central bore formed through an inside diameter of the shank and configured for receiving a data analysis module. The data analysis module comprises a plurality of sensors, a memory, and a processor. The processor is configured for executing computer instructions to collect the sensor data by sampling the plurality of sensors, analyzing the sensor data to develop a severity index, comparing the sensor data to at least one adaptive threshold, and modifying a data sampling mode responsive to the comparison. A method comprises collecting sensor data by sampling a plurality of physical parameters associated with a drill bit state while in various sampling modes and transitioning between those sampling modes.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

collecting background data by sampling at least one physical parameter associated with a drill bit state at a background sampling frequency while in a background mode; and

transitioning from the background mode to a logging mode after a predetermined number of background samples to sample the at least one physical parameter at a logging sampling frequency higher than the background sampling frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the background data in memory.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting logging data by sampling the at least one physical parameter at the logging sampling frequency while in the logging mode; and

transitioning from the logging mode to the background mode after a predetermined number of logging samples.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising storing the logging data in memory.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting logging data by sampling the at least one physical parameter at the logging sampling frequency while in the logging mode; and

transitioning from the logging mode to a burst mode after a predetermined number of logging samples to sample the at least one physical parameter at a burst sampling frequency higher than the logging sampling frequency.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing the logging data in a memory.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

collecting burst data by sampling the at least one physical parameter at the burst sampling frequency while in the burst mode; and

transitioning from the burst mode to the background mode after a predetermined number of burst samples.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising storing the burst data in a memory.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

collecting burst data by sampling the at least one physical parameter at the burst sampling frequency while in the burst mode; and

transitioning from the burst mode to the logging mode, after a predetermined number of burst samples.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing the burst data in memory.

11. A method, comprising:

collecting background data by sampling at least one physical parameter associated with a drill bit state at a background sampling frequency while in a background mode; and

transitioning from the background mode to a burst mode after a predetermined number of background samples to sample the at least one physical parameter at a burst sampling frequency higher than the background sampling frequency.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing the background data in memory.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

collecting burst data by sampling the at least one physical parameter at the burst sampling frequency while in the burst mode; and

transitioning from the burst mode to the background mode after a predetermined number of burst samples.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising storing the burst data in memory.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

collecting burst data by sampling the at least one physical parameter at the burst sampling frequency while in the burst mode; and

transitioning from the burst mode to a logging mode after a predetermined number of burst samples to sample the at least one physical parameter at a logging sampling frequency lower than the burst sampling frequency.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing the burst data in memory.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

collecting logging data by sampling the at least one physical parameter at the logging sampling frequency while in the logging mode; and

transitioning from the logging mode to the background mode after a predetermined number of logging samples.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing the logging data in memory.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

collecting logging data by sampling the at least one physical parameter at the logging sampling frequency while in the logging mode; and

transitioning from the logging mode to the burst mode after a predetermined number of logging samples.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising storing the logging data in memory.