Methods for designing secondary cutting structures for a bottom hole assembly

• US 8,401,831 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Smith International Incorporated (SLB)
• Original Assignee: Smith International Incorporated (SLB)
• Inventors: Tang, Wei, Whipple, Gordon, Huang, Sujian J., Makkar, Navish, Laird, Tommy, Nelson, Gail
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Eunhee
• Application Number:
  US12/179,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: 703/7
• US Class Current: 703/7
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/00 Drill bits specially adapted for deflecting the direction of boring E21B7/064; with means for collecting substances E21B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/43 characterised by the arrangement of teeth or other cutting elements
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/54 the bit being of the rotary drag type, e.g. fork-type bits
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/1014 Flexible or expansible centering means, e.g. with pistons pressing against the wall of the well E21B17/1042 takes precedence
• 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: G06F 30/17 Mechanical parametric or variational design

Abstract

A method for designing a secondary cutting structure for use in a bottom hole assembly, the method including defining initial design parameters for the secondary cutting structure and analyzing forces acting on the secondary cutting structure. Additionally, the method includes modifying at least one design element of the secondary cutting structure and simulating an effect of the modifying on both the secondary cutting structure and a primary cutting structure to determine if an improved condition is met. Also, a method for designing a drilling tool assembly, the method including defining initial drilling tool assembly design parameters including a primary cutting structure and a secondary cutting structure, and simulating a dynamic response of the drilling tool assembly. Additionally, the method includes adjusting at least one design element of the secondary cutting structure based on the dynamic response of the drilling tool assembly, determining if the adjusted design element improved a condition of the drilling, and repeating the simulating and adjusting until the condition is optimized.

Claims

1. A method for designing a secondary cutting structure for use in a bottom hole assembly, the method comprising:

defining initial design parameters for the secondary cutting structure;

analyzing forces acting on the secondary cutting structure, including a vibrational response of the secondary cutting structure;

modifying at least one design element of the secondary cutting structure; and

simulating an effect of the modifying on both the secondary cutting structure and a primary cutting structure to determine if an improved condition is met.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating the steps of analyzing, modifying, and simulating until the improved condition is met.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting a design of the secondary cutting structure comprising at least the modified design element.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the outputting comprises graphically displaying the simulation of the modified design element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one design element comprises at least one of a group consisting of a side rake angle, a back rake angle, a cutting element type, a cutting element material, a cutting element position, a blade position, an angular orientation, an individual blade arrangement pattern, a backup blade arrangement, and a partial blade arrangement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing forces acting on the secondary cutting structure comprises analyzing axial, lateral, and circumferential forces.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the analyzing comprises analyzing vibrational responses acting on individual blades and cutting elements.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the analyzing further comprises analyzing lateral, axial and torsional vibration responses acting on the secondary cutting structure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the simulating comprises:

solving for a dynamic lateral vibration and torsional response of cutting elements of the secondary cutting structure.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

repeating the solving for a select number of successive iterations.

11. A method for designing a drilling tool assembly, the method comprising:

defining initial drilling tool assembly design parameters including a primary cutting structure and a secondary cutting structure;

simulating a dynamic response of the drilling tool assembly;

adjusting at least one design element of the secondary cutting structure based on the dynamic response of the drilling tool assembly;

determining if the adjusted design element improved a condition of the drilling; and

repeating the simulating and adjusting until the condition is optimized.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the condition comprises a drilling tool assembly vibration.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the design element of the secondary cutting structure comprises at least one of a group consisting of a side rake angle, a back rake angle, a cutting element type, a cutting element material, a cutting element position, a blade position, an angular orientation, an individual blade arrangement pattern, and any possible backup or partial blade arrangement.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the simulating comprises:

simulating the primary cutting structure drilling in a first earth formation and the secondary cutting structure drilling in a second earth formation.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the adjusting comprises:

modifying the at least one design element to balance forces acting on the primary cutting structure and the secondary cutting structure.

16. A method for improving secondary cutting structure for use in a bottom hole assembly, the method comprising:

defining initial design elements for the secondary cutting structure of a bottom hole assembly;

simulating the secondary cutting structure drilling in earth formation to determine cutting action of the secondary cutting structure; and

adjusting at least one design element to improve the cutting action of the secondary cutting structure.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

repeating the simulating and adjusting until the cutting action of the secondary cutting structure is optimized.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the adjusting comprises modifying a cutting element placement on the secondary cutting structure.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

outputting at least the adjusted design element.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the adjusting comprises at least one of a group consisting of adding cutting elements, removing cutting elements, changing a cutting element property, and changing a blade property.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying graphically the simulating.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a relationship between the design elements of the secondary cutting element structure and the cutting action.