Flow guide actuation

• US 8,408,336 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2009
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Hall, David R., Dahlgren, Scott, Turner, Paula, Durrand, Christopher, Marshall, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Wright, Giovanna
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALKER, RICHARD K
• Application Number:
  US12/473,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20090229883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 175/57, 175/107, 175/324, 367 83- 85, 415/156, 415/157, 415/160
• US Class Current: 175/107
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/42 Rotary drag type drill bits with teeth, blades or like cutting elements, e.g. fork-type bits, fish tail bits characterised by wear resisting parts E21B10/46; by conduits or nozzles for drilling fluid E21B10/60; by detachable or adjustable parts E21B10/62
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/62 characterised by parts, e.g. cutting elements, which are detachable or adjustable E21B10/64 takes precedence; for roller bits E21B10/20; for augers E21B10/44
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/02 Fluid rotary type drives
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/14 Fluid operated hammers
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/16 through the drill string or casing , e.g. by torsional acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/068 drilled by a down-hole drilling motor down-hole drives per se E21B4/00, E21B7/067 takes precedence

Abstract

In one aspect of the present invention, a downhole drill string assembly comprises a bore there through to receive drilling fluid. A turbine may be disposed within the bore and exposed to the drilling fluid. At least one flow guide may be disposed within the bore and exposed to the drilling fluid wherein the flow guide acts to redirect the flow of the drilling fluid across the turbine. The flow guide may be adjusted by an actuator. Adjustments to the flow guide may be controlled by a downhole telemetry system, a processing unit, a control loop, or any combination thereof. In various embodiments the turbine may comprise rotatable turbine blades.

Claims

1. A downhole drill string assembly comprising:

a cylindrical body having a longitudinal bore adapted to receive a drilling fluid;

a fluid within said longitudinal bore;

a turbine disposed within said longitudinal bore and in fluid communication with said longitudinal bore, said turbine having at least one fixed blade adapted to rotate said turbine in response to a flow of said drilling fluid;

at least one flow guide disposed within said longitudinal bore upstream of said turbine and in fluid communication with said longitudinal bore, said at least one flow guide having at least one adjustable vane having an orientation, said orientation adapted to alter said flow of said drilling fluid proximate said turbine;

an actuator in mechanical communication with said at least one flow guide, said actuator adapted to selectively alter said orientation of said at least one adjustable vane; and

a jack element disposed within the downhole drill string assembly, the jack element having an actuation coupled to the rotation of the turbine.

2. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 1, wherein said flow guide is adapted to cause said flow of said drilling fluid to pass over said at least one turbine blade at an attack angle and wherein said flow guide is adapted to selectively alter said attack angle based on said orientation of at least one adjustable vane.

3. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 2, wherein altering said attack angle alters a rotational speed of said turbine and a frequency of actuation of the jack element.

4. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least one adjustable vane is flexible and said at least one adjustable vane flexes to redirect said flow of said drilling fluid.

5. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 4, wherein said at least one adjustable vane has a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein said leading edge is fixed and said trailing edge is adapted to be flexed by said actuator.

6. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 5, wherein said actuator is a rotational plate that flexes said trailing edge of said at least one adjustable vane by rotating around a central axis of said drill string assembly.

7. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least one adjustable vane is a rotating fin that rotates to redirect said flow of said drilling fluid.

8. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 7, wherein said rotating fin has a pivot point and said actuator is a rotational plate that rotates said rotating fin around said pivot point.

9. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 8, wherein said rotating fin has a tab, said rotational plate has at least one slot, and said rotational plate is adapted to rotate said fin by engaging said tab within said at least one slot.

10. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 7, wherein said rotating fin has a pivot point and said actuator has a system of gears adapted to rotate said fin at said pivot point.

11. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 10, wherein said system of gears is a rack and pinion, wherein said pinion is attached to said pivot point and said rack rotates around a central axis of said drill string assembly.

12. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 7, wherein said rotating fin has a pivot point and a lip, and wherein said actuator has a slider and a flange, said slider adapted to slide said flange parallel to a central axis of said drill string assembly, wherein said flange is adapted to exert a force on said lip to rotate said fin.

13. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 12, wherein said slider is slid by a motor, a pump, a piston, a solenoid, or at least one gear.

14. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 1, wherein said turbine is attached to a generator adapted to convert a rotational energy of said turbine into electrical energy.

15. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 14, wherein a computer processing unit is attached to said generator and said computer processing unit is adapted to control said actuator.

16. A downhole drill string assembly comprising:

a cylindrical body having a longitudinal bore adapted to receive a drilling fluid;

a fluid disposed within said longitudinal bore;

a turbine disposed within said longitudinal bore and in fluid communication with said longitudinal bore, said turbine having at least one fixed blade adapted to rotate said turbine in response to a flow of said drilling fluid flowing past the turbine;

a flow guide disposed within said longitudinal bore and in fluid communication with said longitudinal bore, said flow guide having an internal surface defining a flow space between the turbine and the flow guide, and wherein the flow guide is adapted to selectively alter a cross sectional area of said flow space.

17. The downhole drill string assembly of claim 16, further comprising an actuator in communication with said flow guide and adapted to move said flow guide in a longitudinal direction to alter said cross sectional area.