Directional drilling control apparatus and methods
First Claim
1. An apparatus to steer a hydraulic motor when elongating a wellbore having a non-vertical component, comprising:
- a quill adapted to transfer torque between a drive assembly and a drillstring;
a bottom hole assembly (BHA) including a toolface orientation detector and at least one measurement while drilling (MWD) instrument or wireline-conveyed instrument; and
a controller configured to transmit operational control signals to minimize friction between a drillstring and a wellbore;
wherein the instrument is configured to detect pressure between an external surface of the BHA and an inner diameter of the wellbore.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and methods to steer a hydraulic motor when elongating a wellbore having a non-vertical component that includes a quill adapted to transfer torque, rotation, or position between a drive assembly and a drillstring, a bottom hole assembly (BHA) including a toolface orientation detector and at least one measurement while drilling (MWD) instrument or wireline-conveyed instrument, and a controller configured to transmit operational control signals to minimize friction between a drillstring and a wellbore, wherein the instrument is configured to detect pressure between an external surface of the BHA and an inner diameter of the wellbore.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. An apparatus to steer a hydraulic motor when elongating a wellbore having a non-vertical component, comprising:
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a quill adapted to transfer torque between a drive assembly and a drillstring; a bottom hole assembly (BHA) including a toolface orientation detector and at least one measurement while drilling (MWD) instrument or wireline-conveyed instrument; and a controller configured to transmit operational control signals to minimize friction between a drillstring and a wellbore; wherein the instrument is configured to detect pressure between an external surface of the BHA and an inner diameter of the wellbore. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An apparatus to steer a hydraulic motor adapted to drill a wellbore having a non-vertical component, comprising:
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a quill adapted to transfer rotation between a drive assembly and a drillstring; a bottom hole assembly (BHA) including a toolface orientation detector and at least one measurement while drilling (MWD) instrument or wireline-conveyed instrument; and a controller configured to transmit operational control signals to minimize friction between a drillstring and an inner diameter of the wellbore, wherein the instrument is configured to detect pressure between an external surface of the BHA and a diameter of the wellbore. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus to steer a hydraulic motor adapted to drill a wellbore having a non-vertical component, comprising:
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a quill adapted to transfer torque, rotation, position, or any combination thereof between a drive assembly and a drillstring; a bottom hole assembly (BHA) including a toolface orientation detector and at least one measurement while drilling (MWD) instrument or wireline-conveyed instrument; and a controller configured to transmit operational control signals to minimize friction between a drillstring and the wellbore, wherein the instrument is configured to continuously detect a pressure in the wellbore, and wherein the controller calculates a pressure differential from the detected pressure, wherein the pressure is detected between an external surface of the BHA and an inner diameter of the wellbore. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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Specification