Solid state wear tracers for drill bits

• US 9,551,192 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2012
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ulterra Drilling Technologies LP (Patterson-Uti Energy Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ulterra Drilling Technologies LP (Patterson-Uti Energy Incorporated)
• Inventors: Deen, Aron
• Primary Examiner(s): Gay, Jennifer H
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUTCHER, CAROLINE N
• Application Number:
  US13/545,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20130008717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 12/02 Wear indicators
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/00 Survey of boreholes or wells monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing a reliable signal to the operator while drilling when a bit or tool becomes worn or damaged to a predetermined extent. The approach, in an exemplary embodiment, is to integrate one or more wear tracer elements into one or more parts of a drill bit or downhole tool that do not engage the earthen formation until the predetermined wear or damage occurs. At that time wear tracer elements are released upon wearing of the bit body, cutters, inserts, nozzles, or other components that include the wear tracer elements and enter the drill fluid. The presence of wear tracer elements in drilling fluid can be detected at the surface directly, or indirectly as a result of, for example, one or more reactions between the wear tracer elements and the mud, formation, or other subterranean elements, which yield some compound that may then be detected.

Claims

1. A system for evaluating drill bit condition during subterranean formation drilling, comprising:

a drill bit adapted for coupling to a drill string and including at least one cutting element and a wear tracing element;

a drilling fluid; and

a wear tracer sensor, wherein the wear tracer sensor is configured to detect wear in the drill bit by detecting in the drilling fluid a chemical reaction byproduct of the wear tracing element with the drilling fluid.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said wear tracing element is included in at least one drill bit component and the at least one drill bit component is selected from the group consisting of the at least one cutting element, a bearing component, a bit body, a hard facing, a coating, a brazing filler, an insert, a cutter substrate, a nozzle, and a blade.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the wear tracing element includes at least one of the group consisting of nickel, zinc, silver, copper, and any alloy thereof.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the wear tracer sensor is adapted and configured to directly detect a reaction of the wear tracing element.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein:

the reaction comprises a reaction between the wear tracing element and a subterranean element.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein:

the reaction comprises a reaction between the wear tracing element and the drilling fluid.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the wear tracer sensor includes a gas analyzer.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein:

the wear tracer sensor includes a mass spectrometer.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the wear tracing element that reacts is a solid state wear tracing element.

10. A system for evaluating down-hole tool condition during subterranean formation drilling, comprising:

a down-hole tool adapted for coupling to a drill string, the down-hole tool comprising a down-hole tool component with a wear tracing element;

a drilling fluid; and

a gas analyzer, wherein the gas analyzer is configured to detect wear in the down-hole tool component by detecting a chemical reaction byproduct of the wear tracing element in the drilling fluid.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the down-hole tool is a drill bit.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the down-hole tool is a stabilizer, motor, or rotary steering system.

13. A system for evaluating downhole tool condition during subterranean formation drilling, comprising:

a downhole tool adapted for coupling to a drill string and including a tool component with a wear tracing element;

a drilling fluid; and

a wear tracer sensor,

wherein the wear tracer sensor is configured to detect wear in the tool by detecting the a chemical reaction byproduct of the wear tracing element in the drilling fluid and the tool component is selected from one of the group of a cutter, a nozzle, a duct, a tool body material, a blade and a load limiter.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the wear tracing element includes at least one of the group consisting of nickel, zinc, silver, copper, and any alloy thereof.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the wear tracer sensor is adapted and configured to directly detect a reaction of the wear tracing element.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the reaction comprises a reaction between the wear tracing element and the drilling fluid.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the downhole tool is a bit.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein:

the wear tracing element that reacts is a solid state wear tracing element.

19. A method for detecting wear in a downhole tool for advancing a borehole comprising:

including a wear tracing element within material forming a component of the tool selected from the group of a cutter, a nozzle, a blade and a load limiter;

releasing into a drilling fluid the wear tracing element in response to a threshold of wear; and

detecting a byproduct of a chemical reaction of the wear tracing element with the drilling fluid.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the wear tracing element includes at least one of the group consisting of nickel, zinc, silver, copper, and any alloy thereof.

21. A method for detecting wear in a downhole tool for advancing a borehole comprising:

dispersing a wear tracing element in the material of a wear element of the tool;

releasing into a drilling fluid the wear tracing element in response to a threshold of wear; and

detecting a byproduct of a chemical reaction of the wear tracing element with the drilling fluid.