# US 11,111,725 B2 · Rotary steerable system with rolling housing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,111,725 B2 - Document ID: US11111725B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/489,576 - Filed: 2017-05-15 - Published: 2020-01-09 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-15 - Assignees: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. - Applicants: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. - Inventors: Neelesh V. Deolalikar; Daniel M. Winslow - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11111725B2 ## CPC - E21B 7/062: {the tool shaft rotating inside a non-rotating guide travelling with the shaft (E21B7/067 and E21B7/068 take precedence)} - E21B 7/068: {drilled by a down-hole drilling motor (down-hole drives per se E21B4/00, E21B7/067 takes precedence)} - E21B 17/1014: {Flexible or expansible centering means, e.g. with pistons pressing against the wall of the well (E21B17/1042 takes precedence)} - E21B 44/005: {Below-ground automatic control systems} - E21B 47/024: of devices in the borehole (determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022) - E21B 47/18: through the well fluid {, e.g. mud pressure pulse telemetry} - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS ## Abstract A directional drilling device for drilling a wellbore having a wall, the device including an outer housing, a driveshaft located at least partially within and selectively rotatable with respect to the outer housing. The device also includes extendable members moveable to extend radially outwardly from the outer housing and so as to apply a force onto the wellbore wall and move the device off-center in the wellbore in a direction. The device further includes a hydraulic actuation system operable to control hydraulic fluid to extend and retract of the extendable members. The rotational orientation of the extendable members is controllable by rotation of the outer housing by the driveshaft and the rotational orientation of the extendable members and the outer housing and thus the direction may be maintained by extension of the extendable members into contact with the borehole to restrain the outer housing from rotating. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A directional drilling device for drilling a wellbore having a wall, comprising: an outer housing; a driveshaft located at least partially within and selectively rotatable with respect to the outer housing; extendable members moveable to extend radially outwardly from the outer housing and so as to apply a force onto the wellbore wall and move the device off-center in the wellbore in a direction; a hydraulic actuation system operable to control hydraulic fluid to extend and retract the extendable members, the hydraulic actuation system comprising a hydraulic pump located in a portion of the driveshaft and a piston device mechanically coupled to the extendable members and hydraulically coupled to the hydraulic pump so as to move the extendable members upon an increase or decrease in hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic pump; wherein the rotational orientation of the extendable members is controllable by rotation of the outer housing by the driveshaft; and wherein the rotational orientation of the extendable members and the outer housing and thus the direction may be maintained by extension of the extendable members into contact with the wellbore to restrain the outer housing from rotating. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the extendable members are extendable in unison. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein each of the extendable members is extendable radially outwardly upon an increase in hydraulic pressure provided by the hydraulic actuation system. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The device of claim 3, wherein the piston device further comprises a chamber and a piston arm, wherein the chamber is hydraulically coupled with the hydraulic pump, and wherein the piston arm is mechanically coupled to the extendable members so as to move the extendable members upon a change in pressure in the chamber. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The device of claim 4, wherein the extendable members are retractable upon a decrease in pressure in the chamber. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The device of claim 4, further comprising a cam that interacts with the piston arm and the extendable members to control the amount of displacement of the extendable members so that a given displacement of the piston aim extends each extendable member a different amount or not at all. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, further comprising a bearing rotatably supporting the driveshaft within the outer housing and that provides an amount of friction so as to apply a torque from the driveshaft to the outer housing during rotation of the driveshaft. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The device of claim 7, wherein the outer housing is rotatable by the driveshaft with the extendable members not contacting the wellbore wall. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises one or more sensors configured to determine one or more positional parameters of the housing and the extendable members. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, further comprising a non-extendable pad protruding from the housing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, further comprising a control system comprising a processor in communication with the hydraulic actuation system to control extension of the extendable members. ### Claim 12 A directional drilling system for drilling a directional wellbore having a wellbore wall, comprising: an outer housing; a driveshaft located at least partially within the housing and rotatable with respect to the housing; a drill bit rotatable by the driveshaft; extendable members movable to extend radially outwardly from the housing so as to apply a force onto the wellbore wall at a first radial orientation, thereby pushing the drill bit laterally at a first toolface, wherein decreasing the force applied by the extendable members onto the wellbore wall permits the outer housing to rotate with the driveshaft and into a second radial orientation; a hydraulic actuation system configured to control the extension and retraction of the extendable members, the hydraulic actuation system comprising a hydraulic pump located in a portion of the driveshaft and a piston device mechanically coupled to the extendable members and hydraulically coupled to the hydraulic pump so as to move the extendable members upon an increase or decrease in hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic pump; and a control system comprising a processor and a sensor, the control system configured to monitor positional parameters of the housing and control extension and retraction of the extendable members via the hydraulic actuation system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The directional drilling system of claim 12, wherein the control system comprises an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a gyroscope, or any combination thereof. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The directional drilling system of claim 12, wherein the hydraulic actuation system further comprises a hydraulic motor, and the motor and the pump are controlled by the control system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The directional drilling system of claim 12, wherein the control system is communicably coupled to a surface control center. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The directional drilling system of claim 12, wherein the housing is configured to rotate with the driveshaft upon retraction of the extendable members. ### Claim 17 A method of drilling a directional wellbore having a wall, comprising: rotating an outer housing of a drilling device to a first rotational orientation relative to the wellbore via rotation of a driveshaft; radially outwardly extending an extendable member from the outer housing into engagement with the wellbore wall via a hydraulic actuation system comprising a hydraulic pump located in a portion of the driveshaft and a piston device mechanically coupled to the extendable member and hydraulically coupled to the hydraulic pump, thereby restraining the outer housing from rotating with the driveshaft and pushing a drill bit off-center at a first toolface; and drilling the wellbore in the orientation of the first toolface to deviate the wellbore. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising drilling a straight wellbore section. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising applying a hydraulic pressure to the piston device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising retracting the extendable member away from the wellbore wall, thereby allowing the outer housing to rotate with the driveshaft to a second rotational orientation.