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US 12,448,851 B2Granted
Reaming a wellbore
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorMohammed T. Alsharif
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Implementations of the present disclosure include a drilling assembly that includes a drill string, one or more sensors, and a reamer assembly. The sensors detect at least one parameter of the drill string or wellbore. The reamer assembly has a housing, at least one movable reamer pads, and a valve. The housing defines a cavity arranged to receive fluid from the drill string. The at least one movable reamer pad is at least partially disposed within the cavity. The valve is operable to regulate, as a function of feedback from the sensors, a flow of fluid into the cavity, allowing the fluid to contact the at least one movable reamer and push the at least one movable reamer pad from a first position, in which the at least one reamer pad is retracted, to a second position in which the at least one reamer pad is expanded.
Claims19
A drilling assembly, comprising:
- a drill string comprising a drill bit configured to drill a wellbore, the drill string forming, with the drill string disposed within the wellbore, an annulus defined between an outer wall of the drill string and the wall of the wellbore;
- one or more sensors configured to be coupled to the drill string, the one or more sensors configured to detect at least one parameter of the drill string or of the wellbore;
- a reamer assembly configured to be coupled to the drill string uphole of the drill bit, the reamer assembly comprising:
- a housing defining a cavity arranged to receive fluid from the drill string,
- at least one movable reamer pad configured to be at least partially disposed within the cavity, and
- a valve configured to be coupled to the housing, the valve operable to regulate, as a function of feedback from the one or more sensors, a flow of fluid into the cavity, allowing the fluid to enter the cavity underneath the reamer and contact the at least one movable reamer, allowing the fluid to fill a volume of the cavity and push the at least one movable reamer pad out of the cavity from a first position, in which the at least one reamer pad is retracted and the reamer assembly defines a first reaming diameter, to a second position in which the at least one reamer pad is expanded and the reamer assembly defines a second reaming diameter greater than the first reaming diameter;
- wherein the drilling assembly further comprises a second valve configured to regulate a fluid pressure in the cavity by regulating a flow of fluid out of the fluid cavity and into the annulus.
4 more elements
A reamer assembly, comprising:
- a housing configured to be coupled to a drill string uphole of a drill bit of the drill string, the housing defining a cavity configured to receive fluid from the drill string;
- at least one movable rib configured to be at least partially disposed within the cavity, and
- a first valve configured to be coupled to an inlet of the cavity, the valve operable to regulate, as a function of feedback from one or more sensors of the drill string, a flow of fluid into the cavity;
- wherein the cavity comprises a volume defined between a lower surface of the movable rib and a bottom surface of the cavity, and the valve allows the fluid to enter and fill the cavity underneath the reamer, contacting the at least one movable rib while expanding the volume, allowing the fluid to contact and push the at least one movable rib out of the cavity to increase a reaming diameter of the at least one movable rib;
- and
- wherein the valve maintains, with the movable rib pushed out of the cavity, the fluid within the volume;
- wherein the drilling assembly further comprises a second valve fluidly coupled with the cavity and configured to regulate a fluid pressure in the cavity.
4 more elements
A method, comprising:
- receiving, by a system comprising one or more computers in one or more locations, sensor feedback from one or more sensors coupled to a drill string disposed within a wellbore;
- determining, by the system and as a function of the sensor feedback, controller instructions;
- and
- transmitting, by the system and to a controller operationally coupled to a valve coupled to a cavity of a reamer assembly comprising a movable rib, the controller instructions, causing the controller to open the valve and allow fluid to enter and fill the cavity underneath the reamer, contacting the movable rib while expanding a volume defined between a lower surface of the movable rib and a bottom surface of the cavity, allowing the fluid to contact and push the at least one movable rib out of the cavity to increase a reaming diameter of the at least one movable rib to ream the wellbore, wherein the controller controls the valve such that the valve maintains, with the movable rib pushed out of the cavity, the fluid within the volume at a pressure regulated by a second valve fluidly coupled with the cavity to regulate a flow of fluid out of the fluid cavity.
1 more element
A drilling assembly, comprising:
- a drill string comprising a drill bit configured to drill a wellbore, the drill string forming, with the drill string disposed within the wellbore, an annulus defined between an outer wall of the drill string and the wall of the wellbore;
- one or more sensors configured to be coupled to the drill string, the one or more sensors configured to detect at least one parameter of the drill string or of the wellbore;
- a reamer assembly configured to be coupled to the drill string uphole of the drill bit, the reamer assembly comprising:
- a housing defining a cavity arranged to receive fluid from the drill string,
- at least one movable reamer pad configured to be at least partially disposed within the cavity, and
- a valve configured to be coupled to the housing, the valve operable to regulate, as a function of feedback from the one or more sensors, a flow of fluid into the cavity, allowing the fluid to enter the cavity underneath the reamer and contact the at least one movable reamer, allowing the fluid to fill a volume of the cavity and push the at least one movable reamer pad out of the cavity from a first position, in which the at least one reamer pad is retracted and the reamer assembly defines a first reaming diameter, to a second position in which the at least one reamer pad is expanded and the reamer assembly defines a second reaming diameter greater than the first reaming diameter;
- wherein the valve is disposed along a fluid conduit formed in a wall of the housing, the fluid conduit extending from a bore of the housing to the cavity;
- and wherein the drilling assembly further comprises a second fluid conduit extending from the cavity to an outer surface of the housing, the reamer assembly further comprising a second valve disposed at the second fluid conduit and configured to regulate a fluid pressure in the cavity by regulating a flow of fluid out of the fluid cavity and into the annulus.
5 more elements
A drilling assembly, comprising:
- a drill string comprising a drill bit configured to drill a wellbore, the drill string forming, with the drill string disposed within the wellbore, an annulus defined between an outer wall of the drill string and the wall of the wellbore;
- one or more sensors configured to be coupled to the drill string, the one or more sensors configured to detect at least one parameter of the drill string or of the wellbore;
- and
- a reamer assembly configured to be coupled to the drill string uphole of the drill bit, the reamer assembly comprising:
- a housing defining a cavity arranged to receive fluid from the drill string,
- at least one movable reamer pad configured to be at least partially disposed within the cavity, and
- a valve configured to be coupled to the housing, the valve operable to regulate, as a function of feedback from the one or more sensors, a flow of fluid into the cavity, allowing the fluid to enter the cavity underneath the reamer and contact the at least one movable reamer, allowing the fluid to fill a volume of the cavity and push the at least one movable reamer pad out of the cavity from a first position, in which the at least one reamer pad is retracted and the reamer assembly defines a first reaming diameter, to a second position in which the at least one reamer pad is expanded and the reamer assembly defines a second reaming diameter greater than the first reaming diameter;
- wherein the volume is defined between a lower surface of the reamer pad and a base of the cavity, and the valve maintains, with the reamer pad expanded, the fluid within the volume;
- wherein the valve is disposed along a fluid conduit formed in a wall of the housing, the fluid conduit extending from a bore of the housing to the cavity.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.