Directed rock cuttings and fluid flow concepts for augmented drilling

An earth-boring tool, comprising:

• a bit body comprising:
• blades, each blade comprising a rotationally leading surface, a rotationally trailing surface, and a formation facing surface between the rotationally leading surface of the rotationally trailing surface, and
• fluid courses formed between the rotationally leading surfaces and the rotationally trailing surfaces of rotationally adjacent blades, the fluid courses comprising a fluid course surface;
• cutting elements disposed on at least one of the blades, the cutting elements comprising a cutting face having a cutting tip and an opposite edge that is on an opposite side of the cutting face from the cutting tip, and wherein;
• and
• at least one nozzle disposed on the bit body within at least one of the fluid courses and adapted to be in fluid communication with a source of drilling fluid, the at least one nozzle protruding from the fluid course surface such that a tip of the at least one nozzle is disposed at a distance from the fluid course surface that is about 50% to 90% of a distance from the opposite edge to the cutting tip of the cutting face of the cutting elements,
• wherein the at least one nozzle is configured to impact a formation with a stream of drilling fluid at a point rotationally in front of at least one cutting element of the cutting elements;
• wherein the at least one cutting element is configured to cut into the formation and discharge cuttings from the formation into the stream of drilling fluid discharged by the at least one nozzle;
• and
• wherein the tip of the at least one nozzle is at a setoff distance of about 0.2″ to about 1.0″ from the at least one cutting element.

A method of forming an earth-boring tool, comprising:

• forming a bit body comprising:
• blades, each blade comprising a rotationally leading surface, a rotationally trailing surface, and a formation facing surface between the rotationally leading surface of the rotationally trailing surface, and
• fluid courses formed between the rotationally leading surfaces and the rotationally trailing surfaces of rotationally adjacent blades, the fluid courses comprising a fluid course surface;
• securing at least one cutting element to at least one of the blades;
• and
• securing at least one nozzle to the bit body in at least one of the fluid courses, the at least one nozzle adapted to be in fluid communication with a source of drilling fluid, the at least one nozzle protruding from the fluid course surface such that a tip of the at least one nozzle is disposed at a distance from the fluid course surface that is greater than or equal to about 90% of a depth of the at least one of the fluid courses,
• wherein the at least one nozzle is configured to discharge fluid impacting a formation at a point rotationally in front of the at least one cutting element;
• wherein the at least one cutting element is configured to cut into the formation and discharge cuttings from the formation into the fluid discharged by the at least one nozzle such that the cuttings impact the formation at the point rotationally in front of the at least one cutting element;
• and
• wherein the tip of the at least one nozzle is at a setoff distance from about 0.2″ to about 1.0″ from the at least one cutting element.