Lubrication system for a drilling apparatus
AssigneeDrill Rigs Australia Pty Ltd
InventorEdgar John Banner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a lubrication system for a drilling apparatus. The drilling apparatus includes a drill string and a drill bit, and it is driven by a working fluid circulated through a working fluid circuit. The lubrication system uses a reservoir of a lubricating fluid for supply to a drilling apparatus during a drilling operation; and a pump for supplying lubricating fluid from said reservoir to the drilling apparatus during the drilling operation. The pump is controlled to supply lubricating fluid from the reservoir at a determined rate to a lubrication circuit formed by the working fluid circuit of the drilling apparatus.
Claims18
A lubrication system for a drilling apparatus including a drill string and a drill bit, said drilling apparatus being driven by a working fluid circulated through a working fluid circuit, said system comprising:
- a reservoir of a lubricating fluid for supply to a drilling apparatus during a drilling operation;
- and
- a pump for supplying lubricating fluid from said reservoir to said drilling apparatus during said drilling operation,
- wherein said pump is controlled to supply lubricating fluid from the reservoir at a determined rate to a lubrication circuit formed by said working fluid circuit of said drilling apparatus.
A method of drilling a formation with an earth drilling apparatus including a drill string and a drill bit, said drilling apparatus being driven by a working fluid circulated through a working fluid circuit, said method comprising lubricating the drilling apparatus during a drilling operation wherein said drilling apparatus comprises a lubrication system having a reservoir of a lubricating fluid for lubricating the drilling apparatus;
- and a pump for supplying lubricating fluid from said reservoir to said drilling apparatus during said drilling operation, said pump being controlled to supply lubricating fluid from the reservoir at a determined rate to a lubrication circuit formed by said working fluid circuit of said drilling apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.