Slidable Rod Downhole Steering
AssigneeNovatek IP, LLC
InventorsGeoff Downton, Jonathan D. Marshall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A steerable downhole tool may alter a direction of travel of a drilling operation while drilling into the earth. The tool may accomplish this by extending a rod from openings disposed in a side of the tool. The rod may slide within a cavity passing from one of the openings to another. The rod may degrade material from an internal surface of a borehole in which the tool is traveling, by engaging the surface with cutter elements exposed on opposing tips of the rod. The tool may also push off of the borehole wall opposite from the area of degradation.
Claims20
A steerable downhole tool, comprising:
- a body comprising two opposing ends and a side spanning the ends;
- two openings in the side and an elongate cavity, passing through the body, connecting the two openings;
- and
- a rod, axially-slidable along its length, disposed within the cavity and extendable from both openings;
- wherein
- the rod comprises at least one cutter element disposed at each of two opposing tips thereof.
A method for downhole steering, comprising:
- providing a body comprising two opposing ends and a side spanning the ends;
- extending a rod axially along its length from a first opening in the side of the body and degrading a formation surrounding the body with at least one cutter element disposed on a tip of the rod;
- rotating the body about an axis passing through both ends;
- extending the rod axially along its length from a second opening in the side opposite from the first opening and degrading the formation with at least one cutter element disposed on an opposite tip of the rod;
- and
- further rotating the body about the axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.