Downhole reconfiguration of pulsed-power drilling system components during pulsed drilling operations

A method of drilling a wellbore, comprising:

• determining, responsive to a change in conditions for a pulsed drilling (PD) operation or a change in a drilling performance measurement for the PD operation, that a value for a first operating parameter of the PD operation should be changed from a first operating parameter value to a second operating parameter value, the first operating parameter value for the first operating parameter being associated with a first drilling mode, the first drilling mode defining a first collection of operational goals for the PD operation and one or more operating parameter values in support of the first collection of operational goals including the first operating parameter value for the first operating parameter, the second operating parameter value for the first operating parameter being associated with a second drilling mode, the second drilling mode defining a second collection of operational goals for the PD operation and one or more operating parameter values in support of the second collection of operational goals including the second operating parameter value for the first operating parameter different from the first operating parameter value;
• responsive to the determination that the value for the first operating parameter of the PD operation should be changed from the first operating parameter value to the second operating parameter value, mechanically or electromechanically adjusting a first electrical or mechanical configurable downhole component (CDC) used in pulsed power drilling, while a pulsed-power drill bit remains in the wellbore, the adjusting causing the change from the first operating parameter value to the second operating parameter value;
• and
• continuing the PD operation in accordance with the second drilling mode rather than the first drilling mode.

A pulsed-power drilling system, comprising:

• an electrical or mechanical configurable downhole component (CDC);
• a pulsed-power drill bit including a first electrode and a second electrode electrically coupled to a pulse-generating (PG) circuit to receive pulse drilling signals from the PG circuit causing an electric potential in the range of 60 kv to 300 kv, inclusive, to be applied across the first and second electrodes during a pulsed drilling (PD) operation in a wellbore;
• and
• a pulsed drilling controller communicatively coupled to the pulsed-power drill bit and to the CDC, comprising:
• a processor;
• and
• a computer readable storage medium storing program instructions that when read and executed by the processor cause the processor to:
• determine, in response to a change in conditions for the PD operation or a change in a drilling performance measurement for the PD operation, that a value for a first operating parameter of the PD operation should be changed from a first operating parameter value to a second operating parameter value, the first operating parameter value for the first operating parameter being associated with a first drilling mode, the first drilling mode defining a first collection of operational goals for the PD operation and one or more operating parameter values in support of the first collection of operational goals including the first operating parameter value for the first operating parameter, the second operating parameter value for the first operating parameter being associated with a second drilling mode, the second drilling mode defining a second collection of operational goals for the PD operation and one or more operating parameter values in support of the second collection of operational goals including the second operating parameter value for the first operating parameter different from the first operating parameter value;
• cause, in response to the determination that the value for the first operating parameter of the PD operation should be changed from the first operating parameter value to the second operating parameter value, a mechanical or electromechanical adjustment of the CDC, while the pulsed-power drill bit remains in a wellbore, the mechanical or electromechanical adjustment causing the change from the first operating parameter value to the second operating parameter value;
• and
• cause the PD operation to continue in accordance with the second drilling mode rather than the first drilling mode.