US 4,515,011 A · Torque transmitting and indicating device for well drilling apparatus

Abstract

A downhole device which can be incorporated into the tubular drill string transmitting torque to the drilling bit and concurrently providing an indication of the torque transmitted. A telescopically interrelated housing and mandrel have their non-telescoped ends connected with the rotating power source and the drilling bit. A resilient torque transmitting mechanism, such as a helical spring, is mounted between the mandrel and the annular housing to transmit torque between such elements but at the same time produce an angular displacement of one element with respect to the other. A fluid passage is provided through the bores of the telescopically interrelated mandrel and the housing and communicating apertures are formed in the adjacent ends of such bores to produce a variable orifice whose pressure drop due to the flow changes as a function of the angular displacement of the housing and mandrel, hence as a function of the torque being transmitted.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A downhole apparatus responsive to the torque transmitted by a rotating power source to a drill bit in drilling tool, the apparatus comprising:

an annular housing;
a mandrel having one end thereof telescopingly mounted with respect to one end of said annular housing, said housing and said mandrel being disposed between, and each keyed to one of, the rotating power source and a portion of the drilling tool;
resilient means opposing relative rotation of said annular housing and said mandrel, and thereby between the rotating power source and the portion of the drilling tool, annular flexure of the resilient means producing angular displacement between said housing and said mandrel as a function of torque transmitted from the rotating power source by said resilient means;
and means responsive to angular displacement between said mandrel and said housing producing a fluid pressure signal for gauging the torque transmitted by the power source.

1 more element

A downhole torque transmitting and indicating apparatus disposed in a drilling tool with a well drilling bit responsive to a rotating power source, comprising:

an annular housing;
a hollow mandrel having one end thereof telescopingly mounted with respect to one end of said annular housing;
means with respect to the other end of said mandrel for connecting to one of the drilling tool and rotating power source;
means with respect to the other end of said housing for connection to the other of the drilling tool and the rotating power source;
resilient means opposing relative rotation of said annular housing and said mandrel, thereby producing angular displacement of said annular housing and said mandrel as a function of torque transmitted from the rotating power source by said resilient means;
and means defining a variable area drilling mud passage intermediate the interior bore of said mandrel and the interior of said annular housing in response to said angular displacement, thereby generating a fluid pressure signal proportional to the torque transmitted to the drilling tool.

3 more elements

A downhole torque transmitting and indicating apparatus disposed relative to a well drilling bit and a rotating power source, comprising:

an annular housing;
a mandrel having one end thereof telescopingly mounted with respect to one end of said annular housing;
means with respect to the other end of said mandrel for connection to one of the drilling string and the rotating power source;
means with respect to the other end of said housing for connection to one of the drilling string and the rotating power source;
resilient means opposing relative rotation of said annular housing and said hollow mandrel, thereby producing angular displacement of said annular housing and said hollow mandrel as a function of torque transmitted from the rotating power source:
a first fluid passage in said annular housing;
a second fluid passage in said mandrel;
and variable orifice means connecting said first and second fluid passages:
the flow area of said orifice means being varied by relative angular displacement of said housing and said mandrel, whereby the flowing of fluid through said first and second fluid passages produces a pressure drop across said orifice means proportional to the torque transmitted by the apparatus.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Torque transmitting and indicating device for well drilling apparatus

Life of this patent

Torque transmitting and indicating device for well drilling apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13