Rotary steerable drilling tool and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10655447-B2
Application number	US-201515759193-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2015
Priority date	Oct 12, 2015
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

A directional drilling system includes a rotary steerable tool. The rotary steerable tool includes an extendable member configured to extend outwardly from the rotary steerable tool upon actuation, and a geolocation electronics device configured to track a position of the rotary steerable tool and the extendable member and control actuation of the extendable member. The geolocation electronics device and extendable member are configured to rotate with the rotary steerable tool.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A directional drilling system for drilling a directional well using drilling fluid, comprising a rotary steerable tool comprising:
a tool body comprising a flowbore;
a supply path in communication with the drilling fluid flowing through the flowbore;
an extendable member which rotates with the rotary steerable tool while drilling the well and is configured to extend outwardly from the tool body upon actuation from hydraulic pressure from the drilling fluid in the supply path;
an electronic device having sensors configured to measure a position or location of the rotary steerable tool and which rotates with the rotary steerable tool while drilling the well; an electrically actuated valve located above the extendable member and configured to control communication of the hydraulic pressure to the extendable member from the drilling fluid;
a bleed path located above the extendable member and configured to drain the hydraulic pressure from the rotary steerable tool to allow the extendable member to retract; and
a processor configured to receive an input from the sensors and to control actuation of the extendable member to deviate the rotary steering tool while drilling the well.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rotary steerable tool comprises an electrically actuated valve configured to control communication of the hydraulic pressure to the extendable member from the drilling fluid; and.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electronics device is configured to determine a position of the rotary steering tool and control actuation of the extendable member according to the position of the rotary steering tool and a target drilling direction.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of extendable members and wherein the electronics device is configured to control actuation of each extendable member individually or as a group.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the extendable member is retractable.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the position of the rotary steerable tool comprises a rotational position, azimuth or toolface angle, an inclination angle, or any combination thereof.

7. A method of directionally drilling a borehole, comprising:
rotating a tool within the borehole, wherein the tool comprises a geolocation electronics device and an extendable member, the geolocation electronics device and the extendable member rotating with the tool;
tracking a position of the rotating tool via the geolocation electronics device;
tracking a position of the rotating extendable member via the geolocation electronics device;
flowing drilling fluid flowing through the tool into a supply path, the drilling fluid having a hydraulic pressure;
extending the extendable member outwardly into contact with a wall of the borehole with the hydraulic pressure by electrically actuating a valve located above the extendable member, thereby putting the extendable member in communication with the hydraulic pressure upon the extendable member coming into a designated position with respect to the borehole;
applying a force against the wall of the borehole to adjust the direction of the drilling of the borehole; and
draining the hydraulic pressure to outside the tool through a bleed path located above the extendable member to allow the extendable member to retract.

8. The method of claim 7 , retracting the extendable member upon the extendable member rotating out of the designated position.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the geo-locating electronics device comprises one or more directional sensors configured to rotate with the rotary steerable tool.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein extending the extendable member comprises actuating a valve, thereby putting the extendable member in communication with the hydraulic pressure.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising extending one or more extendable members of the tool individually or as a group.

12. A directional drilling system for drilling a directional well using drilling fluid, comprising a rotary steerable tool, comprising:
a supply path in communication with the drilling fluid flowing through a flowbore through the rotary steerable tool;
an extendable member configured to extend outwardly from the rotary steerable tool upon actuation from hydraulic pressure from the drilling fluid in the supply path;
an electronics device configured to measure a position or location of the rotary steerable tool and the extendable member and control actuation of the extendable member; an electrically actuated valve located above the extendable member, wherein the valve puts the extendable member in communication with the hydraulic pressure in an actuated state;
a bleed path located above the extendable member and configured to drain the hydraulic pressure outside of the rotary steerable tool to allow the extendable member to retract; and
wherein the electronics device and extendable member are configured to rotate with the rotary steerable tool.

13. The system of claim 12 , comprising a plurality of extendable members, wherein the electronics device is configured to control actuation of each extendable member individually or as a group.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the electronics device comprises a plurality of directional sensors configured to rotate in with the rotary steerable tool while measuring the position of the rotary steerable tool, and wherein the electronics device controls actuation of the extendable member according to the position of the rotary steering tool and a target drilling direction.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the rotary steerable tool further comprises an electrically actuated valve, wherein the valve puts the extendable member in communication with the hydraulic pressure in an actuated state.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the rotary steerable tool further comprises one or more sensors configured to collect well data, logging while drilling data, measurement while drilling data, formation evaluation data, or any combination thereof.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Tilley Jim Darin
• Deolalikar Neelesh
• Nanayakkara Ravi Prabath
• Finke Michael Dewayne

Classifications

• E21B47/024

  of devices in the borehole (determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022) · CPC title

• E21B7/068

  drilled by a down-hole drilling motor (down-hole drives per se E21B4/00, E21B7/067 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B7/06 Primary

  Deflecting the direction of boreholes · CPC title

• E21B21/10

  Valve arrangements in drilling-fluid circulation systems · CPC title

• E21B7/04

  Directional drilling · CPC title