Earth-boring tools having a gauge insert configured for reduced bit walk and method of drilling with same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11332980-B2
Application number	US-201816651970-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	May 17, 2022
Grant date	May 17, 2022

Abstract

A drill bit for removing subterranean formation material in a borehole comprises a bit body comprising a longitudinal axis, a plurality of blades extending radially outward from the longitudinal axis along a face region of the bit body and extending axially along a gauge region of the bit body, and an insert coupled to at least one blade in the gauge region. The insert comprises an elongated body having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a longitudinal axis extending centrally therethrough and intersecting the upper and lower surfaces. The upper surface comprises a bearing surface for supporting for the drill bit and providing a surface on which the subterranean formation being drilled rubs against the insert without exceeding the compressive strength of the selected formation. The insert is coupled to the blade such that the upper surface thereof extends radially beyond an outer surface of the blade and the lower surface thereof extends radially below the outer surface of the blade.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drill bit for removing subterranean formation material in a borehole, the drill bit comprising:
a bit body comprising a longitudinal axis;
a plurality of blades extending radially outward from the longitudinal axis along a face region of the bit body and extending axially along a gauge region of the bit body; and
an insert fixedly coupled to a blade of the plurality of blades in the gauge region, the insert comprising:
an oblong body having an upper surface, a lower surface opposite the upper surface, and a longitudinal axis extending centrally through the oblong body and intersecting the upper surface and the lower surface, wherein the upper surface comprises a bearing surface for supporting the drill bit and rubbing against a subterranean formation being drilled without exceeding a compressive strength of the subterranean formation;

wherein the insert is coupled to the blade at a rake angle such that the upper surface at a first end of the insert extends radially beyond an outer surface of the blade in the gauge region and defines a radially outermost surface of the insert, the upper surface at a second end of the insert extends radially below the outer surface of the blade in the gauge region, and the lower surface of the insert extends radially below the outer surface of the blade in the gauge region.

2. The drill bit of claim 1 , further comprising a cutting element mounted proximate a downhole edge of the gauge region, the cutting element comprising a cutting edge configured to remove material from the subterranean formation, wherein a remainder of the gauge region from an uphole edge to the downhole edge is free of cutting elements thereon.

3. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the bearing surface comprises a planar surface, a curved surface, or a combination thereof.

4. The drill bit of claim 3 , wherein the bearing surface comprises the curved surface and wherein the curved surface has a radius of curvature in a range extending from 1.5 inch (38.1 mm) to 12 inch (304.8 mm).

5. The drill bit of claim 3 , wherein the bearing surface comprises the planar surface and the planar surface is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the insert.

6. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the insert is mounted in an uphole quartile of the blade proximate to an uphole edge in the gauge region.

7. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the insert is mounted on the blade such that an entirety of the upper surface of the insert is radially recessed relative to an outer diameter of the drill bit defined by a cutting edge of a gage trimmer.

8. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the radially outermost surface of the insert is radially recessed relative to an outer diameter of the drill bit defined by a cutting edge of a gage trimmer, the radially outermost surface of the insert radially recessed relative to the outer diameter of the drill bit by a distance in a range from 0.005 inch (0.127 mm) to 0.050 inch (1.27 mm).

9. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the rake angle is from −15 degrees to 15 degrees.

10. A directional drilling system comprising a steerable bottom hole assembly operably coupled to the drill bit of claim 1 .

11. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the first end of the insert comprises a rotationally leading end of the insert oriented proximate a rotationally leading edge of the blade, and the second end of the insert comprises a rotationally trailing end of the insert oriented proximate a rotationally trailing edge of the blade.

12. The drill bit of claim 1 , wherein the upper surface of the insert is substantially free of sharp edges configured to remove formation material from the subterranean formation.

13. A method of drilling a borehole in a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
rotating a drill bit about a longitudinal axis thereof within the borehole; and
increasing a tilt angle of the drill bit such that an insert fixedly mounted at a rake angle on a blade of a plurality of blades in a gauge region of the drill bit engages a sidewall of the borehole and such that a remainder of the gauge region does not engage the sidewall of the borehole, the insert comprising an oblong body having an upper surface including a bearing surface, the bearing surface at a first end of the insert comprises a radially outermost surface of the insert and the bearing surface at a second end of the insert extends radially below an outer surface of the blade in the gauge region, wherein engaging the sidewall comprises rubbing the bearing surface at the first end of the insert against the sidewall of the borehole without exceeding a compressive strength of the subterranean formation.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising increasing the tilt angle of the drill bit and a lateral force applied on the drill bit such that the insert mounted on the blade penetrates the sidewall of the borehole and exceeds the compressive strength of the subterranean formation to side cut the sidewall of the borehole.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising increasing the tilt angle of the drill bit such that at least a portion of the remainder of the gauge region engages the sidewall of the borehole.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein rotating the drill bit about the longitudinal axis thereof comprises rotating the drill bit about the longitudinal axis such that the longitudinal axis is coaxial with a central axis of the borehole and engaging a face of the drill bit with the subterranean formation without engaging the gauge region of the drill bit with the sidewall of the borehole.

17. A drill bit for removing subterranean formation material in a borehole, the drill bit comprising:
a bit body comprising a longitudinal axis;
a plurality of blades extending radially outward from the longitudinal axis along a face region of the bit body and extending axially along a gauge region of the bit body; and
an insert fixedly coupled to a blade of the plurality of blades in the gauge region proximate to an uphole edge of the blade, the insert comprising:
an elongated body having an oblong shape such that the elongated body extends across a majority of a width of the blade, the elongated body having an upper surface comprising a bearing surface for supporting for the drill bit and providing a surface on which a subterranean formation being drilled rubs against the insert without exceeding a compressive strength of a selected formation;

wherein the insert is coupled to the blade at a rake angle such that the bearing surface at a first end of the insert comprises a radially outermost surface of the insert and the bearing surface at a second end of the insert extends radially below an outer surface of the blade in the gauge region.

18. The drill bit of claim 17 , wherein the insert is mounted on the blade such that an entirety of the upper surface of the insert is radially recessed relative to an outer diameter of the drill bit defined by a cutting edge of a gage trimmer.

19. The drill bit of claim 17 , wherein the rake angle is from −15 degrees to 15 degrees.

20. The drill bit of claim 17 , wherein the bearing surface comprises a first bearing surface extending perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the insert and a second bearing surface extending at an incline relative to the longitudinal axis of the insert, the longitudinal axis extending centrally through the elongated body and intersecting the upper surface and a lower surface of the insert.

Assignees

• Baker Hughes Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Grimes Robert E
• Russell Steven Craig
• Evans Kenneth
• Slavens Stephen Manson
• Spencer Reed W

Classifications

• E21B10/42

  Rotary drag type drill bits with teeth, blades or like cutting elements, e.g. fork-type bits, fish tail bits (characterised by wear resisting parts E21B10/46; by conduits or nozzles for drilling fluid E21B10/60; by detachable or adjustable parts E21B10/62) · CPC title

• E21B7/064 Primary

  specially adapted drill bits therefor · CPC title

• E21B17/1092

  Gauge section of drill bits · CPC title

• E21B10/62

  characterised by parts, e.g. cutting elements, which are detachable or adjustable (E21B10/64 takes precedence; for roller bits E21B10/20; for augers E21B10/44) · CPC title

• E21B10/55 Primary

  with preformed cutting elements · CPC title