Cutting element assemblies and downhole tools comprising rotatable and removable cutting elements and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11946321-B2
Application number	US-202217817533-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2022
Priority date	Aug 4, 2022
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

A cutting element assembly includes a cutting element and a sleeve having a cutter-receiving aperture configured to receive at least a portion of the cutting element within the cutter-receiving aperture. The cutting element assembly may also include a retention element rotatably coupling the cutting element to the sleeve and a biasing member disposed between the cutting element and the sleeve. The biasing member may be configured to bias the cutting element relative to the sleeve. A method of forming a downhole tool includes forming a bit body including at least one blade, securing at least one sleeve to the blade, disposing at least one biasing member within the cutter-receiving aperture, and inserting a cutting element into the cutter-receiving aperture of the at least one sleeve, such that the at least one biasing member is disposed between the at least one sleeve and the cutting element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cutting element assembly for a downhole tool, comprising:
a cutting element;
a sleeve having a cutter-receiving aperture extending at least partially through the sleeve and configured to receive at least a portion of the cutting element;
a retention element rotatably coupling the cutting element to the sleeve; and
a biasing member disposed between the cutting element and the sleeve and configured to bias the cutting element relative to the sleeve in an axial direction,
wherein the cutting element is configured to translate in the axial direction relative to the sleeve by a maximum distance within a range of about 0.001 to about 0.010 in.

2. The cutting element assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cutting element comprises:
a first cylindrical portion; and
a second cylindrical portion having a smaller diameter than the first cylindrical portion and extending from the first cylindrical portion, the second cylindrical portion sharing a center axis with the first cylindrical portion.

3. The cutting element assembly of claim 2 , wherein the cutting element further comprises a groove in the second cylindrical portion of the cutting element extending circumferentially around the second cylindrical portion.

4. The cutting element assembly of claim 1 , wherein the biasing member is disposed between a longitudinal end of the cutting element opposite a cutting table of the cutting element and an inner base surface of the sleeve defining a bottom of the cutter-receiving aperture.

5. The cutting element assembly of claim 4 , wherein the biasing member comprises a spring.

6. The cutting element assembly of claim 1 , wherein the gutter-receiving aperture comprises:
a first portion; and
a second portion having a larger diameter than the first portion and connected to the first portion, the second portion sharing a center longitudinal axis with the first portion.

7. The cutting element assembly of claim 6 , wherein the retention element is configured to fit within the second portion of the cutter-receiving aperture and abut a retaining face of the sleeve at an interface of the first portion and the second portion of the cutter-receiving aperture.

8. The cutting element assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retention element comprises a split ring.

9. The cutting element assembly of claim 1 , the cutting element being free to rotate relative to the sleeve about a longitudinal axis of the cutting element assembly.

10. A downhole tool, comprising:
a body;
at least one sleeve secured to the body and defining a cutter-receiving aperture;
at least one cutting element disposed within the cutter-receiving aperture of the at least one sleeve, the at least one cutting element comprising:
a first cylindrical portion;
a second cylindrical portion having a smaller diameter than the first cylindrical portion and extending from the first cylindrical portion, the second cylindrical portion sharing a center longitudinal axis with the first cylindrical portion;
a retention element rotatably coupling the at least one cutting element to the at least one sleeve; and
a biasing member configured to bias the at least one cutting element relative to the at least one sleeve in an axial direction,
wherein the cutting element is configured to translate in the axial direction relative to the sleeve by a maximum distance within a range of about 0.001 to about 0.010 in.

11. The downhole tool of claim 10 , wherein the at least one sleeve further comprises a chamfer along an inside edge of a receiving end of the at least one sleeve.

12. The downhole tool of claim 10 , wherein an outer diameter of the second cylindrical portion of the at least one cutting element is substantially the same as a diameter of a first portion of the cutter-receiving aperture.

13. The downhole tool of claim 10 , wherein the biasing member comprises at least one Belleville spring.

14. The downhole tool of claim 10 wherein the at least one cutting element comprises a polycrystalline hard material.

15. The downhole tool of claim 10 , wherein the at least one cutting element further comprises a chamfer along a cutting edge of a cutting face of the first cylindrical portion.

16. The downhole tool of claim 10 , wherein the retention element is disposed within a groove in the second cylindrical portion of the at least one cutting element extending circumferentially around the second cylindrical portion.

17. A method of forming a downhole tool, comprising:
forming a bit body including at least one blade extending from the bit body;
securing at least one sleeve to the at least one blade, the at least one sleeve defining a cutter-receiving aperture;
disposing at least one biasing member within the cutter-receiving aperture; and
inserting a cutting element into the cutter-receiving aperture of the at least one sleeve, such that the at least one biasing member is disposed between the at least one sleeve and the cutting element and biases the cutting element relative to the at least one sleeve in an axial direction, and wherein the cutting element is configured to translate in the axial direction relative to the sleeve by a maximum distance within a range of about 0.001 to about 0.010 in.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising retaining the cutting element within the at least one sleeve via a retention element.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein inserting a cutting element into the cutter-receiving aperture of the at least one sleeve comprises inserting the cutting element such that the at least one biasing member is disposed between a longitudinal end of the cutting element and an inner base surface of the at least one sleeve defining a bottom of the cutter-receiving aperture.

Assignees

• Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations Llc

Inventors

• Schroder Jon David

Classifications

• E21B10/573 Primary

  characterised by support details, e.g. the substrate construction or the interface between the substrate and the cutting element · CPC title

• E21B7/046

  horizontal drilling (drilling with mechanical conveying means E21B7/003) · CPC title

• E21B10/43

  characterised by the arrangement of teeth or other cutting elements · CPC title