System and method of configuring drilling tools utilizing a critical depth of cut control curve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9650835-B2
Application number	US-201313892016-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2013
Priority date	Nov 10, 2010
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method of determining a critical depth of cut of a drill bit comprises selecting a radial swath associated with an area of a bit face of a drill bit. The method further comprises identifying a plurality of cutting elements disposed on the bit face that each include at least a portion located within the radial swath. The method also comprises identifying a depth of cut controller (DOCC) disposed on the bit face and configured to control a depth of cut of the portions of the plurality of cutting elements located within the radial swath. The method additionally comprises calculating a critical depth of cut associated with the radial swath and DOCC based on a depth of cut associated with each portion of the plurality of cutting elements located within the radial swath and controlled by the DOCC.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of designing a drill bit, comprising:
selecting a radial swath associated with a bit face of a drill bit, the radial swath having an area on the bit face located between a first radial coordinate and a second radial coordinate;
identifying a plurality of cutting elements disposed on the bit face that each include at least a portion located within the radial swath;
identifying a blade surface of a blade associated with the bit face and configured to control a depth of cut of the portions of the plurality of cutting elements located within the radial swath;
calculating a critical depth of cut associated with the radial swath and the blade surface based on a depth of cut associated with each portion of the plurality of cutting elements located within the radial swath and controlled by the blade surface; and
adjusting a design parameter of the blade surface according to the calcuated critical depth of cut.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising configuring the blade surface according to the calculated critical depth of cut.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
calculating an axial underexposure between the blade surface and each of the portions of the plurality of cutting elements located within the radial swath; and
calculating the depth of cut associated with each portion of the plurality of cutting elements located within the radial swath and controlled by the blade surface based on the axial underexposure between the blade surface and each of the portions of the plurality of cutting elements.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining an angular coordinate and a radial coordinate associated with a blade point located within the radial swath and associated with the blade surface, the radial coordinate and the angular coordinate being defined in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the bit rotational axis;
determining cutlet points associated with the plurality of cutting elements, the cutlet points having approximately the same radial coordinate as the blade point;
determining an angular coordinate associated with each of the cutlet points; and
calculating a depth of cut associated with each cutlet point and controlled by the blade point of the blade surface based on the angular coordinate of the blade point and the angular coordinates of each of the cutlet points.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
determining a maximum value for the depth of cut based on the depth of cut associated with each cutlet point; and
determining a critical depth of cut associated with the radial swath at the radial coordinate of the blade point based on the maximum value for the depth of cut.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
determining a plurality of angular and radial coordinates each associated with one of a plurality of blade points located within the radial swath and associated with the blade surface;
determining a plurality of cutlet points each associated with one of the plurality of cutting elements, each of the plurality of cutlet points having approximately the same radial coordinate as its associated blade point;
determining an angular coordinate associated with each of the plurality of cutlet points; and
calculating a depth of cut associated with each of the plurality of cutlet points as controlled by one of the plurality of blade points of the blade surface based on the angular coordinates of the plurality of blade points and the angular coordinates of the cutlet points having approximately the same radial coordinate as their respective blade point.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
calculating the critical depth of cut associated with the radial swath at each of the radial coordinates of each of the plurality of blade points; and
generating a critical depth of cut control curve based on the critical depth of cut associated with each of the plurality of blade points.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising selecting the plurality of blade points based on the plurality of blade points each being associated with a cross-sectional line that intersects the first radial swath.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying a plurality of blade surfaces of the blade configured to control the depth of cut of the drill bit within the radial swath;
calculating a critical depth of cut associated with each blade surface based on a depth of cut of each portion of the plurality of cutting elements located within the radial swath and controlled by each blade surface respectively; and
calculating the critical depth of cut associated with the radial swath based on the critical depth of cut associated with each blade surface.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining a minimum value for the critical depth of cut based on the critical depths of cut associated with the blade surfaces; and
calculating the critical depth of cut associated with the radial swath based on the minimum value for the critical depth of cut.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cutting elements comprises all the cutting elements located on the bit face that each include at least a portion located within the first radial swath.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein each portion of the plurality of cutting elements includes a cutting edge of its associated cutting element, the cutting edge located within a cutting zone of the cutting element.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wherein the design parameter of the blade surface comprises an axial coordinate of the blade surface at a radial coordinate within the radial swath.

14. A method of designing a drill bit comprising:
selecting a radial location associated with a bit face of a drill bit;
identifying a plurality of blade points, each blade point approximately located at the selected radial location and associated with one of a plurality of blade surfaces disposed on the bit face;
identifying a plurality of cutlets on cutting edges of cutting elements that are disposed on the bit face, each cutlet approximately located at the selected radial location;
calculating a depth of cut for each of the cutlets as controlled by each of the blade points;
calculating a critical depth of cut for each blade point by calculating a maximum value of the calculated depth of cut for each of the cutlets as controlled by the respective blade point;
calculating an overall critical depth of cut at the radial location by calculating a minimum value of the calculated critical depth of cut for each blade point; and
adjusting a drill bit design parameter in response to the overall critical depth of cut.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
selecting a plurality of radial locations associated with the bit face of the drill bit;
calculating an overall critical depth of cut for each of the plurality of radial locations; and
generating a critical depth of cut control curve based on the overall critical depth of cut for each of the plurality of radial locations.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising plotting the overall critical depth of cut for each of the plurality of radial locations as a function of the respective radial locations to generate the critical depth of cut control curve.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the wherein the drill bit design parameter comprises an axial coordinate of at least one of the plurality of blade points.

Assignees

• Chen Shilin
• Ashby James R
• Arfele Robert W
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Chen Shilin
• Ashby James R
• Arfele Robert W

Classifications

• E21B10/43 Primary

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

• E21B10/55

  with preformed cutting elements · CPC title

• E21B47/04

  Measuring depth or liquid level · CPC title