US20190284877A1 - Earth-boring tools and methods of forming earth-boring tools - Google Patents
Earth-boring tools and methods of forming earth-boring tools Download PDFInfo
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- US20190284877A1 US20190284877A1 US16/433,400 US201916433400A US2019284877A1 US 20190284877 A1 US20190284877 A1 US 20190284877A1 US 201916433400 A US201916433400 A US 201916433400A US 2019284877 A1 US2019284877 A1 US 2019284877A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- cutting element
- region
- cutting
- cutting elements
- shoulder region
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- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 32
- 238000005520 cutting process Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 363
- 230000001747 exhibiting effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 abstract description 61
- 238000005755 formation reaction Methods 0.000 description 60
- 238000005553 drilling Methods 0.000 description 13
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 12
- 239000010432 diamond Substances 0.000 description 5
- 229910003460 diamond Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 4
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- UONOETXJSWQNOL-UHFFFAOYSA-N tungsten carbide Chemical compound [W+]#[C-] UONOETXJSWQNOL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
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- PZNSFCLAULLKQX-UHFFFAOYSA-N Boron nitride Chemical compound N#B PZNSFCLAULLKQX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000007792 addition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005219 brazing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
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- 230000035515 penetration Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000009527 percussion Methods 0.000 description 1
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- 239000011435 rock Substances 0.000 description 1
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Images
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B10/00—Drill bits
- E21B10/42—Rotary drag type drill bits with teeth, blades or like cutting elements, e.g. fork-type bits, fish tail bits
- E21B10/43—Rotary drag type drill bits with teeth, blades or like cutting elements, e.g. fork-type bits, fish tail bits characterised by the arrangement of teeth or other cutting elements
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B10/00—Drill bits
- E21B10/46—Drill bits characterised by wear resisting parts, e.g. diamond inserts
- E21B10/54—Drill bits characterised by wear resisting parts, e.g. diamond inserts the bit being of the rotary drag type, e.g. fork-type bits
-
- E21B2010/425—
Definitions
- the disclosure relates generally to earth-boring tools, to methods of forming earth-boring tools, and to methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation. More particularly, embodiments of the disclosure relate to earth-boring tools exhibiting favorable cutting efficiency, force distribution, and damage distribution during drilling operations, and to methods of forming and using such earth-boring tools.
- Boreholes are formed in subterranean formations for various purposes including, for example, extraction of oil and gas from the subterranean formations and extraction of geothermal heat from the subterranean formations.
- a borehole may be formed in a subterranean formation using a drilling assembly including an earth-boring tool, such as a rotary drill bit, coupled to a distal end of a drill string that includes a series of elongated tubular segments connected end-to-end and extending into the wellbore from the surface of the subterranean formation.
- an earth-boring tool such as a rotary drill bit
- Non-limiting examples of rotary drill bits include fixed-cutter drill bits (also known in the art as “drag” bits), roller cone drill bits (also known in the art as “rock” bits), diamond-impregnated bits, and hybrid bits (which may include, for example, both fixed-cutters and roller cone cutters).
- the rotary drill bit can, for example, be a fixed-cutter drill bit, which typically includes a plurality of blades each carrying multiple cutting elements configured and positioned to cut, crush, shear, and/or abrade away material of the subterranean formation as the rotary drill bit is rotated under an applied axial force (known in the art as “weight-on-bit” (WOB)) to form a borehole therein.
- WOB weight-on-bit
- Fixed-cutter drill bits have proven very effective in achieving high rates of penetration (ROP) in drilling subterranean formations exhibiting low to medium hardness.
- Cutting elements are typically laid out on a fixed-cutter drill bit in a configuration resulting in the formation of progressively smaller helical grooves in a radially outwardly extending direction as the fixed-cutter drill bit is used to form a borehole in the subterranean formation.
- the geometric configurations (e.g., sizes, shapes) and layout (e.g., positions, spacing) of the cutting elements within at least a shoulder region of a conventional fixed-cutter drill bit frequently results in a single cutting element performing substantially all of the work of forming the outermost diameter of the borehole.
- Such geometric configurations and layouts can be inefficient to produce boreholes exhibiting desirable outermost diameters, and can result in an undesirably short operational life of the fixed-cutter drill bit.
- earth-boring tools e.g., rotary drill bits
- methods of forming earth-boring tools and methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation facilitating enhanced efficiency, and prolonged operational life during drilling operations as compared to conventional earth-boring tools, methods of forming earth-boring tools, and methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation.
- an earth-boring tool comprises a body, a plurality of blades, and cutting elements.
- the body has a face at a leading end thereof and comprises a cone region, a nose region, a flank region, a shoulder region, and a gage region.
- the plurality of blades extends longitudinally and radially over the face.
- the cutting elements are disposed within the shoulder region of the body on different blades of the plurality of blades than one another, a first of the cutting elements exhibiting a different size than a second of the cutting elements.
- a method of forming an earth-boring tool comprises forming a body having a face at a leading end thereof and comprising a cone region, a nose region, a flank region, a shoulder region, and a gage region.
- a first cutting element is disposed within the shoulder region of the body on a first blade extending longitudinally and radially over the face.
- a second cutting element is disposed within the shoulder region of the body on a second blade extending longitudinally and radially over the face and rotationally trailing the first blade, the second cutting element exhibiting a different size than the first cutting element.
- a method of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation comprises disposing an earth-boring tool at a distal end of a drill string in a borehole in a subterranean formation, the earth-boring tool comprising a body, a plurality of blades, and cutting elements.
- the body has a face at a leading end thereof and comprises a cone region, a nose region, a flank region, a shoulder region, and a gage region.
- the plurality of blades extends longitudinally and radially over the face.
- the cutting elements are disposed within the shoulder region of the body on different blades of the plurality of blades than one another, a first of the cutting elements exhibiting a different size than a second of the cutting elements.
- Weight on bit is applied to the earth-boring tool through the drill string to contact the formation while rotating the earth-boring tool.
- the subterranean formation is engaged with the cutting elements of the rotating earth-boring tool.
- FIG. 1A is a face view of a rotary drill bit, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 1B is a cutter and blade profile for the rotary drill bit shown in FIG. 1A .
- FIG. 2 is a cutter and blade profile of a rotary drill bit, in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIGS. 3 through 5 are schematic views of different cutting element exposure configurations, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
- FIG. 6 is a cutter and blade profile of a rotary drill bit, in accordance with a further embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a segment of a borehole formed in a subterranean formation using a rotary drill bit having the cutter and blade profile shown in FIG. 1B .
- FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a segment of a borehole formed in a subterranean formation using a rotary drill bit having the cutter and blade profile shown in FIG. 6 .
- an earth-boring tool includes a body (e.g., bit body) having a face (e.g., bit face) at a leading end thereof, and a plurality of blades extending longitudinally and radially over the face of the body.
- body e.g., bit body
- face e.g., bit face
- the body may include a rotational axis, a cone region outwardly radially adjacent the rotational axis, a nose region outwardly radially adjacent the cone region, a flank region outwardly radially adjacent the nose region, a shoulder region outwardly radially adjacent the flank region, and a gage region outwardly radially adjacent the shoulder region.
- Cutting elements are disposed within the shoulder region of the body on different blades than one another. At least one of the cutting elements exhibits a different size (e.g., a different diameter, a different lateral extent) and a different radial position within the shoulder region of the body than at least one other of the cutting elements.
- the configurations (e.g., sizes, shapes, material compositions) and layout (e.g., positions, spacing) of the cutting elements may facilitate the more efficient formation of a borehole in a subterranean formation as compared to conventional cutting element configurations and layouts employed in conventional earth-boring tools.
- the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps, but also include the more restrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” and grammatical equivalents thereof.
- the term “may” with respect to a material, structure, feature, or method act indicates that such is contemplated for use in implementation of an embodiment of the disclosure and such term is used in preference to the more restrictive term “is” so as to avoid any implication that other, compatible materials, structures, features and methods usable in combination therewith should or must be, excluded.
- spatially relative terms such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “bottom,” “above,” “upper,” “top,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” and the like, may be used for ease of description to describe one element's or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures.
- the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the materials in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if materials in the figures are inverted, elements described as “below” or “beneath” or “under” or “on bottom of” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” or “on top of” the other elements or features.
- the term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below, depending on the context in which the term is used, which will be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art.
- the materials may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees, inverted, flipped) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
- the term “configured” refers to a size, shape, material composition, and arrangement of one or more of at least one structure and at least one apparatus facilitating operation of one or more of the structure and the apparatus in a pre-determined way.
- the term “substantially” in reference to a given parameter, property, or condition means and includes to a degree that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the given parameter, property, or condition is met with a degree of variance, such as within acceptable manufacturing tolerances.
- the parameter, property, or condition may be at least 90.0% met, at least 95.0% met, at least 99.0% met, or even at least 99.9% met.
- the term “about” in reference to a given parameter is inclusive of the stated value and has the meaning dictated by the context (e.g., it includes the degree of error associated with measurement of the given parameter).
- earth-boring tool and “earth-boring drill bit” mean and include any type of bit or tool used for drilling during the formation or enlargement of a wellbore in a subterranean formation and include, for example, fixed-cutter bits, roller cone bits, percussion bits, core bits, eccentric bits, bicenter bits, reamers, mills, drag bits, hybrid bits (e.g., rolling components in combination with fixed cutting elements), and other drilling bits and tools known in the art.
- FIG. 1A is a face view of a rotary drill bit 100 in the form of a fixed cutter or so-called “drag” bit, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
- the rotary drill bit 100 includes a body 102 exhibiting a face 104 defined by external surfaces of the body 102 that contact a subterranean formation during drilling operations.
- the body 102 may comprise, by way of example and not limitation, an infiltrated tungsten carbide body, a steel body, or a sintered particle matrix body, and may include a plurality of blades 106 extending longitudinally and radially over the face 104 in a spiraling configuration relative to a rotational axis 112 of the rotary drill bit 100 .
- the blades 106 may receive and hold cutting elements 114 (numbered from 1 to 31), and may define fluid courses 108 there between extending into junk slots 110 between gage sections of circumferentially adjacent blades 106 .
- the body 102 includes an even number of the blades 106 , such as greater than or equal to four of the blades 106 (e.g., four of the blades 106 , six of the blades 106 , eight of the blades 106 ).
- the body 102 may include six (6) of the blades 106 .
- the body 102 includes a different quantity (e.g., number, amount) of the blades 106 .
- the body 102 may include, for example, an odd number of the blades 106 (e.g., five of the blades 106 ; seven of the blades 106 ). Accordingly, while various embodiments herein describe or illustrate the body 102 as including the six (6) blades 106 A- 106 F, the body 102 may, alternatively, include a different number of the blades 106 .
- the blades 106 may include primary blades 106 A, 106 C, 106 E, and secondary blades 106 B, 106 D, 106 F. At least a portion (e.g., each) of the primary blades 106 A, 106 C, 106 E may be circumferentially separated from one another by the secondary blades 106 B, 106 D, 106 F, and may each include a first end located radially proximate the rotational axis 112 of the rotary drill bit 100 .
- At least a portion (e.g., each) of the secondary blades 106 B, 106 D, 106 F may be circumferentially separated from one another primary blades 106 A, 106 C, 106 E, and may each include a first end located more radially distal from the rotational axis 112 of the rotary drill bit 100 than the first end of each of the primary blades 106 A, 106 C, 106 E.
- the primary blades 106 A, 106 C, 106 E may circumferentially alternate with the secondary blades 106 B, 106 D, 106 F around the face 104 of the rotary drill bit 100 .
- a first primary blade 106 A may be circumferentially separated from a second primary blade 106 C by a first secondary blade 106 B
- the second primary blade 106 C may be circumferentially separated from a third primary blade 106 E by a second secondary blade 106 D
- the third primary blade 106 E may be circumferentially separated from the first primary blade 106 A by a third secondary blade 106 F.
- the body 102 may exhibit a different quantity and/or a different circumferential sequence (e.g., circumferential pattern) of primary blades and secondary blades.
- the body 102 may include, for example, an even number of primary blades circumferentially alternating with an even number of secondary blades (e.g., two primary blades circumferentially alternating with two secondary blades, four primary blades circumferentially alternating with four secondary blades), an odd number of primary blades at least partially circumferentially alternating with an even number of secondary blades (e.g., three primary blades circumferentially alternating with two secondary blades, three primary blades partially circumferentially alternating with four secondary blades), or an even number of primary blades at least partially circumferentially alternating with an odd number of secondary blades (e.g., two primary blades circumferentially alternating with three secondary blades, four primary blades partially circumferentially alternating with three secondary blades).
- an even number of primary blades circumferentially alternating with an even number of secondary blades e.g., two primary blades circumferentially alternating with two secondary blades, four primary blades circumferentially alternating with three secondary
- the body 102 may, alternatively, include a different quantity and/or a different sequence of primary blades and secondary blades.
- the cutting elements 114 may comprise a superabrasive (e.g., diamond) mass bonded to a supporting substrate.
- a superabrasive e.g., diamond
- the cutting elements 114 may be formed of and include a disc-shaped diamond “table” having a cutting face formed on and bonded under an ultra-high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) process to a supporting substrate formed of cemented tungsten carbide.
- HPHT ultra-high-pressure and high-temperature
- Other known cutting face configurations may also be employed in implementation of embodiments of the disclosure.
- the cutting elements 114 may be affixed to the blades 106 through brazing, welding, or any other suitable means.
- the cutting elements 114 may be backraked at a common angle, or at varying angles.
- the cutting elements 114 may independently be formed of and include suitably mounted and exposed natural diamonds, thermally stable polycrystalline diamond compacts, cubic boron nitride compacts, tungsten carbide, diamond grit-impregnated segments, or combinations thereof.
- the material composition of the cutting elements 114 may be selected at least partially based on the hardness and abrasiveness of the subterranean formation to be drilled.
- the cutting elements 114 are positioned and sized on the blades 106 to provide enhanced cutting efficiency, to more evenly distribute damage (e.g., dulling) across the cutting elements 114 , and to extend the life of the rotary drill bit 100 during drilling operations (e.g., drilling of a homogeneous subterranean formation; drilling of a heterogeneous subterranean formation, such as a subterranean formation including transitions between a soft material and a hard material) as compared to conventional cutting element layouts.
- FIG. 1B shows a cutter and blade profile of the rotary drill bit 100 ( FIG.
- the cutting elements 114 are positioned on the blades 106 and are numbered from 1 to 31 sequentially in the radial direction.
- the numbering scheme shown correlates to the radial position of the cutting elements 114 with relation to the rotational axis 112 of the rotary drill bit 100 .
- the cutting element 114 identified by the number one (1) is the cutting element 114 closest to the rotational axis 112
- the cutting element 114 identified by the number 31 is positioned farthest from the rotational axis 112 .
- the blades 106 may include a different quantity of the cutting elements 114 , such as greater than 31 of the cutting elements 114 , or less than 31 of the cutting elements 114 .
- the subscript number provided on the number identifying each of the cutting elements 114 correlates to the blade 106 upon which a particular cutting element 114 is located.
- the subscript number 1 corresponds to the first primary blade 106 A
- the subscript number 2 corresponds to the first secondary blade 106 B
- the subscript number 3 corresponds to the second primary blade 106 C
- the subscript number 4 corresponds to the second secondary blade 106 D
- the subscript number 5 corresponds to the third primary blade 106 E
- the subscript number 6 corresponds to the third secondary blade 106 F.
- “ 1 1 ” indicates that the cutting element 114 identified by the number 1 is located on the first primary blade 106 A
- “ 2 5 ” indicates that the cutting element 114 identified by the number 2 is located on the third primary blade 106 E
- “ 3 3 ” indicates that the cutting element 114 identified by the number 3 is located on the second primary blade 106 C
- “ 9 4 ” indicates that the cutting element 114 identified by the number 10 is located on the second secondary blade 106 D
- “ 11 2 ” indicates that the cutting element 114 identified by the number 11 is located on the first secondary blade 106 B
- “ 13 6 ” indicates that the cutting element 114 identified by the number 12 is located on the third secondary blade 106 F, etc.
- the cutting elements 114 may be positioned (e.g., disposed, located) within different regions of the body 102 ( FIG. 1A ).
- a first portion of the cutting elements 114 may be positioned within a cone region 116 outwardly radially adjacent the rotational axis 112
- a second portion of the cutting elements 114 may be positioned within a nose region 118 outwardly radially adjacent the cone region 116
- a third portion of the cutting elements 114 may be positioned within a flank region 120 outwardly radially adjacent the nose region 118
- a fourth portion of the cutting elements 114 may be positioned within a shoulder region 122 outwardly radially adjacent the flank region 120
- a fifth portion of the cutting elements 114 may be positioned within a gage region 124 outwardly radially adjacent the shoulder region 122 .
- the cutting elements 114 identified by numbers 1 through 6 may be positioned within the cone region 116 ; the cutting elements 114 identified by numbers 7 through 15 may be positioned within the nose region 118 ; the cutting elements 114 identified by numbers 16 through 22 may be positioned within the flank region 120 ; the cutting elements 114 identified by numbers 23 through 25 may be positioned within the shoulder region 122 ; and the cutting element 114 identified by numbers 26 through 31 may be positioned within the gage region 124 .
- the body 102 may exhibit one or more of a different quantity and a different arrangement of the cutting elements 114 in one or more of the different regions thereof.
- One or more of the different regions may, for example, exhibit a greater quantity of the cutting elements 114 , a lower quantity of cutting elements 114 , closer radial spacing (e.g., separation) between at least some of the cutting elements 114 , and/or farther radial spacing between at least some of the cutting elements 114 .
- the shoulder region 122 may exhibit greater than three (3) cutting elements 114 therein, or less than three (3) cutting elements 114 therein.
- the quantity of cutting elements 114 included in the shoulder region 122 may be within a range of from one (1) to a number corresponding to (e.g., the same as) the total number of blades 106 included in the body 102 .
- the shoulder region 122 may include from one (1) cutting element 114 to six (6) cutting elements 114 .
- the shoulder region 122 may include from one (1) cutting element 114 to four (4) cutting elements 114 .
- one or more of the different regions (e.g., the shoulder region 122 ) of the body 102 may, alternatively, include one or more of a different quantity and different arrangement of the cutting elements 114 therein.
- the cutting elements 114 in one or more of the different regions of the body 102 may independently be disposed on any desired combination of the primary blades 106 A, 106 C, 106 E ( FIG. 1A ) and the secondary blades 106 B, 106 D, 106 F ( FIG. 1A ).
- the shoulder region 122 FIG. 1A
- 1B includes three (3) of the cutting elements 114 (e.g., the cutting elements 114 identified by numbers 23 , 24 , and 25 ), one (1) of the cutting elements 114 (e.g., the cutting element 114 identified by the number 24 ) may be located on one of the primary blades 106 A, 106 C, 106 E (e.g., the first primary blade 106 A), and two (2) of the cutting elements 114 (e.g., the cutting elements 114 identified by the numbers 23 and 25 ) may be located on two (2) of the secondary blades 106 B, 106 D, 106 F (e.g., the first secondary blade 106 B and the third secondary blade 106 F) circumferentially adjacent the one (1) of the primary blades 106 A, 106 C, 106 E.
- the primary blades 106 A, 106 C, 106 E e.g., the first primary blade 106 A
- 106 F e.g., the first secondary blade 106 B and the third secondary blade 106 F
- one (1) of the cutting elements 114 may be located on one (1) of the secondary blades 106 B, 106 D, 106 F, and two (2) of the cutting elements 114 may be located on two (2) of the primary blades 106 A, 106 C, 106 E circumferentially adjacent the one (1) of the secondary blades 106 B, 106 D, 106 F.
- the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may be disposed on primary blades (e.g., the primary blades 106 A, 106 C, 106 E) and/or secondary blades (e.g., the secondary blades 106 B, 106 D, 106 F) in a different arrangement that that depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B .
- the cutting elements 114 may be provided on the blades 106 in any desired spiral configuration, such as a reverse spiral configuration, a forward spiral configuration, or a combination thereof.
- reverse spiral configuration means and includes a configuration wherein neighboring cutting elements are positioned on an earth-boring tool (e.g., a rotary drill bit) so as to form an arcuate (e.g., curved) path extending from a cutting element more radially proximate a rotational axis of the earth-boring tool to another cutting element more radially distal from the rotational axis in the rotational direction of the earth-boring tool.
- an earth-boring tool e.g., a rotary drill bit
- a first cutting element may be positioned on a first of the blades 106
- a second cutting element radially adjacent the first cutting element, but radially distal from the rotational axis 112 of the rotary drill bit 100 relative to the first cutting element, may be positioned on a second of the blades 106 that rotationally leads the first of the blades 106 .
- forward spiral configuration means and includes a configuration wherein neighboring cutting elements are positioned on an earth-boring tool (e.g., a rotary drill bit) so as to form an arcuate path extending from a cutting element more radially proximate a rotational axis of the earth-boring tool bit to another cutting element more radially distal from the rotational axis in a direction opposite (e.g., against) the rotational direction of the earth-boring tool.
- an earth-boring tool e.g., a rotary drill bit
- a first cutting element may be positioned on a first of the blades 106
- some of the cutting elements 114 are provided on the blades 106 in a reverse spiral configuration, and other of the cutting elements 114 are provided on the blades 106 in a forward spiral configuration.
- At least some of the cutting elements 114 provided within one or more of the different regions of the body 102 may be provided on the blades 106 in a first spiral configuration
- at least some other of the cutting elements 114 provided within one or more other of the different regions of the body 102 e.g., one or more other of the cone region 116 , the nose region 118 , the flank region 120 , the shoulder region 122 , and the gage region 124 shown in FIG. 1B
- at least some other of the cutting elements 114 provided within one or more other of the different regions of the body 102 e.g., one or more other of the cone region 116 , the nose region 118 , the flank region 120 , the shoulder region 122 , and the gage region 124 shown in FIG. 1B
- the cutting elements 114 e.g., the cutting elements 114 identified by numbers 23 through 25
- the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 ( FIG. 1B ) of the body 102 are provided in a forward spiral configuration
- the cutting elements 114 e.g., the cutting elements 114 identified by numbers 1 through 22 and 26 through 31
- the other regions e.g., the cone region 116 , the nose region 118 , the flank region 120 , and the gage region 124
- At least some of the cutting elements 114 located within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 may exhibit a different size (e.g., diameter, lateral extent) than at least some other of the cutting elements 114 located within the other regions of the body 102 .
- At least a portion (e.g., each) of the cutting elements 114 located within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 may exhibit a larger size (e.g., a larger diameter, a larger lateral extent) than at least a portion (e.g., each) of the cutting elements 114 (e.g., the cutting elements 114 identified by the numbers 1 through 22 and 26 through 31 ) in one or more (e.g., each) of the cone region 116 , the nose region 118 , the flank region 120 , and the gage region 124 of the body 102 .
- the cutting elements 114 in each of the cone region 116 , the nose region 118 , the flank region 120 , and the gage region 124 of the body 102 exhibit substantially the same size as one another, and at least one of the cutting elements 114 in the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 exhibits at least one size larger than the substantially uniform size of the cutting elements 114 within the other regions of the body 102 .
- the sizes and arrangements of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may be selected to control how the cutting elements 114 engage surfaces of a subterranean formation to form a borehole exhibiting desirable dimensions (e.g., a desirable outermost diameter) and to control work rates of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 .
- At least some of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 exhibit a different size (e.g., diameter, lateral extent) than at least some other of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 .
- the cutting element 114 identified by the number 23 may exhibit a larger diameter than the cutting element 114 identified by the number 24
- the cutting element 114 identified by the number 24 may have a larger diameter than the cutting element 114 identified by the number 23 .
- the size of each of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may be selected at least partially based on a desired engagement of a subterranean formation by the cutting elements 114 during use and operation of the rotary drill bit 100 ( FIG.
- the sizes of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may be selected relative to one another to facilitate the more efficient formation of a borehole exhibiting a larger outer diameter than would otherwise be formed if the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 exhibited the substantially the same size as one another and/or substantially the same size as the cutting elements 114 within the other regions of the body 102 .
- a ratio between a size of a first, relatively smaller cutting element 114 within the shoulder region 122 and a size of a second, relatively larger cutting element 114 within the shoulder region 122 may, for example, be within a range of from about 0.32:1 to about 0.84:1.
- the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may exhibit two (2) or more different sizes than one another within a range of about 8 millimeters (mm) to about 25 mm.
- at least one of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may exhibit a size selected from the group consisting of 8 mm, 11 mm, 13 mm, 16 mm, 19 mm, and 25 mm; and at least one other of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may exhibit a different size selected from the group consisting of 8 mm, 11 mm, 13 mm, 16 mm, 19 mm, and 25 mm.
- a first of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 exhibits a size of about 16 mm
- a second of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 exhibits a size of about 19 mm
- a third of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 exhibits a size of about 25 mm.
- one or more of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may exhibit a different size within the range of from about 8 mm to about 25 mm so long as at least two (2) of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 exhibit different sizes than one another.
- Table 1 below presents a non-limiting list of cutting element sizes and cutting element size ratios that may be employed in combination within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 .
- Each of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 may exhibit a different size than each other of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 .
- each of the cutting elements 114 identified by the numbers 23 through 25 may exhibit a different size than each other of the cutting elements 114 identified by the numbers 23 through 25 .
- at least one of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 may exhibit substantially the same size as at least one other of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 , so long as at least two (2) of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 exhibit different sizes than one another.
- one (1) of the cutting elements 114 identified by the numbers 23 through 25 may exhibit substantially the same size as one (1) other of the cutting elements 114 identified by the numbers 23 through 25 .
- each of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 exhibits a different size than each other of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 .
- the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 may each independently exhibit any desired shape, such as a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, a frustoconical shape, truncated versions thereof, or an irregular shape.
- each of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 ( FIG. 1B ) independently exhibits a generally cylindrical shape (e.g., a circular cylinder shape).
- each of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may exhibit a substantially circular cross-sectional shape.
- at least one of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 exhibits a different shape.
- FIG. 1A in some embodiments, each of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 ( FIG. 1B ) independently exhibits a generally cylindrical shape (e.g., a circular cylinder shape). Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 1B , each of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may exhibit a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. In additional embodiments, at least one of the cutting
- FIG. 2 shows a cutter and blade profile for a rotary drill bit in accordance with additional embodiments of the disclosure. To avoid repetition, not all features shown in FIG. 2 are described in detail herein. Rather, unless described otherwise below, features designated by a reference numeral that is a 100 increment of the reference numeral of a feature described previously in relation to one or more of FIGS. 1A and 1B will be understood to be substantially similar to the feature described previously. As shown in FIG. 2 , at least one of the cutting elements 214 within the shoulder region 222 may exhibit a non-cylindrical shape (e.g., a conical shape, a frustoconical shape, truncated versions thereof, an irregular shape).
- a non-cylindrical shape e.g., a conical shape, a frustoconical shape, truncated versions thereof, an irregular shape.
- One or more of the cutting elements 214 within the shoulder region 222 may, for example, exhibit a generally frustoconical shape.
- the non-cylindrical shape of one or more of the cutting elements 214 within the shoulder region 222 may facilitate a different type of engagement with a subterranean formation than would otherwise be provided by cutting elements 214 exhibiting generally cylindrical shapes.
- one or more of the cutting elements 214 exhibiting a non-cylindrical shape may facilitate one or more of crushing and gouging a subterranean formation when the rotary drill bit is rotated under applied force to form or enlarge a borehole, whereas one or more of the cutting elements 214 exhibiting a cylindrical shape may facilitate shearing the subterranean formation when the rotary drill bit is rotated under the applied force.
- the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 may be provided in any desired arrangement relative to one another.
- the arrangement of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 of the body 102 at least partially depends on a desired work rate of each of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 during use and operation of the rotary drill bit 100 .
- the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may be radially and circumferentially positioned relative to one another along the body 102 ( FIG.
- each of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 at least partially cuts (e.g., shears, gouges, crushes, abrades) a different portion of a subterranean formation to define an outermost diameter of a borehole in the subterranean formation.
- the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may be radially and circumferentially positioned relative to one another so as to share the work of forming or enlarging the outermost diameter of the borehole.
- At least one of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 exhibiting a relatively larger size is provided at a position that rotationally leads a position of at least one other of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 exhibiting a relatively smaller size (e.g., a relatively smaller diameter, a relatively smaller lateral extent) during use and operation of the rotary drill bit 100 ( FIG. 1A ).
- the cutting element 114 identified by the number 23 may be relatively larger than and may rotationally lead the cutting element 114 identified by the number 24
- the cutting element 114 identified by the number 24 may be relatively larger than and may rotationally lead the cutting element 114 identified by the number 25
- Each relatively larger cutting element 114 within the shoulder region 122 may be positioned directly radially adjacent a relatively smaller cutting element 114 rotationally trailing the relatively larger cutting element 114 ; or at least one relatively larger cutting element 114 within the shoulder region 122 may be radially separated from at least one relatively smaller cutting element 114 rotationally trailing the relatively larger cutting element 114 by at least one other cutting element 114 exhibiting a size greater than or equal to that of the relatively larger cutting element 114 .
- cutting elements that are “directly radially adjacent” one another refers to cutting elements radially neighboring one another on a face profile of a rotary drill bit without another cutting element radially positioned there between.
- each relatively larger cutting element 114 within the shoulder region 122 is positioned directly radially adjacent a relatively smaller cutting element 114 rotationally trailing the relatively larger cutting element 114 .
- the cutting element 114 identified by the number 23 may be relatively larger than and may be positioned directly radially adjacent the cutting element 114 identified by the number 24
- the cutting element 114 identified by the number 24 may be relatively larger than and may be positioned directly radially adjacent cutting element 114 identified by the number 25 .
- one or more of the relatively smaller, rotationally trailing cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may be underexposed with respect to one or more of the relatively larger, rotationally leading cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 .
- the cutting element 114 identified by the number 24 may be underexposed with respect to the cutting element 114 identified by the number 23
- the cutting element 114 identified by the number 25 may be underexposed with respect to the cutting element 114 identified by the number 24 .
- the degree to which relatively smaller, rotationally trailing cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 are underexposed with respect to relatively larger, rotationally leading cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 at least partially depends on the properties of the subterranean formation to be acted upon by the rotary drill bit 100 ( FIG. 1A ); a desired ROP for the rotary drill bit 100 ; the relative sizes, shapes, and spacing (e.g., radial and circumferential separation) of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 ; the quantity of cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 ; the presence or absence of chamfers on cutting faces of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 ; and backrake angles of the cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 .
- the relatively larger, more highly exposed cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may apply focused energy applied to the rotary drill bit 100 ( FIG. 1A ) from weight on bit (WOB) and bit rotation to fracture the subterranean formation, and the relatively smaller, less exposed cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may clear and widen grooves made in the subterranean formation by the relatively larger, more highly exposed cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 .
- one or more rotationally trailing cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 may have the same exposure as one or more rotationally leading cutting elements 114 within the shoulder region 122 .
- FIGS. 3 through 5 are schematic views showing non-limiting examples of different cutting element exposure configurations that may be present in a shoulder region (e.g., the shoulder region 122 shown in FIG. 1B ) of a body (e.g., the body 102 shown in FIG. 1A ) of a rotary drill bit (e.g., the rotary drill bit 100 shown in FIG. 1A ) according to embodiments of the disclosure.
- a shoulder region e.g., the shoulder region 122 shown in FIG. 1B
- a body e.g., the body 102 shown in FIG. 1A
- a rotary drill bit e.g., the rotary drill bit 100 shown in FIG. 1A
- at least one relatively larger cutting element 302 e.g., corresponding to the cutting element 114 identified by the number 23 in FIG. 1B
- at least one relatively smaller cutting element 304 e.g., corresponding to the cutting element 114 identified by the number 24 in FIG.
- At least one relatively larger cutting element 402 e.g., corresponding to the cutting element 114 identified by the number 23 in FIG. 1B
- at least one relatively smaller cutting element 404 e.g., corresponding to the cutting element 114 identified by the number 24 in FIG.
- At least one relatively larger cutting element 502 e.g., corresponding to the cutting element 114 identified by the number 23 in FIG. 1B
- at least one relatively smaller cutting element 504 e.g., corresponding to the cutting element 114 identified by the number 24 in FIG.
- FIG. 6 shows a cutter and blade profile for a rotary drill bit in accordance with additional embodiments of the disclosure. To avoid repetition, not all features shown in FIG. 6 are described in detail herein. Rather, unless described otherwise below, features designated by a reference numeral that is a 100 increment of the reference numeral of a feature described previously in relation to one or more of FIGS.
- At least one cutting element 614 within a shoulder region 622 exhibiting a relatively smaller size is provided at a position that rotationally leads a position of at least one other of the cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 exhibiting a relatively larger size (e.g., a relatively larger diameter, a relatively larger lateral extent).
- the cutting element 614 identified by the number 22 may be relatively smaller than and may rotationally lead the cutting element 614 identified by the number 24
- the cutting element 614 identified by the number 24 may be relatively smaller than and may rotationally lead the cutting element 614 identified by the number 25
- Each relatively smaller cutting element 614 within the shoulder region 622 may be positioned directly radially adjacent a relatively larger cutting element 614 rotationally trailing the relatively smaller cutting element 614 ; or at least one relatively smaller cutting element 614 within the shoulder region 622 may be radially separated from at least one relatively larger cutting element 614 rotationally trailing the relatively smaller cutting element 614 by at least one other cutting element 614 exhibiting a size less than or equal to that of the relatively smaller cutting element 614 .
- one or more of the relatively larger, rotationally trailing cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 may be underexposed with respect to one or more of the relatively smaller, rotationally leading cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 .
- the cutting element 614 identified by the number 24 rotationally trailing and relatively larger than the cutting element 614 identified by the number 22 may be underexposed with respect to the cutting element 614 identified by the number 22
- the cutting element 614 identified by the number 25 rotationally trailing and relatively larger than the cutting element 614 identified by the number 24 may be underexposed with respect to the cutting element 614 identified by the number 24 .
- the degree to which relatively larger, rotationally trailing cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 are underexposed with respect to relatively smaller, rotationally leading cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 at least partially depends on the properties of the subterranean formation to be acted upon by the rotary drill bit; a desired ROP for the rotary drill bit; the relative sizes, shapes, and spacing (e.g., radial and circumferential separation) of the cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 ; the quantity of cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 ; the presence or absence of chamfers on cutting faces of the cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 ; and backrake angles of the cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 .
- the relatively smaller, more highly exposed cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 may apply focused energy applied to the rotary drill bit from WOB and bit rotation to fracture the subterranean formation, and the relatively larger, less exposed cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 may clear and widen grooves made in the subterranean formation by the relatively smaller, more highly exposed cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 .
- one or more rotationally trailing cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 may have the same exposure as one or more rotationally leading cutting elements 614 within the shoulder region 622 .
- a rotary drill bit according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be rotated about its rotational axis (e.g., the rotational axis 112 , 212 , 612 ) in a borehole extending into a subterranean formation.
- At least some of the cutting elements thereof e.g., at least some of the cutting elements 114 , 214 , 614
- the cutting elements thereof e.g., at least some of the cutting elements 114 , 214 , 614
- the cutting elements 114 , 214 , 614 provided in rotationally leading positions across the body of the rotary drill bit engage surfaces of the borehole and cut e.g., shear, gouge, crush, abrade) portions of the subterranean formation, forming grooves in the subterranean formation. Additional cutting elements provided in rotationally trailing positions may then follow and enlarge the grooves formed by the rotationally leading cutting elements.
- the cutting elements provided in the shoulder region (e.g., the shoulder region 122 , 222 , 622 ) of the body of the rotary drill bit may share the work of forming and/or enlarging the outermost diameter of the borehole through the formation and/or enlargement of such grooves.
- FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a segment of a borehole 700 that may be formed in a subterranean formation using a rotary drill bit according to embodiments of the disclosure.
- the borehole 700 may, for example, be formed in the subterranean formation using a rotary drill bit (e.g., the rotatory drill bit 100 shown in FIG. 1A ) having the cutter and blade profile shown in FIG. 1B .
- the borehole 700 may exhibit an overall lateral groove 701 at least partially defining an outmost diameter of the borehole 700 and formed from a first groove 702 , a second groove 704 , and a third groove 706 .
- the second groove 704 may overlap the first groove 702
- the third groove 706 may overlap one or more of the first groove 702 and the second groove 704 .
- the first groove 702 , the second groove 704 , and the third groove 706 may respectively be formed by the cutting elements 114 ( FIG. 1B ) identified by the numbers 23 , 24 , and 25 ( FIG. 1B ) within the shoulder region 122 ( FIG. 1B ) of the body 102 ( FIG. 1A ) of the rotary drill bit 100 ( FIG. 1A ).
- the relatively larger, rotationally leading cutting element 114 identified by the number 23 may fracture the subterranean formation to form the first groove 702
- the relatively smaller cutting element 114 identified by the number 24 may fracture a remaining portion of the subterranean formation surrounding the first groove 702 to form the second groove 704
- the even relatively smaller cutting element 114 identified by the number 25 may fracture a further remaining portion of the subterranean formation surrounding the first groove 702 and/or the second groove 704 to form the third groove 706 .
- the second groove 704 may widen and refine the first groove 702
- the third groove 706 may further widen and refine the widened groove formed from the first groove 702 and the second groove 704 to form the overall lateral groove 701 .
- FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a segment of a borehole 800 that may be formed in a subterranean formation using a rotary drill bit according to additional embodiments of the disclosure.
- the borehole 800 may, for example, be formed in the subterranean formation using a rotary drill bit having the cutter and blade profile shown in FIG. 6 .
- the borehole 800 may exhibit an overall lateral groove 801 at least partially defining an outmost diameter of the borehole 800 and formed from a first groove 802 , a second groove 804 , and a third groove 806 .
- the second groove 804 may overlap the first groove 802
- the third groove 806 may overlap one or more of the first groove 802 and the second groove 804 .
- the first groove 802 , the second groove 804 , and a third groove 806 may respectively be formed by the cutting elements 614 ( FIG. 6 ) identified by the numbers 22 , 24 , and 25 ( FIG. 6 ) within the shoulder region 622 ( FIG. 6 ) of a body of the rotary drill bit.
- the relatively smaller, rotationally leading cutting element 614 identified by the number 22 may fracture the subterranean formation to form the first groove 802
- the relatively larger cutting element 614 identified by the number 24 may fracture a remaining portion of the subterranean formation surrounding the first groove 802 to form the second groove 804
- relatively larger cutting element 614 identified by the number 25 may fracture a further remaining portion of the subterranean formation surrounding the first groove 802 and/or the second groove 804 to form the third groove 806 .
- the second groove 804 may widen and refine the first groove 802
- the third groove 806 may further widen and refine the widened groove formed from the first groove 802 and the second groove 804 to form the overall lateral groove 801 .
- the apparatuses and methods according to embodiments of the disclosure advantageously facilitate the efficient formation of boreholes exhibiting desirable outer diameters in a subterranean formation.
- the cutting element configurations (e.g., sizes, shapes, material compositions) and layouts (e.g., positions, spacing) of the disclosure permit cutting elements (e.g., the cutting elements 114 , 214 , 614 ) positioned within a shoulder region (e.g., the shoulder regions 122 , 222 , 622 ) of a body of a rotary drill bit (e.g., the rotary drill bit 100 ) to share the work of forming the outer diameter of a borehole, more evenly distributing damage across the cutting elements, and extending operational life of the rotary drill bit as compared to conventional rotary drill bits including conventional cutting element configurations and layouts.
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Abstract
Description
- This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/222,508, filed Jul. 28, 2016, pending, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
- The disclosure relates generally to earth-boring tools, to methods of forming earth-boring tools, and to methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation. More particularly, embodiments of the disclosure relate to earth-boring tools exhibiting favorable cutting efficiency, force distribution, and damage distribution during drilling operations, and to methods of forming and using such earth-boring tools.
- Boreholes are formed in subterranean formations for various purposes including, for example, extraction of oil and gas from the subterranean formations and extraction of geothermal heat from the subterranean formations. A borehole may be formed in a subterranean formation using a drilling assembly including an earth-boring tool, such as a rotary drill bit, coupled to a distal end of a drill string that includes a series of elongated tubular segments connected end-to-end and extending into the wellbore from the surface of the subterranean formation.
- Non-limiting examples of rotary drill bits include fixed-cutter drill bits (also known in the art as “drag” bits), roller cone drill bits (also known in the art as “rock” bits), diamond-impregnated bits, and hybrid bits (which may include, for example, both fixed-cutters and roller cone cutters). The rotary drill bit can, for example, be a fixed-cutter drill bit, which typically includes a plurality of blades each carrying multiple cutting elements configured and positioned to cut, crush, shear, and/or abrade away material of the subterranean formation as the rotary drill bit is rotated under an applied axial force (known in the art as “weight-on-bit” (WOB)) to form a borehole therein. Fixed-cutter drill bits have proven very effective in achieving high rates of penetration (ROP) in drilling subterranean formations exhibiting low to medium hardness.
- Cutting elements are typically laid out on a fixed-cutter drill bit in a configuration resulting in the formation of progressively smaller helical grooves in a radially outwardly extending direction as the fixed-cutter drill bit is used to form a borehole in the subterranean formation. The geometric configurations (e.g., sizes, shapes) and layout (e.g., positions, spacing) of the cutting elements within at least a shoulder region of a conventional fixed-cutter drill bit frequently results in a single cutting element performing substantially all of the work of forming the outermost diameter of the borehole. Such geometric configurations and layouts can be inefficient to produce boreholes exhibiting desirable outermost diameters, and can result in an undesirably short operational life of the fixed-cutter drill bit.
- Accordingly, it would be desirable to have earth-boring tools (e.g., rotary drill bits), methods of forming earth-boring tools, and methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation facilitating enhanced efficiency, and prolonged operational life during drilling operations as compared to conventional earth-boring tools, methods of forming earth-boring tools, and methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation.
- In some embodiments, an earth-boring tool comprises a body, a plurality of blades, and cutting elements. The body has a face at a leading end thereof and comprises a cone region, a nose region, a flank region, a shoulder region, and a gage region. The plurality of blades extends longitudinally and radially over the face. The cutting elements are disposed within the shoulder region of the body on different blades of the plurality of blades than one another, a first of the cutting elements exhibiting a different size than a second of the cutting elements.
- In additional embodiments, a method of forming an earth-boring tool comprises forming a body having a face at a leading end thereof and comprising a cone region, a nose region, a flank region, a shoulder region, and a gage region. A first cutting element is disposed within the shoulder region of the body on a first blade extending longitudinally and radially over the face. A second cutting element is disposed within the shoulder region of the body on a second blade extending longitudinally and radially over the face and rotationally trailing the first blade, the second cutting element exhibiting a different size than the first cutting element.
- In further embodiments, a method of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation comprises disposing an earth-boring tool at a distal end of a drill string in a borehole in a subterranean formation, the earth-boring tool comprising a body, a plurality of blades, and cutting elements. The body has a face at a leading end thereof and comprises a cone region, a nose region, a flank region, a shoulder region, and a gage region. The plurality of blades extends longitudinally and radially over the face. The cutting elements are disposed within the shoulder region of the body on different blades of the plurality of blades than one another, a first of the cutting elements exhibiting a different size than a second of the cutting elements. Weight on bit is applied to the earth-boring tool through the drill string to contact the formation while rotating the earth-boring tool. The subterranean formation is engaged with the cutting elements of the rotating earth-boring tool.
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FIG. 1A is a face view of a rotary drill bit, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. -
FIG. 1B is a cutter and blade profile for the rotary drill bit shown inFIG. 1A . -
FIG. 2 is a cutter and blade profile of a rotary drill bit, in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure. -
FIGS. 3 through 5 are schematic views of different cutting element exposure configurations, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. -
FIG. 6 is a cutter and blade profile of a rotary drill bit, in accordance with a further embodiment of the disclosure. -
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a segment of a borehole formed in a subterranean formation using a rotary drill bit having the cutter and blade profile shown inFIG. 1B . -
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a segment of a borehole formed in a subterranean formation using a rotary drill bit having the cutter and blade profile shown inFIG. 6 . - Earth-boring tools are disclosed, as are methods of forming earth-boring tools, and methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation. In some embodiments, an earth-boring tool includes a body (e.g., bit body) having a face (e.g., bit face) at a leading end thereof, and a plurality of blades extending longitudinally and radially over the face of the body. The body may include a rotational axis, a cone region outwardly radially adjacent the rotational axis, a nose region outwardly radially adjacent the cone region, a flank region outwardly radially adjacent the nose region, a shoulder region outwardly radially adjacent the flank region, and a gage region outwardly radially adjacent the shoulder region. Cutting elements are disposed within the shoulder region of the body on different blades than one another. At least one of the cutting elements exhibits a different size (e.g., a different diameter, a different lateral extent) and a different radial position within the shoulder region of the body than at least one other of the cutting elements. The configurations (e.g., sizes, shapes, material compositions) and layout (e.g., positions, spacing) of the cutting elements may facilitate the more efficient formation of a borehole in a subterranean formation as compared to conventional cutting element configurations and layouts employed in conventional earth-boring tools.
- The following description provides specific details, such as material types and processing conditions in order to provide a thorough description of embodiments of the disclosure. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced without employing these specific details. Indeed, the embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced in conjunction with conventional fabrication techniques employed in the industry. In addition, the description provided below does not form a complete process flow for manufacturing a structure (e.g., cutting element), tool, or assembly. Only those process acts and structures necessary to understand the embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail below. Additional acts to form the complete structure, the complete tool, or the complete assembly from various structures may be performed by conventional fabrication techniques. The drawings accompanying the present application are for illustrative purposes only, and are not drawn to scale. Additionally, elements common between figures may retain the same numerical designation.
- As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps, but also include the more restrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” and grammatical equivalents thereof. As used herein, the term “may” with respect to a material, structure, feature, or method act indicates that such is contemplated for use in implementation of an embodiment of the disclosure and such term is used in preference to the more restrictive term “is” so as to avoid any implication that other, compatible materials, structures, features and methods usable in combination therewith should or must be, excluded.
- As used herein, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “bottom,” “above,” “upper,” “top,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” and the like, may be used for ease of description to describe one element's or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Unless otherwise specified, the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the materials in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if materials in the figures are inverted, elements described as “below” or “beneath” or “under” or “on bottom of” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” or “on top of” the other elements or features. Thus, the term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below, depending on the context in which the term is used, which will be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art. The materials may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees, inverted, flipped) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
- As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
- As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
- As used herein, the term “configured” refers to a size, shape, material composition, and arrangement of one or more of at least one structure and at least one apparatus facilitating operation of one or more of the structure and the apparatus in a pre-determined way.
- As used herein, the term “substantially” in reference to a given parameter, property, or condition means and includes to a degree that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the given parameter, property, or condition is met with a degree of variance, such as within acceptable manufacturing tolerances. By way of example, depending on the particular parameter, property, or condition that is substantially met, the parameter, property, or condition may be at least 90.0% met, at least 95.0% met, at least 99.0% met, or even at least 99.9% met.
- As used herein, the term “about” in reference to a given parameter is inclusive of the stated value and has the meaning dictated by the context (e.g., it includes the degree of error associated with measurement of the given parameter).
- As used herein, the terms “earth-boring tool” and “earth-boring drill bit” mean and include any type of bit or tool used for drilling during the formation or enlargement of a wellbore in a subterranean formation and include, for example, fixed-cutter bits, roller cone bits, percussion bits, core bits, eccentric bits, bicenter bits, reamers, mills, drag bits, hybrid bits (e.g., rolling components in combination with fixed cutting elements), and other drilling bits and tools known in the art.
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FIG. 1A is a face view of arotary drill bit 100 in the form of a fixed cutter or so-called “drag” bit, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Therotary drill bit 100 includes abody 102 exhibiting aface 104 defined by external surfaces of thebody 102 that contact a subterranean formation during drilling operations. Thebody 102 may comprise, by way of example and not limitation, an infiltrated tungsten carbide body, a steel body, or a sintered particle matrix body, and may include a plurality ofblades 106 extending longitudinally and radially over theface 104 in a spiraling configuration relative to arotational axis 112 of therotary drill bit 100. Theblades 106 may receive and hold cutting elements 114 (numbered from 1 to 31), and may definefluid courses 108 there between extending intojunk slots 110 between gage sections of circumferentiallyadjacent blades 106. In some embodiments, thebody 102 includes an even number of theblades 106, such as greater than or equal to four of the blades 106 (e.g., four of theblades 106, six of theblades 106, eight of the blades 106). For example, as depicted inFIG. 1A , thebody 102 may include six (6) of theblades 106. In additional embodiments, thebody 102 includes a different quantity (e.g., number, amount) of theblades 106. Thebody 102 may include, for example, an odd number of the blades 106 (e.g., five of theblades 106; seven of the blades 106). Accordingly, while various embodiments herein describe or illustrate thebody 102 as including the six (6)blades 106A-106F, thebody 102 may, alternatively, include a different number of theblades 106. - As shown in
FIG. 1A , theblades 106 may includeprimary blades secondary blades primary blades secondary blades rotational axis 112 of therotary drill bit 100. In addition, at least a portion (e.g., each) of thesecondary blades primary blades rotational axis 112 of therotary drill bit 100 than the first end of each of theprimary blades FIG. 1A , theprimary blades secondary blades face 104 of therotary drill bit 100. A firstprimary blade 106A may be circumferentially separated from a secondprimary blade 106C by a firstsecondary blade 106B, the secondprimary blade 106C may be circumferentially separated from a thirdprimary blade 106E by a secondsecondary blade 106D, and the thirdprimary blade 106E may be circumferentially separated from the firstprimary blade 106A by a thirdsecondary blade 106F. In additional embodiments, such as in embodiments wherein thebody 102 exhibits a different number of theblades 106, thebody 102 may exhibit a different quantity and/or a different circumferential sequence (e.g., circumferential pattern) of primary blades and secondary blades. Thebody 102 may include, for example, an even number of primary blades circumferentially alternating with an even number of secondary blades (e.g., two primary blades circumferentially alternating with two secondary blades, four primary blades circumferentially alternating with four secondary blades), an odd number of primary blades at least partially circumferentially alternating with an even number of secondary blades (e.g., three primary blades circumferentially alternating with two secondary blades, three primary blades partially circumferentially alternating with four secondary blades), or an even number of primary blades at least partially circumferentially alternating with an odd number of secondary blades (e.g., two primary blades circumferentially alternating with three secondary blades, four primary blades partially circumferentially alternating with three secondary blades). Accordingly, while various embodiments herein describe or illustrate thebody 102 as including three (3)primary blades secondary blades body 102 may, alternatively, include a different quantity and/or a different sequence of primary blades and secondary blades. - The cutting
elements 114 may comprise a superabrasive (e.g., diamond) mass bonded to a supporting substrate. For example, at least some of the cuttingelements 114 may be formed of and include a disc-shaped diamond “table” having a cutting face formed on and bonded under an ultra-high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) process to a supporting substrate formed of cemented tungsten carbide. Other known cutting face configurations may also be employed in implementation of embodiments of the disclosure. The cuttingelements 114 may be affixed to theblades 106 through brazing, welding, or any other suitable means. The cuttingelements 114 may be backraked at a common angle, or at varying angles. In addition, the cuttingelements 114 may independently be formed of and include suitably mounted and exposed natural diamonds, thermally stable polycrystalline diamond compacts, cubic boron nitride compacts, tungsten carbide, diamond grit-impregnated segments, or combinations thereof. The material composition of the cuttingelements 114 may be selected at least partially based on the hardness and abrasiveness of the subterranean formation to be drilled. - The cutting
elements 114 are positioned and sized on theblades 106 to provide enhanced cutting efficiency, to more evenly distribute damage (e.g., dulling) across the cuttingelements 114, and to extend the life of therotary drill bit 100 during drilling operations (e.g., drilling of a homogeneous subterranean formation; drilling of a heterogeneous subterranean formation, such as a subterranean formation including transitions between a soft material and a hard material) as compared to conventional cutting element layouts.FIG. 1B shows a cutter and blade profile of the rotary drill bit 100 (FIG. 1A ) as if each of the cuttingelements 114 disposed on thevarious blades 106 was rotated about therotational axis 112 onto asingle blade 106. As shown inFIG. 1B , the cuttingelements 114 are positioned on theblades 106 and are numbered from 1 to 31 sequentially in the radial direction. The numbering scheme shown correlates to the radial position of the cuttingelements 114 with relation to therotational axis 112 of therotary drill bit 100. For example, the cuttingelement 114 identified by the number one (1) is the cuttingelement 114 closest to therotational axis 112, while the cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 31 is positioned farthest from therotational axis 112. In additional embodiments, theblades 106 may include a different quantity of the cuttingelements 114, such as greater than 31 of the cuttingelements 114, or less than 31 of the cuttingelements 114. Furthermore, inFIG. 1B , the subscript number provided on the number identifying each of the cuttingelements 114 correlates to theblade 106 upon which aparticular cutting element 114 is located. The subscript number 1 corresponds to the firstprimary blade 106A, the subscript number 2 corresponds to the firstsecondary blade 106B, the subscript number 3 corresponds to the secondprimary blade 106C, the subscript number 4 corresponds to the secondsecondary blade 106D, thesubscript number 5 corresponds to the thirdprimary blade 106E, and the subscript number 6 corresponds to the thirdsecondary blade 106F. For example, “1 1” indicates that the cuttingelement 114 identified by the number 1 is located on the firstprimary blade 106A, “2 5” indicates that the cuttingelement 114 identified by the number 2 is located on the thirdprimary blade 106E, “3 3” indicates that the cuttingelement 114 identified by the number 3 is located on the secondprimary blade 106C, “9 4” indicates that the cuttingelement 114 identified by the number 10 is located on the secondsecondary blade 106D, “11 2” indicates that the cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 11 is located on the firstsecondary blade 106B, “13 6” indicates that the cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 12 is located on the thirdsecondary blade 106F, etc. - Referring to
FIG. 1B , the cuttingelements 114 may be positioned (e.g., disposed, located) within different regions of the body 102 (FIG. 1A ). A first portion of the cuttingelements 114 may be positioned within acone region 116 outwardly radially adjacent therotational axis 112, a second portion of the cuttingelements 114 may be positioned within anose region 118 outwardly radially adjacent thecone region 116, a third portion of the cuttingelements 114 may be positioned within aflank region 120 outwardly radially adjacent thenose region 118, a fourth portion of the cuttingelements 114 may be positioned within ashoulder region 122 outwardly radially adjacent theflank region 120, and a fifth portion of the cuttingelements 114 may be positioned within agage region 124 outwardly radially adjacent theshoulder region 122. By way of non-limiting example, as shown inFIG. 1B , the cuttingelements 114 identified by numbers 1 through 6 may be positioned within thecone region 116; the cuttingelements 114 identified by numbers 7 through 15 may be positioned within thenose region 118; the cuttingelements 114 identified bynumbers 16 through 22 may be positioned within theflank region 120; the cuttingelements 114 identified bynumbers 23 through 25 may be positioned within theshoulder region 122; and thecutting element 114 identified bynumbers 26 through 31 may be positioned within thegage region 124. - In additional embodiments, the body 102 (
FIG. 1A ) may exhibit one or more of a different quantity and a different arrangement of the cuttingelements 114 in one or more of the different regions thereof. One or more of the different regions may, for example, exhibit a greater quantity of the cuttingelements 114, a lower quantity of cuttingelements 114, closer radial spacing (e.g., separation) between at least some of the cuttingelements 114, and/or farther radial spacing between at least some of the cuttingelements 114. By way of non-limiting example, theshoulder region 122 may exhibit greater than three (3) cuttingelements 114 therein, or less than three (3) cuttingelements 114 therein. The quantity of cuttingelements 114 included in theshoulder region 122 may be within a range of from one (1) to a number corresponding to (e.g., the same as) the total number ofblades 106 included in thebody 102. For example, in embodiments where thebody 102 includes six (6)blades 106, theshoulder region 122 may include from one (1) cuttingelement 114 to six (6) cuttingelements 114. As another example, in embodiments where thebody 102 includes four (4)blades 106, theshoulder region 122 may include from one (1) cuttingelement 114 to four (4) cuttingelements 114. Accordingly, while various embodiments herein describe or illustrate the different regions of thebody 102 as including particular quantities and particular arrangements of the cuttingelements 114, one or more of the different regions (e.g., the shoulder region 122) of thebody 102 may, alternatively, include one or more of a different quantity and different arrangement of the cuttingelements 114 therein. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 1A and 1B , the cuttingelements 114 in one or more of the different regions of the body 102 (FIG. 1A ) may independently be disposed on any desired combination of theprimary blades FIG. 1A ) and thesecondary blades FIG. 1A ). For example, if the shoulder region 122 (FIG. 1B ) includes three (3) of the cutting elements 114 (e.g., the cuttingelements 114 identified bynumbers element 114 identified by the number 24) may be located on one of theprimary blades primary blade 106A), and two (2) of the cutting elements 114 (e.g., the cuttingelements 114 identified by thenumbers 23 and 25) may be located on two (2) of thesecondary blades secondary blade 106B and the thirdsecondary blade 106F) circumferentially adjacent the one (1) of theprimary blades elements 114 may be located on one (1) of thesecondary blades elements 114 may be located on two (2) of theprimary blades secondary blades body 102 includes a different quantity of the blades 106 (e.g., e.g., a different quantity of primary blades and/or a different quantity of secondary blades) and/or a different quantity of the cuttingelements 114 in theshoulder region 122, the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may be disposed on primary blades (e.g., theprimary blades secondary blades FIGS. 1A and 1B . - The cutting
elements 114 may be provided on theblades 106 in any desired spiral configuration, such as a reverse spiral configuration, a forward spiral configuration, or a combination thereof. As used herein, the term “reverse spiral configuration” means and includes a configuration wherein neighboring cutting elements are positioned on an earth-boring tool (e.g., a rotary drill bit) so as to form an arcuate (e.g., curved) path extending from a cutting element more radially proximate a rotational axis of the earth-boring tool to another cutting element more radially distal from the rotational axis in the rotational direction of the earth-boring tool. For example, a first cutting element may be positioned on a first of theblades 106, and a second cutting element radially adjacent the first cutting element, but radially distal from therotational axis 112 of therotary drill bit 100 relative to the first cutting element, may be positioned on a second of theblades 106 that rotationally leads the first of theblades 106. Conversely, as used herein, the term “forward spiral configuration” means and includes a configuration wherein neighboring cutting elements are positioned on an earth-boring tool (e.g., a rotary drill bit) so as to form an arcuate path extending from a cutting element more radially proximate a rotational axis of the earth-boring tool bit to another cutting element more radially distal from the rotational axis in a direction opposite (e.g., against) the rotational direction of the earth-boring tool. For example, a first cutting element may be positioned on a first of theblades 106, and a second cutting element radially adjacent the first cutting element, but radially distal from therotational axis 112 of therotary drill bit 100 relative to the first cutting element, may be positioned on a second of theblades 106 that rotationally trails the first of theblades 106. In some embodiments, some of the cuttingelements 114 are provided on theblades 106 in a reverse spiral configuration, and other of the cuttingelements 114 are provided on theblades 106 in a forward spiral configuration. For example, at least some of the cuttingelements 114 provided within one or more of the different regions of the body 102 (e.g., one or more of thecone region 116, thenose region 118, theflank region 120, theshoulder region 122, and thegage region 124 shown inFIG. 1B ) may be provided on theblades 106 in a first spiral configuration, and at least some other of the cuttingelements 114 provided within one or more other of the different regions of the body 102 (e.g., one or more other of thecone region 116, thenose region 118, theflank region 120, theshoulder region 122, and thegage region 124 shown inFIG. 1B ) may be provided on theblades 106 in a second, opposite spiral configuration. As shown inFIGS. 1A and 1B , in some embodiments, the cutting elements 114 (e.g., the cuttingelements 114 identified bynumbers 23 through 25) within the shoulder region 122 (FIG. 1B ) of thebody 102 are provided in a forward spiral configuration, and the cutting elements 114 (e.g., the cuttingelements 114 identified by numbers 1 through 22 and 26 through 31) within the other regions (e.g., thecone region 116, thenose region 118, theflank region 120, and the gage region 124) of thebody 102 are provided in a reverse spiral configuration. - With continued reference to
FIGS. 1A and 1B , at least some of the cuttingelements 114 located within theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102 may exhibit a different size (e.g., diameter, lateral extent) than at least some other of the cuttingelements 114 located within the other regions of thebody 102. As a non-limiting example, at least a portion (e.g., each) of the cutting elements 114 (e.g., the cuttingelements 114 identified by thenumbers 23 through 25) located within theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102 may exhibit a larger size (e.g., a larger diameter, a larger lateral extent) than at least a portion (e.g., each) of the cutting elements 114 (e.g., the cuttingelements 114 identified by the numbers 1 through 22 and 26 through 31) in one or more (e.g., each) of thecone region 116, thenose region 118, theflank region 120, and thegage region 124 of thebody 102. In some embodiments, the cuttingelements 114 in each of thecone region 116, thenose region 118, theflank region 120, and thegage region 124 of thebody 102 exhibit substantially the same size as one another, and at least one of the cuttingelements 114 in theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102 exhibits at least one size larger than the substantially uniform size of the cuttingelements 114 within the other regions of thebody 102. As described in further detail below, the sizes and arrangements of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may be selected to control how the cuttingelements 114 engage surfaces of a subterranean formation to form a borehole exhibiting desirable dimensions (e.g., a desirable outermost diameter) and to control work rates of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122. - At least some of the cutting
elements 114 within theshoulder region 122 of the body 102 (FIG. 1A ) exhibit a different size (e.g., diameter, lateral extent) than at least some other of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122. For example, as shown inFIG. 1B , the cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 23 may exhibit a larger diameter than the cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 24, and thecutting element 114 identified by thenumber 24 may have a larger diameter than the cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 23. The size of each of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may be selected at least partially based on a desired engagement of a subterranean formation by the cuttingelements 114 during use and operation of the rotary drill bit 100 (FIG. 1A ). The sizes of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may be selected relative to one another to facilitate the more efficient formation of a borehole exhibiting a larger outer diameter than would otherwise be formed if the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 exhibited the substantially the same size as one another and/or substantially the same size as the cuttingelements 114 within the other regions of thebody 102. A ratio between a size of a first, relativelysmaller cutting element 114 within theshoulder region 122 and a size of a second, relativelylarger cutting element 114 within theshoulder region 122 may, for example, be within a range of from about 0.32:1 to about 0.84:1. The cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may exhibit two (2) or more different sizes than one another within a range of about 8 millimeters (mm) to about 25 mm. For example, at least one of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may exhibit a size selected from the group consisting of 8 mm, 11 mm, 13 mm, 16 mm, 19 mm, and 25 mm; and at least one other of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may exhibit a different size selected from the group consisting of 8 mm, 11 mm, 13 mm, 16 mm, 19 mm, and 25 mm. In some embodiments, a first of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 exhibits a size of about 16 mm, a second of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 exhibits a size of about 19 mm, and a third of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 exhibits a size of about 25 mm. In additional embodiments, one or more of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may exhibit a different size within the range of from about 8 mm to about 25 mm so long as at least two (2) of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 exhibit different sizes than one another. Table 1 below presents a non-limiting list of cutting element sizes and cutting element size ratios that may be employed in combination within theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102. -
TABLE 1 Exemplary Cutting Element Sizes and Cutting Element Size Ratios Ratio Cutting Element Size 11 13 16 19 25 8 0.73 0.62 0.50 0.42 0.32 11 X 0.85 0.69 0.58 0.44 13 X X 0.81 0.68 0.52 16 X X X 0.84 0.64 19 X X X X 0.76 25 X X X X X - Each of the cutting
elements 114 within theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102 may exhibit a different size than each other of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102. For example, each of the cuttingelements 114 identified by thenumbers 23 through 25 may exhibit a different size than each other of the cuttingelements 114 identified by thenumbers 23 through 25. Alternatively, at least one of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102 may exhibit substantially the same size as at least one other of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102, so long as at least two (2) of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102 exhibit different sizes than one another. For example, one (1) of the cuttingelements 114 identified by thenumbers 23 through 25 may exhibit substantially the same size as one (1) other of the cuttingelements 114 identified by thenumbers 23 through 25. In some embodiments, each of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102 exhibits a different size than each other of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122. - The cutting
elements 114 within theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102 may each independently exhibit any desired shape, such as a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, a frustoconical shape, truncated versions thereof, or an irregular shape. As shown inFIG. 1A , in some embodiments, each of the cuttingelements 114 within the shoulder region 122 (FIG. 1B ) independently exhibits a generally cylindrical shape (e.g., a circular cylinder shape). Accordingly, as shown inFIG. 1B , each of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may exhibit a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. In additional embodiments, at least one of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 exhibits a different shape. By way of non-limiting example,FIG. 2 shows a cutter and blade profile for a rotary drill bit in accordance with additional embodiments of the disclosure. To avoid repetition, not all features shown inFIG. 2 are described in detail herein. Rather, unless described otherwise below, features designated by a reference numeral that is a 100 increment of the reference numeral of a feature described previously in relation to one or more ofFIGS. 1A and 1B will be understood to be substantially similar to the feature described previously. As shown inFIG. 2 , at least one of the cuttingelements 214 within theshoulder region 222 may exhibit a non-cylindrical shape (e.g., a conical shape, a frustoconical shape, truncated versions thereof, an irregular shape). One or more of the cuttingelements 214 within the shoulder region 222 (e.g., the cuttingelement 214 identified by the number 25) may, for example, exhibit a generally frustoconical shape. In such embodiments, the non-cylindrical shape of one or more of the cuttingelements 214 within theshoulder region 222 may facilitate a different type of engagement with a subterranean formation than would otherwise be provided by cuttingelements 214 exhibiting generally cylindrical shapes. For example, one or more of the cuttingelements 214 exhibiting a non-cylindrical shape may facilitate one or more of crushing and gouging a subterranean formation when the rotary drill bit is rotated under applied force to form or enlarge a borehole, whereas one or more of the cuttingelements 214 exhibiting a cylindrical shape may facilitate shearing the subterranean formation when the rotary drill bit is rotated under the applied force. - With returned reference to
FIGS. 1A and 1B , the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102 may be provided in any desired arrangement relative to one another. The arrangement of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 of thebody 102 at least partially depends on a desired work rate of each of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 during use and operation of therotary drill bit 100. For example, the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may be radially and circumferentially positioned relative to one another along the body 102 (FIG. 1A ) such that each of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 at least partially cuts (e.g., shears, gouges, crushes, abrades) a different portion of a subterranean formation to define an outermost diameter of a borehole in the subterranean formation. Put another way, the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may be radially and circumferentially positioned relative to one another so as to share the work of forming or enlarging the outermost diameter of the borehole. - In some embodiments, at least one of the cutting
elements 114 within theshoulder region 122 exhibiting a relatively larger size (e.g., a relatively larger diameter, a relatively larger lateral extent) is provided at a position that rotationally leads a position of at least one other of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 exhibiting a relatively smaller size (e.g., a relatively smaller diameter, a relatively smaller lateral extent) during use and operation of the rotary drill bit 100 (FIG. 1A ). By way of non-limiting example, the cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 23 may be relatively larger than and may rotationally lead the cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 24, and thecutting element 114 identified by thenumber 24 may be relatively larger than and may rotationally lead the cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 25. Each relativelylarger cutting element 114 within theshoulder region 122 may be positioned directly radially adjacent a relativelysmaller cutting element 114 rotationally trailing the relativelylarger cutting element 114; or at least one relativelylarger cutting element 114 within theshoulder region 122 may be radially separated from at least one relativelysmaller cutting element 114 rotationally trailing the relativelylarger cutting element 114 by at least oneother cutting element 114 exhibiting a size greater than or equal to that of the relativelylarger cutting element 114. As used herein, cutting elements that are “directly radially adjacent” one another refers to cutting elements radially neighboring one another on a face profile of a rotary drill bit without another cutting element radially positioned there between. In some embodiments, each relativelylarger cutting element 114 within theshoulder region 122 is positioned directly radially adjacent a relativelysmaller cutting element 114 rotationally trailing the relativelylarger cutting element 114. For example, as shown inFIG. 1B , the cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 23 may be relatively larger than and may be positioned directly radially adjacent the cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 24, and thecutting element 114 identified by thenumber 24 may be relatively larger than and may be positioned directly radiallyadjacent cutting element 114 identified by thenumber 25. - As shown in
FIG. 1B , one or more of the relatively smaller, rotationally trailingcutting elements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may be underexposed with respect to one or more of the relatively larger, rotationally leading cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122. By way of non-limiting example, the cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 24 may be underexposed with respect to thecutting element 114 identified by thenumber 23, and thecutting element 114 identified by thenumber 25 may be underexposed with respect to thecutting element 114 identified by thenumber 24. The degree to which relatively smaller, rotationally trailingcutting elements 114 within theshoulder region 122 are underexposed with respect to relatively larger, rotationally leading cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 at least partially depends on the properties of the subterranean formation to be acted upon by the rotary drill bit 100 (FIG. 1A ); a desired ROP for therotary drill bit 100; the relative sizes, shapes, and spacing (e.g., radial and circumferential separation) of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122; the quantity of cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122; the presence or absence of chamfers on cutting faces of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122; and backrake angles of the cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122. The relatively larger, more highly exposed cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may apply focused energy applied to the rotary drill bit 100 (FIG. 1A ) from weight on bit (WOB) and bit rotation to fracture the subterranean formation, and the relatively smaller, less exposed cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may clear and widen grooves made in the subterranean formation by the relatively larger, more highly exposed cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122. In additional embodiments, one or more rotationallytrailing cutting elements 114 within theshoulder region 122 may have the same exposure as one or more rotationally leading cuttingelements 114 within theshoulder region 122. -
FIGS. 3 through 5 are schematic views showing non-limiting examples of different cutting element exposure configurations that may be present in a shoulder region (e.g., theshoulder region 122 shown inFIG. 1B ) of a body (e.g., thebody 102 shown inFIG. 1A ) of a rotary drill bit (e.g., therotary drill bit 100 shown inFIG. 1A ) according to embodiments of the disclosure. As shown inFIG. 3 , in some embodiments, at least one relatively larger cutting element 302 (e.g., corresponding to thecutting element 114 identified by thenumber 23 inFIG. 1B ) and at least one relatively smaller cutting element 304 (e.g., corresponding to thecutting element 114 identified by thenumber 24 inFIG. 1B ) are radially positioned relative to one another such that rotational paths for the relativelylarger cutting element 302 and the relativelysmaller cutting element 304 during drilling in the direction D overlap one another proximate outermost lateral boundaries of the rotational paths. As shown inFIG. 4 , in additional embodiments, at least one relatively larger cutting element 402 (e.g., corresponding to thecutting element 114 identified by thenumber 23 inFIG. 1B ) and at least one relatively smaller cutting element 404 (e.g., corresponding to thecutting element 114 identified by thenumber 24 inFIG. 1B ) are radially positioned relative to one another such that rotational paths for thelarger cutting element 402 and thesmaller cutting element 404 during drilling in the direction D overlap one another proximate lowermost longitudinal boundaries of the rotational paths. As shown inFIG. 5 , in further embodiments, at least one relatively larger cutting element 502 (e.g., corresponding to thecutting element 114 identified by thenumber 23 inFIG. 1B ) and at least one relatively smaller cutting element 504 (e.g., corresponding to thecutting element 114 identified by thenumber 24 inFIG. 1B ) are radially positioned relative to one another within the shoulder region such that rotational paths for thelarger cutting element 502 and thesmaller cutting element 504 during drilling in the direction D overlap one another at a location intermediate between outermost lateral boundaries and lowermost longitudinal boundaries of the rotational paths. - Returning briefly to
FIGS. 1A and 1B , in additional embodiments, at least one relativelylarger cutting element 114 within the shoulder region 122 (FIG. 1B ) is provided at a position that rotationally trails at least one relativelysmaller cutting element 114 within theshoulder region 122 during use and operation of the rotary drill bit 100 (FIG. 1A ). By way of non-limiting example,FIG. 6 shows a cutter and blade profile for a rotary drill bit in accordance with additional embodiments of the disclosure. To avoid repetition, not all features shown inFIG. 6 are described in detail herein. Rather, unless described otherwise below, features designated by a reference numeral that is a 100 increment of the reference numeral of a feature described previously in relation to one or more ofFIGS. 1A and 1B will be understood to be substantially similar to the feature described previously. As shown inFIG. 6 , in some embodiments, at least onecutting element 614 within ashoulder region 622 exhibiting a relatively smaller size (e.g., a relatively smaller diameter, a relatively smaller lateral extent) is provided at a position that rotationally leads a position of at least one other of the cuttingelements 614 within theshoulder region 622 exhibiting a relatively larger size (e.g., a relatively larger diameter, a relatively larger lateral extent). By way of non-limiting example, the cuttingelement 614 identified by thenumber 22 may be relatively smaller than and may rotationally lead the cuttingelement 614 identified by thenumber 24, and thecutting element 614 identified by thenumber 24 may be relatively smaller than and may rotationally lead the cuttingelement 614 identified by thenumber 25. Each relativelysmaller cutting element 614 within theshoulder region 622 may be positioned directly radially adjacent a relativelylarger cutting element 614 rotationally trailing the relativelysmaller cutting element 614; or at least one relativelysmaller cutting element 614 within theshoulder region 622 may be radially separated from at least one relativelylarger cutting element 614 rotationally trailing the relativelysmaller cutting element 614 by at least oneother cutting element 614 exhibiting a size less than or equal to that of the relativelysmaller cutting element 614. - With continued reference to
FIG. 6 , one or more of the relatively larger, rotationally trailingcutting elements 614 within theshoulder region 622 may be underexposed with respect to one or more of the relatively smaller, rotationally leading cuttingelements 614 within theshoulder region 622. By way of non-limiting example, the cuttingelement 614 identified by thenumber 24 rotationally trailing and relatively larger than the cuttingelement 614 identified by thenumber 22 may be underexposed with respect to thecutting element 614 identified by thenumber 22, and thecutting element 614 identified by thenumber 25 rotationally trailing and relatively larger than the cuttingelement 614 identified by thenumber 24 may be underexposed with respect to thecutting element 614 identified by thenumber 24. The degree to which relatively larger, rotationally trailingcutting elements 614 within theshoulder region 622 are underexposed with respect to relatively smaller, rotationally leading cuttingelements 614 within theshoulder region 622 at least partially depends on the properties of the subterranean formation to be acted upon by the rotary drill bit; a desired ROP for the rotary drill bit; the relative sizes, shapes, and spacing (e.g., radial and circumferential separation) of the cuttingelements 614 within theshoulder region 622; the quantity of cuttingelements 614 within theshoulder region 622; the presence or absence of chamfers on cutting faces of the cuttingelements 614 within theshoulder region 622; and backrake angles of the cuttingelements 614 within theshoulder region 622. The relatively smaller, more highly exposed cuttingelements 614 within theshoulder region 622 may apply focused energy applied to the rotary drill bit from WOB and bit rotation to fracture the subterranean formation, and the relatively larger, less exposed cuttingelements 614 within theshoulder region 622 may clear and widen grooves made in the subterranean formation by the relatively smaller, more highly exposed cuttingelements 614 within theshoulder region 622. In additional embodiments, one or more rotationallytrailing cutting elements 614 within theshoulder region 622 may have the same exposure as one or more rotationally leading cuttingelements 614 within theshoulder region 622. - In use and operation, a rotary drill bit according to an embodiment of the disclosure (e.g., the rotary drill bit 100) may be rotated about its rotational axis (e.g., the
rotational axis elements shoulder region -
FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a segment of a borehole 700 that may be formed in a subterranean formation using a rotary drill bit according to embodiments of the disclosure. The borehole 700 may, for example, be formed in the subterranean formation using a rotary drill bit (e.g., therotatory drill bit 100 shown inFIG. 1A ) having the cutter and blade profile shown inFIG. 1B . As shown inFIG. 7 , theborehole 700 may exhibit an overalllateral groove 701 at least partially defining an outmost diameter of theborehole 700 and formed from afirst groove 702, asecond groove 704, and athird groove 706. Thesecond groove 704 may overlap thefirst groove 702, and thethird groove 706 may overlap one or more of thefirst groove 702 and thesecond groove 704. Referring collectively toFIGS. 1B and 7 , thefirst groove 702, thesecond groove 704, and thethird groove 706 may respectively be formed by the cutting elements 114 (FIG. 1B ) identified by thenumbers FIG. 1B ) within the shoulder region 122 (FIG. 1B ) of the body 102 (FIG. 1A ) of the rotary drill bit 100 (FIG. 1A ). During the formation of theborehole 700, the relatively larger, rotationally leading cuttingelement 114 identified by thenumber 23 may fracture the subterranean formation to form thefirst groove 702, the relativelysmaller cutting element 114 identified by thenumber 24 may fracture a remaining portion of the subterranean formation surrounding thefirst groove 702 to form thesecond groove 704, and then the even relativelysmaller cutting element 114 identified by thenumber 25 may fracture a further remaining portion of the subterranean formation surrounding thefirst groove 702 and/or thesecond groove 704 to form thethird groove 706. Accordingly, thesecond groove 704 may widen and refine thefirst groove 702, and thethird groove 706 may further widen and refine the widened groove formed from thefirst groove 702 and thesecond groove 704 to form the overalllateral groove 701. -
FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a segment of a borehole 800 that may be formed in a subterranean formation using a rotary drill bit according to additional embodiments of the disclosure. The borehole 800 may, for example, be formed in the subterranean formation using a rotary drill bit having the cutter and blade profile shown inFIG. 6 . As shown inFIG. 8 , theborehole 800 may exhibit an overalllateral groove 801 at least partially defining an outmost diameter of theborehole 800 and formed from afirst groove 802, asecond groove 804, and athird groove 806. Thesecond groove 804 may overlap thefirst groove 802, and thethird groove 806 may overlap one or more of thefirst groove 802 and thesecond groove 804. Referring collectively toFIGS. 6 and 8 , thefirst groove 802, thesecond groove 804, and athird groove 806 may respectively be formed by the cutting elements 614 (FIG. 6 ) identified by thenumbers FIG. 6 ) within the shoulder region 622 (FIG. 6 ) of a body of the rotary drill bit. During the formation of theborehole 800, the relatively smaller, rotationally leading cuttingelement 614 identified by thenumber 22 may fracture the subterranean formation to form thefirst groove 802, the relativelylarger cutting element 614 identified by thenumber 24 may fracture a remaining portion of the subterranean formation surrounding thefirst groove 802 to form thesecond groove 804, and then even relativelylarger cutting element 614 identified by thenumber 25 may fracture a further remaining portion of the subterranean formation surrounding thefirst groove 802 and/or thesecond groove 804 to form thethird groove 806. Accordingly, thesecond groove 804 may widen and refine thefirst groove 802, and thethird groove 806 may further widen and refine the widened groove formed from thefirst groove 802 and thesecond groove 804 to form the overalllateral groove 801. - The apparatuses and methods according to embodiments of the disclosure advantageously facilitate the efficient formation of boreholes exhibiting desirable outer diameters in a subterranean formation. The cutting element configurations (e.g., sizes, shapes, material compositions) and layouts (e.g., positions, spacing) of the disclosure permit cutting elements (e.g., the cutting
elements shoulder regions - While certain embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, such embodiments are merely illustrative and not restrictive of the scope of the disclosure, and this disclosure is not limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other additions and modifications to, and deletions from, the described embodiments will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. The scope of the invention, as exemplified by the various embodiments of the present disclosure, is limited only by the claims which follow, and their legal equivalents.
Claims (22)
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US16/433,400 US20190284877A1 (en) | 2016-07-28 | 2019-06-06 | Earth-boring tools and methods of forming earth-boring tools |
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US15/222,508 US10344537B2 (en) | 2016-07-28 | 2016-07-28 | Earth-boring tools, methods of forming earth-boring tools, and methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation |
US16/433,400 US20190284877A1 (en) | 2016-07-28 | 2019-06-06 | Earth-boring tools and methods of forming earth-boring tools |
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US15/222,508 Division US10344537B2 (en) | 2016-07-28 | 2016-07-28 | Earth-boring tools, methods of forming earth-boring tools, and methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation |
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US20190284877A1 true US20190284877A1 (en) | 2019-09-19 |
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US15/222,508 Active 2037-02-24 US10344537B2 (en) | 2016-07-28 | 2016-07-28 | Earth-boring tools, methods of forming earth-boring tools, and methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation |
US16/433,400 Abandoned US20190284877A1 (en) | 2016-07-28 | 2019-06-06 | Earth-boring tools and methods of forming earth-boring tools |
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US15/222,508 Active 2037-02-24 US10344537B2 (en) | 2016-07-28 | 2016-07-28 | Earth-boring tools, methods of forming earth-boring tools, and methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation |
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US10344537B2 (en) * | 2016-07-28 | 2019-07-09 | Baker Hughes Incorporated | Earth-boring tools, methods of forming earth-boring tools, and methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation |
US10914123B2 (en) * | 2018-04-11 | 2021-02-09 | Baker Hughes Holdings, LLC | Earth boring tools with pockets having cutting elements disposed therein trailing rotationally leading faces of blades and related methods |
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DE3113109C2 (en) * | 1981-04-01 | 1983-11-17 | Christensen, Inc., 84115 Salt Lake City, Utah | Rotary drill bit for deep drilling |
US5033560A (en) * | 1990-07-24 | 1991-07-23 | Dresser Industries, Inc. | Drill bit with decreasing diameter cutters |
US5238075A (en) * | 1992-06-19 | 1993-08-24 | Dresser Industries, Inc. | Drill bit with improved cutter sizing pattern |
US5582261A (en) * | 1994-08-10 | 1996-12-10 | Smith International, Inc. | Drill bit having enhanced cutting structure and stabilizing features |
US5549171A (en) * | 1994-08-10 | 1996-08-27 | Smith International, Inc. | Drill bit with performance-improving cutting structure |
US5592996A (en) * | 1994-10-03 | 1997-01-14 | Smith International, Inc. | Drill bit having improved cutting structure with varying diamond density |
US5551522A (en) | 1994-10-12 | 1996-09-03 | Smith International, Inc. | Drill bit having stability enhancing cutting structure |
US5607025A (en) * | 1995-06-05 | 1997-03-04 | Smith International, Inc. | Drill bit and cutting structure having enhanced placement and sizing of cutters for improved bit stabilization |
US5816346A (en) * | 1996-06-06 | 1998-10-06 | Camco International, Inc. | Rotary drill bits and methods of designing such drill bits |
GB9712342D0 (en) * | 1997-06-14 | 1997-08-13 | Camco Int Uk Ltd | Improvements in or relating to rotary drill bits |
US7677333B2 (en) * | 2006-04-18 | 2010-03-16 | Varel International Ind., L.P. | Drill bit with multiple cutter geometries |
US7896106B2 (en) * | 2006-12-07 | 2011-03-01 | Baker Hughes Incorporated | Rotary drag bits having a pilot cutter configuraton and method to pre-fracture subterranean formations therewith |
RU2009131831A (en) * | 2007-01-25 | 2011-02-27 | Бейкер Хьюз Инкорпорейтед (Us) | ROTARY DRILLING CHISEL FOR ROTARY DRILLING |
US9016407B2 (en) * | 2007-12-07 | 2015-04-28 | Smith International, Inc. | Drill bit cutting structure and methods to maximize depth-of-cut for weight on bit applied |
US8100202B2 (en) * | 2008-04-01 | 2012-01-24 | Smith International, Inc. | Fixed cutter bit with backup cutter elements on secondary blades |
US8127869B2 (en) * | 2009-09-28 | 2012-03-06 | Baker Hughes Incorporated | Earth-boring tools, methods of making earth-boring tools and methods of drilling with earth-boring tools |
US8505634B2 (en) * | 2009-12-28 | 2013-08-13 | Baker Hughes Incorporated | Earth-boring tools having differing cutting elements on a blade and related methods |
US8544568B2 (en) * | 2010-12-06 | 2013-10-01 | Varel International, Inc., L.P. | Shoulder durability enhancement for a PDC drill bit using secondary and tertiary cutting elements |
GB2506901B (en) * | 2012-10-11 | 2019-10-23 | Halliburton Energy Services Inc | Drill bit apparatus to control torque on bit |
US10246945B2 (en) * | 2014-07-30 | 2019-04-02 | Baker Hughes Incorporated, A GE Company, LLC | Earth-boring tools, methods of forming earth-boring tools, and methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation |
US10344537B2 (en) * | 2016-07-28 | 2019-07-09 | Baker Hughes Incorporated | Earth-boring tools, methods of forming earth-boring tools, and methods of forming a borehole in a subterranean formation |
-
2016
- 2016-07-28 US US15/222,508 patent/US10344537B2/en active Active
-
2019
- 2019-06-06 US US16/433,400 patent/US20190284877A1/en not_active Abandoned
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US20180030787A1 (en) | 2018-02-01 |
US10344537B2 (en) | 2019-07-09 |
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