WO2021050334A1 - Ensemble support de trépan incorporant un amortisseur d'oscillations de torsion à haute fréquence - Google Patents

Ensemble support de trépan incorporant un amortisseur d'oscillations de torsion à haute fréquence Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2021050334A1
WO2021050334A1 PCT/US2020/049016 US2020049016W WO2021050334A1 WO 2021050334 A1 WO2021050334 A1 WO 2021050334A1 US 2020049016 W US2020049016 W US 2020049016W WO 2021050334 A1 WO2021050334 A1 WO 2021050334A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
damping
support assembly
bit
bit support
damper
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2020/049016
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Andreas Hohl
Sasa Mihajlovic
Original Assignee
Baker Hughes, A Ge Company, Llc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US16/568,789 external-priority patent/US11199242B2/en
Application filed by Baker Hughes, A Ge Company, Llc filed Critical Baker Hughes, A Ge Company, Llc
Priority to GB2204802.9A priority Critical patent/GB2603675B/en
Priority to CN202080070256.3A priority patent/CN114585796A/zh
Priority to NO20220386A priority patent/NO20220386A1/en
Priority to BR112022004717A priority patent/BR112022004717A2/pt
Publication of WO2021050334A1 publication Critical patent/WO2021050334A1/fr

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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
    • E21B17/00—Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings
    • E21B17/02—Couplings; joints
    • E21B17/04—Couplings; joints between rod or the like and bit or between rod and rod or the like
    • E21B17/07—Telescoping joints for varying drill string lengths; Shock absorbers
    • 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
    • E21B17/00—Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings
    • E21B17/02—Couplings; joints
    • E21B17/04—Couplings; joints between rod or the like and bit or between rod and rod or the like
    • E21B17/042—Threaded
    • 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
    • E21B17/00—Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings
    • E21B17/02—Couplings; joints
    • E21B17/04—Couplings; joints between rod or the like and bit or between rod and rod or the like
    • E21B17/07—Telescoping joints for varying drill string lengths; Shock absorbers
    • E21B17/073—Telescoping joints for varying drill string lengths; Shock absorbers with axial rotation
    • 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
    • E21B17/00—Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings
    • E21B17/02—Couplings; joints
    • E21B17/04—Couplings; joints between rod or the like and bit or between rod and rod or the like
    • E21B17/07—Telescoping joints for varying drill string lengths; Shock absorbers
    • E21B17/076—Telescoping joints for varying drill string lengths; Shock absorbers between rod or pipe and drill bit
    • 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
    • E21B17/00—Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings
    • E21B17/10—Wear protectors; Centralising devices, e.g. stabilisers
    • 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
    • E21B47/00—Survey of boreholes or wells
    • E21B47/12—Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling
    • E21B47/14—Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling using acoustic waves
    • E21B47/16—Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling using acoustic waves through the drill string or casing, e.g. by torsional acoustic waves
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16F—SPRINGS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION
    • F16F15/00—Suppression of vibrations in systems; Means or arrangements for avoiding or reducing out-of-balance forces, e.g. due to motion
    • F16F15/10—Suppression of vibrations in rotating systems by making use of members moving with the system
    • F16F15/12—Suppression of vibrations in rotating systems by making use of members moving with the system using elastic members or friction-damping members, e.g. between a rotating shaft and a gyratory mass mounted thereon
    • F16F15/1207—Suppression of vibrations in rotating systems by making use of members moving with the system using elastic members or friction-damping members, e.g. between a rotating shaft and a gyratory mass mounted thereon characterised by the supporting arrangement of the damper unit
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01H—MEASUREMENT OF MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OR ULTRASONIC, SONIC OR INFRASONIC WAVES
    • G01H1/00—Measuring characteristics of vibrations in solids by using direct conduction to the detector
    • G01H1/10—Measuring characteristics of vibrations in solids by using direct conduction to the detector of torsional vibrations
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16F—SPRINGS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION
    • F16F15/00—Suppression of vibrations in systems; Means or arrangements for avoiding or reducing out-of-balance forces, e.g. due to motion
    • F16F15/10—Suppression of vibrations in rotating systems by making use of members moving with the system
    • F16F15/12—Suppression of vibrations in rotating systems by making use of members moving with the system using elastic members or friction-damping members, e.g. between a rotating shaft and a gyratory mass mounted thereon
    • F16F15/129—Suppression of vibrations in rotating systems by making use of members moving with the system using elastic members or friction-damping members, e.g. between a rotating shaft and a gyratory mass mounted thereon characterised by friction-damping means

Definitions

  • the present invention generally relates to downhole operations and systems for damping vibrations of the downhole systems during operation.
  • the boreholes are drilled such that they pass through or allow access to a material (e.g., a gas or fluid) contained in a formation (e.g., a compartment) located below the earth’s surface.
  • a material e.g., a gas or fluid
  • a formation e.g., a compartment
  • Different types of tools and instruments may be disposed in the boreholes to perform various tasks and measurements.
  • the downhole components may be subject to vibrations that can impact operational efficiencies.
  • severe vibrations in drill strings and bottomhole assemblies can be caused by cutting forces at the bit or mass imbalances in downhole tools such as mud motors. Impacts from such vibrations can include, but are not limited to, reduced rate of penetration, reduced quality of measurements, and excess fatigue and wear on downhole components, tools, and/or devices.
  • the systems include a downhole system arranged to rotate within a borehole and a damping system configured on the downhole system.
  • the damping system includes one or more dampers that is installed at or in a bit support assembly of the downhole system.
  • the dampers are arranged to reduce or eliminate one or more specific vibration modes, and thus improved downhole operations and/or efficiencies may be achieved.
  • methods and systems for damping torsional oscillations of downhole systems are described.
  • the systems include a downhole string, a bit support assembly configured to support and receive a disintegration device, wherein the disintegration device is disposed on an end of the downhole string and mounted to the bit support assembly, and a damping system configured at least one of on and in the bit support assembly, the damping system comprising at least one damper element arranged in contact with a portion of the bit support assembly.
  • the methods include installing a damping system at least one of on and in a bit support assembly located on a downhole string of the downhole system, the bit support assembly having a disintegration device attached thereto.
  • the damping system includes at least one damper element arranged in contact with a portion of the bit support assembly, wherein at least a part the damper element moves relative to the bit support assembly with a velocity that is a sum of a periodic velocity fluctuation having an amplitude and a mean velocity.
  • FIG. 1 is an example of a system for performing downhole operations that can employ embodiments of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 2 is an illustrative plot of a typical curve of frictional force or torque versus relative velocity or relative rotational speed between two interacting bodies
  • FIG. 3 is a hysteresis plot of a friction force versus displacement for a positive relative mean velocity with additional small velocity fluctuations
  • FIG. 4 is a plot of friction force, relative velocity, and a product of both versus time for a positive relative mean velocity with additional small velocity fluctuations;
  • FIG. 5 is a hysteresis plot of a friction force versus displacement for a relative mean velocity of zero with additional small velocity fluctuations
  • FIG. 6 is a plot of friction force, relative velocity, and a product of both for a relative mean velocity of zero with additional small velocity fluctuations;
  • FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of a damping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 8 A is a plot of tangential acceleration measured at a bit
  • FIG. 8B is a plot corresponding to FIG. 8 A illustrating rotary speed
  • FIG. 9A is a schematic plot of a downhole system illustrating a shape of a downhole system as a function of distance-from-bit;
  • FIG. 9B illustrates example corresponding mode shapes of torsional vibrations that may be excited during operation of the downhole system of FIG. 9A;
  • FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of a damping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of a damping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of a damping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of a damping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 14 is a schematic illustration of a damping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of a damping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 16 is a schematic illustration of a damping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 17 is a schematic illustration of a damping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 18 is a schematic illustration of a damping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 19 is a schematic illustration of a damping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 20 is a schematic plot of a modal damping ratio versus local vibration amplitude
  • FIG. 21 is a schematic illustration of a downhole tool having a damping system
  • FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional illustration of the downhole tool of FIG. 21;
  • FIG. 23 is a schematic illustration of a bit support assembly incorporating a damper element in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
  • FIG. 24 is a schematic illustration of a tangential damper element in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 25 is a schematic illustration of a tangential damper element in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 26 is an illustrative plot of a typical curve of force or torque versus relative velocity or relative rotational speed between two interacting bodies associated with a hydraulic damper element.
  • FIG. 27 is a schematic illustration of a bit support assembly incorporating a damper element in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system for performing downhole operations.
  • the system is a drilling system 10 that includes a drill string 20 having a drilling assembly 90, also referred to as a bottomhole assembly (BHA), conveyed in a borehole 26 penetrating an earth formation 60.
  • the drilling system 10 includes a conventional derrick 11 erected on a floor 12 that supports a rotary table 14 that is rotated by a prime mover, such as an electric motor (not shown), at a desired rotational speed.
  • the drill string 20 includes a drilling tubular 22, such as a drill pipe, extending downward from the rotary table 14 into the borehole 26.
  • a disintegration device 50 such as a drill bit attached to the end of the BHA 90, disintegrates the geological formations when it is rotated to drill the borehole 26.
  • the drill string 20 is coupled to surface equipment such as systems for lifting, rotating, and/or pushing, including, but not limited to, a drawworks 30 via a kelly joint 21, swivel 28 and line 29 through a pulley 23.
  • the surface equipment may include a top drive (not shown).
  • the drawworks 30 is operated to control the weight on bit, which affects the rate of penetration.
  • the operation of the drawworks 30 is well known in the art and is thus not described in detail herein.
  • a suitable drilling fluid 31 (also referred to as the “mud”) from a source or mud pit 32 is circulated under pressure through the drill string 20 by a mud pump 34.
  • the drilling fluid 31 passes into the drill string 20 via a desurger 36, fluid line 38 and the kelly joint 21.
  • the drilling fluid 31 is discharged at the borehole bottom 51 through an opening in the disintegration device 50.
  • the drilling fluid 31 circulates uphole through the annular space 27 between the drill string 20 and the borehole 26 and returns to the mud pit 32 via a return line 35.
  • a sensor SI in the fluid line 38 provides information about the fluid flow rate.
  • a surface torque sensor S2 and a sensor S3 associated with the drill string 20 respectively provide information about the torque and the rotational speed of the drill string. Additionally, one or more sensors (not shown) associated with line 29 are used to provide the hook load of the drill string 20 and about other desired parameters relating to the drilling of the borehole 26.
  • the system may further include one or more downhole sensors 70 located on the drill string 20 and/or the BHA 90.
  • the disintegration device 50 is rotated by only rotating the drill pipe 22.
  • a drilling motor 55 for example, a mud motor
  • the drilling assembly 90 is used to rotate the disintegration device 50 and/or to superimpose or supplement the rotation of the drill string 20.
  • the rate of penetration (ROP) of the disintegration device 50 into the earth formation 60 for a given formation and a given drilling assembly largely depends upon the weight on bit and the drill bit rotational speed.
  • the drilling motor 55 is coupled to the disintegration device 50 via a drive shaft (not shown) disposed in a bearing assembly 57.
  • the drilling motor 55 rotates the disintegration device 50 when the drilling fluid 31 passes through the drilling motor 55 under pressure.
  • the bearing assembly 57 supports the radial and axial forces of the disintegration device 50, the downthrust of the drilling motor and the reactive upward loading from the applied weight on bit.
  • Stabilizers 58 coupled to the bearing assembly 57 and/or other suitable locations act as centralizers for the drilling assembly 90 or portions thereof.
  • a surface control unit 40 receives signals from the downhole sensors 70 and devices via a transducer 43, such as a pressure transducer, placed in the fluid line 38 as well as from sensors SI, S2, S3, hook load sensors, RPM sensors, torque sensors, and any other sensors used in the system and processes such signals according to programmed instructions provided to the surface control unit 40.
  • the surface control unit 40 displays desired drilling parameters and other information on a display/monitor 42 for use by an operator at the rig site to control the drilling operations.
  • the surface control unit 40 contains a computer, memory for storing data, computer programs, models and algorithms accessible to a processor in the computer, a recorder, such as tape unit, memory unit, etc. for recording data and other peripherals.
  • the surface control unit 40 also may include simulation models for use by the computer to processes data according to programmed instructions.
  • the control unit responds to user commands entered through a suitable device, such as a keyboard.
  • the surface control unit 40 is adapted to activate alarms 44 when certain unsafe or undesirable operating conditions occur.
  • the drilling assembly 90 also contains other sensors and devices or tools for providing a variety of measurements relating to the formation surrounding the borehole and for drilling the borehole 26 along a desired path.
  • Such devices may include a device for measuring the formation resistivity near and/or in front of the drill bit, a gamma ray device for measuring the formation gamma ray intensity and devices for determining the inclination, azimuth and position of the drill string.
  • a formation resistivity tool 64 made according an embodiment described herein may be coupled at any suitable location, including above a lower kick-off subassembly or steering unit 62, for estimating or determining the resistivity of the formation near or in front of the disintegration device 50 or at other suitable locations.
  • An inclinometer 74 and a gamma ray device 76 may be suitably placed for respectively determining the inclination of the BHA and the formation gamma ray intensity. Any suitable inclinometer and gamma ray device may be utilized.
  • an azimuth device (not shown), such as a magnetometer or a gyroscopic device, may be utilized to determine the drill string azimuth. Such devices are known in the art and therefore are not described in detail herein.
  • the drilling motor 55 transfers power to the disintegration device 50 via a shaft that also enables the drilling fluid to pass from the drilling motor 55 to the disintegration device 50.
  • the drilling motor 55 may be coupled below the resistivity measuring device 64 or at any other suitable place.
  • LWD devices such as devices for measuring formation porosity, permeability, density, rock properties, fluid properties, etc.
  • LWD devices such as devices for measuring formation porosity, permeability, density, rock properties, fluid properties, etc.
  • Such devices may include, but are not limited to, temperature measurement tools, pressure measurement tools, borehole diameter measuring tools (e.g., a caliper), acoustic tools, nuclear tools, nuclear magnetic resonance tools and formation testing and sampling tools.
  • the above-noted devices transmit data to a downhole telemetry system 72, which in turn transmits the received data uphole to the surface control unit 40.
  • the downhole telemetry system 72 also receives signals and data from the surface control unit 40 and transmits such received signals and data to the appropriate downhole devices.
  • a mud pulse telemetry system may be used to communicate data between the downhole sensors 70 and devices and the surface equipment during drilling operations.
  • a transducer 43 placed in the fluid line 38 e.g., mud supply line
  • Transducer 43 detects the mud pulses responsive to the data transmitted by the downhole telemetry system 72.
  • Transducer 43 generates electrical signals in response to the mud pressure variations and transmits such signals via a conductor 45 to the surface control unit 40.
  • any other suitable telemetry system may be used for two-way data communication (e.g., downlink and uplink) between the surface and the BHA 90, including but not limited to, an acoustic telemetry system, an electro-magnetic telemetry system, an optical telemetry system, a wired pipe telemetry system which may utilize wireless couplers or repeaters in the drill string or the borehole.
  • the wired pipe telemetry system may be made up by joining drill pipe sections, wherein each pipe section includes a data communication link, such as a wire, that runs along the pipe.
  • the data connection between the pipe sections may be made by any suitable method, including but not limited to, hard electrical or optical connections, induction, capacitive, resonant coupling, such as electromagnetic resonant coupling, or directional coupling methods.
  • the data communication link may be run along a side of the coiled-tubing.
  • the drilling system described thus far relates to those drilling systems that utilize a drill pipe to convey the drilling assembly 90 into the borehole 26, wherein the weight on bit is controlled from the surface, typically by controlling the operation of the drawworks.
  • a large number of the current drilling systems especially for drilling highly deviated and horizontal boreholes, utilize coiled-tubing for conveying the drilling assembly downhole.
  • a thruster is sometimes deployed in the drill string to provide the desired force on the drill bit.
  • the tubing is not rotated by a rotary table but instead it is injected into the borehole by a suitable injector while the downhole motor, such as drilling motor 55, rotates the disintegration device 50.
  • an offshore rig or a vessel is used to support the drilling equipment, including the drill string.
  • a resistivity tool 64 may be provided that includes, for example, a plurality of antennas including, for example, transmitters 66a or 66b and/or receivers 68a or 68b.
  • Resistivity can be one formation property that is of interest in making drilling decisions. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that other formation property tools can be employed with or in place of the resistivity tool 64.
  • Liner drilling can be one configuration or operation used for providing a disintegration device becomes more and more attractive in the oil and gas industry as it has several advantages compared to conventional drilling.
  • One example of such configuration is shown and described in commonly owned U.S. Patent No. 9,004,195, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Drilling a Borehole, Setting a Liner and Cementing the Borehole During a Single Trip,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
  • the time of getting the liner to target is reduced because the liner is run in-hole while drilling the borehole simultaneously. This may be beneficial in swelling formations where a contraction of the drilled well can hinder an installation of the liner later on.
  • drilling with liner in depleted and unstable reservoirs minimizes the risk that the pipe or drill string will get stuck due to hole collapse.
  • FIG. 1 is shown and described with respect to a drilling operation, those of skill in the art will appreciate that similar configurations, albeit with different components, can be used for performing different downhole operations.
  • wireline, wired pipe, liner drilling, reaming, coiled tubing, and/or other configurations can be used as known in the art.
  • production configurations can be employed for extracting and/or injecting materials from/into earth formations.
  • the present disclosure is not to be limited to drilling operations but can be employed for any appropriate or desired downhole operation(s).
  • Severe vibrations in drill strings and bottomhole assemblies during drilling operations can be caused by cutting forces at the bit or mass imbalances in downhole tools such as drilling motors. Such vibrations can result in reduced rate of penetration, reduced quality of measurements made by tools of the bottomhole assembly, and can result in wear, fatigue, and/or failure of downhole components.
  • different vibrations exist, such as lateral vibrations, axial vibrations, and torsional vibrations.
  • stick/slip of the whole drilling system and high-frequency torsional oscillations (“HFTO”) are both types of torsional vibrations.
  • vibration oscillation
  • fluctuation a mean value
  • mean position a mean position
  • mean velocity a mean velocity
  • mean acceleration a mean acceleration
  • mean force a mean force
  • mean torque a mean torque
  • these terms are not meant to be limited to harmonic deviations, but may include all kinds of deviations, such as, but not limited to periodic, harmonic, and statistical deviations.
  • Torsional vibrations may be excited by self-excitation mechanisms that occur due to the interaction of the drill bit or any other cutting structure such as a reamer bit and the formation.
  • the main differentiator between stick/slip and HFTO is the frequency and typical mode shapes:
  • HFTO have a frequency that is typically above 50 Hz compared to stick/slip torsional vibrations that typically have frequencies below 1 Hz.
  • the excited mode shape of stick/slip is typically a first mode shape of the whole drilling system whereas the mode shape of HFTO can be of higher order and are commonly localized to smaller portions of the drilling system with comparably high amplitudes at the point of excitation that may be the bit or any other cutting structure (such as a reamer bit), or any contact between the drilling system and the formation (e.g., by a stabilizer).
  • HFTO Due to the high frequency of the vibrations, HFTO correspond to high acceleration and torque values along the BHA.
  • a threshold of a measured property such as a torsional vibration amplitude or frequency is achieved within the system.
  • a torsional vibration damping system may be based on friction dampers.
  • friction between two parts, such as two interacting bodies, in the BHA or drill string can dissipate energy and reduce the level of torsional oscillations, thus mitigating the potential damage caused by high frequency vibrations.
  • the energy dissipation of the friction damper is at least equal to the HFTO energy input caused by the bit-rock interaction.
  • Friction dampers can lead to a significant energy dissipation and thus mitigation of torsional vibrations.
  • a friction force acts in the opposite direction of the velocity of the relative movement between the contacting surfaces of the components or interacting bodies. The friction force leads to a dissipation of energy.
  • dampers may be generated by viscous damping, friction damping, hydraulic damping, magnetic damping (e.g., eddy current damping), piezoelectric (shunt) damping, etc.
  • a damper element as used herein, may be part of a damping system that is configured to dissipate energy due to relative movement between at least a part of the damper element and a downhole string. That is, relative movement of a damper element, or part thereof, enables dissipation of energy (e.g., HFTO), and thus may reduce vibration within or along a downhole string.
  • energy e.g., HFTO
  • FIG. 2 is an illustrative plot 200 of a typical curve of the friction force or torque versus relative velocity v (e.g., or relative rotational speed) between two interacting bodies.
  • the two interacting bodies have a contact surface and a force component FN perpendicular to the contact surface engaging the two interacting bodies.
  • Plot 200 illustrates the dependency of friction force or torque of the two interacting bodies with a velocity weakening behavior, such as frictional contact or a characteristic of a cutting behavior.
  • v relative velocity weakening behavior
  • the friction force or torque has a distinct value, illustrated by point 202. Decreasing the relative velocity will lead to an increasing friction force or torque (also referred to as velocity-weakening characteristic).
  • the friction force or torque reaches its maximum when the relative velocity is zero.
  • the maximum friction force is also known as static friction, sticking friction, or stiction.
  • the friction coefficient m is a function of velocity.
  • the normal force can also be fluctuating corresponding to an excited vibration in the normal direction.
  • the friction coefficient is known as dynamic friction coefficient m.
  • the friction force or torque switches to the opposite direction with a high absolute value corresponding to a step from a positive maximum to a negative minimum at point 204 in plot 200. That is, the friction force versus velocity shows a sign change at the point where the velocity changes the sign and is discontinuous at point 204 in plot 200.
  • Velocity-weakening characteristic is a well-known effect between interacting bodies that are frictionally connected. The velocity -weakening characteristic of the contact force or torque is assumed to be a potential root cause for stick/slip.
  • Velocity -weakening characteristic may also be achieved by utilizing dispersive fluid with a higher viscosity at lower relative velocities and a lower viscosity at higher relative velocities. If a dispersive fluid is forced through a relatively small channel, the same effect can be achieved in that the flow resistance is relatively high or low at low or high relative velocities, respectively.
  • FIG. 8A illustrates measured torsional acceleration of a downhole system versus time.
  • FIG. 8A shows oscillating torsional acceleration with a mean acceleration of approximately 0 g, overlayed by oscillating torsional accelerations with a relatively low amplitude between approximately 0 s and 3 s and relatively high amplitudes up to 100 g between approximately 3 s and 5 s.
  • FIG. 8B illustrates the corresponding rotary velocity in the same time period as in FIG. 8A.
  • FIG. 8B illustrates a mean velocity v 0 (indicated by the line v 0 in FIG.
  • the mean velocity is overlayed by oscillating rotary velocity variations with relatively low amplitudes between approximately 0 s and 3 s and relatively high amplitudes between approximately 3 s and 5 s in accordance with the relatively low and high acceleration amplitudes in FIG. 8A.
  • the oscillating rotary speed does not lead to negative values of the rotary velocity, even not in the time period between approximately 3 s and 5 s when the amplitudes of the rotary speed oscillations are relatively high.
  • point 202 illustrates a mean velocity of the two interacting bodies that is according to the mean velocity v 0 in FIG. 8B.
  • the data of FIG. 8B corresponds to a point with a velocity oscillating with relatively high frequency due to HTFO around the mean velocity v 0 that varies relatively slowly with time compared to the HFTO.
  • the point illustrating the data of FIG. 8B therefore moves back and forth on the positive branch of the curve in FIG. 2 without or only rarely reaching negative velocity values. Accordingly, the corresponding friction force or torque oscillates around a positive mean friction force or mean friction torque and is generally positive or only rarely reaches negative values.
  • the point 202 illustrates where a positive mean value of the relative velocity corresponds to a static torque and the point 204 illustrates a favorable point for friction damping. It is noted that friction forces or torque between the drilling system and the borehole wall will not generate additional damping of high frequency oscillations in the system. This is because the relative velocity between the contact surfaces of the interacting bodies (e.g., a stabilizer and the borehole wall) does not have a mean velocity that is so close to zero that the HFTO lead to a sign change of the relative velocity of the two interacting bodies.
  • the interacting bodies e.g., a stabilizer and the borehole wall
  • the relative velocity between the two interacting bodies has a high mean value at a distance from zero that is large so that the HFTO do not lead to a sign change of the relative velocity of the two interacting bodies (e.g., illustrated by point 202 in FIG. 2).
  • the weakening characteristic of the contact force or torque with respect to the relative velocity as illustrated in FIG. 2 leads to an application of energy into the system for oscillating relative movements of the interacting bodies with a mean velocity v 0 that is high compared to the velocity of the oscillating movement.
  • other examples of self-excitation mechanisms such as coupling between axial and torsional degree of freedom could lead to a similar characteristic.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates hysteresis of a friction force F r , sometimes also referred to as a cutting force in this context, versus displacement relative to a location that is moving with a positive mean relative velocity with additional small velocity fluctuations leading to additional small displacement dx.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates the friction force (F r ), relative velocity and a product of both (indicated by label 400 in FIG. 4) for a positive mean relative velocity with additional small velocity fluctuations leading to additional small displacement dx.
  • the area between the friction force and the velocity over time is equal to the dissipated energy (i.e., the area between the line 400 and the zero axis), which is negative in the case that is illustrated by FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. That is, in the case illustrated by FIGS. 3 and 4, energy is transferred into the oscillation from the friction via the frictional contact.
  • the point 204 denotes the favorable mean velocity for friction damping of small velocity fluctuations or vibrations in addition to the mean velocity.
  • the discontinuity at point 204 in FIG. 2 with the sign change of the relative velocity of the interacting bodies also leads to an abrupt sign change of the friction force or torque. This sign change leads to a hysteresis that leads to a large amount of dissipated energy.
  • FIGS. 5 and 6 which are similar plots to FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively, but illustrate the case of zero mean relative velocity with additional small velocity fluctuations or dx vibrations.
  • 3-4 were generated by using a velocity weakening characteristics, such as the one shown in FIG. 2, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to such type of characteristics.
  • the apparatuses and methods disclosed herein will be functional for any type of characteristic provided that the friction force or torque undergoes a step with a sign change when the relative velocity between the two interacting bodies changes its sign.
  • Friction dampers in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described.
  • the friction dampers are installed on or in a drilling system, such as drilling system 10 shown in FIG. 1, and/or are part of drilling system 10, such as part of the bottomhole assembly 90.
  • the friction dampers are part of friction damping systems with two interacting bodies, such as a first element and a second element having a frictional contact surface with the first element.
  • the friction damping systems of the present disclosure are arranged so that the first element has a mean velocity that is related to the rotary speed of the drilling system to which it is installed.
  • the first element may have a similar or the same mean velocity or rotary speed as the drilling system, so that small fluctuating oscillations lead to a sign change or zero crossing of the relative velocity between the first element and second element according to point 204 in FIG. 2. It is noted that friction forces or torque between the drilling system and the borehole wall will not generate additional damping of high frequency oscillations in the system. This is because the relative velocity between the contact surfaces (e.g., a stabilizer and the borehole) does not have a zero mean value (e.g., point 202 in FIG. 2).
  • the static friction between the first element and the second element are set to be high enough to enable the first element to accelerate the second element (during rotation) to a mean velocity vo with the same value as the drilling system. Additional high frequency oscillations, therefore, introduce slipping between the first element (e.g., damping device) and the second element (e.g., drilling system) with positive or negative velocities according to oscillations around a position in FIG. 2 that is equal to or close to point 204 in FIG. 2. Slipping occurs if the inertial force l ⁇ ) exceeds the static friction force, expressed as the static friction coefficient multiplied by the normal force between the two interacting bodies: F j > m 0 F N.
  • the normal force FN e.g. caused by the contact and surface pressure of the contact surface between the two interacting bodies
  • the static friction coefficient mo are adjusted to achieve an optimal energy dissipation or an optimal amplitude.
  • the moment of inertia (torsional), the contact and surface pressure of the contacting surfaces, and the placement of the damper or contact surface with respect to the distance from bit may be optimized.
  • FIG. 7 a schematic illustration of a damping system 700 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
  • the damping system 700 is part of a downhole system 702, such as a bottomhole assembly and/or a drilling assembly.
  • the downhole system 702 includes a string 704 that is rotated to enable a drilling operation of the downhole system 702 to form a borehole 706 within a formation 708.
  • the borehole 706 is typically filled with drilling fluid, such as drilling mud.
  • the damping system 700 includes a first element 710 that is operatively coupled, e.g.
  • the first element 710 is in frictional contact with a second element 712.
  • the second element 712 is at least partially movably mounted on the downhole system 702, with a contact surface 714 located between the first element 710 and the second element 712.
  • H r that defines the limit between sticking and slipping.
  • F N is the normal force and m H is the effective friction coefficient and r is the effective or mean radius of the friction contact area.
  • sticking or slipping can occur at the same time.
  • the contact pressure can be optimized to achieve an optimal damping and amplitude.
  • the acceleration x of the contact area can be due to an excitation of a mode and is dependent upon the corresponding mode shape, as further discussed below with respect to FIG. 9B. In case of an attached inertia mass ./ the acceleration x is equal to the acceleration of the excited mode and corresponding mode shape at the attachment position as long as the contact interface is sticking.
  • a tolerated amplitude range can be defined by an amplitude that is between zero and the limits of loads that are, for example, given by design specifications of tools and components. A limit could also be given by a percentage of the expected amplitude without the damper.
  • the dissipated energy that can be compared to the energy input, e.g., by a forced or self-excitation, is one measure to judge the efficiency of a damper. Another measure is the provided equivalent damping of the system that is proportional to the ratio of the dissipated energy in one period of a harmonic vibration to the potential energy during one period of vibration in the system.
  • the excitation can be approximated by a negative damping coefficient and both the equivalent damping and the negative damping can be directly compared.
  • the damping force that is provided by the damper is nonlinear and strongly amplitude dependent.
  • the damping is zero in the sticking phase (left end of plot of FIG. 20) where the relative movement between the interacting bodies is zero. If, as described above, the limit between the sticking and slipping phase is exceeded by the force that is transferred through the contact interface, a relative sliding motion is occurring that causes the energy dissipation. The damping ratio provided by the friction damping is then increasing to a maximum and afterwards declining to a minimum. The amplitude that will be occurring is dependent upon the excitation that could be described by the negative damping term. Herein, the maximum of the damping provided, as depicted in FIG. 20, has to be higher than the negative damping from the self-excitation mechanism. The amplitude that is occurring in a so-called limit cycle can be determined by the intersection of the negative damping ratio and the equivalent damping ratio that is provided by the friction damper.
  • the curve is dependent on different parameters. It is beneficial to have a high normal force but a sliding phase that occurs at a minimum amplitude of the bottomhole assembly. In the case of the inertia mass, this can be achieved by a high mass or by placing the contact interface at a point of high acceleration with respect to the excited mode shape. In the case of contacting interfaces, a high relative displacement in comparison to the amplitude of the mode shape at the contact point, e.g., along the axial axis of the BHA, is beneficial. Therefore, an optimal placement of the damping device according to a high amplitude or relative amplitude is important. This can be achieved by using simulation results, as discussed below. The normal force and the friction coefficient can be used to shift the curve to lower or higher amplitudes but does not have a high influence on the damping maximum.
  • the string 704, and thus the downhole system 702 rotates with a rotary speed that may be measured in revolutions per minute (RPM).
  • the second element 712 is mounted onto the first element 710.
  • a normal force F N between the first element 710 and the second element 712 can be selected or adjusted through application and use of an adjusting element 716.
  • the adjusting element 716 may be adjustable, for example via a thread, an actuator, a piezoelectric actuator, a hydraulic actuator, and/or a spring element, to apply force that has a component in the direction perpendicular to the contact surface 714 between the first element 710 and the second element 712. For example, as shown in FIG.
  • the adjusting element 716 may apply a force in axial direction of downhole system 702, that translates into a force component F N that is perpendicular to the contact surface 714 of first element 710 and second element 712 due to the non-zero angle between the axis of the downhole system 702 and the contact surface 714 of first element 710 and second element 712.
  • an angle between the system 712 and the inertia mass element is selected or defined to allow a sliding motion and avoid self-locking.
  • the second element 712 has a moment of inertia J.
  • both the downhole system 702 and the second element 712 are accelerated according to a mode shape (e.g., defines the amplitude distribution along the dimensions of the drilling system, drill string, and/or BHA) and the amplitude of the mode (e.g., scales the amplitude of the mode shape).
  • a mode shape e.g., defines the amplitude distribution along the dimensions of the drilling system, drill string, and/or BHA
  • the amplitude of the mode e.g., scales the amplitude of the mode shape.
  • Exemplary results of such operation are shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.
  • FIG. 8A is a plot of tangential acceleration measured at a bit
  • FIG. 8B is a corresponding rotary speed.
  • first and/or second elements 710, 712 Due to the energy dissipation that is caused by frictional movement between the first element 710 and the second element 712, heat and wear will be generated on the first element 710 and/or the second element 712.
  • materials can be used for the first and/or second elements 710, 712 that can withstand the wear.
  • diamonds or polycrystalline diamond compacts can be used for, at least, a portion of the first and/or second elements 710, 712.
  • coatings may help to reduce the wear due to the friction between the first and second elements 710, 712.
  • the heat can lead to high temperatures and may impact reliability or durability of the first element 710, the second element 712, and/or other parts of the downhole system 702.
  • the first element 710 and/or the second element 712 may be made of a material with high thermal conductivity or high heat capacity and/or may be in contact with a material with high thermal conductivity or heat capacity.
  • Such materials with high thermal conductivity include, but are not limited to, metals or compounds including metal, such as copper, silver, gold, aluminum, molybdenum, tungsten or thermal grease comprising fat, grease, oil, epoxies, silicones, urethanes, and acrylates, and optionally fillers such as diamond, metal, or chemical compounds including metal (e.g., silver, aluminum in aluminum nitride, boron in boron nitride, zinc in zinc oxide), or silicon or chemical compounds including silicon (e.g., silicon carbide).
  • metals or compounds including metal such as copper, silver, gold, aluminum, molybdenum, tungsten or thermal grease comprising fat, grease, oil, epoxies, silicones, urethanes, and acrylates
  • optionally fillers such as diamond, metal, or chemical compounds including metal (e.g., silver, aluminum in aluminum nitride, boron in boron nitride, zinc in zinc oxide), or silicon or
  • first element 710 and the second element 712 may be in contact with a fluid, such as the drilling fluid, that is configured to remove heat from the first element 710 and/or the second element 712 in order to cool the respective element 710, 712.
  • a fluid such as the drilling fluid
  • an amplitude limiting element such as a key, a recess, or a spring element may be employed and configured to limit the energy dissipation to an acceptable limit that reduces the wear.
  • a high normal force and/or static or dynamic friction coefficient will prevent a relative slipping motion between the first element 710 and the second element 712, and in such situations, no energy will be dissipated.
  • a low normal force and/or static or dynamic friction coefficient can lead to a low friction force, and slipping will occur but the dissipated energy is low.
  • low normal force and/or static or dynamic friction coefficient may lead to the case that the friction at the outer surface of the second element 712, e.g., between the second element 712 and the formation 708, is higher than the friction between first element 710 and second element 712, thus leading to the situation that the relative velocity between first element 710 and second element 712 is not equal to or close to zero but is in the range of the mean velocity between downhole system 702 and formation 708.
  • the normal force and the static or dynamic friction coefficient and the placement of the damper element with respect to the exited mode and mode shape may be adjusted (e.g., by using the adjusting element 716) to achieve an optimized value for energy dissipation.
  • the normal force F N can be adjusted by positioning the adjusting element 716 and/or by actuators that generate a force on one of the first and second elements with a component perpendicular to the contact surface of first and second element, by adjusting the pressure regime around first and second element, or by increasing or decreasing an area where a pressure is acting on. For example, by increasing the outer pressure that acts on the second element, such as the mud pressure, the normal force F N will be increased as well.
  • Adjusting the pressure of the mud downhole may be achieved by adjusting the mud pumps (e.g., mud pumps 34 shown in FIG. 1) on surface or other equipment on surface or downhole that influences the mud pressure, such as bypasses, valves, desurgers.
  • the normal force can be adjusted to be harmonic with the same frequency as the natural frequency of the excited mode shape and thus have low normal force values for low acceleration of the inertia mass and high normal force values for low accelerations of the inertia mass and therefor allow sliding motion for low acceleration values.
  • the normal force F N may also be adjusted by a biasing element (not shown), such as a spring element, that applies force on the second element 712, e.g. a force in an axial direction away from or toward the first element 710. Adjusting the normal force F N may also be done in a controlled way based on an input received from a sensor.
  • a suitable sensor may provide one or more parameter values to a controller (not shown), the parameter value(s) being related to the relative movement of the first element 710 and the second element 712 or the temperature of one or both of the first element 710 and the second element 712. Based on the parameter value(s), the controller may provide instruction to increase or decrease the normal force F N .
  • the controller may provide instruction to decrease the normal force F N to prevent damage to one or both of the first element 710 and the second element 712 due to high temperatures.
  • the controller may provide instructions to increase or decrease the normal force F N XO ensure optimal energy dissipation.
  • the normal force F N may be controlled to achieve desired results over a time period. For instance, the normal force F N may be controlled to provide optimal energy dissipation while keeping the temperature of one or both of the first element 710 and the second element 712 below a threshold for a drilling run or a portion thereof.
  • the static or dynamic friction coefficient can be adjusted by utilizing different materials, for example, without limitation, material with different stiffness, different roughness, and/or different lubrication. For example, a surface with higher roughness often increases the friction coefficient.
  • the friction coefficient can be adjusted by choosing a material with an appropriate friction coefficient for at least one of the first and the second element or a part of at least one of the first and second element.
  • the material of first and/or second element may also have an effect on the wear of the first and second element. To keep the wear low of the first and second element it is beneficial to choose a material that can withstand the friction that is created between the first and second elements.
  • the inertia, the friction coefficient, and the expected acceleration amplitudes (e.g., as a function of mode shape and eigenfrequency) of the second element 712 are parameters that determine the dissipated energy and also need to be optimized.
  • the critical mode shapes and acceleration amplitudes can be determined from measurements or calculations or based on other known methods as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. Examples are a finite element analysis or the transfer matrix method or finite differences method and based on this a modal analysis or analytical models.
  • the placement of the friction damper is optimal where a high relative displacement or acceleration is expected.
  • FIG. 9A is a schematic plot of a downhole system illustrating a shape of a downhole system as a function of distance-from-bit
  • FIG. 9B illustrates example corresponding mode shapes of torsional oscillations that may be excited during operation of the downhole system of FIG. 9A.
  • the illustrations of FIGS. 9A and 9B demonstrate the potential location and placement of one or more elements of a damping system onto the downhole system 900.
  • the downhole system 900 has various components with different diameters (along with differing masses, densities, configurations, etc.) and thus during rotation of the downhole system 900, different components may cause various modes to be generated.
  • the illustrative modes indicate where the highest amplitudes will exist that may require damping by application of a damping system.
  • FIG. 9B the mode shape 902 of a first torsional oscillation, the mode shape 904 of a second torsional oscillation, and the mode shape 906 of a third torsional oscillation of the downhole system 900 are shown.
  • mode shapes 902, 904, 906 Based on the knowledge of mode shapes 902, 904, 906, the position of the first elements of damping system can be optimized. Where an amplitude of a mode shape 902, 904, 906 is maximum (peaks), damping may be required and/or achieved. Accordingly, illustratively shown are two potential locations for attachment or installation of a damping system of the present disclosure.
  • a first damping location 908 is close to the bit of downhole system 900 and mainly damps the first and third torsional oscillations (corresponding to mode shapes 902, 906) and provides some damping with respect to the second torsional oscillation (corresponding to mode shape 904). That is, the first damping location 908 to be approximately at a peak of the third torsional oscillation (corresponding to mode shape 906), close to peak of the first torsional oscillation mode shape 902, and about half-way to peak with respect to the second torsional oscillation mode shape 904.
  • a second damping location 910 is arranged to again mainly provide damping of the third torsional oscillation mode shape 906 and provide some damping with respect to the first torsional oscillation mode shape 902. However, in the second damping location 910, no damping of the second torsional oscillation mode shape 904 will occur because the second torsional oscillation mode shape 904 is nearly zero at the second damping location 910.
  • FIGS. 9A and 9B Although only two locations are shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B for placement of damping systems of the present disclosure, embodiments are not to be so limited. For example, any number and any placement of damping systems may be installed along a downhole system to provide torsional vibration damping upon the downhole system.
  • An example of a preferred installation location for a damper is where one or more of the expected mode shapes show high amplitudes.
  • first and second elements are not limited to a single body, but can take any number of various configurations to achieve desired damping. That is, multiple body (multi-body) first or second elements (e.g., friction damping devices) with each body having the same or different normal forces, friction coefficients, and moments of inertia can be employed. Such multiple-body element arrangements can be used, for example, if it is uncertain which mode shape and corresponding acceleration is expected at a given position along a downhole system.
  • two or more element bodies that can achieve different relative slipping motion between each other to dissipate energy may be used.
  • the multiple bodies of the first element can be selected and assembled with different static or dynamic friction coefficients, angles between the contact surfaces, and/or may have other mechanisms to influence the amount of friction and/or the transition between sticking and slipping.
  • Several amplitude levels, excited mode shapes, and/or natural frequencies can be damped with such configurations.
  • FIG. 10 a schematic illustration of a damping system 1000 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
  • the damping system 1000 can operate similar to that shown and described above with respect to FIG. 7.
  • the damping system 1000 includes first element 1010 and second elements 1012.
  • the second element 1012 that is mounted to the first element 1010 of a downhole system 1002 is formed from a first body 1018 and a second body 1020.
  • the first body 1018 has a first contact surface 1022 between the first body 1018 and the first element 1010 and the second body 1020 has a second contact surface 1024 between the second body 1020 and the first element 1010.
  • the first body 1018 is separated from the second body 1020 by a gap 1026.
  • the gap 1026 is provided to prevent interaction between the first body 1018 and the second body 1020 such that they can operate (e.g., move) independent of each other or do not directly interact with each other.
  • the first body 1018 has a first static or dynamic friction coefficient mi and a first force F NI that is normal to the first contact surface 1022
  • the second body 1020 has a second static or dynamic friction coefficient m and a second force / ’ ⁇ ? that is normal to the second contact surface 1024.
  • the first body 1018 can have a first moment of inertia Ji and the second body 1020 can have a second moment of inertia J2.
  • the damping system 1000 can be configured to account for multiple different mode shapes at a substantially single location along the downhole system 1002.
  • FIG. 11 a schematic illustration of a damping system 1100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
  • the damping system 1100 can operate similar to that shown and described above.
  • a second element 1112 that is mounted to a first element 1110 of a downhole system 1102 is formed from a first body 1118, a second body 1120, and a third body 1128.
  • the first body 1118 has a first contact surface 1122 between the first body 1118 and the first element 1110
  • the second body 1120 has a second contact surface 1124 between the second body 1120 and the first element 1110
  • the third body 1128 has a third contact surface 1130 between the third body 1128 and the first element 1110.
  • the third body 1128 is located between the first body 1118 and the second body 1020.
  • the three bodies 1118, 1120, 1128 are in contact with each other and thus can have normal forces and static or dynamic friction coefficients therebetween.
  • the contact between the three bodies 1118, 1120, 1128 may be established, maintained, or supported by elastic connection elements such as spring elements between two or more of the bodies 1118, 1120, 1128.
  • the first body 1118 may have a first static or dynamic friction coefficient mi and a first force F NI at the first contact surface 1122
  • the second body 1120 may have a second static or dynamic friction coefficient m 2 and a second force Fm at the second contact surface 1124
  • the third body 1128 may have a third static or dynamic friction coefficient mi and a third force Fm at the third contact surface 1130.
  • first body 1118 and the third body 1128 may have a fourth force fw .; and a fourth static or dynamic friction coefficient m /3 between each other at a contact surface between the first body 1118 and the third body 1128.
  • third body 1128 and the second body 1120 may have a fifth force F N 32 and a fifth static or dynamic friction coefficient mh between each other at a contact surface between the third body 1128 and the second body 1120.
  • first body 1118 can have a first moment of inertia Ji
  • second body 1120 can have a second moment of inertia J2
  • third body 1128 can have a third moment of inertia J3.
  • the static or dynamic friction coefficients and normal forces between adjacent bodies can be selected to achieve different damping effects.
  • damping systems of the present disclosure can take any configuration.
  • the shapes, sizes, geometries, radial placements, contact surfaces, number of bodies, etc. can be selected to achieve a desired damping effect.
  • the first body 1118 and the second body 1120 are coupled to each other by the frictional contact to the third body 1128, such arrangement and description is not to be limiting.
  • the coupling between the first body 1118 and the second body 1120 may also be created by a hydraulic, electric, or mechanical coupling means or mechanism.
  • a mechanical coupling means between the first body 1118 and the second body 1120 may be created by a rigid or elastic connection of first body 1118 and the second body 1120.
  • FIG. 12 a schematic illustration of a damping system 1200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
  • the damping system 1200 can operate similar to that shown and described above.
  • a second element 1212 of the damping system 1200 is partially fixedly attached to or connected to a first element 1210.
  • the second element 1212 has a fixed portion 1232 (or end) and a movable portion 1234 (or end).
  • the fixed portion 1232 is fixed to the first element 1210 along a fixed connection 1236 and the movable portion 1234 is in frictional contact with the first element 1210 across the contact surface 1214 (similar to the first element 1010 in frictional contact with the second element 1012 described with respect to FIG. 10).
  • the movable portion 1234 can have any desired length that may be related to the mode shapes as shown in FIG. 9B. For example, in some embodiments, the movable portion may be longer than a tenth of the distance between the maximum and the minimum of any of the mode shapes that may have been calculated for a particular drilling assembly.
  • the movable portion may be longer than a quarter of the distance between the maximum and the minimum of any of the mode shapes that may have been calculated for a particular drilling assembly. In another example, in some embodiments, the movable portion may be longer than a half of the distance between the maximum and the minimum of any of the mode shapes that may have been calculated for a particular drilling assembly. In another example, in some embodiments, the movable portion may be longer than the distance between the maximum and the minimum of any of the mode shapes that may have been calculated for a particular drilling assembly.
  • the fixed portion can be in a more central part of the first element such that the first element has two movable portions (e.g., at opposite ends of the first element). As can be seen in FIG.
  • the movable portion 1234 of the second element 1212 is rather elongated and may cover a portion of the mode shapes (such as mode shapes 902, 904, 906 in FIG. 9B) that correspond to the length of the movable portion 1234 of the second element 1212.
  • An elongated second element 1212 in frictional contact with the first element 1210 may have advantages compared to shorter second elements because shorter second elements may be located in an undesired portion of the mode shapes such as in a damping location 910 where the second mode shape 904 is small or even zero as explained above with respect to FIG. 9B. Utilizing an elongated second element 1212 may ensure that at least a portion of the second element is at a distance from locations where one or more of the mode shapes are zero or at least close to zero.
  • FIGS. 13-19 and 21-22 show more varieties of elongated second elements in frictional contact with first elements.
  • the elongated second elements may be elastic so that the movable portion 1234 is able move relative to the first element 1210 while the fixed portion 1232 is stationary relative to first element 1210.
  • the second element 1212 may have multiple contact points at multiple locations of the first element 1210.
  • the first elements are temporarily fixed to the second elements due to a friction contact.
  • a threshold e.g., when a force of inertia exceeds the static friction force
  • the first elements (or portions thereof) move relative to the second elements, thus providing the damping.
  • HFTO increase above predetermined thresholds (e.g., thresholds of amplitude, distance, velocity, and/or acceleration) within the downhole systems
  • the damping systems will automatically operate, and thus embodiments provided herein include passive damping systems.
  • embodiments include passive damping systems automatically operating without utilizing additional energy and therefore do not utilize an additional energy source.
  • the damping system 1300 includes one or more elongated first elements 1310a, 1310b, 1310c,
  • each of the first elements 1310a, 1310b, 1310c, 131 Od, 1310e, 13 lOf may have a length in an axial tool direction (e.g., in a direction perpendicular to the cross-section that is shown in FIG. 13) and optionally a fixed point where the respective first elements 1310a, 1310b, 1310c, 131 Od, 1310e, 13 lOf are fixed to the second element 1312.
  • the first elements 1310a, 1310b, 1310c, 13 lOd, 1310e, 13 lOf can be fixed at respective upper ends, middle portions, lower ends, or multiple points of fixation for the different first elements 1310a, 1310b, 1310c, 131 Od, 1310e, 131 Of, or multiple points for a given single first element 1310a, 1310b, 1310c, 131 Od, 1310e, 13 lOf. Further, as shown in FIG.
  • the first elements 1310a, 1310b, 1310c, 13 lOd, 1310e, 1310f canbe optionally biased or engaged to the second element 1312 by a biasing element 1338 (e.g., by a biasing spring element or a biasing actuator applying a force with a component toward the second element 1312).
  • a biasing element 1338 e.g., by a biasing spring element or a biasing actuator applying a force with a component toward the second element 1312.
  • Each of the first elements 1310a, 1310b, 1310c, 13 lOd, 1310e, 13 lOf can be arranged and selected to have the same or different normal forces, static or dynamic friction coefficients, and mass moments of inertia, thus enabling various damping configurations.
  • the first elements may be substantially uniform in material, shape, and/or geometry along a length thereof. In other embodiments, the first elements may vary in shape and geometry along a length thereof.
  • FIG. 14 a schematic illustration of a damping system 1400 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In this embodiment, a first element 1410 is arranged relative to a second element 1412, and the first element 1410 has a tapering and/or spiral arrangement relative to the second element 1412.
  • a portion of the first or second element can change geometry or shape along a length thereof, relative to the second element, and such changes can also occur in a circumferential span about or relative to the second element and/or with respect to a tool body or downhole system.
  • a first element 1510 is a toothed (threaded) body that is fit within a threaded second element 1512.
  • the contact between the teeth (threads) of the first element 1510 and the threads of the second element 1512 can provide the frictional contact between the two elements 1510, 1512 to enable damping as described herein. Due to the slanted surfaces of the first element 1510, the first element 1510 will start to move under both axial and/or torsional vibrations.
  • first element 1510 in an axial or circumferential direction will also create movement in the circumferential or axial direction, respectively, in this configuration. Therefore, with the arrangement shown in FIG. 15, axial vibrations can be utilized to mitigate or damp torsional vibrations as well as torsional vibrations can be utilized to mitigate or damp axial vibrations.
  • the locations where the axial and torsional vibrations occur may be different. For example, while the axial vibrations may be homogeneously distributed along the drilling assembly, the torsional vibrations may follow a mode shape pattern as discussed above with respect FIGS. 9A-9B. Thus, irrespective of where the vibrations occur, the configuration shown in FIG.
  • an optional tightening element 1540 e.g., a bolt
  • an optional tightening element 1540 can be used to adjust the contact pressure or normal force between the two elements 1510, 1512, and thus adjust the frictional force and/or other damping characteristics of the damping system 1500.
  • FIG. 16 a schematic illustration of a damping system 1600 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
  • the damping system 1600 that includes a first element 1610 that is a stiff rod that is at one end fixed within a second element 1612.
  • a rod end 1610a is arranged to frictionally contact a second element stop 1612a to thus provide damping as described in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • the normal force between the rod end 1610a and the second element stop 1612a may be adjustable, for example, by a threaded connection between the rod end 1610a and the first element 1610.
  • the stiffness of the rod could be selected to optimize the damping or influence the mode shape in a beneficial way to provide a larger relative displacement. For example, selecting a rod with a lower stiffness would lead to higher amplitudes of the torsional oscillations of the first element 1610 and a higher energy dissipation.
  • FIG. 17 a schematic illustration of a damping system 1700 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
  • the damping system 1700 that includes a first element 1710 that is frictionally attached or connected to a second element 1712 that is arranged as a stiff rod and that is fixedly connected (e.g., by welding, screwing, brazing, adhesion, etc.) to an outer tubular 1714, such as a drill collar, at a fixed connection 1716.
  • the rod may be a tubular that includes electronic components, power supplies, storage media, batteries, microcontrollers, actuators, sensors, etc. that are prone to wear due to HFTO.
  • the second element 1712 may be a probe, such as a probe to measure directional information, including one or more of a gravimeter, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer.
  • the first element 1710 is arranged to frictionally contact, move, or oscillate relative to and along the fixed rod structure of the second element 1712 to thus provide damping as described in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. While the first element 1710 is shown in FIG. 17 to be relatively small compared to the damping system 1700, it is not meant to be limited in that respect. Thus, the first element can 1710 can be of any size and can have the same outer diameter as the damping system 1700. Further, the location of the first element 1710 may be adjustable in order to move the first element 1710 closer to a mode shape maximum to optimize damping mitigation.
  • FIG. 18 a schematic illustration of a damping system 1800 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
  • the damping system 1800 that includes a first element 1810 that is frictionally movable along a second element 1812.
  • the first element 1810 is arranged with an elastic spring element 1842, such as a helical spring or other element or means, to engage the first element 1810 with the second element 1812, and to thus provide a restoring force when the first element 1810 has moved and is deflected relative to the second element.
  • the restoring force is directed to reduce the deflection of the first element 1810 relative to the second element 1812.
  • the elastic spring element 1842 can be arranged or tuned to resonance and/or to a critical frequency (e.g., lowest critical frequency) of the elastic spring element 1842 or the oscillation system comprising the first element 1810 and the elastic spring element 1842.
  • a critical frequency e.g., lowest critical frequency
  • FIG. 19 a schematic illustration of a damping system 1900 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
  • the damping system 1900 that includes a first element 1910 that is frictionally movable about a second element 1912.
  • the first element 1910 is arranged with a first end 1910a having a first contact (e.g., first end normal force /1 ⁇ 2, first end static or dynamic friction coefficient and first end moment of inertia./,) and a second contact at a second end 1910b (e.g., second end normal force /1 ⁇ 2, second end static or dynamic friction coefficient and second end moment of inertia Ji).
  • first contact e.g., first end normal force /1 ⁇ 2, first end static or dynamic friction coefficient and first end moment of inertia./
  • second contact e.g., second end normal force /1 ⁇ 2, second end static or dynamic friction coefficient and second end moment of inertia Ji.
  • the type of interaction between the respective first end 1910a or second end 1910b and the second element 1912 may have a different physical characteristics.
  • one or both of the first end 1910a and the second end 1910b may have a sticking contact/engagement and one or both may have a sliding contact/engagement.
  • the arrangements/configurations of the first and second ends 1910a, 1910b can be set to provide damping as described in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • embodiments provided herein are directed to systems for mitigating high-frequency torsional oscillations (HFTO) of downhole systems by application of damping systems that are installed on a rotating string (e.g., downhole string or drill string).
  • the first elements of the damping systems are, at least partially, frictionally connected to move circumferentially relative to an axis of the string (e.g., frictionally connected to rotate about the axis of the string).
  • the second elements can be part of a drilling system or bottomhole assembly and does not need to be a separately installed component or weight.
  • the second element is connected to the downhole system in a manner that relative movement between the first element and the second element has a relative velocity of zero or close to zero (i.e., no or slow relative movement) if no HFTO exists.
  • the second element can be a mass or weight that is connected to the downhole system.
  • the second element can be part of the downhole system (e.g., part of a drilling system or BHA) with friction between the first element and the second element, such as the rest of the downhole system providing the functionality described herein.
  • the second elements of the damping systems are selected or configured such that when there is no vibration (i.e., HFTO) in the string, the second element will be frictionally connected to the first element by the static friction force.
  • the second elements when there is vibration (HFTO), the second elements become moving with respect to the first element and the frictional contact between the first and the second element is reduced as described above with respect to FIG. 2, such that the second element can rotate (move) relative to the first element (or vice versa).
  • the first and second elements enable energy dissipation, thus mitigating HFTO.
  • the damping systems, and particularly the first elements thereof, are positioned, weighted, forced, and sized to enable damping at one or more specific or predefined vibration modes/frequencies.
  • the first elements are fixedly connected when no HFTO vibration is present but are then able to move when certain accelerations (e.g., according to HFTO modes) are present, thus enabling damping of HFTO through a zero crossing of a relative velocity (e.g., switching between positive and negative relative rotational velocities).
  • sensors can be used to estimate and/or monitor the efficiency and the dissipated energy of a damper.
  • the measurement of displacement, velocity, and/or acceleration near the contact point or surface of the two interacting bodies can be used to estimate the relative movement and calculate the dissipated energy.
  • the force may also be known without a measurement, for example, when the two interacting bodies are engaged by a biasing element, such as a spring element or an actuator.
  • the dissipated energy could also be derived from temperature measurements.
  • Such measurement values may be transmitted to a controller or human operator which may enable adjustment of parameters such as the normal force and/or the static or dynamic friction coefficient(s) to achieve a higher dissipated energy.
  • measured and/or calculated values of displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, and/or temperature may be sent to a controller, such as a micro controller, that has a set of instructions stored to a storage medium, based on which it adjusts and/or controls at least one of the force that engages the two interacting bodies, and/or the static or dynamic friction coefficients.
  • the adjusting and/or the controlling is done while the drilling process is ongoing to achieve optimum HFTO damping results.
  • Severe vibrations in drill strings and bottomhole assemblies can be caused by cutting forces at the bit or mass imbalances in downhole tools such as drilling motors. Negative effects are among others reduced rate of penetration, reduced quality of measurements and downhole failures.
  • torsional vibrations are mainly differentiated into stick/slip of the whole drilling system and high- frequency torsional oscillations (HFTO). Both are mainly excited by self-excitation mechanisms that occur due to the interaction of the drill bit and the formation.
  • the main differentiator between stick/slip and HFTO is the frequency and the typical mode shape: In case of HFTO the frequency is above 50 Hz compared to below 1 Hz in case of stick/slip.
  • the excited mode shape of stick/slip is the first mode shape of the whole drilling system whereas the mode shape of HFTOs are commonly localized to a small portion of the drilling system and have comparably high amplitudes at the bit.
  • HFTO Due to the high frequency HFTO corresponds to high acceleration and torque values along the BHA and can have damaging effects on electronics and mechanical parts. Based on the theory of self-excitation increased damping can mitigate HFTOs if a certain limit of the damping value is reached (since self-excitation is an instability and can be interpreted as a negative damping of the associated mode).
  • Friction between two parts in the BHA or drill string can dissipate energy and reduce the level of torsional oscillations.
  • the placement of the friction damper should be in the area of high HFTO accelerations, loads, and/or relative movement. Because different modes can be affected a design is preferred that is able to mitigate all HFTO modes (e.g., FIGS. 9A and 9B).
  • a collar with slots 2100 can be employed.
  • a cross-sectional view of the collar with slots 2100 is shown in FIG. 22.
  • the collar with slots 2100 has a high flexibility and will lead to higher deformations if no friction devices 2102 are entered. The higher velocity will cause higher centrifugal forces that will force the friction devices 2102 to be pressed into the slots with optimized normal forces to allow high friction damping. In this configuration, other factors that can be optimized are the number and geometry of slots as well as the geometry of the damping devices. An additional normal force can be applied by spring elements 2104, as shown in FIG. 22, actuators, and/or by centrifugal forces, as discussed above.
  • the advantage of this principle is that the friction devices will be directly mounted into the force flow. A twisting of the collar due to an excited HFTO mode and corresponding mode shape will partly be supported by the friction devices that will move up and down during one period of vibration. The high relative movement along with an optimized friction coefficient and normal force will lead to a high dissipation of energy. [0114] This goal is to prevent an amplitude increase of the HFTO amplitudes (represented by tangential acceleration amplitudes in this case). The (modal) damping that has to be added to every instable torsional mode by the friction damper system needs to be higher than the energy input into the system. The energy input is not happening instantaneously but over many periods until the worst case amplitude is reached (zero RPM at the bit).
  • the damper will have a high benefit and will work for different applications.
  • HFTO causes high costs due to high repair and maintenance efforts, reliability issues with non-productive time and small market share.
  • the proposed friction damper would work below a motor (that decouples HFTO) and also above a motor. It could be mounted in every place of the BHA that would also include a placement above the BHA if the mode shape propagates to this point. The mode shape will propagate through the whole BHA if the mass and stiffness distribution is relatively similar. An optimal placement could for example be determined by a torsional oscillation advisor that allows a calculation of critical HFTO- modes and corresponding mode shapes.
  • one location of a damper may be within the drill bit or located proximate the bit, such as within or on a bit support assembly. That is, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the dampers may be integrated into and part of a bit support assembly. In such embodiments, the distance-to-bit is substantially zero.
  • Bit support assemblies include, without limitation, bit boxes, drive shafts, sleeves associated with the securing and driving/operation of a bit, steering units and/or elements associated with steering a drilling operation, bend mechanisms that are used in a bend motor to steer, elements to engage with a borehole wall, non- or slow-rotating sleeves, etc.
  • the bit support assemblies of the present disclosure may be part of a BHA that includes elements other than a disintegration device, and in some instances may include the disintegration device if such device is integrally formed with a portion of the bit support assembly.
  • a steering unit (also referred to as the steering section or steering assembly) is employed and configured for drilling directional boreholes.
  • This directional drilling may be referred to in the art as geosteering.
  • the steering unit in one non-limiting example, includes a number of expandable members (e.g., force application members) located on a non-rotating sleeve (e.g., tool sleeve) that are configured to apply selected or predetermined forces on a borehole wall for drilling directional of boreholes.
  • the non-rotating sleeve While applying forces on the borehole wall, the non-rotating sleeve remains geostationary or rotates only slowly relative to the borehole wall, while the drive shaft, which runs through the non-rotating sleeve, rotates with the rotational speed of the disintegration device (e.g., bit RPM).
  • the expandable members may be operated by an actuation mechanism (e.g., hydraulic, electrical, or electromechanical actuation mechanism).
  • a damper may be formed of a mass or inertia that is only coupled through a damping force or damping torque to the bit support assembly.
  • the damping force could, for example, and without limitation, be generated by viscous damping, friction damping, hydraulic damping, magnetic damping (e.g., eddy current damping), piezoelectric (shunt) damping, etc.
  • the damper may be combined with a spring that would enable a tuned mass damper or a tuned friction damper. In these cases the eigenfrequency of the damper would be tuned to the eigenfrequency of the mode that shall be damped.
  • the bit box or bit is one location for the inertia damper that may be beneficial because the critical modes typically have the largest amplitude at the bit (e.g., as shown in FIG. 9B).
  • One example critical mode is at 248 Hz, having the largest amplitude at the bit, although various other modes/frequencies may be critical based on a specific configuration and operation downhole. That is, the critical mode(s) may be dependent on various considerations, and the 248 Hz mode is described merely as an example for purposes of explanation. It is important to note that the excitability theoretically also increases quadratically with the amplitude of the mode shape at the bit. Further, the amount of damping needed to mitigate vibrations may also increase quadratically with the mode shape amplitude at the bit.
  • a friction damper may be a closed-ring with any shape that is connected to a bit support assembly and is configured to torsionally rotate.
  • the damper may be a linear mass that is connected in a tangential direction at or in a bit support assembly and configured to effectively lead to a rotational force.
  • dampers may be installed and configured about or in a bit support assembly (i.e., proximate the end of a drill string).
  • the damper may be formed from two forcedly connected parts of the bit support assembly that are connected to different axial positions of the bit support assembly (e.g., proximate a bit connection and proximate a connection to drive shaft).
  • the connection at different axial positions results in a relative movement between the two forcedly connected parts.
  • An example of such configuration may include, for example, a threaded connection with relative contact surfaces.
  • the bit support assembly 2300 includes a bit box 2302 that is configured to receive a bit within a bit cavity 2304.
  • the bit cavity 2304 is configured (e.g., shaped, sized, etc.) to receive a drill bit or other disintegration device therein.
  • the bit box 2302 is configured to retain and, in some configurations, drive operation of a bit installed within the bit cavity 2304, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art.
  • the bit, or other disintegration device may be configured to cut material of a formation (e.g., rock) during a drilling operation.
  • the bit box 2302 is mounted within the bit support assembly 2300 to a drive shaft 2306.
  • the drive shaft 2306 may be rotated to drive operation (e.g., rotation) of the bit that is mounted to/in the bit cavity 2304.
  • a drilling torque is transmitted from the drive shaft 2306 to the bit box 2304 by a torque-sleeve 2308 and a cover-sleeve 2310.
  • a threaded connection 2312 creates an axial pretension between the drive shaft 2306 and the bit box 2302.
  • a torque is transmitted through friction between the various components of the bit support assembly 2300, which can depend upon axial surface pressure, coefficients of friction, and radius of contact surfaces relative to a tool axis A x.
  • a first shoulder surface 2314 of the torque-sleeve 2308, which contacts the drive shaft 2306, may be coated with a friction increasing-layer (e.g., diamond material) which enables an increase of torque transmission by a multiplying factor, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art.
  • a second shoulder surface 2316 providing contact between the drive shaft 2306 and the bit box 2302 can be configured to increase a make-up torque (MUT)-capability. Due to the coating at the first shoulder surface 2314, the torque-sleeve 2308 is not expected to observe relative movement relative to, for example, the drive shaft 2306.
  • the cover-sleeve 2310 has a larger radius than the torque-sleeve 2308, i.e., relative to the tool axis A x , and the transmissible torque at the first shoulder surface 2314 is greater than at the second shoulder surface 2316.
  • bit box or so called lower-drive-shaft is a double shoulder thread, as illustratively shown in FIG. 23.
  • the bit box, the torque-sleeve, and/or the bit may be pieced together as a single part/component.
  • relative motion occurs in both shoulders (e.g., first and second shoulder surfaces 2314, 2316 shown in FIG. 23) while making up the connection. Therefore it is not possible to apply a friction increasing coating on the first shoulder surface, as described above. As such, this results in a significantly decreased transmissible torque due to the decreased coefficient of friction and a smaller effecting radius.
  • the drive shaft 2306 and torque-sleeve 2308 may be housed within a tool sleeve 2318.
  • the tool sleeve 2318 may be a non-rotating sleeve or a slow-rotating sleeve, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art.
  • the tool sleeve 2318 may be configured to engage with or connect to a BHA or other downhole assembly and/or tool string.
  • the bit support assembly 2300 includes a damper element 2320, illustratively shown as a rotation inertia.
  • the damper element 2320 in this embodiment, is rotatory decoupled by various bearings 2322 (e.g., radial, such as needle bearings or PDC bearings, and/or axial bearings).
  • the damper element 2320 is configured to be free and may rotate on the bit support assembly 2300 (e.g., relative to the bit box 2302 and/or torque-sleeve 2308).
  • the damper element 2320 may be maximized by a high-density material and a geometry with specific characteristics.
  • the volume of the damper element 2320 may be selected and/or optimized in a sense that the mass of the damper element 2320 has a specific or determined radial distance from the tool axis A x.
  • the bearings 2322 (and the frictional contact) may be arranged radially closer to the tool axis A x than the damper element 2320 to leave space and an optimization of the cover-sleeve 2310 and damper element 2320.
  • Such space enables ensuring that aspects of the damping system can withstand the expected loads during operation and enables selection of geometry and material of the damper element 2320 to maximize the rotational inertia and achieve a desired damping.
  • an axial spring 2324 may be arranged to apply an axial force to the damper element 2320.
  • the axial spring 2324 is arranged to transmit axial force through a bearing 2322 (e.g., an axial bearing) and to the damper element 2320 to a friction surface 2326 between the damper element 2320 and the bit box 2302.
  • the friction surface 2326 can be, in some embodiments, substituted by any other kind of damping force mechanism.
  • the axial contact pressure and the existing coefficient of friction at the friction surface 2326 creates a frictional coupling between the damper element 2320 and the bit box 2302.
  • the spring stiffness of the axial spring 2324 and the friction coefficient at the friction surface 2326 may be selected to achieve a maximum of the damping with respect to the amplitude that does not compromise a tool life of the bit support assembly 2300 and/or a bit installed thereto.
  • the damper element 2320 is encapsulated by the cover- sleeve 2310.
  • the cover-sleeve 2310 is selected to withstand the outer hydrostatic pressure, which may be based on a wall thickness and may consider an outer diameter of the damper element 2320.
  • the damper element 2320 (illustratively shown as a physical component) may be configured in the form of a viscous damper.
  • the installation location of the damper element 2320 may be filled with a fluid and a pressure compensation may give room for increasing the outer diameter of the damper element by achieving design space in the dimension of the cover sleeve and other parts.
  • the fluid may be an incompressible fluid.
  • the cover-sleeve 2310 may be omitted.
  • a maximum outer diameter of the damper element can be obtained, and in some such embodiment mud- resistant damper elements would be required due to exposure to the external environment of the borehole.
  • the inertial mass or damper element in this context, could be adjusted to cover parts of the bending load that are required to be transferred.
  • a mud exposed system could also include a cover sleeve that is partially slotted to cover the bending on the one hand but also leave more design space of the inertia mass/damper element that could partially fill the slots between the cover sleeves.
  • a purely rotational damper may installed within the bit support assembly and such configuration would benefit from the high mode shape amplitude at or proximate the bit.
  • Some such installations may cause a smaller radial location of the damper elements, i.e., closer to the tool axis A x.
  • the smaller radius of the damper element may limit the damping effect, but such limitation may be compensated by the fact that a higher mass could be placed at the bit support assembly.
  • the selection of the mass and radial position relative to the tool axis A x may be determined based on a desired vibration or mode to be damped and based on the energy input, expected excitation that could be described by a negative damping (e.g., as shown in FIG. 20).
  • Incorporating the damper/damper element in the bit support assembly may impose limits upon the axial length of the damper/damper element. However, as the damping is high due to the high amplitude of the mode shape at or close to the bit, the damper/damper element may be relatively short and still achieve a sufficient damping effect.
  • the damper at the bit support assembly may be smaller than 30 cm, or 40 cm, or 50 cm, or 100 cm, or 150 cm.
  • damper element that may be installed within or at a bit support assembly, in accordance with the present disclosure, is a linear viscous damper.
  • a damper element would include a mass and a force element that transmits the force from the bit support assembly to the mass/inertia.
  • Such damper element would have a force element that points, is arranged, or is orientated into a tangential direction to damp HFTO.
  • the force element could be a linear viscous or friction damping element, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.
  • the damper element 2320 may be a single or multiple elements/structures.
  • the damper element 2320 may be an inertia ring or other ring-type structure that may be a closed or an interrupted ring, e.g., half shells.
  • two half shells (or other partial shells) may be employed when a full ring is not enabled due to a bit or bit support assembly design or configuration.
  • the half shells may be assembled around a radial friction contact or a radial bearing (e.g., some of bearings 2322) which may be arranged relative to and similar in position and shape as the inner diameter of the damper element 2320.
  • the bearing(s) can also be separated to allow mounting of the bearings 2322 and/or the damper element 2320.
  • a normal force may be applied through the half shells and controlled by the elasticity of the half shells and the normal/connection force that is applied.
  • radial wave spring shells could also be used to apply radial friction forces between, for example, half shells of a damper element and the radial friction.
  • damper element(s) e.g., inertia ring
  • the density of the material selected for the damper element may be selected to be as high as possible, with the radius of the mass distribution being on a large radius with respect to the axial axis of the drilling system or bit support assembly.
  • the inertia or inertia half shells
  • additional masses inertia
  • a limit stop may optionally be provided to prevent a ring-configuration damper element from moving freely or continuously (e.g., more than 10° rotation).
  • the normal forces between the damper element and the bit box or other part of the bit support assembly can be applied radially or axially through springs or other mechanisms. Radial friction forces could be achieved by springs or by an elastic design of the ring-style damper element. In some such embodiments, a double half-shell damper element may be pre stressed to achieve a desired friction force.
  • An axial normal force can be achieved by springs, with the weight of the mass/inertia in a vertical borehole and the springs could be built by shells etc.
  • the material of the bit support assembly could be steel body or matrix (e.g., composites).
  • An axial bearing could be used to decouple a potential normal force spring stack or another normal-force application element from the rotational movement of the inertia mass.
  • tangential damper elements may be employed within a bit box or other part of a bit support assembly.
  • the dampers for tangential damping could be mounted into a position of high radius with respect to the axial axis of the drilling system (e.g., radially relative to the tool axis A x ).
  • the dampers that are mounted free to move in the tangential direction (direction of tangential acceleration) (steel) tubes that are screwed into the bit support assembly could be used.
  • tangential dampers could be assembled into the tubes, incorporating a mechanism to apply normal forces between the inertia mass (i.e., damper element) and the support assembly (e.g., bit box) - preferably orthogonal to the tangential direction.
  • tangential damper elements may be installed into or part of a respective housing that can be fixed to the bit box or other part of the bit support assembly, e.g., through threaded connections.
  • the housings can be of any geometry that can be mounted to various locations of the bit support assembly.
  • a damper element or assembly that consists, in some configurations, of a rotational inertia damper element that may be only coupled to the drilling system through a damping force or torque to the upper part of a drive shaft.
  • the damping force could, for example, be generated by viscous damping, friction damping, piezoelectric or magnetic damping, e.g., of eddy current type, etc. as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art and in view of the teachings herein.
  • the damper element may be combined with a spring that may enable a tuned mass damper or a tuned friction damper.
  • the eigenfrequency of the damper and the adjusted force elements that provide stiffness (e.g., a spring) and damping may be tuned to the eigenfrequency of the mode that shall be damped.
  • the bit is connected to a support assembly (e.g., bit box) having a damper element as described above.
  • a support assembly e.g., bit box
  • a different thread connection between a lower drive shaft and the bit support assembly may be employed that allows for the optional incorporation of a friction ring inertia damper.
  • the damper element may be protected by a cover sleeve that is frictionally connected at the upper and the lower end.
  • the cover sleeve does not necessarily provide damping because the normal forces ideally prevent sliding motion between the contact surfaces between the cover sleeve and the other components of the bit support assembly (e.g., bit box and tool sleeve).
  • the friction forces are controlled by the friction coefficient and the normal force that is caused by the threaded connection between the lower drive shaft and the bit support assembly.
  • the damper element e.g., inertia damper
  • the damper element is able to freely rotate with respect to the drilling system, the bit support assembly, or other structures.
  • mass of the damper element may be provided by a non-magnetic material to prevent interaction and/or interference with measurements from a magnetometer that can be placed proximate the bit and/or bit support assembly.
  • the material of the damper element can be selected to minimize or prevent negative effects on formation evaluation measurements or other downhole measurement or operations.
  • the damper element may be supported by a radial bearing that is frictionless or substantially frictionless.
  • the damper element e.g., inertia ring
  • the damper element is configured to interact with the drilling system through the friction surfaces, such as at a contact or other surface between the damper element and the bit support assembly (e.g., friction surface 2326 shown in FIG. 23).
  • the various friction surfaces are axially aligned.
  • the normal force in the friction surface is applied by an axial spring (e.g., axial spring 2324 shown in FIG. 23).
  • the friction coefficient is based on the material properties of the frictionally interacting surfaces.
  • the axial spring can be rotationally decoupled from the inertia by an axial bearing.
  • damper elements 2400, 2500 are configured for installation within a bit support assembly, as described above.
  • Each damper element 2400, 2500 includes a respective housing 2402, 2502 for housing and containing the components of the respective damper elements 2400, 2500.
  • a first damper element 2400 has a substantially rectangular geometry (with curved comers) and a second damper element 2500 has a substantially circular geometry.
  • the housings 2402, 2502 are configured to installation into bit support assemblies (e.g., as shown in FIG. 23).
  • the damper elements 2400, 2500 each include a mass element 2404, 2504 movably mounted within the housings 2402, 2502.
  • the mass element 2404, 2504 is arranged between a mounting element 2406, 2506 and a contact element 2408, 2508.
  • the mounting elements 2406, 2506 are configured to apply a force upon the respective mass element 2404, 2504 toward the contact elements 2408, 2508. As such, a frictional contact may be achieved between the respective mass element 2404, 2504 and the contact elements 2408, 2508.
  • the mass elements 2404, 2504 may be arranged with one or more limit stops 2410, 2510 within the respective housings 2402, 2502.
  • the limit stops 2410, 2510 may include optional stiffness or hydraulic elements for damping of the movement of the mass elements 2404, 2504,
  • the limit stops 2410, 2510 may prevent the mass elements 2404, 2504 from being stuck in one edge of the housing 2402, 2502.
  • the limit stops 2410, 2510 can be configured with springs or other elements to avoid damage to the mass elements 2404, 2504 and to urge the mass elements 2404, 2504 toward a middle or rest position relative to the housing.
  • it may be beneficial to optimize a spring stiffness and/or gap in the housing 2402, 2502 to allow the mass elements 2404, 2504 to move within the housing 2402, 2502.
  • the damper elements 2400, 2500 may be arranged as inserts (e.g., the housing 2402, 2502 is configured for installation).
  • 2500 may be installed such that the mass elements 2404, 2504 are placed at a position of high radius with respect to an axis (e.g., the axial axis) of a drilling system, to increase the rotational inertia with respect to this axis that increase the damping.
  • an axis e.g., the axial axis
  • the mounting element 2406, 2506 are configured to apply a normal force upon the mass elements 2404, 2504.
  • the mounting element 2406, 2506 may be arranged as spring shells to urge the mass elements 2404, 2504 into contact with the contact element 2408, 2508.
  • the mounting elements 2406, 2506 and/or the contact elements 2408, 2508 can be configured to control a tangential movement of the mass elements 2404, 2504 to enable damping of HFTO.
  • the mounting elements 2406, 2506 urge the mass elements 2404, 2504 into contact with the contact element 2408, 2508 to generate a friction force.
  • the friction force is applied, for example, through a material that is beneficial with respect to the friction coefficient and the expected wear that should be as low as possible.
  • damping into a bit support assembly may be achieved.
  • the damping may be applied by any axial, tangential, and/or radial force or corresponding torque that is able to dissipate energy.
  • damping forces in an axial direction is also able to dissipate energy from the torsional direction.
  • contacting surfaces applied with a friction coefficient and normal force may be optimized and/or selected for damping one or more critical modes.
  • beneficial materials or designs may be employed to prevent wear (e.g., copper or polycrystalline diamond cutters). Multiple contacts with different properties could be used to tune the system to a beneficial friction coefficient or characteristic.
  • the damper element is configured to move relative to the bit support assembly (e.g., bit box) with a velocity that is a sum of a periodic velocity fluctuation having an amplitude and a mean velocity, wherein the mean velocity is lower than the amplitude of the periodic velocity fluctuation.
  • FIG. 2 describes a typical force characteristic for frictional contacts.
  • the force characteristic has a velocity weakening effect for relative velocities that are not close to zero.
  • a harmonic or periodic relative movement between two elements would lead to an energy input into the system.
  • a damping in this case is only effective with a relative movement of the interacting surfaces close to zero (e.g., point 204 in FIG. 2).
  • An alternative (or in combination with a friction damper) may be a viscous damper.
  • FIG. 26 a plot 2600 of different characteristics of torque (7)/force (F) of viscous fluids with respect to the relative displacement (e, x) (e.g., relative movement/velocity) between two parts that are connected by a kind of connecting force are illustratively shown.
  • curve 2602 represents the properties of a Newtonian fluid
  • curve 2604 represents the properties of a shear-thinning non-Newtownian fluid
  • curve 2606 represents the properties of a shear-thickening non-Newtownian fluid.
  • the plot 2600 is illustrative of fluids, such principles may apply to other types of dampers, such as contactless damping (e.g., eddy current damping).
  • curve 2602 includes points 1, 2, 3, curve 2604 includes points 4, 5, 6, and curve 2606 includes points 7, 8, 9.
  • the points 1-9 represent difference relationships of torque T or force F with respect to relative displacement (e,x).
  • the slope of the curves 2602, 2604, 2606 e.g., at points 1-9, is positive and a relative movement (including a mean velocity e, x at that point and a fluctuation of the relative displacement, velocity, or acceleration with respect to forcedly connected parts that is caused by a periodic superimposed oscillation, e.g., caused by HFTO) with respect to these points would provide damping to the system.
  • a relative movement could, for example, occur between one part that is connected to the borehole wall, e.g., by sticking friction in the tangential direction, as existing with a non-rotating sleeve of a steering unit.
  • the damping that is needed is linearly dependent on the slope of the different torque-versus-relative displacement curves that can be named as a viscous damping coefficient d ( di-d9 ) in FIG. 26 and quadratically increasing with a mass normalized mode shape amplitude, e.g., as shown in FIG. 9B.
  • the static dissipated energy from the constant relative movement is also linearly increasing with the viscous damping coefficient d. Because the mode shape amplitude is very localized and is very high at the bit and therefore the relative movement between two forcedly connected surfaces as described above is high, the static energy dissipation is also high and the damping is effective.
  • the length of the damper may be relatively short (e.g., axially).
  • the breaking force of a relatively short damper is smaller than the breaking force of a relatively longer damper. Therefore, the trade-off between the damping that is dynamically provided, to mitigate HFTO, and the (not wanted) static energy dissipation is particularly good near to the bit or a bit support assembly.
  • FIG. 27 a bit support assembly 2700 having a damper element 2701 in the form of a viscous or eddy current damper is shown.
  • the bit support assembly 2700 may be similar to that shown and described above, having a bit box 2702 attached to a drive shaft 2706, with the bit box 2702 configured with a bit cavity 2704 to receive a bit or other disintegration device.
  • the drive shaft 2706 and a torque-sleeve 2708 may be housed within a tool sleeve 2718.
  • the tool sleeve 2718 may be a non-rotating sleeve or a slow-rotating sleeve, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art.
  • the tool sleeve 2718 may be configured to engage with or connect to a BHA or other downhole assembly and/or tool string, such as a steering unit.
  • the tool sleeve 2718 may engage with a borehole wall 2750 using a force application member 2752, such as a rib or multiple ribs, extension devices, etc. as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art.
  • a tool sleeve may include, for example, three force application members.
  • the assembly could also incorporate a type of non-rotating stabilizer, as known in the art.
  • the torque-sleeve 2708 and the drive shaft 2706 will rotate to drive the bit box 2702 and thus a bit or disintegration device installed therein.
  • the tool sleeve 2718 may be forcedly connected to the borehole wall 2750 with the force application member 2752.
  • the force application member 2752 may be a steering device that applies forces to change a direction of a drilling operation.
  • the tool sleeve 2718 has a mean rotary speed of nearly zero.
  • the force application member 2752 is decoupled from the dynamic content of HFTO that is excited by the disintegration device because bearings or any other decoupling device(s) is used between the torque-sleeve 2708 and the tool sleeve 2718.
  • the torque-sleeve 2708 is subject to loads from HFTO that is harmonic or periodic displacement, velocity, or acceleration and dynamic torsional torque. Therefore, a dynamic relative movement through HFTO is superimposed to the mean relative movement between the torque-sleeve 2708 and the tool sleeve 2718. This dynamic relative movement can be used to dampen HFTO within the bit support assembly 2700.
  • the damping force is provided by the damper element 2701 and may be adjusted circumferentially or just on specific parts of the diameter and forcedly connects to the torque-sleeve 2708 and the tool sleeve 2718 by a damping force device with a characteristic that is similar to that described with respect to FIG. 26. Namely, in the operating points 1-9 in FIG.
  • a positive slope is needed with respect to the relative velocity (x-axis) and the transmitted force or torque.
  • This behavior is not limited to hydraulic damping but could be achieved by any other damping forces or combination of damping forces as described herein.
  • the damper element 2701 may be a viscous or hydraulic damper, but is not so limited.
  • an eddy current damper may be employed that has a purely linear slope between torque and relative velocity similar to Newtonian fluids (curve 2602 shown in FIG. 26).
  • two parts that are forcedly connected with or without a mean relative velocity close to zero or non-zero can be used to dampen the system if the relative movement has a dynamic content from the oscillations connected to HFTO.
  • one of the two forcedly connected parts has zero dynamic content because it is as an approximation decoupled from the dynamic movement of the bit support assembly, driveshaft, or similar parts that transmit the torque.
  • Some energy from the oscillations can be transferred to the tool sleeve 2718 through the damping force at the damper element 2701. Therefore, it may be beneficial to design a tool sleeve 2718 or other component/part (e.g., tool string, downhole string, drilling system, BHA, etc.) that will not excessively vibrate by this mechanisms, e.g., by having a natural frequency different or a first natural frequency that is higher compared to an HFTO natural frequency of the bottomhole assembly or drilling system.
  • component/part e.g., tool string, downhole string, drilling system, BHA, etc.
  • one form of damping that may be employed in embodiments of the present disclosure is hydraulic damping.
  • Such hydraulic damping may be implemented through a system, whether in the bit box, or arranged about or in other locations of a bit support assembly.
  • a viscous fluid e.g., viscous fluid in chambers
  • the (shear) stresses in the fluid between the inertia ring/mass and the bit support assembly may be selected to achieve a (damping) force that is tangential to the tangential acceleration and associated harmonic movement to dampen HFTO.
  • the fluid provides a damping force between the inertia ring and the bit support assembly (e.g., bit box).
  • the ring may require a closed housing and, potentially, a well-defined geometry of the gaps between the ring and the housing that could also be achieved by the cover sleeve.
  • the viscous damping forces are sensitive to parameter changes of the gaps and the viscous fluid. Therefore, a temperature insensitive fluid may be preferred. Fluids with different shear stresses as a function of the shear rate can be used to achieve a beneficial behavior.
  • Some such example fluids include, without limitation, Newtonian fluids, non-Newtonian fluid (e.g., dilatant, shear-thickening fluids, shear-thinning fluids, etc.), pseudoplastic, Bingham plastic, Bingham pseudoplastic fluids, etc.
  • Newtonian fluids e.g., dilatant, shear-thickening fluids, shear-thinning fluids, etc.
  • pseudoplastic e.g., Bingham plastic, Bingham pseudoplastic fluids, etc.
  • magnetic damping can be employed. Magnetic damping may be achieved by a permanent magnet (e.g., mounted on an inertial ring or mass element) that is allowed to move relative to a coil and can be used to dampen HFTO.
  • the dampening force characteristic is similar to hydraulic (e.g., eddy current) or friction (Hysteresis) forces. In some such configurations, the force would act in the direction of the tangential acceleration or any other direction that is able to lead to damping in the torsional direction or the direction that should be dampened.
  • piezoelectric damping principles may be employed to prevent HFTO at the bit.
  • a piezoelectric material that is connected to an inertia ring or to a tangential mass on one side and to the bit support assembly on the other side can be used.
  • the electrodes of the piezoelectric material can be connected to a circuit incorporating coils, resistors, and capacitances or semi-active or active electronic components.
  • a combination of the electrical components can be used to achieve beneficial damping characteristics between the inertia ring and the bit support assembly.
  • a circuit could be adjusted to a natural frequency of the system to work as a tuned mass damper (i.e., for one or more desired modes).
  • a resistor could be arranged to directly dissipate energy if the piezoelectric stack is deformed by the relative force between a mass element and the bit support assembly. Additionally, the stiffness of the piezoelectric material and the inertia ring mass could be tuned to a specific frequency as well.
  • the electrodes of the piezoelectric material can be arranged to dampen torsional vibrations. The direction of the dampening forces can be different from the direction of the electrodes using the beneficial transformation effect from mechanical force-to-electrical signal that is suggested by the design of the piezoelectric actor.
  • piezoelectric coefficients are D33 (electrodes in a direction of the force), D31 (orthogonal to a direction of the force), and D15 (shear stresses).
  • the piezoelectric material can be placed to optimize or control the coupling between the mechanical and the electrical system for a specific mode or multiple mode shapes that are critical to HFTO. Further, various different materials that transfer mechanical force or stress or related loads into electrical signals can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
  • the internal damping and the resulting forces of materials can be used to reduce HFTO. That is, material damping can be achieved passively through the damping properties of high damping materials.
  • Some such materials may include, without limitation, polymers, elastomers, rubber, etc. as well as the damping effect of multifunctional materials such as shape memory alloys.
  • the material properties of some materials, such as shape memory alloys, can be actively influenced or controlled to achieve greater damping effects.
  • damping configurations are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
  • negative capacitances and semi-active components using switching techniques may be employed.
  • Additional damping techniques and components may be used, and the above described embodiments and variations are provided for illustrative and explanatory purposes and are not intended to be limiting. All of the damping principles described herein can be adjusted to work as a tuned mass damper by adding mechanical springs adjusted to a specific frequency and by adding damping of any type. Further, one or more of the damping principles described herein (or other methods/mechanisms) can be combined in a multi-principle configuration.
  • ring- type inertia dampers can be combined with tangential mass inertia dampers installed within or attached to blades of a disintegration device.
  • magnetic, hydraulic, friction, piezoelectric, and material damping forces and principles could be combined to achieve a robust damping effect, such as, for example, with respect to temperature.
  • one or more damper elements may be integrated into a bit box or other part of a bit support assembly.
  • a ring-type damper may be positioned in or about the bit support assembly, as shown and described.
  • a damper inertia ring could be lubricated by mud or covered by a sleeve design.
  • a closed or uninterrupted ring may be employed.
  • partial arcs may be assembled about a bit support assembly (e.g., could be mounted if ring cannot be assembled otherwise).
  • two half-ring arcs may be employed.
  • more than two ring arcs may be used to form a complete hoop (circumferential) structure or less than a complete hoop (circumferential) structure, depending on the specific configuration that is implemented.
  • a broken-ring structure may be employed, where discrete masses are arranged about a portion of a bit support assembly.
  • a full ring-structure may be arranged about the bit support assembly, but specific additional mass elements or features of the ring may be located relative to specific parts of a bit that is mounted to the bit support assembly (e.g., blades of a bit mounted in a bit box).
  • One such example may have a relatively thick ring at a location relative to blades of a bit installed into a bit box and lower thickness to allow a flow of cuttings to pass along the bit support assembly.
  • limit stop may be provided for a ring-type damper element and may prevent the ring to move freely about the circumference of a bit support assembly.
  • Such limit stop may be provided in embodiments where the mass or higher mass is located behind or adjacent specific blades or other cutting elements of a bit mounted to the bit box. In such cases, the limit stop may ensure that the mass or increased mass remains in position relative to the cutting elements.
  • friction-type damper elements of the present disclosure may employ radial and/or axial friction forces.
  • Radial friction forces could be achieved by springs or by an elastic design of an inertia ring that has two half-shells and is pre-stressed.
  • An axial normal force can be achieved by springs, a weight of mass/inertia in a vertical hole, and/or springs could be built by shells etc.
  • the material of the bit support assembly may be steel or matrix composite or other suitable material.
  • a bearing may be used in a radial direction to guarantee the movement of the inertial ring.
  • a bearing may be provided to ensure circumferential and/or tangential movement of a damper element.
  • An axial bearing may be used to decouple a potential normal force spring stack from rotational movement.
  • tangential damper elements may be implemented in or on other parts of a bit support assembly.
  • the tangential damper elements may be installed within housings that are screwed into the bit support assembly (e.g., into a bit box).
  • one or more limit stops may be provided to prevent the tangential dampers from sticking or wedging into an edge or corner of the housing. Contact between the limit stop and a mass of the tangential damper may be achieved using springs or other biasing elements or structures.
  • the spring stiffness or a gap in the housing may be selected to allow the mass of the tangential damper to move within the housing, and thus enable damping of vibrations, as described above.
  • Adjustment elements that change the properties of the contact between the contacting elements in the bit support assembly may also be employed.
  • the normal force may be adjusted in a frictional contact.
  • the gap between the two interacting surfaces that provide damping through relative movement can be increased or decreased to change the properties of the damping.
  • the amount of damping is dependent upon the size of the gap, e.g., at the damper element 2701 shown in FIG. 27.
  • Adjustment is possible for all parameters that influence damping, and is not limited to temperature, geometry, and/or electric field. Further, the efficiency of the damping device could be measured by load and acceleration or other vibration measurement sensing devices and provided to a feedback loop to enable further adjustment of the damping parameters as needed.
  • embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to locating a damping system, such as a ring-type damper or tangential damper, at or in a bit support assembly of a downhole system.
  • a damping system such as a ring-type damper or tangential damper
  • Embodiment 1 A system for damping torsional oscillations of downhole systems, the system comprising: a downhole string; a bit support assembly configured to support and receive a disintegration device, wherein the disintegration device is disposed on an end of the downhole string and mounted to the bit support assembly; and a damping system configured at least one of on and in the bit support assembly, the damping system comprising at least one damper element arranged in contact with a portion of the bit support assembly.
  • Embodiment 2 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the damper element is configured to move at least partially relative to the bit support assembly with a velocity that is a sum of a periodic velocity fluctuation having an amplitude and a mean velocity.
  • Embodiment 3 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the disintegration device is a bit that engages with a bit box of the bit support assembly.
  • Embodiment 4 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the bit support assembly comprises: a drive shaft; and a torque-sleeve, wherein the bit box is rotatably engaged with the drive shaft and the torque-sleeve is arranged in operable contact with the drive shaft.
  • Embodiment 5 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the bit box is threadedly connected to the drive shaft.
  • Embodiment 6 The system of any preceding embodiment, further comprising a tool sleeve arranged external to the torque-sleeve, wherein the at least one damper element is arranged between the torque-sleeve and the tool sleeve.
  • Embodiment 7 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the at least one damper element is mounted to the bit support assembly.
  • Embodiment 8 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the at least one damper element is a ring-type structure circumferentially arranged about the bit support assembly.
  • Embodiment 9 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the ring- type structure comprises two half shells arranged about the bit support assembly.
  • Embodiment 10 The system of any preceding embodiment, further comprising a cover sleeve arranged external to the at least one damper element such that the at least one damper element is positioned between the cover sleeve and the bit support assembly.
  • Embodiment 11 The system of any preceding embodiment, further comprising at least one bearing arranged to rotationally decouple movement of at least a part of the at least one damper element from movement of the bit support assembly.
  • Embodiment 12 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the at least one bearing comprises at least one of a radial bearing and an axial bearing.
  • Embodiment 13 The system of any preceding embodiment, further comprising an axial spring configured to urge at least a part of the at least one damper element into frictional engagement with the bit support assembly.
  • Embodiment 14 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the at least one damper element is a tangential damper element.
  • Embodiment 15 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the bit support assembly comprises a steering unit.
  • Embodiment 16 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the at least one damper element further comprises a limit stop arranged to prevent at least a part of the at least one damper element from rotating about the bit support assembly.
  • Embodiment 17 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the damping system is arranged to provide at least one of viscous damping, friction damping, hydraulic damping, piezoelectric damping, eddy current damping, and magnetic damping at the bit support assembly.
  • Embodiment 18 The system of any preceding embodiment, wherein the downhole string is a drill string, wherein the bit support assembly is mounted to an end of the drill string.
  • Embodiment 19 A method of damping torsional oscillations of a downhole system in a borehole, the method comprising: installing a damping system at least one of on and in a bit support assembly located on a downhole string of the downhole system, the bit support assembly having a disintegration device attached thereto, the damping system comprising: at least one damper element arranged in contact with a portion of the bit support assembly, wherein at least a part the damper element moves relative to the bit support assembly with a velocity that is a sum of a periodic velocity fluctuation having an amplitude and a mean velocity.
  • Embodiment 20 The method of any preceding embodiment, wherein the at least one damper element comprises a ring-type structure installed about the bit support assembly.
  • various analysis components may be used including a digital and/or an analog system.
  • controllers, computer processing systems, and/or geo-steering systems as provided herein and/or used with embodiments described herein may include digital and/or analog systems.
  • the systems may have components such as processors, storage media, memory, inputs, outputs, communications links (e.g., wired, wireless, optical, or other), user interfaces, software programs, signal processors (e.g., digital or analog) and other such components (e.g., such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, and others) to provide for operation and analyses of the apparatus and methods disclosed herein in any of several manners well-appreciated in the art.
  • teachings may be, but need not be, implemented in conjunction with a set of computer executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, including memory (e.g., ROMs, RAMs), optical (e.g., CD-ROMs), or magnetic (e.g., disks, hard drives), or any other type that when executed causes a computer to implement the methods and/or processes described herein.
  • ROMs read-only memory
  • RAMs random access memory
  • optical e.g., CD-ROMs
  • magnetic e.g., disks, hard drives
  • Processed data such as a result of an implemented method, may be transmitted as a signal via a processor output interface to a signal receiving device.
  • the signal receiving device may be a display monitor or printer for presenting the result to a user.
  • the signal receiving device may be memory or a storage medium. It will be appreciated that storing the result in memory or the storage medium may transform the memory or storage medium into a new state (i.e., containing the result) from a prior state (i.e., not containing the result). Further, in some embodiments, an alert signal may be transmitted from the processor to a user interface if the result exceeds a threshold value.
  • a sensor transmitter, receiver, transceiver, antenna, controller, optical unit, electrical unit, and/or electromechanical unit may be included in support of the various aspects discussed herein or in support of other functions beyond this disclosure.
  • the teachings of the present disclosure may be used in a variety of well operations. These operations may involve using one or more treatment agents to treat a formation, the fluids resident in a formation, a borehole, and/or equipment in the borehole, such as production tubing.
  • the treatment agents may be in the form of liquids, gases, solids, semi-solids, and mixtures thereof.
  • Illustrative treatment agents include, but are not limited to, fracturing fluids, acids, steam, water, brine, anti-corrosion agents, cement, permeability modifiers, drilling muds, emulsifiers, demulsifiers, tracers, flow improvers etc.
  • Illustrative well operations include, but are not limited to, hydraulic fracturing, stimulation, tracer injection, cleaning, acidizing, steam injection, water flooding, cementing, etc.

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Abstract

L'invention concerne des procédés et des systèmes d'amortissement d'oscillations de torsion de systèmes de fond de trou. Les systèmes comprennent un train de tiges de fond de trou, un ensemble de support de trépan conçu pour porter et recevoir un dispositif de désintégration, le dispositif de désintégration étant disposé sur une extrémité du train de tiges de fond de trou et monté sur l'ensemble de support de trépan, et un système d'amortissement monté sur et/ou dans l'ensemble support de trépan, le système d'amortissement comprenant au moins un élément amortisseur disposé en contact avec une partie de l'ensemble support de trépan.
PCT/US2020/049016 2019-09-12 2020-09-02 Ensemble support de trépan incorporant un amortisseur d'oscillations de torsion à haute fréquence WO2021050334A1 (fr)

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GB2204802.9A GB2603675B (en) 2019-09-12 2020-09-02 Bit support assembly incorporating damper for high frequency torsional oscillation
CN202080070256.3A CN114585796A (zh) 2019-09-12 2020-09-02 结合有用于高频扭转振荡的阻尼器的钻头支撑组件
NO20220386A NO20220386A1 (en) 2019-09-12 2020-09-02 Bit support assembly incorporating damper for high frequency torsional oscillation
BR112022004717A BR112022004717A2 (pt) 2019-09-12 2020-09-02 Conjunto de suporte de broca incorporando amortecedor para oscilação torcional de alta frequência

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US16/568,789 2019-09-12
US16/568,789 US11199242B2 (en) 2018-03-15 2019-09-12 Bit support assembly incorporating damper for high frequency torsional oscillation

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GB2603675A (en) 2022-08-10
CN114585796A (zh) 2022-06-03

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