Directed rock cuttings and fluid flow concepts for augmented drilling

1 . An earth-boring tool, comprising:

a bit body comprising:

blades, each blade comprising a rotationally leading surface, a rotationally trailing surface, and a formation facing surface between the rotationally leading surface of the rotationally trailing surface, and

fluid courses formed between the rotationally leading surfaces and the rotationally trailing surfaces of rotationally adjacent blades, the fluid courses comprising a fluid course surface;

cutting elements disposed on at least one of the blades; and

at least one nozzle disposed on the bit body within at least one of the fluid courses and adapted to be in fluid communication with a source of drilling fluid, the at least one nozzle protruding from the fluid course surface such that a tip of the at least one nozzle is disposed at a distance from the fluid course surface that is greater than or equal to about 90% of a depth of the at least one of the fluid courses,

wherein the at least one nozzle is configured to impact a formation with a stream of drilling fluid at a point rotationally in front of at least one cutting element of the cutting elements;

wherein the at least one cutting element is configured to cut into the formation and discharge cuttings from the formation into the stream of drilling fluid discharged by the at least one nozzle; and

wherein the at least one cutting element is at a standoff distance from about 0.1″ to about 3.0″ from the at least one nozzle.

2 . The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein an outlet of the at least one nozzle is at a setoff distance of about 0.2″ to about 1.0″ from the at least one cutting element.

3 . The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the at least one cutting element comprises:

a cutting face, the cutting face comprising:

a channel having a width and bisecting the cutting face, the channel being formed generally centrally on the cutting face; and

a cutting tip at an end of the channel, the cutting tip having a width less than the width of the channel.

4 . The earth-boring tool of claim 3 , wherein

the cutting face comprises a generally circular surface, the cutting face having a diameter of about 0.125″ to about 1.000″ and a cutting depth of about 0.010″ to about 0.125″; and

the channel comprises a depth of about 0.010″ to about 0.100″ and a width of about 0.125″ to about 0.500″.

5 . The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the at least one nozzle further comprises:

a generally circular opening for discharging the stream of drilling fluid; and

a channel bisecting an end of the at least one nozzle comprising the opening, the channel having a depth of about 0.050″ to about 1.000″ and a width of about 0.050″ to about 0.500″.

6 . The earth-boring tool of claim 5 , wherein the at least one cutting element comprises a plurality of cutting elements each having a cutting face and the at least one nozzle is oriented such that a length of the channel is substantially parallel to a plane of at least two of the plurality of cutting faces that rotationally follow.

7 . The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the cutting element comprises a cutting face having a cutting tip and an opposite edge that is on an opposite side of the cutting face from the cutting tip, and wherein the tip of the at least one nozzle is at a height corresponding to a point from about 50% to about 90 percent of the distance from the opposite edge to the cutting tip of the at least one cutting element.

8 . The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the at least one nozzle further comprises a plurality of nozzles, each nozzle positioned at about the same radial distance from a central axis of the bit body.

9 . The earth-boring tool of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of nozzles are located in one or more of a cone region, a nose region, or a shoulder region of the of the bit body.

10 . The earth-boring tool of claim 1 , wherein the at least one nozzle further comprises a plurality of nozzles wherein a first nozzle of the plurality of nozzles is at a first radial distance from a central axis of the bit body and wherein a second nozzle of the plurality of nozzles is at a second radial distance from the central axis of the bit body different from the first radial distance.

11 . An earth-boring tool, comprising:

a bit body comprising:

blades, each blade comprising a rotationally leading surface, a rotationally trailing surface, and a formation facing surface between the rotationally leading surface of the rotationally trailing surface, and

fluid courses formed between the rotationally leading surfaces and the rotationally trailing surfaces of rotationally adjacent blades, the fluid courses comprising a fluid course surface;

cutting elements disposed on at least one of the blades, the cutting elements comprising a cutting face having a cutting tip and an opposite edge that is on an opposite side of the cutting face from the cutting tip, and wherein; and

at least one nozzle disposed on the bit body within at least one of the fluid courses and adapted to be in fluid communication with a source of drilling fluid, the at least one nozzle protruding from the fluid course surface such that a tip of the at least one nozzle is disposed at a distance from the fluid course surface that is about 50% to 90% of a distance from the opposite edge to the cutting tip of the cutting face of the cutting elements,

wherein the at least one nozzle is configured to impact a formation with a stream of drilling fluid at a point rotationally in front of at least one cutting element of the cutting elements;

wherein the at least one cutting element is configured to cut into the formation and discharge cuttings from the formation into the stream of drilling fluid discharged by the at least one nozzle; and

wherein the tip of the at least one nozzle is at a setoff distance of about 0.2″ to about 1.0″ from the at least one cutting element.

12 . The earth-boring tool of claim 11 , wherein the at least one cutting element is at a standoff distance from about 0.1″ to about 3.0″.

13 . The earth-boring tool of claim 11 , wherein the at least one nozzle is configured to generate the stream of drilling fluid in a fan shape substantially parallel to the cutting face of the at least one cutting element.

14 . A method of forming an earth-boring tool, comprising:

forming a bit body comprising:

blades, each blade comprising a rotationally leading surface, a rotationally trailing surface, and a formation facing surface between the rotationally leading surface of the rotationally trailing surface, and

fluid courses formed between the rotationally leading surfaces and the rotationally trailing surfaces of rotationally adjacent blades, the fluid courses comprising a fluid course surface;

securing at least one cutting element to at least one of the blades; and

securing at least one nozzle to the bit body in at least one of the fluid courses, the at least one nozzle adapted to be in fluid communication with a source of drilling fluid, the at least one nozzle protruding from the fluid course surface such that a tip of the at least one nozzle is disposed at a distance from the fluid course surface that is greater than or equal to about 90% of a depth of the at least one of the fluid courses,

wherein the at least one nozzle is configured to discharge fluid impacting a formation at a point rotationally in front of the at least one cutting element;

wherein the at least one cutting element is configured to cut into the formation and discharge cuttings from the formation into the fluid discharged by the at least one nozzle such that the cuttings impact the formation at the point rotationally in front of the at least one cutting element; and

wherein the tip of the at least one nozzle is at a setoff distance from about 0.2″ to about 1.0″ from the at least one cutting element.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein securing the at least one nozzle comprises forming a rectangular channel into a generally circular opening of the at least one nozzle, the rectangular channel bisecting the tip of the at least one nozzle comprising the opening, the rectangular channel having a depth of about 0.050″ to about 1.000″ and a width of about 0.050″ to about 0.500″.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein:

securing the at least one cutting element further comprises securing a plurality of cutting elements to the formation facing surface of the blades; and

securing the at least one nozzle comprises securing the at least one nozzle to discharge the fluid impacting the formation at the point rotationally in front of at least two of the plurality of cutting elements.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one cutting element is positioned at a standoff distance from about 0.1″ to about 3.0″ rotationally behind the at least one nozzle.

18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein securing the at least one nozzle further comprises securing a plurality of nozzles to the bit body, each nozzle positioned at about the same radial distance from a central axis of the bit body.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of nozzles are located in a cone region of the of the bit body.

20 . The method of claim 14 , wherein securing the at least one nozzle further comprises securing a plurality of nozzles to the bit body wherein a first nozzle the plurality of nozzles is at a first radial distance from a central axis of the bit body and wherein a second nozzle of the plurality of nozzles is at a second radial distance from the central axis of the bit body different from the first radial distance.