IP Library Granted Patent US 11,952,895
Granted Patent B2
US 11,952,895 · App. 18/138,895 · Granted Apr 9, 2024

Wired downhole adjustable mud motors

Inventors: Jeffery Ronald Clausen (Tulsa, OK); Nicholas Ryan Marchand (Edmonton, CA)
Assignee: National Oilwell Varco, L.P.
E21B7/068E21B4/02E21B7/067E21B21/08E21B47/024E21B47/06E21B47/07E21B47/09E21B47/13
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,952,895
App. No.
18/138,895
Granted
Apr 9, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A downhole motor for directional drilling includes a driveshaft assembly including a driveshaft housing and a driveshaft rotatably disposed within the driveshaft housing, a bearing assembly including a bearing housing and a bearing mandrel rotatably disposed within the bearing housing, wherein the bearing mandrel is configured to couple with a drill bit, a bend adjustment assembly configured to adjust a bend setting of the downhole motor, a lock piston including an unlocked position, and a locked position configured to lock the bend setting of the bend adjustment assembly, one or more hydraulic pumps configured to actuate the lock piston into the unlocked position to unlock the bend adjustment assembly, and an electronics package configured to indicate the bend setting of the bend adjustment assembly.

Claims (28)

1. A downhole motor for directional drilling, comprising:

a driveshaft assembly including a driveshaft housing and a driveshaft rotatably disposed within the driveshaft housing;

a bearing assembly including a bearing housing and a bearing mandrel rotatably disposed within the bearing housing, wherein the bearing mandrel is configured to couple with a drill bit;

a bend adjustment assembly configured to adjust a bend setting of the downhole motor;

a lock piston comprising an unlocked position, and a locked position configured to lock the bend setting of the bend adjustment assembly;

one or more hydraulic pumps configured to actuate the lock piston into the unlocked position to unlock the bend adjustment assembly; and

an electronics package configured to indicate the bend setting of the bend adjustment assembly.

2. The downhole motor of claim 1 , wherein the electronics package is configured to indicate whether lock piston is in the locked position or the unlocked position.

3. The downhole motor of claim 1 , further comprising a solenoid valve configured to lock the lock piston into at least one of the locked and unlocked positions in response to receiving a locking signal.

4. The downhole motor of claim 1 , wherein the bend adjustment assembly comprises an actuator piston configured to, in response to actuating the actuator piston from a deactivated position to an activated position, actuate the bend adjustment assembly between a first position that provides a first deflection angle between a longitudinal axis of the driveshaft housing and a longitudinal axis of the bearing mandrel, and a second position that provides a second deflection angle between the longitudinal axis of the driveshaft housing and the longitudinal axis of the bearing mandrel that is different from the first deflection angle.

5. The downhole motor of claim 4 , wherein the electronics package is configured to indicate whether the actuator piston is in the deactivated position or the activated position.

6. The downhole motor of claim 1 , wherein the electronics package comprises an electromagnetic short hop transmitter configured to communicate with an electromagnetic short hop receiver disposed in a measurement-while-drilling (MWD) tool coupled to the downhole motor.

7. The downhole motor of claim 1 , wherein the electronics package comprises an electromagnetic communication link.

8. The downhole motor of claim 1 , wherein the one or more hydraulic pumps are configured to actuate the bend adjustment assembly includes a first position that provides a first deflection angle between a longitudinal axis of the driveshaft housing and a longitudinal axis of the bearing mandrel, and a second position that provides a second deflection angle between the longitudinal axis of the driveshaft housing and the longitudinal axis of the bearing mandrel that is different from the first deflection angle.

9. A downhole motor for directional drilling, comprising:

a driveshaft assembly including a driveshaft housing and a driveshaft rotatably disposed within the driveshaft housing;

a bearing assembly including a bearing housing and a bearing mandrel rotatably disposed within the bearing housing, wherein the bearing mandrel is configured to couple with a drill bit;

a bend adjustment assembly configured to adjust a bend setting of the downhole motor;

a lock piston comprising an unlocked position, and a locked position configured to lock the bend setting of the bend adjustment assembly;

a solenoid valve configured to lock the lock piston into at least one of the locked and unlocked positions in response to receiving a locking signal; and

an electronics package configured to indicate the bend setting of the bend adjustment assembly.

10. The downhole motor of claim 9 , wherein the electronics package is configured to indicate whether lock piston is in the locked position or the unlocked position.

11. The downhole motor of claim 9 , further comprising a hydraulic pump configured to actuate the lock piston into the unlocked position to unlock the bend adjustment assembly.

12. The downhole motor of claim 9 , wherein the bend adjustment assembly comprises an actuator piston configured to, in response to actuating the actuator piston from a deactivated position to an activated position, actuate the bend adjustment assembly between a first position that provides a first deflection angle between a longitudinal axis of the driveshaft housing and a longitudinal axis of the bearing mandrel, and a second position that provides a second deflection angle between the longitudinal axis of the driveshaft housing and the longitudinal axis of the bearing mandrel that is different from the first deflection angle.

13. The downhole motor of claim 12 , wherein the electronics package is configured to indicate whether the actuator piston is in the deactivated position or the activated position.

14. The downhole motor of claim 9 , wherein the electronics package comprises an electromagnetic short hop transmitter configured to communicate with an electromagnetic short hop receiver disposed in a measurement-while-drilling (MWD) tool coupled to the downhole motor.

15. The downhole motor of claim 9 , wherein the electronics package comprises an electromagnetic communication link.

16. The downhole motor of claim 9 , further comprising one or more hydraulic pumps configured to actuate the bend adjustment assembly includes a first position that provides a first deflection angle between a longitudinal axis of the driveshaft housing and a longitudinal axis of the bearing mandrel, and a second position that provides a second deflection angle between the longitudinal axis of the driveshaft housing and the longitudinal axis of the bearing mandrel that is different from the first deflection angle.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 21, 2023
From: CLAUSEN, JEFFERY RONALD; MARCHAND, NICHOLAS RYAN
To: NATIONAL OILWELL DHT, L.P.
Reel/Frame 064342/0708 →
MERGER Recorded Jul 21, 2023
From: NATIONAL OILWELL DHT, L.P.
To: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO, L.P.
Reel/Frame 064342/0973 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 17480319 · Sep 21, 2021
Continuation 16398177 · Apr 29, 2019
Provisional Application 62663669 · Apr 27, 2018
Related Publication 20230279728A1 · Sep 7, 2023