Abstract: The present invention is directed to a cartridge for use in fracturing materials, such as rock. The cartridge includes a base member, a body member, a propellant, and a device for sealing a surface of the cartridge to the surface of a hole in the material. Upon ignition of the propellant, gas pressure rapidly rises in the hole due to the sealing device. The gas pressure causes the material to form a penetrating cone fracture. Various cartridge configurations are presented depending upon the specific needs of each application.

Abstract: A drill rod changer assembly for a drill rig includes an elongated support shaft having a housing at each end for retaining ends of drill rods, the support shaft being adapted for removable attachment to a drill rig structure, a carousel-type drill rod spacer on the shaft and a pair of gripper arms adapted for removable attachment to a drill rig structure at spaced apart positions adjacent each end of the support shaft. A hydraulic actuation device rotates the support shaft and carousel drill rod spacer between a rod storage position and a rod usage position. Each gripper arm is moved between the drill rod storage and usage positions by hydraulic actuation devices on each arm. Each gripper arm carries a sliding gate member that opens and closes the housings in response to movement of the gripper arm.

Abstract: A method and device for increasing oil and gas recovery include connecting an oil and gas flow enhancing stick to a weighted plunger to speed the decent of the stick to the bottom of a well, which optionally includes a retrieving member to retrieve the plunger from the well.

Abstract: A method for completing and increasing the production rate from a cased well which may produce solids through perforations during production is provided. A gravel pack screen is placed in the well along with equipment in the tubing string to control flow from inside to outside the tubing below a production packer. The rig used to place the equipment may then be released from the well. The well is then hydraulically fractured. If the well is producing from a high permeability zone, the hydraulic fracture is preferably formed with the tip screen-out technique. The method can also be used in a well already containing production tubing without moving a rig on the well to remove the tubing from the well and can be used in a well not yet perforated by adding tubing-conveyed perforating apparatus below the screen.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is provided that allows an operator to drill a well into a formation requiring treatment or gravel packing in a single pass, then to lower and position the liner and production strings simultaneously. The invention allows cementing of the liner prior to any treatment or gravel packing, and provides an integral circulation system to allow formation treatment or gravel packing of the production string. Once treatment or gravel packing is completed, the invention provides mechanical fluid loss control as the circulation system is pulled out of the hole.

Abstract: A method for mounting hard metal buttons in a drill bit and a drill bit. In the method, a hole (4) is worked into a drill (1) before the drill bit is tempered. Subsequently, a hard metal button (3a) surrounded by brazing material is positioned into the hole (4) of the drill bit (1). The assembly is positioned into a tempering space, in which the brazing material spreads around the hard metal button (3a) into a space between the walls of the hole (4) and the hard metal button (3a) under the influence of heat. When the drill bit (1) is cooled after this, the brazing material (5) solidifies, and simultaneously, the body portion (2) of the drill bit (1) having a higher thermal expansion coefficient presses the hard metal button (3a) through the brazing material (5).

Abstract: A sampling device includes a barrel having a downhole end, an exterior surface, an interior surface defining a hollow interior, and an open end at the downhole end of the hollow interior. A fluid entrance penetrates the exterior surface. A fluid path having an outlet port is fluidly coupled to the fluid entrance. The device is driven into a subsurface so that a soil sample is forced into the hollow interior. While the device is still in the subsurface a fluid sample is collected through the least one fluid entrance and fluid path.

Abstract: The method includes running a liner, production packer and polished bore receptacle (PBR) into a well on the production tubing string, cementing the liner in place by pumping cement through the production tubing string, setting the packer, and optionally thereafter releasing an upper portion of the tubing string from a PBR. A seal assembly isolates the PBR bore from cement exposure during liner cementation. Annular pressure produces a reverse fluid surge and circulating flow to prevent PBR seal area contamination when the tubing string is lifted away from the PBR. A connecting assembly 12 is suspended from a production tubing string 11 to position a liner 17 in a wellbore. The connecting assembly transmits rotational and longitudinal forces from the production tubing string to properly position and cement the liner in the wellbore.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a detector for the detection of abrasive material being carried by fluid passing through a wellhead, the detector including an erosion block having a passage therein and a bore intercepting the passage; a probe which is inserted into the bore of the erosion block, this probe having a contact zone exposed to the passage when the probe is inserted in the bore and a first bore extension inboard of the surface of the contact zone which communicates with a first bore; and a first pressure transducer provided for sensing pressure in the first bore and in the first bore extension connected thereto; the pressure transducer providing an electrical output indicative of a change in pressure in the first bore and being electrically coupled to a device which is responsive to the electrical output of the first pressure transducer.

Abstract: A preform cutting element for a rotary drag-type drill bit includes a facing table of polycrystalline diamond having a rear surface bonded to a tungsten carbide substrate. The cutting element is formed with an angled chamfer to form a straight cutting edge on the facing table. The junction between one end of the cutting edge and the remainder of the peripheral surface of the facing table is chamfered in a part-circular arc to provide a smooth transition between the cutting edge and the rest of the peripheral surface. Such transition may reduce the spalling or other damage which may be caused by steady state and impact loads in this region.

Abstract: A compact double screen assembly (20), which can be used alone or mounted on a perforated pipe base (22), has a plurality of rods (30) arranged in cylindrical fashion around an axis (23). A wire (34) is helically wound about the rods (30) and welded thereto at every intersection. Adjacent rods (30) are separated by an inter-rod gap having a slot distance X while adjacent turns of the wire have an inter-turn slot distance Y therebetween. The rods (30) are closely spaced together such that the inter-rod slot distance X is on the order of 80-120% of the inter-turn slot distance Y, and preferably equal to it. A packing cavity (42) is provided between the rods (30) and the wire (34) for accommodating a porous media or packing material (40).

Abstract: A subterranean drilling assembly for linear and nonlinear drilling. A downhole motor-based bottomhole assembly with a bit deflection device includes a torque compensation device and is secured to the drill string via a swivel assembly to permit independent rotation of the string and the bottomhole assembly. In the case of a drill pipe string, the string may be rotated continuously during both linear and nonlinear drilling to reduce drag. In the case of a tubing string, the bottomhole assembly is rotated by the torque compensation device during straight drilling. In both cases, the torque compensation device is employed to adjust TFO for nonlinear drilling when the bottomhole assembly is not rotated. In an alternative embodiment, a torque-sensitive clutch is employed in lieu of the torque compensation device to provide rotational orientation to, and rotation of, the bottomhole assembly.

Abstract: A chuck and drill bit combination for insertion into a front end of a percussive, down the hole drill forming a part of a cluster drill assembly, for selectively engaging and disengaging the chuck and drill bit during drilling operations includes the bit and chuck each having splines and grooves adapted to overlap and engage each other in a first stop position and further adapted to disengage from each other in a second stop position, whereby the bit is restrained from rotational movement but capable of axial movement in the first stop position and capable of both axial and rotational movement in the second stop position, to provide automatic indexing of the bit so as to position the bit's gage drilling buttons in a preferred position outboard of the drill centerline, to maintain maximum borehole diameter.

Abstract: A tubing hanger has an exterior surface and carries a seal arranged inwardly of this surface. The seal has two sealing portions and, when the hanger is located in a wellhead, the seal is engaged by an activating device operated by a piston to force one sealing portion into engagement with the tubing hanger and the other portion into engagement with the wellhead. The movement of the piston can be reversed to break the seals.

Abstract: A rotary mining bit is particularly suitable for use in the drilling of blasting holes in the mining industry, but may also be used for drilling wells and the like in both soft materials and hard, rocky materials. The bit comprises a central hollow body with a plurality of wings extending outwardly therefrom, with each wing having a leading edge with a plurality of cutting tooth sockets disposed therealong and each of the sockets having a cutting tooth affixed therein. The outermost cutting teeth on each wing describe a gauge row diameter, which defines the diameter of a hole formed using the present bit. The outermost cutting teeth are each angled outwardly, away from the axis of the bit and lateral edge of the wing. An inner or apex row of teeth describes a smaller cutting circle diameter, with intermediate teeth on each row preferably being irregularly spaced between the outermost and innermost teeth on each respective wing, so each intermediate tooth describes a different diameter circle from the others.

Abstract: A new wellbore cutter has been invented which, in certain embodiments has a piston having a fluid flow bore therethrough, at least one stabilizer kick-out member, and at least one cutting blade kick-out member, an outer body through which the piston projects, the outer body movable about the piston, the outer body having at least one stabilizer pivotably mounted thereto, the at least one stabilizer movable out from the outer body upon movement of the outer body with respect to the piston so that the at least one stabilizer contacts the at least one stabilizer kick-out member, said contact effecting extension of the at least one stabilizer out from the outer body, and the outer body having at least one cutting blade pivotably mounted thereto, the at least one cutting blade movable out from the outer body upon movement of the outer body with respect to the piston so that the at least one cutting blade contacts the at least one cutting blade kick-out member, said contact effecting extension of the at least one c

Abstract: A protective sheath for protecting and separating a plurality of insulated conductors from a single cable includes a layer of protective armor surronding all of the conductors extending from down hole along production tubing in an underground well. The protective armor terminates at a separating point of the cable conductors so that the plurality of cable conductors are separated into individual cable conductors. The sheath includes a hollow tube for enclosing the plurality of insulated cable conductors and protective armor. A plurality of individual tubes are formed integrally with and endose one end of the rigid tube so that each one of the plurality of cable conductors is routed into a separate rigid tube so that each one of the plurality of rigid tubes encloses a corresponding one of the individual cable conductors.

Abstract: A split tubing hanger for a well has two semi-cylindrical tubing hanger bodies. A seal has a ring portion which seals the tubing hanger bodies to the bore of a tubing head. The seal also has a diametrical band portion which joins the ring portion. The band portion seals between the two tubing hanger bodies. The bodies are run separately and land on a landing shoulder in the bore of the tubing head. The landing shoulder has upward extending tabs which engage recesses in the load shoulders of the tubing hanger bodies. The landing shoulder is a landing ring which is split and locates within a groove formed in the bore of the tubing head. An anti-rotation device prevents the landing ring from rotating relative to the tubing head.

Abstract: A downhole production well control system is provided for automatically controlling downhole tools in response to sensed selected downhole parameters. An important feature of this invention is that the automatic control is initiated downhole without an initial control signal from the surface or from some other external source. This control system generally comprises downhole sensors, downhole electromechanical devices and downhole computerized control electronics whereby the control electronics automatically control the electromechanical devices based on input from the downhole sensors. Thus, using the downhole sensors, the downhole computerized control system will monitor actual downhole parameters (such as pressure, temperature, flow, gas influx, etc.) and automatically execute control instructions when the monitored downhole parameters are outside a selected operating range (e.g., indicating an unsafe condition).

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a device for guiding a tool on a string within a blow out prevention ("BOP") stack. In one embodiment, the device includes a top collar connected to a bottom collar by a shroud having a plurality of flexible members which bow outwardly from the collars, wherein the shroud covers a portion of the tool. An energy absorbing bumper is provided above the top collar to absorb structural impact caused by a blow out or other inadvertant pressure in a downhole application.