Abstract: A mud saver valve has been developed for controlling flow of drilling fluid through an upper portion of a drill string, the mud saver valve in one aspect has a tubular housing, a ball closure rotatably disposed within the tubular housing, the ball closure having a body, a flow channel therethrough, a first body side and a second body side opposite the first body side, a first lug projecting from the first body side and a second lug projecting from the second body side, a sleeve assembly movably disposed within the tubular housing, the sleeve assembly having a first and a second actuator e.g, dogs, to engage corresponding first and second lugs of the ball closure to open or close the ball closure in response to fluid pressure conditions as well as engagement and disengagement of the tubular housing with the drill pipe against the force of a coil spring disposed within the tubular housing.

Abstract: A measuring device is provided for measuring the weight applied to a drilling bit or like device in a borehole while the drilling is taking place. The measuring apparatus has a tubular housing adapted to be coupled into a drill string preferably immediately above the drill bit. A transducer is mounted in the tubular housing and measures pressure in a captive fluid chamber within the housing which can be correlated to weight on the measuring apparatus and in turn on the drill bit.

Abstract: In the representative embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein, a first ported or grooved signal-producing member is coaxially disposed within the apparatus for dividing drilling fluids flowing through the drill string into two or more longitudinally-directed streams or jets. A second ported or grooved signal-producing member is coaxially arranged in the apparatus adjacent to the first member and adapted for rotation in a transverse plane to cyclically obstruct the fluid jets for developing an alternating or cyclic acoustic signal of a desired frequency in the drilling fluid stream.

Abstract: In the representative embodiments of the present invention described herein, a drilling mud is circulated through a drill string at a sufficient rate to effectively operate an impeller-driven electrical generator arranged on a tool coupled in the drill string for supplying power to downhole electrical circuits and one or more downhole condition-measuring devices on the tool. By selectively controlling the flow of drilling mud past the impeller in accordance with the conditions being monitored by the condition-measuring devices, data-encoded acoustic signals are produced in the circulating fluid and transmitted to the surface for detecting and decoding as power is simultaneously supplied to the downhole system by the generator.

Abstract: In the representative embodiments of the present invention described herein, a drilling mud is circulated through a drill string at a sufficient rate to effectively operate an impeller-driven electrical generator arranged on a tool coupled in the drill string for supplying power to downhole electrical circuits and one or more downhole condition-measuring devices on the tool. By selectively controlling the flow of drilling mud past the impeller in accordance with the conditions being monitored by the condition-measuring devices, data-encoded acoustic signals are produced in the circulating fluid and transmitted to the surface for detecting and decoding as power is simultaneously supplied to the downhole system by the generator.