Abstract: A downhole motor and bearing assembly for high pressure operation has a tubular housing with an inlet and outlet for flow of drilling fluid. A stator is supported in the housing and a rotor is supported for rotary movement in the stator. An open tubular shaft is connected to the rotor for rotary movement in the housing. The bearing assembly has bearing members in the housing in fixed spaced relation for carrying downward and upward longitudinal thrust loads. Since the motor is designed for high pressure operation, conventional bearings tend to wear out rapidly. In this motor and bearing assembly, the pressure of drilling fluid passing through the motor is bled into the down hole side of the bearings where the pressure is applied against an upset on the bearings shaft having an exposed area on the lower side sufficient to produce an upward thrust partially or completely offsetting the downward thrust produced by the pressure drop across the drill bit.

Abstract: A turbodrill is disclosed which is connected to a string of drill pipe as a rotating shaft for driving a drill bit which may be a rotary bit or a high speed solid head diamond bit. The turbine section of the turbodrill has rotor and stator blades which are cresent shaped in cross section and are operated by drilling mud flowing therethrough to rotate the shaft. The shaft is provided with radial bearings which carry radial loads and thrust bearings which carry vertical or longitudinal loads. The thrust bearings, which carry the entire thrust load, consist of a pair of annular bearing plates each of which supports a plurality of friction bearing members, highly resistant to wear by the drilling mud flowing through the drill, consisting of cylindrical studs having flat faces with flat disc-shaped diamond bearing members supported thereon. There are preferably one more of the diamond bearing members on one of the annular bearing plates than on the other.

Abstract: In the manufacture of diamond bearings consisting of a supporting plate/ring having a plurality of recesses equally spaced therearound with insert members consisting of hardmetal or carbide studs, with planar faces of polycrystalline diamond, positioned therein, the diamond bearing faces are made co-planar by placing metal pads, preferably of brazing metal, in the bottom of each recess before insertion of the bearing studs, placing the assembly with the bearing faces on a smooth planar support, heating the assembly to a temperature at which the metal pads soften or melt and allowing the metal pads to extrude around and braze the bearing inserts in place. When the assembly has cooled, the bearing inserts have their diamond bearing faces locked in co-planar relation by the extruded metal from the metal pads.

Abstract: A turbodrill is disclosed for connection to a drill string and has a rotating shaft for turning a drill bit. The turbodrill has rotor and stator blades operated by drilling mud flowing therethrough to rotate the shaft. The shaft is provided with radial/thrust bearing consisting of a pair of annular plates, each of which has conical surfaces supporting a plurality of friction bearing members of polycrystalline diamond. The radial and thrust loads are carried by the wear-resistant diamond bearing surfaces. The bearing members are preferably cylindrical studs having flat faces with flat disc-shaped diamond bearing members supported thereon around the adjacent surfaces of the supporting plates. The faces of the diamond bearings will wear into smoothly mating conical bearing surfaces with use. There are two or more pairs of diamond radial/thrust bearings to handle longitudinal as well as radial loads.

Abstract: A down hole drilling motor, e.g. a turbodrill, which is connected to a string of drill pipe has a rotating shaft for driving a drill bit which may be a rotary bit or a high speed solid head diamond bit. The turbine section has rotor and stator blades which are crescent shaped in cross section with each blade having an exit angle of 14.degree.-23.degree. for maximum turbine efficiency. The bearing shaft is provided with chevron rotary seals positioned below the rotary bearings carrying both radial and vertical thrust. Fluid lubricant fills the space from the rotary seals to a predetermined level above the bearings. A piston seals the lubricant chamber and is pressurized by drilling fluid (i.e. mud) flowing through the tool. A layer of lubricant fluid overlies the first piston and has a second piston covering said fluid and transmitting pressure from the drilling fluid to the lubricant fluid surrounding the bearings.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for connecting a flowline having a major portion adapted to lie along the floor of a body of water to an offshore connection point. The method and apparatus are designed to compensate for the difficulty encountered in laying and maintaining an underwater flowline in a body of water having a substantial current running in substantially a single direction. The flowline is fed from a flowing support and drawn by a cable into an alignment funnel. Means are provided to bow the leading flowline in a lateral non-vertical direction by a predetermined amount such that the end of the leading flowline may enter the alignment funnel without any lateral or angular displacement. The bowing may be done at the surface prior to submersion of the flowline or may be done after the flowline is submerged. Several means for bowing the flowline are disclosed.

Abstract: A downhole drilling motor, e.g. a turbodrill, which is connected to a string of drill pipe has a rotating shaft for driving a drill bit which may be a rotary bit or a high speed solid head diamond bit. The turbine section has rotor and stator blades which are crescent shaped in cross section with each blade having an exit angle of 14.degree.-23.degree. for maximum turbine efficiency. The drilling motor may alternatively be a positive displacement motor. The bearing shaft is provided with chevron rotary seals positioned below the rotary bearings carrying both radial and vertical thrust. Fluid lubricant fills the space from the rotary seals to a predetermined level above the bearings. A piston seals the lubricant chamber and is pressurized by drilling fluid (i.e. mud) flowing through the tool. A layer of lubricant fluid overlies the first piston and has a second piston covering said fluid and transmitting pressure from the drilling fluid to the lubricant fluid surrounding the bearings.

Abstract: Apparatus for directional drilling in the earth comprises a down hole motor having a stator housing adapted to be connected to a string of drill pipe at one end and having a rotor shaft extending out the other end. The rotor shaft is adapted to receive and drive any suitable rotary bit. The stator housing is provided with fulcrum means in the form of a barrel member having arcuate longitudinal cross section. The fulcrum member is of substantially the same size as the hole being bored and is engageable with the side wall of the hole to provide a fulcrum about the drilling motor can be turned to change direction. A suitable deflection means is positioned at the end of the stator housing adjacent to the connection to the drill string and includes a laterally moveable thrust member which is operable to engage one side of the hole being drilled to deflect the stator housing in the opposite direction and pivot the same on the fulcrum point to change the direction of the hole being drilled.

Abstract: A turbo drill which is connected to a string of drill pipe as a rotating shaft for driving a drill bit which may be a rotary bit or a high speed solid head diamond bit. The turbine section has rotor and stator blades which are cresent shaped in cross section with each blade having an exit angle of 14.degree. - 23.degree. for maximum turbine efficiency. The bearing shaft is provided with chevron rotary seals positioned below the rotary bearings carrying both radial and vertical thrust. Fluid lubricant fills the space from the rotary seals to a predetermined level above the bearings. A piston seals the lubricant chamber and is pressurized by drilling fluid (i.e. mud) flowing through the tool. A layer of lubricant fluid overlies the first piston and has a second piston covering said fluid and transmitting pressure from the drilling fluid to the lubricant fluid surrounding the bearings.

Abstract: A turbo drill which is connected to a string of drill pipe as a rotating shaft for driving a drill bit which may be a rotary bit or a high speed solid head diamond bit. The turbine section has rotor and stator blades which are crescent shaped in cross section with each blade having an exit angle of 14.degree.- 23.degree. from maximum turbine efficiency. The bearing shaft is provided with chevron rotary seals positioned below the rotary bearings carrying both radial and vertical thrust. Fluid lubricant fills the space from the rotary seals to a predetermined level above the bearings. A piston seals the lubricant chamber and is pressurized by drilling fluid (i.e., mud) flowing through the tool. A layer of lubricant fluid overlies the first piston and has a second piston covering said fluid and transmitting pressure from the drilling fluid to the lubricant fluid surrounding the bearings.

Abstract: A turbo drill which is connected to a string of drill pipe as a rotating shaft for driving a drill bit which may be a rotary bit or a high speed solid head diamond bit. The turbine section has rotor and stator blades which are cresent shaped in cross section with each blade having an exit angle of 14.degree. - 23.degree. for maximum turbine efficiency. The bearing shaft is provided with chevron rotary seals positioned below the rotary bearings carrying both radial and vertical thrust. Fluid lubricant fills the space from the rotary seals to a predetermine level above the bearings. A piston seals the lubricant chamber and is pressurized by drilling fluid (i.e. mud) flowing through the tool. A layer of lubricant fluid overlies the first piston and has a second piston covering said fluid and transmitting pressure from the drilling fluid to the lubricant fluid surrounding the bearings.