System and method for drilling hammer communication, formation evaluation and drilling optimization

[0001] This application claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/644,701, filed May 9, 2012, and entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DRILLING HAMMER COMMUNICATION AND FORMATION EVALUATION. This application also claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/693,848, filed Aug. 28, 2012, and entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DRILLING HAMMER COMMUNICATION AND FORMATION EVALUATION USING MAGNETORHEOLOGICAL FLUID VALVE ASSEMBLY.

[0002] The following disclosure relates to directional and conventional drilling.

[0003] Drilling a borehole for the extraction of minerals has become an increasingly complicated operation due to the increased depth and complexity of many boreholes, including the complexity added by directional drilling. Drilling is an expensive operation and errors in drilling add to the cost and, in some cases, drilling errors may permanently lower the output of a well for years into the future. Current technologies and methods do not adequately address the complicated nature of drilling. Accordingly, what is needed are a system and method to improve drilling operations.

[0032] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers are used herein to designate like elements throughout, the various views and embodiments of a system and method for creating and detecting vibrations during hammer drilling are illustrated and described, and other possible embodiments are described. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in some instances the drawings have been exaggerated and/or simplified in places for illustrative purposes only. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the many possible applications and variations based on the following examples of possible embodiments.

[0033] During the drilling of a borehole, it is generally desirable to receive data relating to the performance of the bit and other downhole components, as well as other measurements such as the orientation of the toolface. While such data may be obtained via downhole sensors, the data should be communicated to the surface at some point. However, data communication from downhole sensors to the surface tends to be excessively slow using current mud pulse and electromagnetic (EM) methods. For example, data rates may be in the single digit baud rates, which may mean that updates occur at a minimum interval (e.g., ten seconds). It is understood that various factors may affect the actual baud rate, such depth, flow rate, fluid density, and fluid type.

[0034] The relatively slow communication rate presents a challenge as advances in drilling technology increase the rate of penetration (ROP) that is possible. As drilling speed increases, more downhole sensor information is needed and needed more quickly in order to geosteer horizontal wells at higher speeds. For example, geologists may desire a minimum of one gamma reading per foot in complicated wells. If the drilling speed relative to the communication rate is such that there is only one reading every three to five feet, which may be fine for simple wells, the bit may have to be backed up and part of the borehole re-logged more slowly to get the desired one reading per foot. Accordingly, the drilling industry is facing the possibility of having to slow down drilling speeds in order to gain enough logging information to be able to make steering decisions.

[0035] This problem is further exacerbated by the desire for even more sensor information from downhole. As mud pulse and EM telemetry are serial channels, adding additional sensor information makes the communication problem worse. For example, if the current data rate enables a gamma reading to be sent to the surface every ten seconds via mud pulse, adding additional sensor information that must be sent along the same channel means that the ten second interval between gamma readings will increase unless the gamma reading data is prioritized. If the gamma reading data is prioritized, then other information will be further delayed. Another method for increased throughput is to use lower resolution data that, although the throughput is increased, provides less detailed data.

[0036] One possible approach uses wired pipe (e.g., pipe having conductive wiring and interconnects on either end), which may be problematic because each piece of the drill string has to be wired and has to function properly. For example, for a twenty thousand foot horizontal well, this means approximately six hundred connections have to be made and all have to function properly for downhole to surface communication to occur. While this approach provides a fast data transfer rate, it may be unreliable because of the requirement that each component work and a single break in the chain may render it useless. Furthermore, it may not be industry compatible with other downhole tools that may be available such as drilling jars, stabilizers, and other tools that may be connected in the drill string.

[0037] Another possible approach is to put more electronics (e.g., computers) downhole so that more decisions are made downhole. This minimizes the amount of data that needs to be transferred to the surface, and so addresses the problem from a data aspect rather than the actual transfer speed. However, this approach generally has to deal with high heat and vibration issues downhole that can destroy electronics and also puts more high cost electronics at risk, which increases cost if they are lost or damaged. Furthermore, if something goes wrong downhole, it can be difficult to determine what decisions were made, whether a particular decision was made correctly or incorrectly, and how to fix an incorrect decision.

[0038] Vibration based communications within a borehole typically rely on an oscillator that is configured to produce the vibrations and a transducer that is configured to detect the vibrations produced by the oscillator. However, the downhole power source for the oscillator is often limited and does not supply much power. Accordingly, the vibrations produced by the oscillator are fairly weak and lack the energy needed to travel very far up the drill string. Furthermore, drill strings typically have dampening built in at certain points inherently (e.g., the large amount of rubber contained in the power section stator) and the threaded connections may provide additional dampening, all of which further limit the distance the vibrations can travel.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 1A, one embodiment of an environment 10 is illustrated in which various configurations of vibration creation and/or control functionality may be used to provide frequency tuning, formation evaluation, improvements in rate of penetration (ROP), high speed data communication, friction reduction, and/or other benefits. Although the environment 10 is a drilling environment that is described with a top drive drilling system, it is understood that other embodiments may include other drilling systems, such as rotary table systems.

[0040] In the present example, the environment 10 includes a derrick 12 on a surface 13. The derrick 12 includes a crown block 14. A traveling block 16 is coupled to the crown block 14 via a drilling line 18. In a top drive system (as illustrated), a top drive 20 is coupled to the traveling block 16 and provides the rotational force needed for drilling. A saver sub 22 may sit between the top drive 20 and a drill pipe 24 that is part of a drill string 26. The top drive 20 rotates the drill string 26 via the saver sub 22, which in turn rotates a drill bit 28 of a bottom hole assembly (BHA) 29 in a borehole 30 in formation 31. A mud pump 32 may direct a fluid mixture (e.g., mud) 33 from a mud pit or other container 34 into the borehole 30. The mud 33 may flow from the mud pump 32 into a discharge line 36 that is coupled to a rotary hose 38 by a standpipe 40. The rotary hose 38 is coupled to the top drive 20, which includes a passage for the mud 33 to flow into the drill string 26 and the borehole 30. A rotary table 42 may be fitted with a master bushing 44 to hold the drill string 26 when the drill string is not rotating.

[0041] As will be described in detail in the following disclosure, one or more downhole tools 46 may be provided in the borehole 30 to create controllable vibrations. Although shown as positioned behind the BHA 29, the downhole tool 46 may be part of the BHA 29, positioned elsewhere along the drill string 26, or distributed along the drill string 26 (including within the BHA 29 in some embodiments). Using the downhole tool 46, tunable frequency functionality may be provided that can used for communications as well as to detect various parameters such as rotations per minute (RPM), weight on bit (WOB), and formation characteristics of a formation in front of and/or surrounding the drill bit 28. By tuning the frequency, an ideal drilling frequency may be provided for faster drilling. The ideal frequency may be determined based on formation and drill bit combinations and the communication carrier frequency may be oscillated around the ideal frequency, and so may change as the ideal frequency changes based on the formation. Frequency tuning may occur in various ways, including physically configuring an impact mechanism to vary an impact pattern and/or by skipping impacts through dampening or other suppression mechanisms.

[0042] In some embodiments, the presence of a high amplitude vibration device within the drill string 26 may improve drilling performance and control by reducing the static friction of the drill string 26 as it contacts the sides of the borehole 30. This may be particularly beneficial in long lateral wells and may provide such improvements as the ability to control WOB and toolface orientation.

[0043] Although the following embodiments may describe the downhole tool 46 as being incorporated into a mud motor type assembly, the vibration generation and control functionality provided by the downhole tool 46 may be incorporated into a variety of standalone device configurations placed anywhere in the drill string 26. These devices may come in the form of agitator variations, drilling sensor subs, dedicated signal repeaters, and/or other vibration devices. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to have separation between the downhole tool 46 and the bottom hole assembly (BHA) for implementation reasons. In some embodiments, distributing the locations of such mechanisms along the drill string 26 may be used to relay data to the surface if transmission distance limits are reached due to increases in drill string length and hole depth. Accordingly, the location of the vibration creation device or devices does not have a required position within the drill string 26 and both single unit and multi-unit implementations may distribute placement of the vibration generating/encoding device throughout the drill string 26 based on the specific drilling operation being performed.

[0044] Vibration control and/or sensing functionality may be downhole and/or on the surface 13. For example, sensing functionality may be incorporated into the saver sub 22 and/or other components of the environment 10. In some embodiments, sensing and/or control functionality may be provided via a control system 48 on the surface 13. The control system 48 may be located at the derrick 12 or may be remote from the actual drilling location. For example, the control system 48 may be a system such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,283 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SURFACE STEERABLE DRILLING, filed on Dec. 22, 2011, and issued on Jul. 3, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Alternatively, the control system 48 may be a stand alone system or may be incorporated into other systems at the derrick 12. For example, the control system 48 may receive vibration information from the saver sub 22 via a wired and/or wireless connection (not shown). Some or all of the control system 48 may be positioned in the downhole tool 46, or may communicate with a separate controller in the downhole tool 46. The environment 10 may include sensors positioned on and/or around the derrick 12 for purposes such as detecting environmental noise that can then be canceled so that the environmental noise does not negatively affect the detection and decoding of downhole vibrations.

[0045] The following disclosure often refers using the WOB force as the source of impact force, it is understood that there are other mechanisms that may be used to store the impact energy potential, including but not limited to springs of many forms, sliding masses, and pressurized fluid/gas chambers. For example, a predictable spring load device could be used without dependency on WOB. This alternative might be preferred in some embodiments as it might allow greater control and predictability of the forces involved, as well as provide impact force when WOB does not exist or is minimal. As an additional or alternate possibility, a spring like preload may be used in conjunction with WOB forces to allow for vibration generation when the bit 28 is not in contact with the drilling surface.

[0046] Referring to FIGS. 1B-1D, embodiments of vibration causing components are illustrated that may be used to create downhole vibrations within an environment such as the environment 10 of FIG. 1A. More specifically, FIG. 1B illustrates an anvil plate 102, FIG. 1C illustrates an encoder plate 104, and FIG. 1D illustrates the anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104 in one possible opposing configuration as part of a drill string, such as the drill string 26. In the present example, the anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104 may be configured to provide a tunable frequency that can used for communications as well as to detect various parameters such as rotations per minute (RPM), weight on bit (WOB), and formation characteristics of the formation 31 in front of and/or surrounding bit 28 of the drill string 26. The anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104 may also be tuned to provide an ideal drilling frequency to provide for faster drilling. The ideal frequency may be determined based on formation and drill bit combinations and the communication carrier frequency may be oscillated around the ideal frequency, and so may change as the ideal frequency changes based on the formation. Accordingly, while much of the drilling industry is focused on minimizing vibrations, the current embodiment actually creates vibrations using a mechanical vibration mechanism that is tunable.

[0047] In the current example, the anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104 are used with hammer drilling. As is known, hammer drilling uses a percussive impact in addition to rotation of the drill bit in order to increase drilling speed by breaking up the material in front of the drill bit. The current embodiment may use the thrust load of the hammer drilling with the anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104 to create the vibrations, while in other embodiments the anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104 may not be part of the thrust load and may use another power source (e.g., a hydraulic source, a pneumatic source, a spring load, or a source that leverages potential energy) to power the vibrations. While hammer drilling traditionally uses an air medium, the current example may use other fluids (e.g., drilling muds) with the hammer drill as liquids are generally needed to control the well. A mechanical vibration mechanism as provided in the form of the anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104 works well in such a liquid environment as the liquid may serve as a lubricant for the mechanism.

[0048] Referring specifically to FIG. 1B, the anvil plate 102 may be configured with an outer perimeter 106 and an inner perimeter 108 that defines an interior opening 109. Spaces 110 may be defined between bumps 112 and may represent an upper surface 111 of a substrate material (e.g., steel) forming the anvil plate 102. In the present example, the spaces 110 are substantially flat, but it is understood that the spaces 110 may be curved, grooved, slanted inwards and/or outwards, have angles of varying slope, and/or have a variety of other shapes. In some embodiments, the area and/or shape of a space 110 may vary from the area/shape of another space 110.

[0049] It is understood that the term “bump” in the present embodiment refers to any projection from the surface 111 of the substrate forming the anvil plate 102. Accordingly, a configuration of the anvil plate 102 that is grooved may provide bumps 112 as the lands between the grooves. A bump 112 may be formed of the substrate material itself or may be formed from another material or combination of materials. For example, a bump 112 may be formed from a material such as polydiamond crystal (PDC), stellite (as produced by the Deloro Stellite Company), and/or another material or material combination that is resistant to wear. A bump 112 may be formed as part of the surface 111, may be fastened to the surface 111 of the substrate, may be placed at least partially in a hole provided in the surface 111, or may be otherwise embedded in the surface 111.

[0050] The bumps 112 may be of many shapes and/or sizes, and may curved, grooved, slanted inwards and/or outwards, have varying slope angles, and/or may have a variety of other shapes. In some embodiments, the area and/or shape of a bump 112 may vary from the area/shape of another bump 112. Furthermore, the distance between two particular points of two bumps 112 (as represented by arrow 114) may vary between one or more pairs of bumps. The bumps 112 may have space between the bumps themselves and between each bump and one or both of the inner and outer perimeters 106 and 108, or may extend from approximately the outer perimeter 106 to the inner perimeter 108. The height of each bump 112 may be substantially similar (e.g., less than an inch above the surface 111) in the present example, but it is understood that one or more of the bumps may vary in height.

[0051] Referring specifically to FIG. 1C, the encoder plate 104 may be configured with an outer perimeter 116 and an inner perimeter 118 that defines an interior opening 119. Spaces 120 may be defined between bumps 122 and may represent an upper surface 121 of a substrate material (e.g., steel) forming the encoder plate 104. In the present example, the spaces 120 are substantially flat, but it is understood that the spaces 120 may be curved, grooved, slanted inwards and/or outwards, have angles of varying slopes, and/or have a variety of other shapes. In some embodiments, the area and/or shape of a space 120 may vary from the area/shape of another space 120.

[0052] It is understood that the term “bump” in the present embodiment refers to any projection from the surface 121 of the substrate forming the encoder plate 104. Accordingly, a configuration of the encoder plate 104 that is grooved may provide bumps 122 as the lands between the grooves. A bump 122 may be formed of the substrate material itself or may be formed from another material or combination of materials. For example, a bump 122 may be formed from a material such as PDC, stellite, and/or another material or material combination that is resistant to wear. A bump 122 may be formed as part of the surface 121, may be fastened to the surface 121 of the substrate, may be placed at least partially in a hole provided in the surface 121, or may be otherwise embedded in the surface 121.

[0053] The bumps 122 may be of many shapes and/or sizes, and may curved, grooved, slanted inwards and/or outwards, have varying slope angles, and/or may have a variety of other shapes. In some embodiments, the area and/or shape of a bump 122 may vary from the area/shape of another bump 122. For example, bump 123 is illustrated as having a different shape than bumps 122. The differently shaped bump 123 may be used as a marker, as will be described later. Furthermore, the distance between two particular points of two bumps 122 and/or bumps 122 and 123 may vary between one or more pairs of bumps. The bumps 122 and 123 may have space between the bumps themselves and between each bump and one or both of the inner and outer perimeters 116 and 118, or may extend from approximately the outer perimeter 116 to the inner perimeter 118. The height of each bump 122 and 123 is substantially similar (e.g., less than an inch above the surface 121) in the present example, but it is understood that one or more of the bumps may vary in height.

[0054] Generally, the bumps 122 and 123 may be the same height to distribute the load over all the bumps 122 and 123. For example, if the force supplying the power to create the vibrations (whether hammer drill thrust load or another force) was applied to a single bump, that bump may wear down relatively quickly. Furthermore, due to the shape of the encoder plate 104, applying the force to a single bump may force the plate off axis and create problems that may extend beyond the encoder plate 104 to the drill string. Accordingly, the encoder plate 104 may be configured with a minimum of two bumps to more evenly distribute the load in some embodiments, while other embodiments may use configurations of three or more bumps for additional wear resistance and stability.

[0055] Although not shown in the current embodiment, some or all of the bumps 122 and 123 may be retractable. For example, rather than providing all bumps 122 and 123 as fixed on or within the surface 121, one or more of the bumps may be spring loaded or controlled via a hydraulic actuator. It is noted that when retractable bumps are present, the load distribution may be maintained so that a single bump is not taking the entire load.

[0056] With additional reference to FIG. 1D, a portion 128 of a drill string is illustrated. In the present embodiment, the drill string is associated with a drill bit (not shown). For example, a rotary hammer mechanism built into a mud motor or other downhole tool may be used to achieve a higher ROP. The addition of this mechanical feature to a bottom hole assembly (BHA) provides a high amplitude vibration source that is many times more powerful than most oscillator power sources.

[0057] The encoder plate 104 is centered relative to a longitudinal axis 130 of the drill string with the axis 130 substantially perpendicular to the surface 121 of the encoder plate 104. Similarly, the anvil plate 102 is centered relative to the longitudinal axis 130 with the axis 130 substantially perpendicular to the surface 111 of the anvil plate 104. The bumps 112 of the anvil plate 102 face the bumps 122, 123 of the encoder plate 104. The travel distance between the bumps 112 and bumps 122, 123 may be less than one inch (e.g., less than one eighth of an inch). For example, in this configuration, the anvil plate 102 may be fastened to a rotating mandrel shaft 132 and the encoder plate 104 may be fastened to a mud motor housing 134. However, it is understood that the travel distance may vary depending on the configuration.

[0058] It is understood that the anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104 may be switched in some embodiments. Such a reversal may be desirable in some embodiments, such as when the vibration mechanism is higher up the drill string. However, when the vibration mechanism is part of the mud motor housing or near another rotating member, such a reversal may increase the complexity of the vibration mechanism. For example, some or all of the bumps 122 and 123 may be retractable as described above, and such retractable bumps may be coupled to a control mechanism. Furthermore, as will be described in later embodiments, the encoder plate 104 may have multiple encoder rings that can be rotated relative to one another. These rings may be coupled to wires and/or one or more drive motors to control the relative rotation of the rings. If the positions of the anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104 are reversed from that illustrated in FIG. 1D when the vibration mechanism is near a rotating member such as a mud motor housing, the encoder plate 104 and its associated wires and motor connections would rotate relative to the housing, which would increase the complexity. Accordingly, the relative position of the anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104 may depend on the location of the vibration mechanism.

[0059] In operation, when one or more of the bumps 122/123 on the encoder plate 104 strikes one or more of the bumps 112 on the anvil plate 102 with sufficient force, vibrations are created. These vibrations may be used to pass information along the drill string and/or to the surface, as well as to detect various parameters such as RPM, WOB, and formation characteristics. Different arrangements of bumps 112 and/or 122/123 may create different patterns of oscillation. Accordingly, the layout of the bumps 112 and/or 122/123 may be designed to achieve a particular oscillation pattern. As will be described in later embodiments, the encoder plate 104 may have multiple encoder rings that can be rotated relative to one another to vary the oscillation pattern.

[0060] Although not shown, there may be a spring or other preload mechanism to keep some vibration occurring when off bottom. More specifically, there is a thrust load and a tensile load on the vibration mechanism that is formed by the anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104. The thrust load may be supported by a traditional bearing, but there may be a spring or other preload so that it will vibrate going both directions. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to have the vibration mechanism produce no vibration when it is off bottom (e.g., there is no WOB) or it may be desirable to have it vibrate less when it is off bottom. For example, maintaining some level of vibration enables communications to occur when the bit is pulled off bottom for a survey, but higher intensity vibrations are not needed because formation sensing (which may need stronger vibrations) is not occurring.

[0061] In some embodiments, there may be a mechanism (e.g., a spring mechanism) (not shown) for distributing the thrust load between the vibration mechanism and a thrust bearing assembly. When the thrust load reaches a particular upper limit, any load that goes over that limit may be directed entirely to the thrust bearing assembly. This prevents the vibration mechanism from receiving more load than it can safely handle, since increased loading may make it difficult to rotate the anvil/encoder plates and may increase wear. It is understood that in some embodiments, the spring mechanism may be used as the potential energy source for the impact.

[0062] It is understood that vibrations may be produced in many different ways other than the use of an anvil plate and an encoder plate, such as by using pistons and/or other mechanical actuators. Accordingly, the functionality provided by the vibration mechanism (e.g., communication and formation sensing) may be provided in ways other than the anvil/encoder plates combination used in many of the present examples.

[0063] Referring to FIGS. 2A-2C, embodiments of different vibration waveforms are illustrated. FIG. 2A shows a series of oscillations that can be used to find the RPM of the bit. It is understood that the correlation of the oscillations to RPM may not be one to one, but may be calculated based on the particular configuration of the anvil plate 102 and/or encoder plate 104. For example, using the encoder plate 104 of FIG. 1C, the longer peak of the wavelength that may be caused by the bump 123 compared to the length of the peaks caused by the bumps 122 may indicate that one complete rotation has occurred. Alternatively or additionally, the number of oscillations may be counted to identify a complete rotation as the number of bumps representing a single rotation is known, although the number may vary based on frequency modulation and the particular configuration of the plates.

[0064] FIG. 2B shows two waveforms of different amplitudes that illustrate varying WOB measurements. For example, a high WOB may cause waves having a relatively large amplitude due to the greater force caused by the higher WOB, while a low WOB may cause waves having a smaller amplitude due to the lesser force. It is understood that the correlation of the amplitudes to WOB may not be linear, but may be calculated based on the particular configuration of the anvil plate 102 and/or encoder plate 104.

[0065] FIG. 2C shows two waveforms that may be used for formation detection. The formation detection may be real time or near real time. For example, a formation that is hard and/or has a high unconfined compressive strength (UCS) may result in a waveform having peaks and troughs that are relatively long and curved but with relatively vertical slope transitions between waves. In contrast, a formation that is soft and/or has a low UCS may result in a waveform having peaks and troughs that are relatively short but with more gradual slope transitions between waves. Accordingly, the shape of the waveform may be used to identify the hardness or softness of a particular formation. It is understood that the correlation of a particular waveform to a formation characteristic (e.g., hardness) may not be linear, but may be calculated based on the particular configuration of the anvil plate 102 and/or encoder plate 104. As real time UCS data while drilling is not generally currently available, drilling efficiency may be improved using the vibration mechanism to provide UCS data as described. In some embodiments, the UCS data may be used to optimize drilling calculations such as mechanical specific energy (MSE) calculations to optimize drilling performance.

[0066] In addition, the UCS for a particular formation is not consistent. In other words, there is typically a non-uniform UCS profile for a particular formation. By obtaining real time or near real time UCS data while drilling, the location of the bit in the formation can be identified. This may greatly optimize drilling by providing otherwise unavailable real time or near real time UCS data. Furthermore, within a given formation, there may be target zones that have higher long term production value than other zones, and the UCS data may be used to identify whether the drilling is tracking within those target zones.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 3A, one embodiment of a system 300 is illustrated that may use the anvil plate 102 of FIG. 1B and the encoder plate 104 of FIG. 1C to create vibrations. The system 300 is illustrated relative to a surface 302 and a borehole 304. The system 300 includes encoder/anvil plate section 322, a controller 319, one or more vibration sensors 318 (e.g., high sensitivity axial accelerometers) for decoding vibrations downhole, and a power section 314, all of which may be positioned within a drill string 301 that is within the borehole 304.

[0068] It is noted that, as the control of the hammer frequency is closed loop, active dampening of electronic components typically damaged by unpredictable vibrations may be accomplished. This closed loop enables pre-dampening actions to occur because the amplitude and frequency of the vibrations are known to at least some extent. This allows the closed loop system to be more efficient than rectional active dampening systems that react after measuring incoming vibrations, which results in a delay before dampening occurs. Accordingly, some vibration may be relatively undampened due to the delay. The closed loop may also be more efficient than passive dampening systems that rely on the use of dampening materials.

[0069] The controller 319, which may also handle information encoding, may be part of a control system (e.g., the control system 48 of FIG. 1A) or may communicate with such a control system. The controller 319 may synchronize dampening timing with impact timing. More specifically, because vibration measurements are being made locally, the controller 319 may rapidly adapt dampening to match changes in vibration frequency and/or amplitude using one or more of the dampening mechanisms described herein. For example, the controller 319 may synchronize the dampening with the occurrence of impacts so that, if the timing of the impacts changes due to changes in formation hardness or other factors, the timing of the dampening may change to track the impacts. This real time or near real time synchronization may ensure that dampening occurs at the peak amplitude of a given impact and not between impacts as might happen in an unsynchronized system. Similarly, if impact amplitude increases or decreases, the controller 319 may adjust the dampening to account for such amplitude changes.

[0070] The vibration sensors 318 may be placed within fifty feet or less (e.g., within five feet) of the vibration source provided by the encoder/anvil plate section 322. In the present embodiment, the vibration sensors 318 may be positioned between the power section 314 and the vibration source due to the dampening effect of the rubber that is commonly present in the power section stator. The positioning of the vibration sensors 318 relative to the vibration source may not be as important for communications as for formation sensing, because the vibration sensors 318 may need to be able to sense relatively slight variations in formation characteristics and being closer to the vibration source may increase the efficiency of such sensing. The more distance there is between the vibration source and the vibration sensors 318, the more likely it is that slight changes in the formation will not be detected. The vibration sensors 318 may include one sensor for measuring axial vibrations for WOB and another sensor for formation evaluation.

[0071] The system 300 may also include one or more vibration sensors 306 (e.g., high sensitivity axial accelerometers) positioned above the surface 302 for decoding transmissions and one or more relays 310 positioned in the borehole 304. The vibration sensors 306 may be provided in a variety of ways, such as being part of an intelligent saver sub that is attached to a top drive on the drill rig (not shown). The relays 310 may not be needed if the vibrations produced by the encoder/anvil plate section 322 are strong enough to be detected on the surface by the vibration sensors 306. The relays 310 may be provided in different ways and may be vibration devices or may use a mud pulse or EM tool. For example, agitators may be used in drill strings to avoid friction problems by using fluid flow to cause vibrations in order to avoid friction in the lateral portion of a drill string. The mechanical vibration mechanism provided by the encoder/anvil plate section 322 may provide such vibrations at the bit and/or throughout the drill string. This may provide a number of benefits, such as helping to hold the toolface more stably and maintain consistent WOB.

[0072] In some embodiments, a similar or identical mechanism may be applied to an agitator to provide relay functionality to the agitator. For example, the relay may receive a vibration having a particular frequency f, use the mechanical mechanism to generate an alternative frequency signal, and may transmit the original and alternative frequency signals up the drill string. By generating the additional frequency signal, the effect of a malfunctioning relay in the chain may be minimized or eliminated as the additional frequency signal may be strong enough to reach the next working relay.

[0073] It is understood that the sections forming the system 300 may be positioned differently. For example, the power section 314 may be positioned closer to the encoder/anvil plate section 322 than the vibration sensors 318, and/or one or more of the vibration sensors 318 may be placed ahead of the encoder/anvil plate section 322. In still other embodiments, some sections may be combined or further separated. For example, the vibration sensors 318 may be included in a mud motor assembly, or the vibration sensors 318 may be separated and distributed in different parts of the drill string 301. In still other embodiments, the controller 319 may be combined with the vibration sensors 318 or another section, may be behind one or more of the vibration sensors 318 (e.g., between the power section 314 and the vibration sensors 318), and/or may be distributed.

[0074] The remainder of the drill string 301 includes a forward section 324 that may contain the drill bit and additional sections 320, 316, 312, and 308. The additional sections 320, 316, 312, and 308 represent any sections that may be used with the system 300, and each additional section 320, 316, 312, and 308 may be removed entirely in some embodiments or may represent multiple sections. For example, one or both of the sections 308 and 312 may represent multiple sections and one or more relays 310 may be positioned between or within such sections.

[0075] In operation, the anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104 create vibrations. In later embodiments where the encoder plate 104 includes multiple rings that can be moved relative to one another, the power section 314 may provide power for the movement of the rings so that the phase and frequency of the vibrations can be tuned. The vibration sensors 318, which may be powered by the power section 314, detect the vibrations for formation sensing purposes and send the information up the drill string using the vibrations created by the anvil plate 102 and encoder plate 104. The vibrations sent up the drill string are detected by the vibration sensors 306.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 3B, another embodiment of a vibration mechanism 330 is provided. Although the vibration mechanisms described in the present disclosure are generally illustrated with a single anvil plate and a single set of encoder plates (e.g., an encoder stack), the vibration mechanism 330 includes multiple encoder stacks 332a through 332N, where “a” represents the first encoder stack and “N” represents a total number of encoder stacks present in the vibration mechanism 330. Such encoder stacks may be positioned adjacent to one another or may be distributed with other drilling components positioned between two encoder stacks. It is understood that the use of multiple encoder stacks extends to embodiments of vibration mechanisms that rely on structures other than an anvil plate/encoder plate combination for the creation of the vibration. For example, if an encoder stack is configured to use pistons to create vibration, multiple piston-based encoder stacks may be used. In still other embodiments, different types of encoder stacks may be used in a single drill string.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 3C, a method 350 illustrates one embodiment of a process that may occur using the vibration causing components illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C, 3A, and/or 3B to obtain waveform information (e.g., oscillations per unit time, frequency and/or amplitude) from waveforms such as those illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C. In step 352, a system may be set to use a particular configuration of an encoder plate/anvil plate pair. For example, the system may be a system such as is disclosed in previously incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,283. It is understood that many different systems may be used to execute the method 350. In some embodiments, the system may not need to be set to a particular configuration of an encoder plate/anvil plate pair, in which case step 352 may be omitted. In such embodiments, for example, the system may establish a current frequency/amplitude baseline using detected waveform information and then look for variations from the baseline.

[0078] In step 354, vibrations from the encoder plate/anvil plate are monitored. For example, the monitoring may be used to count oscillations as illustrated in FIG. 2A. When counting oscillations, the configuration of the encoder plate/anvil plate would need to be known in order to calculate that a single revolution has occurred. The monitoring may also be used to detect frequency and/or amplitude variations as illustrated in FIGS. 2B and 2C. The waveform information may be used to adjust drilling parameters, determine formation characteristics, and/or for other purposes.

[0079] In step 356, a determination may be made as to whether monitoring is to be continued. If monitoring is to be continued, the method 350 returns to step 354. If monitoring is to stop, the method 350 moves to step 358 and ends. It is understood that step 352 may be repeated in cases where a new encoder plate and/or anvil plate are used, although step 352 may not need to be repeated in cases where a plate is replaced with another plate having the same configuration.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 4, another embodiment of an encoder plate 400 is illustrated with an outer encoder ring 402 and an inner encoder ring 404. Via the outer and inner encoder rings 402 and 404, the encoder plate 400 may provide a phase adjusting series of rings and bumps that can be used to cause frequency modulation for communication and localized sensing purposes. For purposes of the present example, the configuration of the outer encoder ring 402 is identical to the encoder plate 104 of FIG. 1C, although it is understood that the outer encoder ring 402 may have many different configurations. The inner encoder ring 404 is positioned within the aperture 119 so that the inner and outer encoder rings 402 and 404 form concentric circles.

[0081] The inner encoder ring 404 may be configured with an outer perimeter 406 and an inner perimeter 408 that defines the interior opening 119. Spaces 414 may be defined between bumps 410 and 412 and may represent an upper surface 409 of a substrate material (e.g., steel) forming the encoder plate 400. In the present example, the spaces 414 are substantially flat, but it is understood that the spaces 414 may be curved, grooved, slanted inwards and/or outwards, have varying slope angles, and/or have a variety of other shapes. In some embodiments, the area and/or shape of a space 414 may vary from the area/shape of another space 414.

[0082] It is understood that the term “bump” in the present embodiment refers to any projection from the surface 409 of the substrate forming the encoder plate 400. Accordingly, a configuration of the encoder plate 400 that is grooved may provide bumps 410 as the lands between the grooves. A bump 410 may be formed of the substrate material itself or may be formed from another material or combination of materials. For example, a bump 410 may be formed from a material such as PDC, stellite, and/or another material or material combination that is resistant to wear. A bump 410 may be formed as part of the surface 409, may be fastened to the surface 409 of the substrate, may be placed at least partially in a hole provided in the surface 409, or may be otherwise embedded in the surface 409.

[0083] The bumps 410/412 may be of many shapes and/or sizes, and may curved, grooved, slanted inwards and/or outwards, having varying slope angles, and/or may have a variety of other shapes. In some embodiments, the area and/or shape of a bump 410/412 may vary from the area/shape of another bump 410/412. For example, bump 412 is illustrated as having a different shape than bumps 410. The differently shaped bump 412 may be used as a marker. Furthermore, the distance between two particular points of two bumps may vary between one or more pairs of bumps. The bumps 410 may have space between the bumps themselves and between each bump and one or both of the inner and outer perimeters 406 and 408, or may extend from approximately the outer perimeter 406 to the inner perimeter 408. The height of each bump 410/412 is substantially similar in the present example, but it is understood that one or more of the bumps may vary in height.

[0084] The configuration of the encoder plate 400 with the inner encoder ring 404 and the outer encoder ring 402 enables the phase of the vibrations to be adjusted. More specifically, the inner and outer encoder rings 404 and 402 may be moved relative to one another. For example, both the inner and outer encoder rings 404 and 402 may be movable, or one of the inner and outer encoder rings 404 and 402 may be movable while the other is locked in place. Rotation may be accomplished by many different mechanisms, including gears and cams. By rotating the inner encoder ring 404 relative to the outer encoder ring 402, the phase of the vibrations may be changed, providing the ability to tune the oscillations within a particular range while the anvil plate 102 and the encoder plate 404 are downhole.

[0085] The ability to adjust the frequency and phase of the vibrations by moving the inner encoder ring 404 relative to the outer encoder ring 402 may enable faster drilling. More specifically, there is often a particular vibration frequency or a relatively narrow band of vibration frequencies within which drilling occurs faster for a particular formation than occurs at other frequencies. By tuning the vibration mechanism provided by the anvil 102 and encoding plate 104 to create that particular frequency or a frequency that is close to that frequency, the ROP may be increased.

[0086] In another embodiment, the ability to tune a characteristic of the vibration mechanism (e.g., frequency, amplitude, or beat skipping) may be used to steer or otherwise affect the drilling direction of a bent sub mud motor while rotating. Generally, a well bore will drift towards the direction in which faster drilling occurs. This may be thought of as the drill bit drifting towards the path of least resistance. One method for controlling this is to provide a system that uses fluid flow to try to control the efficiency of drilling based on the rotary position of the bend in the mud motor. For example, the fluid flow may be at its maximum when the drilling is occurring in the correct direction. When the mud motor bend rotates away from the target trajectory, the fluid flow is shut off, which slows the drilling speed by making drilling less efficient and biases the bit back into the desired direction. However, repeatedly turning the fluid flow on and off may be hard on the mechanical system of the BHA and may also result in inconsistent bit cutter and borehole cleaning, neither of which are beneficial to efficient drilling and lead to a loss in peak ROP for a given BHA.

[0087] As described above, there is often a particular optimal frequency or amplitude that maximizes drilling speed for a given formation. Accordingly, when the bend is oriented so that drilling is occurring in the correct direction, the vibration mechanism may be used to generate that particular optimal frequency. If the borehole begins to drift off the well plan, the vibration mechanism may be used to modify the vibrations by, for example, altering the vibrations to a less than optimal frequency or decreasing the amplitude of the vibrations when the bend in the mud motor is rotated away from the target well plan. This may serve to arrest well plan deviation and bias the bit towards the correct direction. When using vibration tuning to influence steering, fluid flow may continue normally, thereby avoiding problems that may be caused by repeatedly turning the fluid flow on and off. Controlling vibration to bias the steering may be performed without stopping rotational drilling, which provides advantages in ROP optimization and/or friction reduction.

[0088] With additional reference to FIGS. 5A-5F, embodiments of the inner and outer encoder rings 404 and 402 of the encoder plate 400 of FIG. 4 are illustrated. FIGS. 5A and 5C illustrate a top view and a side view, respectively, of the inner and outer encoder rings 404 and 402. The inner and outer encoder rings 404 and 402 are positioned relative to one another so that the bumps of each ring are offset just enough to create a “larger” bump when viewed from the side and struck by the bumps 112 of the anvil plate 102. More specifically, the bumps 410 (represented by solid lines) and bumps 122 (represented by dashed lines) are aligned so that the bumps 112 of the anvil plate 102 strike the peaks of a bump 410/bump 122 pair in rapid succession. FIG. 5E illustrates a waveform that may be created by this positioning the inner and outer encoder rings 404 and 402. The waveform that has a relatively low frequency due to the “larger” bumps created by the combination of bumps 410 and 122.

[0089] FIGS. 5B and 5D illustrate a top view and a side view, respectively, of the inner and outer encoder rings 404 and 402. The inner and outer encoder rings 404 and 402 are positioned relative to one another so that the bumps of each ring are substantially equidistant. In other words, the peak of each of the bumps 122 is positioned substantially where the trough occurs for the bumps 410 and vice versa. FIG. 5F illustrates a waveform that may be created by this positioning the inner and outer encoder rings 404 and 402. The waveform has a higher frequency than the waveform of FIG. 5E due to the bumps 112 of the anvil plate 102 transitioning more rapidly from one bump 122 to the next bump 410 and from one bump 410 to the next bump 122. It is understood that this may also vary the amplitude of the waveform relative to the waveform of FIG. 5E for a given amount of force, as the bumps 112 of the anvil plate 102 are not traveling as far into the troughs in FIG. 5D as they are in FIG. 5C.

[0090] It is understood that varying the bump layout of one or more of the inner encoder ring 404, outer encoder ring 402, and anvil plate 102 may result in different frequencies and different phase shifts. Furthermore, the frequency and phase may be modulated when the inner and outer encoder rings 404 and 402 are moved relative to one another. Accordingly, a desired frequency or range of frequencies and a desired phase or range of phases may be obtained based on the particular configuration of the inner encoder ring 404, outer encoder ring 402, and anvil plate 102.

[0091] It is further understood that additional encoder rings may be added to the encoder plate 400 in some embodiments. Additionally or alternatively, the anvil plate 102 may be provided with two or more anvil rings.

[0092] Referring to FIG. 6A, another embodiment of an anvil plate 600 is illustrated. The anvil plate 600 includes a plurality of bumps 602 separated by a relatively flat space 604. The relatively flat space may be an upper surface 605 of the anvil plate 600.

[0093] Referring to FIG. 6B, another embodiment of an encoder plate 606 is illustrated with an outer encoder ring 608 and an inner encoder ring 610. The outer encoder ring 608 includes a plurality of bumps 612 separated by a relatively flat space 614, which may be part of an upper surface 615 of the outer encoder ring 608. The inner encoder ring 610 includes a plurality of bumps 616 separated by a relatively flat space 618, which may be part of an upper surface 619 of the inner encoder ring 610.

[0094] Referring to FIG. 6C, one embodiment of the backside of the encoder plate 606 is illustrated. In the present example, both the inner and outer encoder rings 608 and 610 may move. The outer encoder ring 608 has a surface 620 having teeth formed thereon and the inner encoder ring 610 has a surface 622 having teeth formed thereon. The surface 622 faces the surface 620 so that the respective teeth are opposing. The teeth of the surfaces 620 and 622 provide a gear mechanism for the outer and inner encoder rings 608 and 610, respectively. One or more shafts 624 have teeth at the proximal end 626 (e.g., the end nearest the toothed surfaces 620/622) that engage the teeth of the surfaces 620/622. At least one of the shafts 624 may be a driver that is configured to rotate via a rotation mechanism such as a gearhead motor. During rotation, the driver shaft 624 rotates the outer encoder ring 608 relative to the inner encoder ring 610 via the gear mechanism.

[0095] It is understood that the gear mechanism illustrated in FIG. 6C is only one embodiment of a mechanism that may be used to rotate the outer encoder ring 608 relative to the inner encoder ring 610. Cams and/or other mechanisms may also be used. Such mechanisms may be configured to provide a desired movement pattern. For example, cams may be shaped to provide a predefined movement pattern. In some embodiments, only one of the encoder rings 608/610 may be geared, while the other of the encoder rings may be locked in place. Locking an encoder ring 608/610 in place may be accomplished via pins, bolts, or any other fastening mechanism capable of preventing movement of the encoder ring being locked in place while allowing movement of the other encoder ring. It is noted that having both encoder rings 608/610 geared or otherwise movable may increase the speed of relative movement, but may also require more torque. Accordingly, balances between relative movement speed and torque may be made to satisfy particular design parameters.

[0096] Referring to FIGS. 7A-7C, embodiments of a housing 700 is illustrated. The housing 700 may be a portion of a drill string. In the present example, the anvil plate 600 (FIG. 6A) and encoder plate 606 (FIG. 6B) are positioned in section 704. However, in other embodiments, the anvil plate 600 and encoder plate 606 may be positioned in section 702 or may be separated, such as positioning the anvil plate 600 in section 702 and the encoder plate 606 and other components of the system 300 (FIG. 3) the section 704 or vice versa.

[0097] Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, another embodiment of an anvil plate 800 is illustrated. In the present example, the bumps are represented as ramps. The anvil plate 800 includes a plurality of ramps 802 separated by spaces 804, which may be part of an upper surface 805 of the anvil plate 800.

[0098] Referring to FIG. 8C, another embodiment of an encoder plate 806 is illustrated with an outer encoder ring 808 and an inner encoder ring 810. The outer encoder ring 808 includes a plurality of ramps 812 separated by spaces 814, which may be part of an upper surface 815 of the outer encoder ring 808. The inner encoder ring 810 includes a plurality of ramps 816 separated by spaces 818, which may be part of an upper surface 819 of the inner encoder ring 810.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 8D, the anvil plate 800 of FIGS. 8A and 8B is illustrated with the encoder plate 806 of FIG. 8C. It is noted that sloped bumps, such as the ramps 802 and 812, may act as a ratchet that prevents backwards movement in some embodiments. This may be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the desired performance of the vibration mechanism provided by the anvil plate 800 and encoder plate 806.

[0100] In another embodiment, rather than the use of the anvil/encoder plates described above, other mechanical configurations may be used. For example, in one embodiment, cylindrical rollers may be used with non-flat races. The rollers moving along the non-flat races may create vibrations based on the shape of the races (e.g., sinusoidal). In another embodiment, non-cylindrical rollers may be used with flat races (e.g., like a cam shaft). The non-flat rollers moving along the races may create vibrations based on the shape of the rollers. In yet another embodiment, a conical roller bearing assembly may be provided. As a conical roller is pushed between two tapered races, separation between the two races is created that causes axial motion.

[0101] Accordingly, as described herein, some embodiments may enable modulating a vibration pattern through mechanical adjustment of concentric disks or other mechanisms, which enables data to be transferred up-hole by way of one of many modulation schemes at rates higher than may be provided by current mud pulse and EM methods. Varying the patterns of the anvil plate and/or encoder plate may allow for a multitude of communication schemes. In some embodiments, the frequency of the vibration may be adjustable such that an ideal impact frequency can be achieved for a given formation. Additionally, in some embodiments, using a vibration sensor such as a near hammer accelerometer or pressure transducer, the impact characteristics of the hammer shock may provide insight into the WOB, the UCS or formation hardness, and/or formation porosity on a real time or near real time basis, which may enable for real time or near real time adjustment and optimization of drilling practices.

[0102] Some embodiments may provide increased measuring while drilling/logging while drilling (MWD/LWD) data transfer rates. Some embodiments may provide increased ROP through a frequency modulated hammer drill. Some embodiments may provide the ability to evaluate and track actual mud motor RPM. Some embodiments may provide the ability to evaluate porosity through mechanical sonic tool implementation. Some embodiments may reduce static friction in lateral sections of a well. Some embodiments may minimize or eliminate MWD pressure drop and potential blockage. Some embodiments may allow compatibility with all forms of drilling fluid. Some embodiments may actively dampen MWD components using closed loop vibration control and active dampening. Some embodiments may be used in directional and conventional drilling. Some embodiments may be used in drilling with casing, in vibrating casing into the hole, and/or with coiled tubing. Some embodiments may be used for mining (e.g., for drilling air shafts), to find coal beds, and to perform other functions not directed to oil well drilling.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 9A, an embodiment of a portion of a system 900 is illustrated with a housing 902. The system 900 may similar to the system 300 of FIG. 3 in that the system 900 provides control over vibration-based communications. In the present embodiment, a magnetorheological (MR) fluid valve assembly 904 is used to control the vibrations produced by a vibration mechanism. For example, the system 900 may use a vibration mechanism such as an anvil plate 906 and encoder plate 908, which may be similar or identical to the anvil plate 102 of FIG. 1A or the anvil plate 800 of FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8D, and the encoder plate 104 of FIG. 1B or the encoder plate 806 of FIGS. 8C and 8D. It is understood, however, that many different combinations of plates and/or other vibration mechanisms may be used as described in previous embodiments.

[0104] As will be described in greater detail below, the valve assembly 904 may provide a mechanism that may be controlled to slow and/or stop the movement of one or more thrust bearings of a thrust bearing assembly 910 that is coupled to one or both of the anvil plate 906 and encoder plate 908, as well as provide a spring mechanism used to reset the system. An off-bottom bearing assembly 912 may also be provided. The valve assembly 904, the anvil plate 906 and encoder plate 908, the thrust bearing assembly 910, and the off-bottom bearing assembly 912 are positioned around a cavity 914 containing a mandrel (not shown) that rotates around and/or moves along a longitudinal axis of the housing 902.

[0105] With additional reference to FIGS. 9B-9D, embodiments of waveforms illustrate possible operations of the valve assembly 904. More specifically, the anvil plate 906 and encoder plate 908 may produce a maximum frequency at a maximum amplitude if no constraints are in place. For example, a maximum number of impacts may be achieved for a given set of parameters (e.g., rotational speed, surface configuration of the surfaces of the anvil plate 906 and encoder plate 908, and formation hardness). This provides a maximum number of impacts (e.g., beats) per unit time and each of those impacts will be at a maximum amplitude. It is understood that the maximum frequency and/or amplitude may vary somewhat from beat to beat and may not be constant due to variations caused by formation characteristics and/or other drilling parameters. While a beat is illustrated for purposes of example as a single impact from trough to trough, it is understood that a beat may be defined in other ways, such as using a particular part of a cycle (e.g., rising edge, falling edge, peak, trough, and/or other characteristics of a waveform).

[0106] The valve assembly 904 may be used to modify the beats per unit time by varying the amplitude on a beat by beat basis, assuming the valve assembly is configured to handle the frequency of a particular pattern of beats. In other words, the valve assembly 904 may not only affect the amplitude of a given impact, but it may alter the beats per unit time by dampening or otherwise preventing a beat from occurring. In embodiments where suppression is not available at a per beat resolution, a minimum number of beats may be suppressed according to the available resolution.

[0107] Referring specifically to FIG. 9B, a waveform 920 is illustrated with possible beats 922a-922i. In this example, the valve assembly 904 is used to skip (e.g., suppress) beats 922b, 922d, 922e, and 922h, while beats 922a, 922c, 922f, 922g, and 922i occur normally. This alters the waveform 920 from a normal nine beats per unit time to five beats in the same amount of time. Moreover, it is understood than any beat or beats may be skipped, enabling the valve assembly 904 to control the vibration pattern as desired. Each beat is either at a maximum amplitude 924 or suppressed to a minimum amplitude 926.

[0108] Referring specifically to FIG. 9C, a waveform 930 is illustrated with possible beats 932a-932i. In this example, the valve assembly 904 is used to control to amplitude of beats 932a, 932d, and 932e, while beats 932b, 932c, and 932f-922i occur normally. This alters the amplitude of various beats of the waveform 930 while allowing all beats to exist. It is understood than any beat or beats may be amplitude controlled, enabling the valve assembly 904 to control the force of the vibrations as desired. Each beat is either at a maximum amplitude 934 or suppressed to some amplitude between the maximum amplitude 934 and a minimum amplitude 936.

[0109] Referring specifically to FIG. 9D, a waveform 940 is illustrated with possible beats 942a-942i. In this example, the valve assembly 904 is used to skip (e.g., suppress) beats 942b and 942e, lower the amplitude of beats 942a, 942f, and 942g, and allow beats 942c, 942d, 942h, and 942i to occur normally. This alters the waveform 940 from a normal nine full amplitude beats per unit time to seven beats in the same amount of time with three of those beats having a reduced amplitude. Each beat is either at a maximum amplitude 944, suppressed to a minimum amplitude 946, or suppressed to some amplitude between the maximum amplitude 944 and the minimum amplitude 946.

[0110] Accordingly, the valve assembly 904 may be used to control the beat pattern and amplitude, even when the encoder plate itself is not tunable (e.g., when it only has a single ring). The valve assembly 904 may be used to create frequency reduction in a scaled manner (e.g., suppressing every other beat would halve the frequency of the vibrations) or may be used to skip whatever beats are desired, as well as reduce the amplitude of beats without full suppression.

[0111] It is understood that the valve assembly 904 may be used to create a binary system of on or off, or may be used to create a multi level system depending on the resolution provided by the vibrations, the valve assembly 904, and any sensing mechanism used to detect the vibrations. For example, if the impacts are large enough and/or the sensing mechanism is sensitive enough, the valve assembly 904 may provide “on” (e.g., full impact), “off” (e.g., no impact), or “in between” (e.g., approximately fifty percent) (as illustrated in FIG. 9C). If more resolution is available, additional information may be encoded. For example, amplitude may be controlled to “on”, “off”, and two additional levels of thirty-three percent and sixty-six percent. In another example, amplitude may be controlled to “on”, “off”, and three additional levels of twenty-five percent, fifty percent, and seventy-five percent. The level of resolution may affect how quickly information can be transmitted to the surface as more information can be encoded per unit time for higher levels of resolution than for lower levels of resolution.

[0112] It is understood that the exact force percentage may not be relevant, but may be divided into ranges based on the ability of the system to create and detect vibrations. Accordingly, no impact may actually mean that impact is reduced to less than five percent (or whatever percentage is no longer detectable and provides a detection threshold), while a range of ninety percent to one hundred percent may qualify as “full impact.” Accordingly, the actual implementation of encoding using beat skipping and amplitude reduction may depend on many factors and may change based on formation changes and other factors.

[0113] Referring to FIG. 10, one embodiment of the anvil plate 906 and encoder plate 908 of FIG. 9A is illustrated in greater detail. Thrust bearings 1002 and 1004 of thrust bearing assembly 910 are also illustrated. In the present example, thrust bearing 1004 is coupled to anvil plate 906 such that the thrust bearing 1004 and anvil plate 906 move together. As illustrated, the thrust bearings 1002 and 1004 may include inserts 1006 and 1008, respectively. The inserts 1006 and 1008, which may be formed of a material such as PDC, are durable, exhibit low friction, and enable the thrust bearings 1002 and 1004 to bear high load levels. The thrust bearings 1002 and 1004 move together, with little or no slack between them.

[0114] The thrust bearings 1002 and 1004 may protect the vibration mechanism provided by the anvil plate 906 and encoder plate 908. For example, as the vibration mechanism goes up the ramp of the encoder plate 908, the housing 902 is pushed to the left (e.g., up when vertically oriented) relative to the bit (not shown) and mandrel (not shown but in cavity 914) as the bit engages the formation. When the vibration mechanism goes off the ramp, it drops and the force of the drillstring (not shown) will push the housing 902 to the right (e.g., down when vertically oriented) relative to the mandrel as the weight of the drillstring is no longer supported by the ramp. If the motion limiting mechanism provided by the valve assembly 904 (as described below in greater detail) is weak when the drop occurs, the thrust bearings 1002/1004 move back quickly and hit the bellows assembly 1302 with substantial force because there is not much force opposing the bit force. If the motion limiting mechanism is strong, the thrust bearings 1002/1004 may not drop or may be cushioned. Accordingly, the thrust bearing assembly 910 aids in stopping and/or slowing the drop off of the ramp in the vibration mechanism. Furthermore, the substantial impact that occurs when the thrust bearing 1004 drops back quickly may damage one of the ramps of the vibration mechanism due to the impact being concentrated on one of the relatively sharp corners of the ramp, but can be safely handled by the broader surfaces of the thrust bearing assembly 910.

[0115] Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, one embodiment of the valve assembly 904, the anvil plate 906 and encoder plate 908 (only in FIG. 11), and the thrust bearing assembly 910 are illustrated in greater detail. The valve assembly 904 includes a bellows assembly 1102 and a fluid reservoir 1104 that is coupled to the bellows assembly 1102 by a fluid conduit 1106. The bellows assembly 1102 is adjacent to the thrust bearing 1002 of thrust bearing assembly 910. In the present example, the fluid reservoir 1104 is positioned in a chamber 1108 in the housing 902 and may not extend entirely around the cavity 914. In other embodiments, the fluid reservoir 1104 and chamber 1108 may extend entirely around the cavity 914.

[0116] Referring to FIGS. 13-17, one embodiment of the bellows assembly 1102 and the thrust bearing assembly 910 are illustrated in greater detail. The bellows assembly 1102 may include a bellows 1302 that is formed with a plurality of ribs 1304 separated by gaps 1306. When compressed, the gaps 1306 will narrow and the ribs 1304 will be forced closer to one another. Decompression reverses this process, with the gaps 1306 getting wider and the ribs 1304 moving farther apart. Accordingly, the bellows 1302 serves as a spring mechanism within the valve assembly 904.

[0117] The bellows 1302 includes a cavity 1308. An end of the bellows 1302 adjacent to the thrust bearing 1002 includes a wall having an interior surface 1310 that faces the cavity 1308 and an exterior surface 1312 that faces a surface 1314 of the thrust bearing 1002.

[0118] The cavity 1308 at least partially surrounds a sleeve 1316. MR fluid is in the cavity 1308 between the sleeve 1316 and an outer wall of the bellows 1302. The sleeve 1316 provides a seal for the valve assembly 904 while allowing for fluid flow as described below. The sleeve 1316 fits over a valve body 1318. The valve body 1318 includes one channel 1320 in which a valve ring 1322 is positioned and another channel into which an energizer coil 1324 (e.g., copper wiring coupled to a power source (not shown) for creating a magnetic field) is positioned. A spring 1326, such as a Belleville washer, may be positioned in the channel 1320 between the valve ring 1322 and an opening leading to the fluid conduit 1106. A portion of the sleeve 1316 adjacent to the surface 1310 may include flow ports (e.g., holes) 1328. Accordingly, the cavity 1308 may be in fluid communication with the fluid conduit 1106 via the holes 1328 and channel 1320. Although not shown, the channel 1320 is in fluid communication with the fluid conduit 1106 as long as the valve ring 1322 is not seated. A surface 1330 of the sleeve 1316 facing the surface 1310 provides an anvil surface that takes impact transferred from the thrust bearing 1002.

[0119] The valve assembly 904 provides a spring force. More specifically, as the mandrel in the cavity 914 goes up and down, the encoder plate 908 and anvil plate 906 move relative to one another due to the ramps. This in turn compresses the spring provided by the bellows 1302. This spring force provided by the bellows 1302 keeps the thrust bearings 1002 and 1004 in substantially constant contact. Accordingly, the load is shared between the ramp of the vibration mechanism and the spring coefficient of the valve assembly 904.

[0120] Referring to FIG. 18, one embodiment of the off-bottom bearing assembly 912 is illustrated. The off-bottom bearing assembly 912 may include bearings 1802 and 1804. A spring 1806, such as a Belleville washer, may provide a bias in the upward direction (e.g., opposite the ramps in the vibration mechanism) to keep slack out of the thrust bearings. The spring 1806 may also provide another tuning point for the system 300.

[0121] Referring generally to FIGS. 9-18, in operation, the valve assembly 904 may be used to slow or stop the compression of the bellows 1302, which in turn alters the effect of the impact caused by the encoder plate 908 and anvil plate 906. The movement of the encoder plate 908 relative to the anvil plate 906 that occurs when the encoder plate 908 goes off a ramp causes an impact between the thrust bearings 1002 and 1004 because the thrust bearing 1004 moves in conjunction with the anvil plate 906. This impact is transferred via the surface 1314 of the thrust bearing 1002 to the exterior surface 1312 of the bellows 1302, and then from the interior surface 1310 to the anvil surface 1330 of the sleeve 1316.

[0122] If the energizer coil 1324 is not powered on to create a magnetic field, the MR fluid inside the bellows 1302 is not excited and may flow freely into the fluid reservoir 1104 via the fluid conduit 1106. In this case, the interior surface 1310 of the bellows 1302 may strike the anvil surface 1330 of the sleeve 1316 with relatively little resistance except for the spring resistance provided by the structure of the bellows 1302. This provides a relatively clean hard impact between the interior surface 1310 of the bellows 1302 may strike the anvil surface 1330 of the sleeve 1316. The MR fluid will be forced into the fluid reservoir 1104 and will flow back into the bellows 1302 as the bellows 1302 undergoes decompression.

[0123] However, if the energizer coil 1324 is powered on, the resistance within the bellows 902 may be considerably greater depending on the strength of the magnetic field. By supplying a strong enough magnetic field to restrict flow of the MR fluid sufficiently, the MR fluid may pull the valve ring 1322 in on itself and shut the valve ring 1322. In other words, sufficiently exciting the MR fluid makes the MR fluid viscous enough to pull the valve ring 1322 into a sealed position. Once the valve ring 1322 is seated, the bellows 1302 becomes a relatively uncompressible structure. Then, when the interior surface 1310 of the bellows 1302 receives the force transfer from the thrust bearing 1002, the interior surface 1310 will only travel a small distance (relative to the fully compressible state when the MR fluid is not excited) and will not make contact with the anvil surface 1330 of the sleeve 1316. Accordingly, minimal impact shock will occur. In embodiments where the valve ring 1322 is not completely seated, a sufficient increase in the viscosity of the MR fluid may allow a cushioned impact, rather than a hard impact, to occur between the interior surface 1310 and the anvil surface 1330. The MR fluid will again flow freely when the excitation is stopped.

[0124] Accordingly, there are two different approaches that may be provided by the valve assembly 904, with the particular approach selected by controlling the magnetic field. First, the valve assembly 904 may be used to cause fluid restriction to control how quickly the fluid transfers through the valve opening. This provides dampening functionality and may effectively suspend the impact mechanism from causing impact. Second, the valve assembly 904 may be used to stop fluid flow. In embodiments where the fluid flow is stopped completely, heat dissipation may be less of an issue than in embodiments where fluid flow is merely restricted and slowed. It is understood that the valve assembly 904 may provide either approach based on manipulation of the magnetic field.

[0125] In addition to controlling the functionality of the valve assembly 904 by manipulating the magnetic field, the functionality may be tuned by altering the spring forces that operate within the valve assembly 904. The spring 1326 biases the check valve ring 1322 so that the check valve ring 1322 resets to the open position when the magnetic field is dropped. The expansion of the bellows 1302 during decompression also acts as a spring to reset the check valve ring 1322. The reset may be needed because even though the vibration mechanism may force the encoder plate 908 to go up the ramp, there should generally not be a gap between the thrust bearings 1002/1004 and the bellows 1302. In other words, the bellows 1302 should not be floating off the thrust bearing 1002 and so needs to reset relatively quickly.

[0126] It is understood that the spring coefficients of the springs provided by the valve assembly 904 may be tuned, as too much spring force may dampen the impact and too little spring force may cause the bellows 1302 to float and prevent the system from resetting. Due to the design of the valve assembly 904, there are multiple points where the spring strength can be increased or decreased. Accordingly, the spring effect may be used to reset the system relatively quickly, with the actual time frame in which a reset needs to occur being controlled by the operating frequency (e.g., one hundred hertz) and/or other factors.

[0127] It is understood that many variations may be made to the system 900. For example, in some embodiments, the sleeve 1316 and/or the bellows 1302 may be disposable. For example, the bellows 1302 may have a fatigue life and may therefore withstand only so many compression/decompression cycles before failing. Accordingly, in such embodiments, the bellows 1302, sleeve 1316, and/or other components may be designed to balance such factors as lifespan, cost, and ease of replacement.

[0128] In some embodiments, the bellows 1302 and/or bellows assembly 1102 may be sealed.

[0129] In some embodiments, a piston system may be used instead of the bellows assembly 1102.

[0130] In some embodiments, the thrust bearing assembly 910 may be lubricated with drilling fluid. In other embodiments, MR fluid may be used as a lubricant. In still other embodiments, traditional oil lubricants may be used.

[0131] In some embodiments, a plurality of smaller bellows may be used instead of the single bellows 1302. In such embodiments, because the hoop stress on a cylindrical pipe increases as the diameter increases due to increased pressures, the use of smaller bellows may increase the pressure rating.

[0132] In some embodiments, a flexible sock-like material may be placed around the bellows 1302. In such embodiments, grease may be placed in the gaps 1306 of the bellows 1302 and sealed in using the sock-like structure. When the bellows 1302 is compressed, the grease would expand into the flexible sock-like structure, which would then force the grease back into the gaps 1306 during decompression. This may prevent solids from getting into the gaps 1306 and weakening or otherwise negatively impacting the performance of the bellows 1302.

[0133] In some embodiments, a rotary seal and a bellows mounted seal for lateral movement may be used to address the difficulty of sealing both lateral and rotational movement. In such embodiments, the bellows may enable the seal to move with the lateral movement.

[0134] In some embodiments, stacked disks (e.g., Belleville washers) may be used to make the bellows. For example, the stacked disks may have opening (e.g., slots or holes) to allow MR fluid to go into and out of the bellows (e.g., inside to outside and vice versa). The magnetic field may then be used to change the viscosity of the MR fluid to make it easier or harder for the fluid to move through the openings.

[0135] In some embodiments, torque transfer between the thrust bearing 1002 and the bellows 1302 may be addressed. For example, torque may be transferred from the thrust bearing 1004 to the thrust bearing 1002, and from the thrust bearing 1002 to the bellows 1302. Even in embodiments where the interface between the bellows 1302 and thrust bearing 1102 has a higher friction coefficient than the interface between the thrust bearings 1002 and 1004 (which may be PDC on PDC), some torque may transfer. This may be undesirable if the bellows 1302 is unable to handle the amount of torque being transferred. Accordingly, non-rotating elements (e.g., splines) may be placed on the thrust bearing 1002 and/or elsewhere to keep the thrust bearing 1002 from rotating and transferring torque to the bellows 1302. In embodiments where the friction level of the interface between the bellows 1302 and thrust bearing 1002 enables the interface to slip before significant torque can be transferred, such non-rotating elements may not be needed.

[0136] Referring to FIGS. 19-22, an embodiment of a portion of a system 2000 is illustrated. The system 2000 may be similar to the system 300 of FIG. 3 in that the system 2000 provides control over vibration-based communications. In the present embodiment, an encoder plate 2001 includes a static inner ring 2002 supporting inner ramps 2004 and a moving outer ring 2006 supporting outer ramps 2008 (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 8C by outer ramps 812 and inner ramps 816). The outer ring 2006 is able to move independently from the inner ring 2002. An interface 2014 between the inner and outer rings 2002 and 2006 may be configured to reduce wear and friction. Anvil plate ramps 2010 (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 8A by ramps 802) are positioned opposite the inner and outer ramps 2004 and 2008. The orientation control involves a spring loaded helical ramp system with spring 2012.

[0137] As shown in FIG. 19, the anvil ramps 2010 are initially in contact with the inner ramps 2004. In operation, anvil ramps 2010 move up the slopes of the inner ramps 2004, repeatedly dropping off the cliff. The outer ramps 2008 of the moving outer ring 2006 will be pushed up a helical ramp that supports the outer ring 2008 by an actuation device (FIG. 19). Actuation can be induced by a solenoid, electric motor, hydraulic valve, etc. The amount of actuation energy is minimal as the helical ramp will cause the outer ramps 2008 to make contact with the rotating anvil plate ramps 2010, which will then drag the outer ring 2006 further up the helical ramp in a wedge-like, increasing contact pressure relationship (FIG. 20) until a positive stop is reached. During this motion, the ejector spring 2012 is compressed. When the outer ring 2006 is in its fully deployed state, the outer ramps 2008 will support the anvil plate ramps 2010 between the static encoder plate's support regions and eliminate the impact that would otherwise be generated by the relative axial motion (FIG. 21).

[0138] Once the anvil plate ramps 2010 have rotated to a position no longer in contact with the outer ramps 2008, the friction force holding the outer ring 2006 against the positive stop will no longer be present and the ejector spring 2012 will push the outer ring 2006 back to its neutral state where no friction force acts upon it due to the axial movement in the helical supporting ramp. With this approach, a high speed state change can occur with the moving encoder ring 2006 without fighting against the rotation of a mandrel shaft as the energy to change states is primarily provided by the rotating mandrel.

[0139] In still another embodiment, the impact source may be changed. As described previously, the WOB of the BHA may be used as the source of the impact force. In the present embodiment, a strong spring may be used in the BHA as the source of the impact force, which removes the dependency on WOB. In such embodiments, the encoding approach, formation evaluation, and basic mechanism need not change significantly.

[0140] Referring to FIG. 23A, a method 2300 illustrates one embodiment of a process that may be executed using a system such as the system 900, although other systems or combinations of system components described herein may be used to cause, tune, and/or otherwise control vibrations. In step 2302, a control system may be used to set a target frequency for vibrations using a tunable encoder plate. For example, the control system may be the system 48 of FIG. 1A or may be a system such as is disclosed in previously incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,283, although it is understood that many different systems may be used to execute the method 2300. In step 2304, the control system may be used to set a target amplitude for the vibrations. In step 2306, the vibration mechanism may be activated to cause vibrations at the target frequency and amplitude. If the vibration mechanism is already activated, step 2306 may be omitted.

[0141] Referring to FIG. 23B, a method 2310 illustrates one embodiment of a process that may be executed using a system such as the system 900, although other systems or combinations of system components described herein may be used to cause, tune, and/or otherwise control vibrations. In step 2312, a control system may be used to set a beat skipping mechanism using an MR fluid valve assembly. For example, the control system may be the system 48 of FIG. 1A or may be a system such as is disclosed in previously incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,283, although it is understood that many different systems may be used to execute the method 2310. In step 2314, the control system may be used to set a target amplitude for the vibrations. In step 2316, the vibration mechanism may be activated to cause vibrations at the target frequency and amplitude. If the vibration mechanism is already activated, step 2316 may be omitted.

[0142] Referring to FIG. 24A, a method 2400 illustrates a more detailed embodiment of the method 2300 of FIG. 23A using the components of the system 900, including the encoder plate 806 of FIG. 8C with the outer encoder ring 808 and inner encoder ring 810, and the MR fluid valve assembly 904 of FIG. 9A. Accordingly, the method 2400 enables vibrations to be tuned in frequency and/or controlled in amplitude.

[0143] In step 2402, a determination may be made as to whether the frequency is to be tuned. If the frequency is to be tuned, the method 2400 moves to step 2404, where one or both of the outer encoder ring 808 and inner encoder ring 810 may be moved to configure the encoder plate 806 to produce a target frequency in conjunction with an anvil plate as previously described. After setting the encoder plate 806 or if the determination of step 2402 indicates that the frequency is not to be tuned, the method 2400 moves to step 2406.

[0144] In step 2406, a determination may be made as to whether the amplitude is to be adjusted. If the amplitude is to be adjusted, the method 2400 moves to step 2408, where the strength of the magnetic field produced by the energizer coil 1324 may be altered to adjust the impact on the anvil surface 1330 and so adjust the amplitude of the vibrations. After altering the strength of the magnetic field or if the determination of step 2406 indicates that the amplitude is not to be adjusted, the method 2400 moves to step 2410, where vibrations may be monitored as previously described. In some embodiments, some or all steps of the method 2400 may be performed while vibrations are occurring, while in other embodiments, some or all steps may only be performed when little or no vibration is occurring.

[0145] Referring to FIG. 24B, a method 2420 illustrates a more detailed embodiment of the method 2310 of FIG. 23B using the components of the system 900, including the encoder plate 104 of FIG. 1C with a single encoder ring, and the MR fluid valve assembly 904 of FIG. 9A. Accordingly, the method 2420 enables vibration beats to skipped and/or controlled in amplitude.

[0146] In step 2422, a determination may be made as to whether beats are to be skipped. If beats are to be skipped, the method 2420 moves to step 2424, the MR fluid valve assembly 904 is set to skip one or more selected beats. After setting the fluid valve assembly 904 or if the determination of step 2422 indicates that no beats are to be skipped, the method 2420 moves to step 2426.

[0147] In step 2426, a determination may be made as to whether the amplitude is to be adjusted. If the amplitude is to be adjusted, the method 2420 moves to step 2428, where the strength of the magnetic field produced by the energizer coil 1324 may be altered to adjust the impact on the anvil surface 1330 and so adjust the amplitude of the vibrations. After altering the strength of the magnetic field or if the determination of step 2426 indicates that the amplitude is not to be adjusted, the method 2420 moves to step 2430, where vibrations may be monitored as previously described. In some embodiments, some or all steps of the method 2420 may be performed while vibrations are occurring, while in other embodiments, some or all steps may only be performed when little or no vibration is occurring.

[0148] Referring to FIG. 25, a method 2500 illustrates one embodiment of a process that may be executed using a system such as the system 900, although other systems or combinations of system components described herein may be used to cause, tune, and/or otherwise control vibrations. In step 2502, a control system (e.g., the control system 48 of FIG. 1A) may be used to configure a tunable encoder plate to set a target frequency for vibrations and/or to configure an MR fluid valve assembly to skip/suppress beats. In step 2504, information may be encoded downhole based on the tuning and/or beat skip/suppression configurations. In step 2506, the encoded information may be transmitted to the surface via mud and/or one or more other transmission mediums. The transmission may occur directly or via a series of relays. In step 2508, the information may be decoded.

[0149] Referring to FIG. 26, one embodiment of a computer system 2600 is illustrated. The computer system 2600 is one possible example of a system component or device such as the control system 48 of FIG. 1A. In scenarios where the computer system 2600 is on-site, such as within the environment 10 of FIG. 1A, the computer system may be contained in a relatively rugged, shock-resistant case that is hardened for industrial applications and harsh environments. It is understood that downhole electronics may be mounted in an adaptive suspension system that uses active dampening as described in various embodiments herein.

[0150] The computer system 2600 may include a central processing unit (“CPU”) 2602, a memory unit 2604, an input/output (“I/O”) device 2606, and a network interface 2608. The components 2602, 2604, 2606, and 2608 are interconnected by a transport system (e.g., a bus) 2610. A power supply (PS) 2612 may provide power to components of the computer system 2600, such as the CPU 2602 and memory unit 2604. It is understood that the computer system 2600 may be differently configured and that each of the listed components may actually represent several different components. For example, the CPU 2602 may actually represent a multi-processor or a distributed processing system; the memory unit 2604 may include different levels of cache memory, main memory, hard disks, and remote storage locations; the I/O device 2606 may include monitors, keyboards, and the like; and the network interface 2608 may include one or more network cards providing one or more wired and/or wireless connections to a network 2614. Therefore, a wide range of flexibility is anticipated in the configuration of the computer system 2600.

[0151] The computer system 2600 may use any operating system (or multiple operating systems), including various versions of operating systems provided by Microsoft (such as WINDOWS), Apple (such as Mac OS X), UNIX, and LINUX, and may include operating systems specifically developed for handheld devices, personal computers, and servers depending on the use of the computer system 2600. The operating system, as well as other instructions (e.g., software instructions for performing the functionality described in previous embodiments) may be stored in the memory unit 2604 and executed by the processor 2602. For example, if the computer system 2600 is the control system 48, the memory unit 2604 may include instructions for performing the various methods and control functions disclosed herein.

[0152] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that this system and method for causing, tuning, and/or otherwise controlling vibrations provides advantages in downhole environments. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description herein are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive manner, and are not intended to be limiting to the particular forms and examples disclosed. On the contrary, included are any further modifications, changes, rearrangements, substitutions, alternatives, design choices, and embodiments apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope hereof, as defined by the following claims. Thus, it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such further modifications, changes, rearrangements, substitutions, alternatives, design choices, and embodiments.