US-12624595-B2 - Bias tool pad actuator

Abstract

A device may include a tool housing having an outer surface. A device may include a movable biasing element radially movable relative to the outer surface. A device may include a bore in the outer surface of the tool housing at least partially in a radial direction of the tool housing. A device may include a piston axially fixed to the movable biasing element and movable in the bore. A device may include a pressure ring coupled to the piston and positioned between at least a portion of the piston and an inner wall of the bore.

Inventors

• Edward Richards

Assignees

• SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20240912

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A downhole tool comprising: a tool housing having an outer surface; a movable biasing element radially movable relative to the outer surface; a bore in the outer surface of the tool housing at least partially in a radial direction of the tool housing; a piston axially fixed to the movable biasing element and movable in the bore, wherein the piston has a first portion and a second portion, and wherein the first portion is separate and distinct from the second portion; and a pressure ring coupled to the piston and positioned between the first portion of the piston and the second portion of the piston in an axial direction.
2. 2 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the bore has a superhard or ultrahard surface.
3. 3 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the pressure ring has a superhard or ultrahard surface.
4. 4 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the pressure ring has a ring diameter greater than 95% of an inner diameter of the bore.
5. 5 . The downhole tool of claim 4 , wherein the ring diameter of the pressure ring is no more than 98% of the inner diameter of the bore.
6. 6 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the pressure ring is an annular ring with an inner diameter less than 50% of an inner diameter of the bore.
7. 7 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the bore is toroidal.
8. 8 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , further comprising a fastener coupling the first portion of the piston to the second portion of the piston.
9. 9 . The downhole tool of claim 8 , wherein the fastener couples the pressure ring to the first portion of the piston and the second portion of the piston.
10. 10 . The downhole tool of claim 8 , wherein the fastener couples the piston to the movable biasing element.
11. 11 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the pressure ring has a ring diameter greater than an outer diameter of the piston.
12. 12 . A downhole tool comprising: a tool housing having an outer surface; a movable biasing element radially movable relative to the outer surface; a bore in the outer surface of the tool housing at least partially in a radial direction of the tool housing; a piston operably coupled to the movable biasing element and axially movable in the bore and rotatable in the bore around a transverse axis in a transverse direction to an axial direction of the bore; and a connecting rod axially coupled to the movable biasing element and the piston, wherein the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the movable biasing element.
13. 13 . The downhole tool of claim 12 , wherein the piston has a cross-sectional shape in the transverse direction of the bore that is complementary to a cross-sectional shape of the bore in the transverse direction through a range of motion of the movable biasing element relative to the outer surface.
14. 14 . The downhole tool of claim 12 , wherein the piston is a cylindrical piston having a longitudinal axis oriented in the transverse direction.
15. 15 . The downhole tool of claim 12 , wherein the piston is a spherical piston.
16. 16 . The downhole tool of claim 12 , further comprising: a pressure ring coupled to the piston and positioned between at least a portion of the piston and an inner wall of the bore.
17. 17 . A downhole tool comprising: a tool housing having an outer surface; a movable biasing element radially movable relative to the outer surface; a bore in the outer surface of the tool housing at least partially in a radial direction of the tool housing; a piston movable in the bore; a first pressure ring coupled to the piston and positioned between at least a portion of the piston and an inner wall of the bore; a second pressure ring coupled to the piston and positioned between at least the portion of the piston and the inner wall of the bore, wherein the first pressure ring is disposed apart from the second pressure ring; and a connecting rod axially coupled to the movable biasing element and the piston, wherein the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the movable biasing element and rotatably connected to the piston.
18. 18 . The downhole tool of claim 17 , wherein the connecting rod is connected to at least one of the movable biasing element and the piston by a ball-and-socket connection.
19. 19 . The downhole tool of claim 17 , wherein the first pressure ring includes a different material, has a different thickness, has a different diameter, or any combination thereof, relative to the second pressure ring.
20. 20 . The downhole tool of claim 17 , further comprising a third pressure ring coupled to the piston and positioned between at least the portion of the piston and the inner wall of the bore, wherein the third pressure ring is disposed apart from the first pressure ring and the second pressure ring.

Description

BACKGROUND For drilling of a borehole, directional drilling allows creation of a non-linear borehole or a linear borehole through varying earth formations. Directional drilling units contain actuatable pads to apply lateral forces and steer a bit. SUMMARY In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a downhole tool including: a tool housing having an outer surface; a movable biasing element radially movable relative to the outer surface; a bore in the outer surface of the tool housing at least partially in a radial direction of the tool housing; a piston axially fixed to the movable biasing element and movable in the bore; and a pressure ring coupled to the piston and positioned between at least a portion of the piston and an inner wall of the bore. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a downhole tool including: a tool housing having an outer surface; a movable biasing element radially movable relative to the outer surface; a bore in the outer surface of the tool housing at least partially in a radial direction of the tool housing; and a piston operably coupled with the movable biasing element and axially movable in the bore and rotatable in the bore around a transverse axis in a transverse direction to an axial direction of the bore. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a downhole tool including: a tool housing having an outer surface; a movable biasing element radially movable relative to the outer surface; a bore in the outer surface of the tool housing at least partially in a radial direction of the tool housing; a piston movable in the bore, wherein the piston includes a pressure ring coupled to the piston and positioned between at least a portion of the piston and an inner wall of the bore; and a connecting rod axially coupling to the movable biasing element and the piston, wherein the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the movable biasing element and rotatably connected to the piston. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additional features and aspects of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of such embodiments. The features and aspects of such embodiments may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims or may be learned by the practice of such embodiments as set forth hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other features of the disclosure can be obtained, a more particular description will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. For better understanding, the like elements have been designated by like reference numbers throughout the various accompanying figures. While some of the drawings may be schematic or exaggerated representations of concepts, non-schematic drawings should be considered as being to scale for some embodiments of the present disclosure, but not to scale for other embodiments contemplated herein. Understanding that the drawings depict some example embodiments, the embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 illustrates a drilling system and downhole environment, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a side view of a downhole environment in which a BHA and drill string steer the bit to create a curve of a borehole, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a directional steering tool including at least one actuatable biasing element configured to actuate radially outward from a rotational axis of the BHA and/or drill string. FIG. 4-1 and 4-2 are side cross-sectional views of a piston moving in a toroidal bore. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a piston, according to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a directional steering tool with a wedge pressure ring. FIG. 7-1 and 7-2 are side cross-sectional views of a piston moving in a linear bore. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a directional steering tool with a spherical piston in a linear cylindrical bore. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to devices, systems, and methods for controlling a downhole tool in a downhole environment. Embodiments of the presen