A MOTORLESS DIRECTIONAL DRILL FOR OIL AND GAS WELLS

DIRECTIONAL AND EXTENDED-REACH DRILLING IN NATURAL GAS AND OIL FIELDS ARE OFTEN EMPLOYED FOR GREATER WELL YIELDS, OR INCASES WHERE IT IS NECESSARY TO CROSS THE NATURAL FRACTURE NETWORK, TO MAXIMIZE RECOVERY. CONVENTIONAL DOWNHOLE MOTORSFOR DIRECTIONAL DRILLING SYSTEMS HAVE MANY SHORTCOMINGS THATRESULT IN HIGH DRILLING COSTS. THE MOTORLESS DIRECTIONAL DRILL (MDD) STUDIED IN THIS PROJECT ELIMINATES THE MOTOR SECTION AND ITS ASSOCIATED HIGH MAINTENANCE COMPONENTS. AN ORIENTABLE, DECOUPLEABLE BENT SUB IS SELECTIVELY ENGAGED OR DISENGAGED AS REQUIRED TO STEER THE TOOL. DURING PHASE I, CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS ARE BEING DEVELOPED, KEY COMPONENTS ARE BEING FABRICATED AND TESTED, AND A PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC ANALYSIS WILL BE CONDUCTED TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY AND BENEFITS OF THE CONCEPT. MDD IS DRAWING ON THE BEST FEATURES OF SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL DIRECTIONAL DRILLING AND BORING TECHNIQUES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE GAS AND OIL WELL DRILLING INDUSTRY. PRIOR EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPING (1) ULTRA-HIGH-PRESSURE DRILL STRING COMPONENTS AND DIRECTIONAL DRILLING EQUIPMENT FOR GAS AND OIL RESOURCE RECOVERY AND GUIDED HORIZONTAL EARTH BORING SYSTEMS AND (2) OTHER TECHNOLOGIES FOR MINING, HORIZONTAL EARTH BORING, ROCK DRILLING, AND GAS AND OIL WELL DRILLING WILL BENEFIT THE DEVELOPMENT OF MDD.