Sweep pickup for a big hole bit

Abstract

Abstract A sweep pickup for a large diameter drill bit is disclosed. The drill bit includes a main bit body having a plurality of roller cutters rotatively mounted thereon. Drilling fluid is pumped down the annulus of the well bore, across the face of the bit and up a central passage located within the bit. A sweep pickup is connected to the central passage and includes a lower inlet having a semicylindrical chamber mounted adjacent the trailing side thereof. A flexible wiper blade is located on the leading edge of the sweep pickup tube adjacent the inlet and is adapted to contact the base of the well bore in order to agitate and project the drilled cuttings into the flow of the drilling fluid. The wiper blade also functions to block the fluid flow to the inlet of the sweep pickup from the leading side thereof, thereby creating a unidirectional fluid flow to the inlet of the sweep pickup from the trailing side thereof. The semicylindrical chamber has the open side facing the bore hole bottom and functions to create a vortex at the inlet of the pickup tube thereby creating turbulence at the inlet for assisting in raising the cuttings off the base of the well bore and into the flow of the circulating fluid.

Inventors

• 👤 Alan L. Newcomb

Bibliographic Details