Hydraulic tools, drilling systems including hydraulic tools, and methods of using hydraulic tools

Abstract

A hydraulic tool includes a rotor rotatably disposed within a stator. At least an inner portion of the stator and/or at least an outer portion of the rotor is configured to be installed in a drill string in either of two inverted orientations along a longitudinal axis of the hydraulic tool. The rotor is configured to rotate within the stator in either of the two orientations. A method includes disposing a rotor within a cavity defined by a stator, passing a fluid through the stator to rotate the rotor, and reversing the stator or the rotor. A drilling system includes a fluid source, a hydraulic tool, a drive shaft operatively associated with the rotor of the hydraulic tool, and a drill bit operatively associated with the drive shaft.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hydraulic tool, comprising:
 a stator; and   a rotor rotatably disposed within the stator;   wherein at least one of at least an inner portion of the stator and at least an outer portion of the rotor is configured to be installed in a drill string in either of two inverted orientations along a longitudinal axis of the hydraulic tool; and   wherein the rotor is configured to rotate within the stator in either of the two inverted orientations.   
     
     
         2 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of at least an inner portion of the stator and the at least an outer portion of the rotor comprises a resilient material. 
     
     
         3 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 2 , wherein the resilient material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of fluorosilicone rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber, fluoroelastomers, hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber, fluorinated ethylene propylene, vinyl methyl polysiloxane, carboxylated nitrile butadiene rubber, polyacrylate acrylic rubber, perfluoroelastomers, ethylene propylene rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, and acrylic ethylene copolymer. 
     
     
         4 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 2 , wherein the at least an inner portion of the stator comprises an insert comprising the resilient material within a cartridge. 
     
     
         5 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 2 , wherein the at least an outer portion of the rotor comprises a cover comprising the resilient material. 
     
     
         6 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 5 , wherein the cover is configured to be disposed over the rotor in either of two inverted orientations along a longitudinal axis of the rotor. 
     
     
         7 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the stator and the rotor comprises:
 a first set of threads at a first end thereof; and   a second set of threads at a second end thereof opposite the first end;   wherein the first set of threads and the second set of threads are each configured to be secured to adapters having corresponding fittings.   
     
     
         8 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 7 , wherein the first set of threads has a pitch, thread density, and thread profile identical to a pitch, thread density, and thread profile of the second set of threads. 
     
     
         9 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 7 , wherein the first set of threads and the second set of threads are either both male or both female. 
     
     
         10 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one adapter secured to at least one end of the stator. 
     
     
         11 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 1 , wherein the stator comprises an outer casing and a removable cartridge within the outer casing. 
     
     
         12 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 11 , wherein the removable cartridge comprises a metal sheath and a liner comprising a resilient material. 
     
     
         13 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 12 , wherein the metal sheath is interlocked to the outer casing. 
     
     
         14 . The hydraulic tool of  claim 1 , further comprising a hardfacing material disposed on at least one of an outer surface of the rotor and an inner surface of the stator, wherein the hardfacing material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of chrome, nickel, cobalt, tungsten carbide, diamond, diamond-like-carbon, boron carbide, cubic boron nitride, nitrides, carbides, oxides, borides, and alloys hardened by nitriding, boriding, or carbonizing. 
     
     
         15 . A method of using a hydraulic tool, comprising:
 disposing a rotor within a cavity defined by a stator, the stator having a plurality of lobes having a first end disposed proximate an upper end of the hydraulic tool and a second end longitudinally opposite the first end disposed proximate a lower end of the hydraulic tool, the rotor having at least one lobe having a first end and a second end longitudinally opposite the first end, wherein the first end of the at least one lobe of the rotor is disposed proximate the upper end of the hydraulic tool, and wherein the second end of the at least one lobe of the rotor is disposed proximate the lower end of the hydraulic tool;   passing a fluid through the cavity defined by the stator to rotate the rotor;   at least one of removing the rotor from the cavity defined by the stator and removing the stator from the hydraulic tool; and   at least one of:
 disposing the rotor into the cavity defined by the stator such the first end of the rotor is disposed proximate the lower end of the hydraulic tool and the second end of the rotor is disposed proximate the upper end of the hydraulic tool; and 
 securing the stator to the hydraulic tool such that the first end of the stator is proximate the lower end of the hydraulic tool and the second end of the stator is proximate the upper end of the hydraulic tool. 
   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 separating a cartridge comprising the plurality of lobes from an outer casing of the stator;   reversing a longitudinal orientation of the cartridge with respect to the outer casing; and   inserting the cartridge into the outer casing in the reversed longitudinal orientation.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising securing an adapter to at least one end of the stator. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising attaching the rotor to a drive shaft configured to rotate a drill bit. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein disposing the rotor into the cavity defined by the stator such the first end of the rotor is disposed proximate the second end of the stator and the second end of the rotor is disposed proximate the first end of the stator comprises reversing a direction of the stator in a drill string. 
     
     
         20 . A drilling system, comprising:
 a fluid source;   a hydraulic tool, comprising:
 a stator, and 
 a rotor rotatably disposed within the stator; 
 wherein at least one of at least an inner portion of the stator and at least an outer portion of the rotor is configured to be installed in a drill string in either of two inverted orientations along a longitudinal axis of the hydraulic tool; and 
 wherein the rotor is configured to rotate within the stator in either of the two orientations of the stator when fluid is provided to the hydraulic drilling motor from the fluid source; 
   a drive shaft operatively associated with the rotor of the hydraulic tool; and   a drill bit operatively associated with the drive shaft.