Bit breaker

Abstract

A bit breaker for loosening or tightening a drill bit on a drill string incorporating a mud motor permits rotation of the drill bit while the bit box is held stationary. The bit breaker has a lower body which is held stationary on the rig floor and an upper body which houses the drill bit and which is connected to the lower body through a rotational connection. An actuator connected between the upper and lower bodies causes the upper body to rotate relative to lower body for co-rotating the drill bit. The bit box of the mud motor is held stationary using the lower tong of a conventional make-and-break unit.

1 . A bit breaker for use in threading a drill bit to or from a mud motor having a lower, normally rotatable bit box, the bit breaker comprising:
 a rotatable bit breaker body for housing the drill bit for co-rotation therewith; and   an actuator connected between the bit breaker body and a stationary member,   wherein,   when the mud motor's bit box is held stationary, the actuator is actuable to co-rotate the bit breaker body and drill bit housed therein relative to the stationary member about an axis common to the drill bit, the bit breaker and the mud motor, the body being rotated   in a first direction for loosening a threaded connection between the drill bit and the mud motor's bit box; and   in a second direction for tightening the threaded connection between the drill bit and the mud motor's bit box.   
     
     
         2 . The bit breaker of  claim 1  wherein the bit breaker body further comprises:
 an upper body having an enclosure therein for housing the drill bit; 
 a lower body held stationary for forming the stationary member; and 
 a rotational connection operatively connected between the upper rotatable body and the lower stationary body for permitting rotation of the upper body relative to the lower stationary body about the common axis; and 
 wherein the actuator is connected between the upper body and the lower body for moving the upper body relative to the lower body for rotation about the rotational connection in the first and second directions. 
 
     
     
         3 . The bit breaker of  claim 2  wherein
 the upper body is oriented relative to the lower body in a break-out position for rotating the upper body in the first direction relative to the lower body; and 
 the upper body is oriented relative to the lower body in a make-up position for rotating the upper body in the second direction relative to the lower body. 
 
     
     
         4 . The bit breaker of  claim 3  wherein the actuator is a double-acting hydraulic actuator further comprising:
 a hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected to the lower body; and 
 a rod operatively connected to the hydraulic cylinder for extension and retraction therefrom, the rod being pivotally connected at a distal end to the upper body wherein 
 in the break-out position, the rod is extended to push the upper body to move relative to the stationary lower body to rotate in the first direction about the rotational connection; and 
 in the make-up position, the rod is retracted to pull the upper body to move relative to the stationary lower body to rotate in the second direction about the rotational connection. 
 
     
     
         5 . The bit breaker of  claim 3  wherein the upper body is aligned with the lower body in the break-out position and wherein the upper body is rotated about the common axis out of alignment relative to the lower body in the make-up position. 
     
     
         6 . The bit breaker of  claim 2 , for use with conventional threading, wherein when viewed from a top the first direction is a clockwise direction and the second direction is a counter-clockwise direction. 
     
     
         7 . The bit breaker of  claim 2  further comprising a connector acting between the lower body and a rig floor holding the lower body stationary for forming the stationary member. 
     
     
         8 . The bit breaker of  claim 7  wherein the connector comprises:
 a shaped projection extending from a lower surface of the lower body for engaging a corresponding shaped opening in the rig floor. 
 
     
     
         9 . The bit breaker of  claim 2  wherein the rotational connection operatively connected between the upper rotatable body and the lower stationary body further comprises:
 an arcuate projection; and 
 an opposing, arcuate groove, wherein 
 when the arcuate projection is mated in the arcuate groove and the actuator causes the upper body to move relative to the lower stationary body, the upper body rotates about the common axis. 
 
     
     
         10 . The bit breaker of  claim 9  wherein the arcuate projection extends upwardly from an upper surface of the lower body and the arcuate groove is formed on a lower surface of the upper body. 
     
     
         11 . The bit breaker of  claim 1  wherein the body is rotated about 30 degrees to about 40 degrees relative to the stationary member. 
     
     
         12 . A system for applying torque to a drill bit on a mud motor with a lower, normally rotatable bit box, the system comprising:
 a bit breaker having
 a rotatable bit breaker body for housing the drill bit for co-rotation therewith; and 
 an actuator connected between the bit breaker body and a stationary member, the actuator causing the body to rotate relative to the stationary member; and 
   a tong for holding the bit box stationary,   wherein,   when the tong is actuated to hold the mud motor's bit box stationary, the actuator is actuable to co-rotate the bit breaker body and drill bit housed therein relative to the stationary member about a common axis, the body being rotated
 in a first direction for loosening a threaded connection between the drill bit and the mud motor's bit box; and 
 in a second direction for tightening the threaded connection between the drill bit and the mud motor's bit box. 
   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the bit breaker body further comprises:
 an upper body having an enclosure therein for housing the drill bit; 
 a lower body held stationary for forming the stationary member; and 
 a rotational connection operatively connected between the upper rotatable body and the lower stationary body for permitting rotation of the upper body relative to the lower stationary body about the common axis; and 
 wherein the actuator is connected between the upper body and the lower body for moving the upper body relative to the lower body for rotation about the rotational connection in the first and second directions. 
 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  wherein
 the upper body is oriented relative to the lower body in a break-out position for rotating the upper body in the first direction relative to the lower body; and 
 the upper body is oriented relative to the lower body in a make-up position for rotating the upper body in the second direction relative to the lower body. 
 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the actuator is a double-acting hydraulic actuator further comprising:
 a hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected to the lower body; and 
 a rod operatively connected to the hydraulic cylinder for extension and retraction therefrom, the rod being pivotally connected at a distal end to the upper body wherein 
 in the break-out position, the rod is extended to push the upper body to move relative to the stationary lower body to rotate in a first direction about the rotational connection; and 
 in the make-up position, the rod is retracted to pull the upper body to move relative to the stationary lower body to rotate in a second direction about the rotational connection. 
 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the upper body is aligned with the lower body in the break-out position and wherein the upper body is rotated about the common axis out of alignment relative to the lower body in the make-up position. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 12 , for use with conventional threading, wherein the first direction is a clockwise direction and the second direction is a counter-clockwise direction. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 13  further comprising a connector acting between the lower body and a rig floor holding the lower body stationary for forming the stationary member. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the connector comprises:
 a shaped projection extending from a lower surface of the lower body for engaging a corresponding shaped opening in the rig floor. 
 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the rotational connection operatively connected between the upper rotatable body and the lower stationary body further comprises:
 an arcuate projection; and 
 an opposing, arcuate groove, wherein when the arcuate projection is mated in the arcuate groove and the actuator causes the upper body to move relative to the lower stationary body, the upper body rotates about the common axis. 
 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20  wherein the arcuate projection extends upwardly from an upper surface of the lower body and the arcuate groove is formed on a lower surface of the upper body. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the body is rotated about 30 degrees to about 40 degrees relative to the stationary member. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the tong for holding the bit box stationary is a lower stationary tong of a power wrench. 
     
     
         24 . A method for applying torque to a drill bit on a mud motor with a lower, normally rotatable bit box for loosening or tightening a threaded connection between the drill bit and the bit box, the method comprising:
 providing a bit breaker having
 a rotatable bit breaker body having an enclosure for housing the drill bit therein for co-rotation therewith; and 
 an actuator connected between the bit breaker body and a stationary member, the actuator being actuable to cause the body to rotate relative to the stationary member about an axis common to the drill bit and the bit box; 
   inserting the drill bit threaded to the bit box into the enclosure of the bit breaker body;   engaging the bit box for holding the bit box stationary;   actuating the actuator to co-rotate the bit breaker body and the drill bit housed therein
 in a first direction for loosening a threaded connection between the drill bit and the mud motor's bit box; or 
 in a second direction for tightening the threaded connection between the drill bit and the mud motor's bit box. 
   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  comprising
 actuating the actuator to co-rotate the bit breaker body and the drill bit housed therein from about 30 degrees to about 40 degrees relative to the stationary member. 
 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising
 securing the bit breaker body to a rig floor, the rig floor being the stationary member. 
 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24  wherein the bit breaker further comprises an upper body for housing the drill bit, a lower body, a rotational connection between the upper and lower bodies and an actuator connected therebetween for rotating the upper body relative to the lower body at the rotational connection about the common axis comprising:
 securing the lower body to a rig floor, the lower body acting as the stationary member, wherein 
 the actuating the actuator moves the upper body relative to the stationary lower body causing the upper body to rotate about the common axis for rotation in the first or second direction.