Patent ID: 11891894
Assignee: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
Field: Civil engineering (Other fields)
Classification: CPC E | IPC E

Claim 13:
14. A method comprising:
inserting a drill string into a wellbore, the drill string including a plurality of subassemblies, at least one of the subassemblies including a downhole mixer comprising:
a housing having an uphole end and a downhole end;
a channel including an entrance proximate the uphole end and an exit proximate the downhole end; and
a flow restrictor positioned in the channel between the entrance and the exit, the flow restrictor including an orifice having a fixed diameter;

conveying, by the channel of the downhole mixer, a drilling fluid through the at least one subassembly, the drilling fluid having an electrical property;
shearing, by the flow restrictor of the downhole mixer, the drilling fluid, wherein the shearing increases shear stress in the drilling fluid and manages the electrical property;
receiving, by a drill bit coupled to the downhole mixer, the drilling fluid from the exit proximate the downhole end, the drill bit including a first electrode and a second electrode; and
in response to the drill bit receiving the drilling fluid:
generating, by the drill bit, an electrical arc between the first electrode and the second electrode, the electrical arc associated with the electrical property of the drilling fluid;
directing, by the electrical property of the drilling fluid, the electrical arc into a rock formation at a distal end of the wellbore; and
causing, by the electrical arc of the drill bit, the rock formation at the distal end of the wellbore to fracture.