Patent ID: 11879333
Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO, L.P.
Field: Civil engineering (Other fields)
Classification: CPC E | IPC E

Claim 12:
13. A drilling system for drilling a borehole that extends through a subterranean earthen formation, the system comprising:
a drilling rig;
a drill string extending from the drilling rig into the borehole;
a drilling assembly coupled to an end of the drill string and comprising:
a driveshaft rotatably disposed in a driveshaft housing;
a bend adjustment assembly coupled to the driveshaft housing;
a bearing mandrel coupled to the bend adjustment assembly;
a torque control assembly comprising:
a rotor configured to couple with the drill string;
a stator assembly coupled to a downhole motor; and
a torque control actuator assembly configured to control the amount of torque transmitted between rotor and the stator assembly;

wherein the bend adjustment assembly includes a first position configured to provide a first deflection angle between a longitudinal axis of the driveshaft housing and a longitudinal axis of the bearing mandrel;
wherein the bend adjustment assembly includes a second position configured to provide a second deflection angle between the longitudinal axis of the driveshaft housing and the longitudinal axis of the bearing mandrel, the second deflection angle being different from the first deflection angle;
wherein the torque control assembly comprises a first mode configured to adjust an angular orientation of the drilling assembly within the borehole, a second mode configured to hold the angular orientation of the drilling assembly, and a third mode configured to restrict relative rotation between the rotor and the stator assembly; and
wherein the torque control assembly is actuated between the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode in response to altering a rotational rate of the drill string.