Patent ID: 6223826
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: E21B,H01R

Abstract:
In a system in which a boring tool is moved through the ground in a region, said system including a drill rig and a drill string which is connected between said boring tool and said drilling and is configured for extension and/or retraction from said drill rig such that, when said drill string is extended, the boring tool moves in a forward direction through the ground and, when the drill string is retracted, the boring tool moves in a reverse direction approaching the drill rig, said drill string being made up of a plurality of drill pipe sections, each of which includes a section length defining an innermost passage and all of which are configured for removable attachment with one another to facilitate the extension and retraction of the drill string by one section length at a time, the improvement comprising:an arrangement positioned within the innermost passage of each drill pipe section for providing part of at least one electrically conductive path along the section length of each drill pipe section, which electrically conductive path is electrically isolated from its associated drill pipe section and extends from the boring tool to the drilling rig such that the electrically conductive path is extended by said section length when the drill string is extended by attachment of an additional drill pipe section to the drill string at the drill rig and said electrically conductive path is shortened by said section length when the drill string is shortened by detaching the additional drill pipe section from the drill string at the drill rig.