Patent ID: 8061451

Claim:
A system for vertical drilling operations and minimizing deviations of a drill string from a vertical direction, the system comprising: a motor mounted in the drill string, wherein the motor is in communication with a drill bit, wherein the motor comprises a stator housing and a transmission housing, wherein the transmission housing is disposed between the stator housing and the drill bit, wherein the motor is driven by fluid in the drill string, and wherein the motor thereby imparts a rotational force to the drill bit; a bearing assembly in communication with the motor and the drill bit, wherein the bearing assembly comprises a tubular housing disposed between the transmission housing and the drill bit, and wherein the rotational force of the motor translates through the bearing assembly to the drill bit while the tubular housing is maintained in a stationary orientation with respect to the drill bit as the drill bit rotates; and a plurality of stabilizer bodies each comprising a plurality of blades fixedly formed therewith, wherein at least two of the stabilizer bodies are secured to the transmission housing below the stator housing and at least one of the stabilizer bodies is secured to the tubular housing below the stator housing for providing improved stability to a lower portion of the drill string and minimizing directional deviations of the drill string during vertical drilling operations, wherein at least one of the plurality of stabilizer bodies comprises a substantially triangular cross-sectional area oriented perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the drill string, and wherein the plurality of stabilizer bodies are disposed on the drill string in a rotationally offset manner so that the plurality of blades of an associated stabilizer body are rotationally offset from the plurality of blades of each adjacent stabilizer body.