Patent ID: 8100201

Claim:
A rotary drill bit for drilling a hole in a subsurface formation, comprising: a bit body having a leading cutting face and outer peripheral edges, the bit body including a plurality of radially extending ribs with a flow channel between adjacent ribs, the bit body further including a bit body flow path radially inward of the peripheral edges; a plurality of cutting elements each fixedly mounted on a respective one of the plurality of radially extending ribs; a plurality of flow nozzles each in fluid communication with the bit body flow path for directing fluid to a respective one of the plurality of cutting elements to clean and cool the cutting element; and a manifold for receiving fluid flow from the bit body flow path and outputting flow through the plurality of flow nozzles to the respective plurality of cutting elements mounted on a respective rib, the manifold positioning each of the plurality of nozzles an increasing distance from a respective cutting element as a function of an increasing radial distance of a respective cutting element from a centerline of the bit.