Abstract: The method and apparatus can create excavation cavities suitable for drilling multilateral wellbores through the excavation using a kick-off. One embodiment of the method comprises isolating a wellbore at a determined location, excavating a downhole cavity in a wellbore above the determined location, and removing the apparatus for isolating the wellbore and the apparatus for excavating the downhole cavity from the wellbore to provide full access to the wellbore and the excavation cavity.

Abstract: Methods for analyzing the connected quality of a hydrocarbon reservoir are disclosed. A model of a portion of the reservoir is divided into cells, each cell having a volume and some attributes, and wherein a speed function is assigned to a portion of the cells. A reference cell is chosen. A connectivity between cells in the reservoir is determined by solving an Eikonal equation that describes the travel time propagation, said propagating front progressing outward from a reference cell until an ending condition is met, said Eikonal equation being solved by a fast marching method with propagation velocity as a function of spatial position being provided by the speed function. Regions of the reservoir are characterized by their connective quality to the reference cell using the connectivity.

Abstract: This invention relates generally to testing apparatus and methodology for measuring fluid dynamic properties of structures within fluid flows. One embodiment includes a fluid induced motion testing apparatus of the type which includes a test rig suitable for holding a test body in a fluid body. The apparatus may include any of an actuator suitable for producing a force upon the test body; a turbulence generator located in the fluid body up current from the test body suitable for generating a turbulent flow field with uniform turbulence intensity across the fluid body-test body interface, the turbulent flow field including dominate vortical structures, the axis of the vortical structures about parallel to the longitudinal axis of the test body; or a test body adjuster suitable for adjusting the test body relative to the fluid current in four or more increments, thereby enabling multiple headings of the test body to be tested against the current of the fluid body.

Abstract: A system of valves in which the valves operate over a designated pressure interval and are arranged to actuate performance of a sequenced set of events by downhole tools with the application of pressure to said valves.

Abstract: A wellbore apparatus and method suitable for either wellbore completions and production. The completion and production apparatus comprises at least one primary flow joint, the primary flow joint comprising at least one three-dimensional surface defining a body capable of fluid flow with at least one permeable surface, and at least one secondary flow joint, the secondary flow joint comprising at least one three-dimensional surface defining a body capable of fluid flow with at least one permeable surface. The method comprises providing a completion and production apparatus comprising at least one primary flow joint and one secondary flow joint wherein multiple fluid flow paths can be provided. The production completion apparatus may be installed into the wellbore to provide at least two flowpaths in the wellbore during well completion, injection and production.

Abstract: A method for multipath imaging of three-dimensional volumes of seismic data, given the subsurface velocity distribution. Ray tracing is used to generate the volumes of information needed for migration, but using coarse-scaled grids for computational efficiency. Interpolation methods are disclosed that address the specific shot points and receiver locations and that enable a final image on a grid with the desired resolution. Data storage and retrieval techniques are also disclosed.

Abstract: The internal properties of a water-lain sediment body can be determined from the shape of the deposit. One method comprises solving equations relating the shape of a sediment body to the flow field that produced the body and using the flow field to solve for the sediment body properties in at least one point within the body. The flow field properties include flow velocity, suspended sediment volume fractions, deposition time, and flow height. The properties of the water-lain sediments include, in addition to the flow properties associated with deposition of the sediments, the thickness of the sediment body, the size of the body, the shape of the body, and the grain size distribution at points within the body.