Patents Assigned to OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.
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Patent number: 10309564Abstract: An extendable spool is disclosed. The length of the extendable spool is able to continuously varied. The extendable spool accounts for length variances in flow lines by extending the flow line rather than redirecting the flow. Because the flow direction does not make any turns, erosion is minimized on both the extendable spool and downstream parts. The extendable spool is readily scalable from small diameters to large diameters. Because of this, it requires fewer lines and therefore less setup time to account for length differences between large diameter lines.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2018Date of Patent: June 4, 2019Assignee: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.Inventors: Bob McGuire, Danny L. Artherholt, Mickey Claxton, Blake Mullins, Darin Grassmann
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Publication number: 20190143380Abstract: A flowback tank cleaning system and method is described. A flowback tank includes a self-cleaning system. A flowback tank cleaning method may include moving solid debris collected at a bottom of a collection section of a flowback tank towards a lift auger using a cleaning auger or a conveyer belt extending along a length of the collection section, the bottom of the collection section including an angled trough, funneling solid debris towards the cleaning auger or conveyor belt by placing the cleaning auger or conveyor belt at a base of the angled trough, spraying fluid downward through a series of fluid outlets, removing the sand so moved by the cleaning auger or conveyer belt from the flowback tank using the lift auger, and removing the fluid from the flowback tank using a drain manifold below the cleaning auger or conveyer belt.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 23, 2018Publication date: May 16, 2019Applicant: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.Inventors: Brodey W. Davis, Jay C. Robinson, Brandon J. Crossley, Corey L. Hobbs, Johnny T. Gaulf, Billy C. Rowell
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Patent number: 10267115Abstract: An isolation tool and related methods for protecting a wellhead to which a casing string is operably coupled. In an exemplary embodiment, the isolation tool includes an anchor assembly adapted to be connected to the wellhead; a mandrel adapted to sealingly engage an interior portion of at least one of the wellhead and the casing string; and a lock assembly including a mandrel head connected to the mandrel and adapted to be displaced, relative to the anchor assembly and the wellhead, to sealingly engage the mandrel with the interior portion; a landing sleeve connected to the mandrel head and adapted to be displaced, relative to the mandrel head, the mandrel, the anchor assembly, and the wellhead, to engage the anchor assembly; and a connector adapted to secure the landing sleeve to the anchor assembly when the mandrel sealingly engages the interior portion and the landing sleeve engages the anchor assembly.Type: GrantFiled: August 16, 2016Date of Patent: April 23, 2019Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventor: Barton Hickie
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Publication number: 20180223621Abstract: An isolation tool and related methods for protecting a wellhead to which a casing string is operably coupled. In an exemplary embodiment, the isolation tool includes an anchor assembly adapted to be connected to the wellhead; a mandrel adapted to sealingly engage an interior portion of at least one of the wellhead and the casing string; and a lock assembly including a mandrel head connected to the mandrel and adapted to be displaced, relative to the anchor assembly and the wellhead, to sealingly engage the mandrel with the interior portion; a landing sleeve connected to the mandrel head and adapted to be displaced, relative to the mandrel head, the mandrel, the anchor assembly, and the wellhead, to engage the anchor assembly; and a connector adapted to secure the landing sleeve to the anchor assembly when the mandrel sealingly engages the interior portion and the landing sleeve engages the anchor assembly.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 23, 2018Publication date: August 9, 2018Applicant: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventors: Bob McGuire, Charles Beedy, Danny L. Artherholt
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Patent number: 9879499Abstract: An improved ball drop apparatus including an atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber. A ball is first inserted into the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber from a ball feeding apparatus. The ball is then pushed into a pressure equalization section through a first seal pack. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure equalization section is connected to a pressure equalization apparatus and also to the wellbore through a second seal pack. Once the ball is injected into the pressure equalization section, the pressure equalization apparatus applies pressure, thereby causing the pressure of the pressure equalization section to increase until it reaches close to wellbore pressure. Once the pressures of the pressure equalization section and the wellbore are close, the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber and the frac ball are pushed through the second seal pack and into the wellbore, where the frac ball can be pumped downhole.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2016Date of Patent: January 30, 2018Assignee: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.Inventors: Danny Artherholt, Bob McGuire, Jeremy Gardner, Dennis Artherholt
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Patent number: 9869151Abstract: A controlled aperture ball drop includes a ball cartridge that is mounted to a frac head or a high pressure fluid conduit. The ball cartridge houses a ball rail having a bottom end that forms an aperture with an inner periphery of the ball cartridge through which frac balls of a frac ball stack supported by the ball rail are sequentially dropped from the frac ball stack as a size of the aperture is increased by an aperture controller operatively connected to the ball rail.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2014Date of Patent: January 16, 2018Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventors: Joel H. Young, Ronald B. Beason, Nicholas J. Cannon, Bob McGuire, Danny Lee Artherholt
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Patent number: 9739111Abstract: A controlled aperture ball drop includes a ball cartridge that is mounted to a frac head or a high pressure fluid conduit. The ball cartridge houses a ball rail having a bottom end that forms an aperture with an inner periphery of the ball cartridge through which frac balls of a frac ball stack supported by the ball rail are sequentially dropped from the frac ball stack as a size of the aperture is increased by an aperture controller operatively connected to the ball rail. A control console displays a user interface that permits an operator to control the controlled aperture ball drop to drop frac balls only when desired.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2014Date of Patent: August 22, 2017Assignee: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.Inventors: Ronald B. Beason, Nicholas J. Cannon
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Publication number: 20160356112Abstract: An improved ball drop apparatus including an atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber. A ball is first inserted into the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber from a ball feeding apparatus. The ball is then pushed into a pressure equalization section through a first seal pack. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure equalization section is connected to a pressure equalization apparatus and also to the wellbore through a second seal pack. Once the ball is injected into the pressure equalization section, the pressure equalization apparatus applies pressure, thereby causing the pressure of the pressure equalization section to increase until it reaches close to wellbore pressure. Once the pressures of the pressure equalization section and the wellbore are close, the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber and the frac ball are pushed through the second seal pack and into the wellbore, where the frac ball can be pumped downhole.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 19, 2016Publication date: December 8, 2016Applicant: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.Inventors: DANNY ARTHERHOLT, BOB MCGUIRE, JEREMY GARDNER, DENNIS ARTHERHOLT
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Patent number: 9447652Abstract: An improved ball drop apparatus including an atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber. A ball is first inserted into the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber from a ball feeding apparatus. The ball is then pushed into a pressure equalization section through a first seal pack. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure equalization section is connected to a pressure equalization apparatus and also to the wellbore through a second seal pack. Once the ball is injected into the pressure equalization section, the pressure equalization apparatus applies pressure, thereby causing the pressure of the pressure equalization section to increase until it reaches close to wellbore pressure. Once the pressures of the pressure equalization section and the wellbore are close, the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber and the frac ball are pushed through the second seal pack and into the wellbore, where the frac ball can be pumped downhole.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2014Date of Patent: September 20, 2016Assignee: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.Inventors: Danny Artherholt, Bob McGuire, Jeremy Gardner, Dennis Artherholt
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Patent number: 9291024Abstract: A ball drop wellhead control apparatus provides a control ball between a frac ball drop or frac ball injector used to drop frac balls into a frac fluid stream being pumped into a subterranean well to ensure that only frac balls intended to be dropped reach the frac fluid stream.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2015Date of Patent: March 22, 2016Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventors: Danny Lee Artherholt, Bob McGuire
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Patent number: 9291025Abstract: A ball drop wellhead control apparatus provides a ball controller between a frac ball drop or frac ball injector used to drop frac balls into a frac fluid stream being pumped into a subterranean well.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2015Date of Patent: March 22, 2016Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventor: Bob McGuire
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Patent number: 9260933Abstract: A modular ball drop made up of two or more identical ball drop modules that are vertically stacked in a desired number. Each ball drop module can drop one or more frac balls into a fluid stream being pumped into a well.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2013Date of Patent: February 16, 2016Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventors: Danny Lee Artherholt, Bob McGuire, Mickey Claxton
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Patent number: 9228417Abstract: An injector spool supports a plurality of ball injector assemblies having respective ball cartridges adapted to load one frac ball at a time into a ball chamber of a ball launcher of the respective ball injector assemblies to provide a horizontal frac ball injector adapted to be connected to a frac head by frac iron.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2014Date of Patent: January 5, 2016Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventors: Bob McGuire, Danny Lee Artherholt
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Patent number: 9222329Abstract: An injector spool supports a plurality of ball injector assemblies having respective ball cartridges adapted to load one frac ball at a time into a ball chamber of a ball launcher of the respective ball injector assemblies to provide a low profile, high capacity ball injector.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2014Date of Patent: December 29, 2015Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventors: Bob McGuire, Danny Lee Artherholt
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Patent number: 9097369Abstract: A threaded union for tubulars used for high-pressure fluid applications includes a unitary nut supported by at least two nut retainer segments received under a top wall of the nut in an annular segment retainer groove in one of the tubulars. The nut retainer segments fully support the unitary nut. The nut retainer segments are held in the annular segment retainer groove by securing the nut retainer segments in the segment retainer groove.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 2013Date of Patent: August 4, 2015Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventor: Bob McGuire
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Patent number: 9010412Abstract: A ball drop wellhead control apparatus provides a ball controller between a frac ball drop or frac ball injector used to drop frac balls into a frac fluid stream being pumped into a subterranean well.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2011Date of Patent: April 21, 2015Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventor: Bob McGuire
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Patent number: 9010413Abstract: A ball drop wellhead control apparatus provides a control ball between one of a frac ball drop and a frac ball injector used to drop frac balls into a frac fluid stream being pumped into a subterranean well to ensure that only frac balls intended to be dropped reach the frac fluid stream.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2012Date of Patent: April 21, 2015Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventors: Danny Lee Artherholt, Bob McGuire
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Publication number: 20150021024Abstract: An improved ball drop apparatus including an atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber. A ball is first inserted into the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber from a ball feeding apparatus. The ball is then pushed into a pressure equalization section through a first seal pack. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure equalization section is connected to a pressure equalization apparatus and also to the wellbore through a second seal pack. Once the ball is injected into the pressure equalization section, the pressure equalization apparatus applies pressure, thereby causing the pressure of the pressure equalization section to increase until it reaches close to wellbore pressure. Once the pressures of the pressure equalization section and the wellbore are close, the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber and the frac ball are pushed through the second seal pack and into the wellbore, where the frac ball can be pumped downhole.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2014Publication date: January 22, 2015Applicant: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.Inventors: Danny Artherholt, Bob McGuire, Jeremy Gardner, Dennis Artherholt
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Patent number: 8931551Abstract: A multipart frac head with removable components permits the frac head to be refurbished in the field. A bottom leg and inlet ports of the multipart frac head can be replaced. The bottom leg is provisioned with a flange.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2011Date of Patent: January 13, 2015Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventor: Bob McGuire
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Patent number: 8869882Abstract: An injector spool supports a plurality of ball injector assemblies having respective ball cartridges adapted to load one frac ball at a time into a ball chamber of a ball launcher of the respective ball injector assemblies to provide a low profile, high capacity ball injector.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2010Date of Patent: October 28, 2014Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.Inventors: Bob McGuire, Danny Lee Artherholt