Patents Examined by D. Andrews
  • Patent number: 11965383
    Abstract: A downhole shock absorbing sub which includes a tubular main stem extending through a sub housing and a lateral shock absorbing assembly positioned within the sub housing. The lateral shock absorbing assembly includes an activator ring positioned around the main stem, the activator ring including a plurality of wedge inserts positioned around a perimeter of the activator ring. A reaction collar is positioned on each side of the activator ring with the reaction collars including ramp surfaces engaged by the wedge inserts. A spring system is positioned to resist movement of the reaction collars away from the activator ring, whereby lateral movement of the main stem causes the wedge inserts to move the reaction collars against the spring system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Stabil Drill Specialties, LLC
    Inventor: Sorin Gabriel Teodorescu
  • Patent number: 11959533
    Abstract: A hydraulic fracturing system for fracturing a subterranean formation is described according to various embodiments. In an embodiment, the system can include a multi-plunger hydraulic fracturing pump fluidly connected to a well associated with the subterranean formation, the multi-plunger pump configured to pump fluid into a wellbore associated with the well at a high pressure so that the fluid passes from the wellbore into the subterranean formation and fractures the subterranean formation. In an embodiment, a plurality of motors can be positioned to power the multi-plunger pump, and a planetary gear train can have a plurality of pinion gears in rotational contact with each of the plurality of motors. In an embodiment, a gear ratio of the planetary gear train and a speed at which the plurality of motors operates can be selected so as to limit a maximum pump speed associated with the multi-plunger pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: U.S. Well Services Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Jared Oehring, Lon Robinson, Brandon N. Hinderliter, Alexander James Christinzio
  • Patent number: 11959352
    Abstract: A packer assembly includes a packer mandrel and a packing element disposed about the packer mandrel. An upper recovery sleeve is disposed about the packer mandrel and extending between the packer mandrel and an upper end of the packing element, and a lower recovery sleeve is disposed about the packer mandrel and extending between the packer mandrel and a lower end of the packing element. An upper backup assembly is movably disposed about the upper recovery sleeve and adjacent to the upper end of the packing element. A lower backup assembly is movably disposed about the lower recovery sleeve. The lower backup assembly has a lower backup ring assembly configured to enclose an outer surface of the lower end of the packing element. A retrieval sleeve is selectively movable relative to the lower backup ring assembly and configured to at least partially retract the lower backup ring assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Wilbert Mitchell
  • Patent number: 11959337
    Abstract: A drilling unit for drilling a hole, wherein the drilling unit comprising a drilling head (1). Said drilling head (1) further comprising pulling means (2) for pulling a casing (7) into the hole, a pilot bit (3) for drilling a center hole, connecting means and a ring bit assembly (4) for reaming the center hole for the casing (7). Said ring bit assembly (4) being connected to said pilot bit (3) by the connecting means and to said casing (7) by the pulling means (2). Said ring bit assembly (4) comprising a carrier (5) comprising carrier coupling means (23) and a plurality of ring bit segments (6) movably attached to said carrier coupling means (23).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: MINCON NORDIC OY
    Inventor: Joseph Purcell
  • Patent number: 11952877
    Abstract: A low-pressure natural gas harvesting system that injects motive fluid into a first well by a compressor, which flows into a motive manifold that utilizes the Coand? effect to introduce a reduced pressure effect. The reduced pressure effect draws natural gas into the system from natural gas reservoirs through one or more inflow ports that are part of inflow manifolds, which may connect to a motive manifold. The natural gas and motive fluid mix after the motive fluid flows over a Coand? effect surface and the mixture is subsequently directed to flow to a production well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Hawk Energy Solutions, LLC
    Inventor: Scott D. Bruner
  • Patent number: 11952885
    Abstract: A production logging tool has a housing, a flowmeter assembly, a heating element, a drive, a clutch, and a controller. The housing has a first end attached to a wellbore string. The flowmeter assembly has a spinner exposed to fluid in the production string and a spinner shaft fixed to the spinner and extending from a rear surface of the spinner into the housing. The spinner shaft is rotatably attached to the housing. The heating element is attached to the spinner. The drive is disposed within the housing. The controller is operationally coupled to the drive and the heating element. The controller activates and deactivates at least one of the drive or the heating element to heat a volume around the spinner with the heating element or selectively spin the spinner with the drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Mustafa A. Al-Huwaider, Shouxiang Mark Ma, Salem H. Suwadi
  • Patent number: 11946368
    Abstract: A system to determine a contamination level of a formation fluid, the system including a formation tester tool to be positioned in a borehole, wherein the borehole has a mixture of the formation fluid and a drilling fluid and the formation tester tool includes a sensor to detect time series measurements from a plurality of sensor channels. The system includes a processor to dimensionally reduce the time series measurements to generate a set of reduced measurement scores in a multi-dimensional measurement space and determine an end member in the multi-dimensional measurement space based on the set of reduced measurement scores, wherein the end member comprises a position in the multi-dimensional measurement space that corresponds with a predetermined fluid concentration. The processor also determines the contamination level of the formation fluid at a time point based the set of reduced measurement scores and the end member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Bin Dai, Dingding Chen, Christopher Michael Jones
  • Patent number: 11939820
    Abstract: A system and method for transferring tubular elements may include a first structure having a first horizontal platform attached to the first structure on a bottom side and a monorail attached to the first structure on a top side, a second structure having a second horizontal platform attached to the second structure. The first structure and the second structure may be located proximate to each other, while the monorail can extend from the first structure to the second structure. The monorail can have a motion controlled assembly to move a tubular element or assembly of tubular elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Helmerich & Payne, Inc.
    Inventors: Jerry Ray Prescott, Joel Ferland, Matthew Wyatt MacDaniels, Christopher Alan Major, Patrick L. Gustafson, Robert Lee Stauder, Bernard L. Cook, DeWayne Speer
  • Patent number: 11939851
    Abstract: A downhole tool includes a body including a microwave generator, a susceptor shell connected to the body, and a thermometer connected to the body. The susceptor shell includes a wall made of a susceptor material and a cavity formed between the wall and the body. A system includes a well extending from a surface, a microwave heating tool positioned in the well, and an electrical cable extending from a power source at the surface to the microwave heating tool. A method of treating condensate buildup in a well includes lowering a microwave heating tool into the well to a treatment zone including accumulated condensates, providing power to the microwave heating tool via an electrical cable, increasing a temperature of the treatment zone to an elevated temperature using heat generated by the microwave heating tool, and removing the accumulated condensates in the treatment zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventor: Abdullah M. Alharith
  • Patent number: 11939827
    Abstract: Systems and methods include a computer-implemented method for determining well pressure. Units of pressure-responsive smart polymers are inserted into drilling fluid pumped into a well during a drilling operation. An insertion timestamp associated with each unit is stored indicating times that each unit was inserted. Continuous images and observed characteristics of drilling mud exiting through an annulus of the well and containing the units of smart polymers are captured by a camera. An estimate of a bottom hole pressure (BHP) at a drill bit of the drilling operation is determined using the continuous images, the observed characteristics, and the insertion timestamps associated with each unit of smart polymer. Determining the estimate is based at least in part on executing image processing algorithms, machine-learning models, and deep-learning models. Changes to be made to drilling parameters for the drilling operation are suggested based on the estimated BHP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Mohammed Albassam, Arturo Magana Mora, Chinthaka Pasan Gooneratne, Mohammad Aljubran, Peter Boul
  • Patent number: 11933114
    Abstract: A system for securing a downhole tool to a housing includes a plurality of linear wave springs placed around a chassis. The linear wave strings have an unstressed height that is less than or equal to an annular gap. This reduces the insertion force required to insert the chassis into the housing. The linear wave springs are compressed to increase the amount of radial force applied to the chassis and the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Xavier Benoist, Nicolas Mornet
  • Patent number: 11927063
    Abstract: A kickover tool for retrieving a used gas lift valve installed within a gas lift mandrel connected along a wellbore tubular string and installing a new gas lift valve within the gas lift mandrel. The kickover tool may include a housing, a first holder configured to hold the used gas lift valve, a first displacement mechanism operable to move the first holder between a retracted first holder position in which the first holder is adjacent the housing and an extended first holder position in which the first holder is spaced away from the housing, a second holder configured to hold the new gas lift valve, and a second displacement mechanism operable to move the second holder between a retracted second holder position in which the second holder is adjacent the housing and an extended second holder position in which the second holder is spaced away from the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: IMPACT SELECTOR INTERNATIONAL, LLC
    Inventor: Brandon Martin
  • Patent number: 11927082
    Abstract: A sand screen apparatus for use in a downhole operation for hydrocarbon recovery includes a non-metallic material and a mechanical retainer. The non-metallic material has a compressed state and an expanded state, and includes a base polymer, and one or a plurality of smart fillers dispersed with a polymeric matrix of the non-metallic material. The mechanical retainer compresses the non-metallic material in the compressed state. The one or the plurality of smart fillers react with the base polymer in the expanded state after exposure to a wellbore condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jushik Yun, Rasika Prabhu, Valerie Gisele Helene Lafitte, Julien Debard, Balkrishna Gadiyar, Mehmet Parlar, Camilo Eduardo Zuniga Jurgensen, Chidi Eugene Nwafor
  • Patent number: 11905800
    Abstract: A downhole energy harvesting apparatus comprising a fluidic oscillator comprising: an inlet channel configured to receive fluid from a wellbore, a feedback system coupled to the inlet channel to oscillate the fluid, and an outlet channel coupled to the feedback system and configured to receive the oscillated fluid from the feedback system, and at least one piezoelectric element disposed on at least one side of the outlet channel and configured to generate an electric signal in response to variations in pressure of the oscillated fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikko K. Jaaskelainen, Julian Drew, Barry Fish
  • Patent number: 11905788
    Abstract: A technique facilitates downhole operations, e.g. gravel packing and cementing operations, in a borehole. According to an embodiment, a service tool is releasably coupled with respect to a casing. The casing is used to run the service tool downhole into a borehole. In some embodiments, the casing is connected with a downhole completion, e.g. a sand control completion. A work string may then be conveyed downhole to the service tool and connected to the service tool. While connected to the work string, the service tool may be operated to perform desired downhole operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeremie Poizat, Mark Anderson
  • Patent number: 11898409
    Abstract: A system for deploying downhole components includes a housing apparatus comprising a tool chamber configured to house a plurality of downhole tools and a conveyance configured to run the housing apparatus along the wellbore. The housing apparatus is secured to an end of the conveyance. The system for deploying downhole components also includes an actuation mechanism configured to selectively eject individual downhole tools of the plurality of downhole tools from the housing apparatus at respective locations in the wellbore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Bivens, Philippe Quero
  • Patent number: 11891877
    Abstract: A plug and perforation system includes a plug that is configured to isolate formation zones within a wellbore that has a casing. The plug includes a flow control subassembly, an anchoring subassembly, and a sealing device. The flow control subassembly a valve assembly. The valve assembly includes a housing, a valve chamber inside the housing, a valve seat, and a valve element inside the valve chamber. In some embodiments, the valve element is secured to the housing with a frangible matrix that is manufactured as a unitary part with the valve element and the housing. The frangible matrix is designed to fail under a predetermined shearing load to allow the valve element to be pushed into the valve seat. In other embodiments, the valve element is retained by one or more shear pins or shearable threads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Inventors: Christopher Crews, Joseph Mize, Shawn Witt
  • Patent number: 11879297
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a thread formation and to a downhole tool comprising a hollow tubular pipe section having an end on which the thread formation is provided. The thread formation comprises a first thread having a first thread start and a second thread having a second thread start, wherein the first thread start is operatively rotationally in advance of the second thread start. Accordingly, the first thread is configured to engage at least partially with a complementary thread formation on another downhole tool before the second thread engages with the complementary thread formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: REFLEX INSTRUMENTS ASIA PACIFIC PTY LIMITED
    Inventor: Owen Schicker
  • Patent number: 11879302
    Abstract: An extrusion preventing device for incorporation into a sealing element of a well tool device includes a wire wound with a plurality of turns to form a torus-shaped coiled spring. Each turn of the torus-shaped coiled spring is canted. A method for manufacturing a sealing element for a well tool device includes providing a mould shaped as the sealing element; inserting an extrusion preventing device including a wire wound with a plurality of turns to form a torus-shaped coiled spring into the mould; filling molten elastomeric material into the mould, thereby incorporating the torus-shaped coiled spring into the molten elastomeric material; curing the elastomeric material; and retrieving the sealing element from the mould.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Interwell Norway AS
    Inventors: Anders Glad, Thomas Hiorth
  • Patent number: 11873714
    Abstract: A drill rig having a longitudinal drilling axis, a front portion, and a rear portion can comprise a feedframe aligned with the longitudinal drilling axis, a first head assembly coupled to the feedframe and configured to rotate a drill string, and a rod holder proximate the front portion of the drill rig. A second head assembly can be movable on the feedframe along the longitudinal axis and can include a powered water swivel assembly comprising a spindle having an interior bore a drill rod connector at a first end of the spindle, a motor that is configured to rotate the spindle, a clutch configured to disengage the motor from the spindle, a gearbox that couples the motor to the spindle, and a water swivel that is configured to provide drilling fluid to the interior bore of the spindle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Longyear TM, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Clausen, Shane Fox, Lee Gagne, Steve Corboy, Geoff Moroney, David Barrett