Patents Examined by Kenneth L. Thompson
  • Patent number: 11965395
    Abstract: A rupture disc configured to fluidly seal a passageway. The rupture disc includes a base extending from a distal surface to a proximal end, and a central portion extending across the proximal end of the base. The central portion traverses a central axis defined by the base. At least one surface of the central portion, such as an outer surface or inner surface, includes a plurality of facets defined by a plurality of seams. The facets may include one or more flat surfaces and/or one or more conical surfaces. A rupture disc system for fluidly sealing a portion of a wellbore includes the rupture disc disposed within and extending across a housing central bore of a housing, with one or more sealing members engaging the rupture disc and an inner surface of the housing central bore to fluidly seal the housing central bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Workover Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Gunther H H von Gynz-Rekowski, Russell Wayne Koenig, Kevin J. Rudy, Brandon Kaderka
  • Patent number: 11952844
    Abstract: A well system includes a well platform including a rig floor, a first rig floor robot and a second rig floor robot positioned on the rig floor, wherein the first rig floor robot is configured to guide a lower end of a pipe stand towards a setback position on the rig floor and the second rig floor robot is configured to guide a first pipe joint of the pipe stand into a first mouse hole formed in the rig floor, a mast extending from the rig floor, a racking board coupled to the mast, the racking board configured to secure an upper end of the pipe stand between a pair of finger boards of the racking board, a racking board robot positioned on the racking board and configured to position the upper end of the pipe stand between the pair of finger boards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: National Oilwell Varco, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert Benjamin Donnally, Xilin Liu
  • Patent number: 11952846
    Abstract: A rotational continuous circulation system and methods includes a circulation sub having an internal bore extending along a central axis. The circulation sub has an uphole body having a reduced outer diameter along a downhole length of the uphole body. A central valve selectively opens and closes the uphole internal bore. At least one check valve is located within a sidewall of the uphole body to selectively allow fluid to flow into the uphole internal bore through the at least one check valve. A downhole body has an uphole portion circumscribing a downhole portion of the uphole body. A sleeve assembly circumscribes the reduced outer diameter of the uphole body. The uphole body and the downhole body are configured to rotate about the central axis independently from the sleeve assembly. A side-entry port of the sleeve assembly provides a fluid flow path from an exterior of the sleeve assembly to the at least one check valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Mohammed Alsheikh, Mohammed Aljubran, Abdulwahab Aljohar, Ossama Ramzi Sehsah, Meshari Alshalan, Chinthaka Pasan Gooneratne, Abdulkareem Saqqa, Amjad Alshaarawi
  • Patent number: 11952871
    Abstract: Methods and equipment are provided for stimulating recovery of hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation traversed by a wellbore, which employ at least one self-resonating nozzle. Fluid under pressure is supplied to the at least one self-resonating nozzle to create a channel in a surface of the subterranean formation facing the at least one self-resonating nozzle. In embodiments, the equipment can be a downhole tool or completion equipment (such as a liner) that is deployed in the wellbore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Hussain Khalifah Al-Dakheel, Mustapha Abbad, Gallyam Aidagulov
  • Patent number: 11939856
    Abstract: A system includes a first wellbore operation controller for controlling a wellbore operation and generating a first broadcast indicating a first data topic desired for controlling the wellbore operation. The system also includes a second wellbore operation controller for generating a data stream associated with a wellbore and for generating a second broadcast indicating a second data topic that promotes the data stream. The system includes a mediator computing device that receives the first broadcast and the second broadcast and determines that the first wellbore operation controller is subscribed to the data stream by comparing the first data topic to the second data topic. In response to determining that the first wellbore operation controller is subscribed to the data stream, the mediator computing device creates a data link between the first wellbore operation controller and the second wellbore operation controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Clinton Michael Doughty, Nathan Patrick Leach, Tatyana Kostyanovskaya, Kevin James Brammer
  • Patent number: 11939866
    Abstract: A method and system for identifying a fluid sample. The method may comprise disposing a fluid sampling tool into a wellbore. The fluid sampling tool may comprise at least one probe configured to fluidly connect the fluid sampling tool to a formation in the wellbore and at least one passageway that passes through the at least one probe and into the fluid sampling tool. The method may further comprise drawing a wellbore fluid as a fluid sample through the at least one probe and through the at least one passageway, obtaining a fluid measurement of the fluid sample, comparing the fluid measurement to a plurality of fingerprints that populate a database, and identifying the fluid sample based at least in part on one of the plurality of fingerprints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Bin Dai, Zhonghuan Chen, Christopher Michael Jones
  • Patent number: 11933163
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for monitoring pressure of fluid inside a wellhead, wherein the wellhead includes a casing spool defining a channel therein, at least one blind flange, and at least one landing base, the method including: deploying a tube along the channel and inside the casing spool, wherein a plurality of shear pins are distributed on the tube; connecting the tube to the at least one blind flange, wherein the at least one blind flange is connected to a pressure gauge; in response to confirming that the pressure of fluid inside the wellhead is to be determined, shearing the plurality of shear pins against the casing spool from inside the channel; and recording, at the pressure gauge, the pressure of fluid inside an annulus between the tube and the casing spool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventor: Ahmed Abdulaziz Al-Mousa
  • Patent number: 11927072
    Abstract: A valve for downhole chemical injection control, having a single chemical injection fluid line (2) to feed all the injection points, regardless of the number of zones, exclusively electrically-driven by a single electric cable (3), with embedded sensing electronics (7), which communicate and activate an electric motor (4), coupled to a multi-position sphere (5) for dosing the chemical injection fluid, which, according to the electric motor rotation, is moved, altering its position, to enable the passage of interest to be selected, according to the volume of chemical fluid to be injected, a single turn of the sphere being required to commute all the possible positions, the performance of which is low in power consumption, and for a short period of time, having after its positioning in the desired passage zero consumption to maintain this position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: OURO NEGRO TECNOLOGIAS EM EQUIPAMENTOS INDUSTRIAIS S/A
    Inventor: Leonardo Goncalves Candido Gomes
  • Patent number: 11927067
    Abstract: A downhole device and a method of performing an operation in a borehole. The downhole device includes an outer sleeve defining a bore therethrough, an inner sleeve disposed within the bore and axially movable with respect to the outer sleeve between a first position and a second position, the inner sleeve defining a flow passage, and a seat member in the flow passage for seating a ball when the inner sleeve is at the first position. A ball is seated at the seat member. A fluid pressure on the ball moves the inner sleeve from the first position to the second position, moves the seat member radially outward out of the flow passage when the inner sleeve is at the second position, and pushes the ball out of the flow passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES OILFIELD OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Jason Cullum, Levi Oberg, Andres Sosa, David Rabalais
  • Patent number: 11920449
    Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for centralized monitoring and control of a hydraulic fracturing operation. The system includes an electric powered fracturing fleet and a centralized control unit coupled to the electric powered fracturing fleet. The electric powered fracturing fleet can include a combination of one or more of: electric powered pumps, turbine generators, blenders, sand silos, chemical storage units, conveyor belts, manifold trailers, hydration units, variable frequency drives, switchgear, transformers, and compressors. The centralized control unit can be configured to monitor and/or control one or more operating characteristics of the electric powered fracturing fleet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: U.S. WELL SERVICES, LLC
    Inventors: Joel N. Broussard, Jeff McPherson, Robert Kurtz, Jared Oehring, Brandon Hinderliter
  • Patent number: 11920462
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer-readable medium to perform operations including: generating, based on production data for a wellbore, (i) a water-oil-ratio with respect to time (WOR) dataset for the wellbore, (ii) a time-derivative dataset (WOR?) of the WOR dataset; generating a WOR log-log plot of the WOR dataset and a WOR? log-log plot of the WOR? dataset; identifying at least one trend in the WOR log-log plot and the WOR? log-log plot; determining, based on the at least one identified trend, a first type of water breakthrough; generating, based on pressure data from a build-up pressure test in the wellbore, a log-log plot of time-derivative pressure data with respect to time (P?); determining, based on the P? log-log plot, a second type of water breakthrough; correlating the first and second type of water breakthrough; and determining, based on the correlation, whether to perform a water treatment for the wellbore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Abdullah M. Al-Dhafeeri, Cornel Dodan, Rashed H. Al-Obaid
  • Patent number: 11913446
    Abstract: A system can include one or more processors; memory; a data interface that receives data; a control interface that transmits control signals for control of pumps of a hydraulic fracturing operation; and one or more components that can include one or more of a modeling component that predicts pressure in a well fluidly coupled to at least one of the pumps, a pumping rate adjustment component that generates a pumping rate control signal for transmission via the control interface, a capacity component that estimates a real-time pumping capacity for each individual pump, and a control component that, for a target pumping rate for the pumps during the hydraulic fracturing operation, generates at least one of engine throttle and transmission gear settings for each of the individual pumps using an estimated real-time pumping capacity for each individual pump where the settings are transmissible via the control interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nan Mu, Xiaowei Weng, Timothy Michael Lesko, James Matthews, Marcos Suguru Kajita, Bao Mi, Amal Bagulayan, Francois Daube, Brandon Travis Hobbs, Yan P. Kuhn De Chizelle, Samir Menasria, Kevin Ho
  • Patent number: 11906395
    Abstract: A method includes performing a downhole operation in a borehole; capturing, during the downhole operation, downhole particles and drilling mud at the surface from the borehole into a screen of at least one shaker; shaking the screen to emit vibrations to separate the downhole particles from the drilling mud; defining a vibration limit for a normal operating condition of the at least one shaker; setting a vibration fault threshold based on the vibration limit for the normal operating condition; monitoring, using at least one sensor, the vibrations over time; and determining there is a fault condition for the shaker, in response to the vibrations exceeding the vibration fault threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Prashant Shekhar, Abhijit Kulkarni, Gillies Alexander MacDonald
  • Patent number: 11905819
    Abstract: A composite product has a body of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material having a PCD proximal end and a PCD distal end, an electronic device including an electronic component, and a connection portion joining the electronic device to the body at the PCD distal end, and comprising metallic join material having a liquidus temperature of 600° C. to 950° C. at atmospheric pressure. At least one of the electronic device and the body includes an electrically insulating portion between the electronic component and the PCD proximal boundary establishing an electrical open circuit condition between the electronic component and the PCD proximal boundary. A method of making the composite product is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Element Six (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Santonu Ghosh, Christopher John Howard Wort
  • Patent number: 11885208
    Abstract: A method of controlling a pumping stage of a fracturing fleet at a wellsite with a set of electric frac pumps to deliver fracturing fluids into a target formation at a steady pressure value. An global control process on a computer system communicatively connected to the plurality of pumping units can communicate a unit setpoint to each pumping unit, monitor the sensor measurements, compare the periodic datasets to a target pressure, and modify the fluid output of the pump units to achieve the target pressure during the pumping operation. The global control process can direct at least one pumping unit to deliver a fracturing treatment at a pressure higher or lower than the target pressure in response to changing wellbore environment pressures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Madhur Kohli, Alexander Simon Chretien, Vladimir Nikolayevich Martysevich
  • Patent number: 11885205
    Abstract: Systems and methods for predicting a breakdown pressure of a formation and fracturing the formation account for filter cake effects. The systems and methods measure a time-dependent permeability and a time-dependent thickness of a filter cake formed by a first drilling mud. The systems and methods determine a time-dependent permeability model and a time-dependent thickness model of the filter cake. The systems and methods select a breakdown pressure model based on (i) the time-dependent thickness of the filter cake, (ii) the time-dependent permeability of the filter cake, and (iii) the permeability of the formation. The systems and methods use the selected breakdown pressure model to predict the breakdown pressure of the formation and fracture the formation using a drilling fluid having a mud weight associated with the predicted breakdown pressure of the formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Chao Liu, Yanhui Han, Dung Phan, Katherine Leigh Hull, Younane N. Abousleiman
  • Patent number: 11867058
    Abstract: Some embodiments may be directed to a drilling tool for drilling in a formation. This drilling tool may include an optical fiber having a laser input end and a laser output end and a laser source optically connected to the laser input end. Further, the drilling tool may include an activating agent conduit having an activating agent inlet and an activating agent outlet and an activating agent source connected to the activating agent inlet that supplies an activating agent. Finally, the drilling tool may include a drill head. In some embodiments, the drill head may include a nozzle connected to the activating agent outlet that discharges the activating agent on an area of the formation, and a laser head optically connected to the laser output end and arranged to lase at least a portion of the area of the formation having the activating agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Faisal Mustafa ALshunaifi, Sameeh Issa Batarseh
  • Patent number: 11867118
    Abstract: Methods and systems for supply of fuel for a turbine-driven fracturing pump system used in hydraulic fracturing may be configured to identify when the supply pressure of primary fuel to a plurality of gas turbine engines of a plurality of hydraulic fracturing units falls below a set point, identify a gas turbine engine of the fleet of hydraulic fracturing units operating on primary fuel with highest amount of secondary fuel available, and to selectively transfer the gas turbine engine operating on primary fuel with the highest amount of secondary fuel from primary fuel operation to secondary fuel operation. Some methods and systems may be configured to transfer all gas turbine engines to secondary fuel operation and individually and/or sequentially restore operation to primary fuel operation and/or to manage primary fuel operation and/or secondary fuel operation for portions of the plurality of gas turbine engines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: BJ Energy Solutions, LLC
    Inventors: Tony Yeung, Ricardo Rodriguez-Ramon, Joseph Foster
  • Patent number: 11859479
    Abstract: A method for quantifying frac hits within a few days using a novel pressure-transient analysis technique called differential pressure-transient analysis (DPTA). Unlike pressure transient analysis (PTA) methods, focused on single-well analyses, DPTA evaluates pressure response from two or more wells simultaneously to (1) determine the existence of frac hits, and (2) determine the magnitude of interference, defined as the ratio of inter-connected to total number of primary fractures from a given well. The output from (2) can be subsequently used to accurately predict oil and/or gas production rates for infill and offset wells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Inventor: Oscar Mauricio Molina Ortiz
  • Patent number: 11851969
    Abstract: The present disclosure is for an inverted diffuser usable in wellheads and other wellsite equipment. The inverted diffuser includes at least one first section having a first vertical inner surface, a first inclined inner surface relative to the first vertical inner surface, and one or more channels supporting one or more releasable fasteners between the at least one first section and a wall of a wellhead or of a wellsite equipment. At least one second section is press-fitted or fastened adjacent to the at least one first section. A method for application of the inverted diffuser in a wellhead and in other wellsite equipment is also disclosed, along with a method of manufacture of the inverted diffuser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC
    Inventors: Fabio O. Tanaka, Jonathan Powell, Mahesha Udipi, Timothy D. Fuller, Bryan Leach