Patents Examined by Patrick Lambe
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Patent number: 9316054Abstract: A method for drilling a subsea well from a rig through a subsea wellhead below the rig includes employing a single gradient or dual gradient drilling system that includes a drill string that extends from the rig into the well and surface mud pumps for pumping drilling fluid through the drill string and into a well annulus of the well. The drilling system includes a subsea rotating device for conducting the drilling fluid from the well annulus and through a solids processing unit. A subsea pump then conducts the drilling fluid from the solids processing unit to a return line back to the rig. The surface mud pump and subsea pump are staged in coordination to trap pressure and/or remove pressure in the well annulus to maintain a selected pressure gradient in the well annulus.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2013Date of Patent: April 19, 2016Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.Inventors: Charles W. Weinstock, Mingqin Duan
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Patent number: 9297177Abstract: An open chamber of predetermined size and shape is positioned within a pool bed so as to contain interconnected clusters of interconnected telescopic modules which occupy the chamber area. Each of the telescopic modules is independently extended and retracted in length vertically by the increase or decrease of the volume of water contained within a bellows, establishing in selected telescopic modules a specific reef size, shape, and orientation. When kinetic-energy is introduced upstream from a source, the kinetic-energy within the water passes over the reef, and generates a wave having specific features resulting from the properties of the specific reef configuration.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2015Date of Patent: March 29, 2016Inventor: Phillip James Fricano
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Patent number: 9297545Abstract: Provided is a damper structure for an enclosed derrick, which can constantly compensate and maintain a pressure of an inner space of an enclosed derrick structure. The damper structure for the enclosed derrick includes: one or more communication ducts installed in a side of the enclosed derrick; and one or more open/close dampers coupled to the communication ducts to open or close the communication ducts, whereby air is selectively supplied to or exhausted from the enclosed derrick.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2011Date of Patent: March 29, 2016Assignees: Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd., Transocean Sedco Forex Ventures LimitedInventors: Keum Dae Choo, D. Scott Brittin
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Patent number: 9284797Abstract: A backup heave compensation system and an associated lifting arrangement are for a floating drilling vessel comprising a rig structure with a primary heave compensation system. The backup heave compensation system comprises: a vertically extendable and retractable lifting arrangement; a hydraulic system operatively connected to said lifting arrangement; and a control system operatively connected to said lifting arrangement and hydraulic system for selective control and operation thereof. The lifting arrangement comprises: a rigid frame structure comprised of: at least two vertically extending cylinders; a first transverse element connecting first end portions of said cylinders; and a second transverse element connecting second end portions of said cylinders; and a portal structure comprised of: at least two vertically extending piston rods having first end portions provided each with a piston; and a transverse portal element connecting second end portions of said piston rods.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2012Date of Patent: March 15, 2016Assignee: WellPartner ASInventors: Kenneth Skinnes, Havar Sortveit, Harald Wahl Breivik, Jens Skinnes
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Patent number: 9267340Abstract: A heave compensating system for a marine vessel includes a hydraulic machine configured to be coupled to a load suspended from the vessel and to vary the distance between the load and the vessel in response to heaving motion of the vessel. The system further includes a second hydraulic machine in fluid communication with a hydraulic accumulator, both the first and second hydraulic machines are mechanically connected to one another and a shared electric motor, and a controller configured to control hydraulic movement of the first and second hydraulic machines and to control the supply of power to the electric motor.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 2011Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: National Oilwell Varco Norway ASInventors: David Bengt Johan Ankargren, Jochen Pohl
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Patent number: 9267243Abstract: A water drainage system for collecting and directing water in an outdoor installation such as an artificial turf athletic field having a plurality of elongated fluid flow, edge drain conduits having an interior fluid opening therethrough and formed with a generally rectangular cross section so as to be mounted in a vertical position at the end of the artificial turf. Various drain openings, outlets and water collection apparatus are disclosed for use in the drainage system.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2011Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Inventors: John E. Kreikemeier, Brett Travis Long
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Patent number: 9260949Abstract: A subsea production system for conducting hydrocarbon recovery operations in a marine environment, including a trussed tower having a first end including a base residing proximate the seabed and a second end having a landing deck configured to receive and releasably attach to a floating drilling unit. The system also includes one or more hydrocarbon fluids storage cells. The storage cells reside at the seabed proximate the base of the trussed frame. The system further includes subsea production operational equipment that resides within the trussed frame near the water surface and is in fluid communication with the hydrocarbon fluids storage cells. A method for installing such components is also provided.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2011Date of Patent: February 16, 2016Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyInventors: Carl R. Brinkmann, Dmitri G. Matskevitch
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Patent number: 9255375Abstract: An adapter assembly for transmitting a drive force from a pile driving system defining a drive axis to a pile defining a pile axis comprising a base assembly and an adapter assembly. The base assembly is operatively supported such that the drive force is transmitted to the base assembly. The adapter assembly comprises a plate member, a skirt member defining a skirt chamber, and an adapter connector configured to support the skirt member relative to the base assembly, the plate member, and the pile member. The adapter assembly substantially aligns the drive axis with the pile axis. The drive force is transmitted from the base assembly to the plate member. The pile is received within the skirt chamber such that the drive force is transmitted from the plate member to the pile. The skirt member is substantially isolated from the drive force.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2014Date of Patent: February 9, 2016Assignee: American Piledriving Equipment, Inc.Inventors: David A. Yingling, Joseph G. Wright, Steven N. Cress
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Patent number: 9243456Abstract: The invention relates to an earth drilling device (1) for boring a borehole into the soil and/or for drawing a line (9) into an underground passage, comprising at least one system line (4, 6) extending from the earth drilling device to a start region, wherein the system line is designed in an electrically insulating manner.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2010Date of Patent: January 26, 2016Assignee: TRACTO-TECHNIK GMBH & CO. KGInventors: Franz-Josef Püttmann, Gerhard Völkel, Peter Grass, Meinolf Rameil
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Patent number: 9228416Abstract: Systems and methods enable connection of, and are usable to connect, well servicing equipment to other well equipment, including wellheads, blowout preventers, and other well servicing equipment. The systems comprise connecting apparatus having a male connector and female connector. The male connector comprises an elongate body having an axial bore extending therethrough and a plurality of protrusions extending from the elongate body at an angle relative to the axial bore. The female connector can be adapted for connection with the male connector, wherein engagement between the male connector and female connector communicates the axial bore of the male connector with a bore of the female connector to define a flowpath for communicating a medium. The systems and methods enable the ability to connect or disconnect well equipment remotely without the need of a diver, an ROV, and without the need to bring the well equipment to the surface for disassembly.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2012Date of Patent: January 5, 2016Inventor: David Wright
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Patent number: 9222325Abstract: The present invention relates to a marine riser isolation tool in particular to an autonomous marine riser isolation tool having a robotic plug installation device that is adapted for positioning a pipeline isolation plug in a vertical pipe such as a marine riser, resulting in sealing of the marine riser.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2011Date of Patent: December 29, 2015Assignee: THE SAFER PLUG COMPANY LIMITEDInventors: Ciaran Early, Gary Murray, Raymond Honour
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Patent number: 9222338Abstract: A tool for lowering, alternatively later retrieval, of a pipeline end which is provided with a connecting part designed for mating with and connection to a first connecting part on the seabed is shown. The tool is so arranged that the tool can be brought to the surface again for reuse. The tool comprises a central lifting frame, a guiding part forming an extension of the lifting frame and a lifting yoke, which tool includes gripping mechanisms which, in one situation, are actuatable to partly circumscribe and retain the pipeline end, and, in a second situation, the gripping mechanisms are releasable to release the pipeline end from the lifting frame.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 2010Date of Patent: December 29, 2015Assignee: Aker Subsea ASInventors: Johan Larsson, Sigvard Omvik
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Patent number: 9217314Abstract: A method of evacuating hydrocarbons from a plurality of nested tubulars of a well pipe that extends from an underwater well tree includes an initial step of attaching a fluid transmission line to the underwater well tree, the fluid transmission line having one end portion forming the attachment to the tree and the other end portion attached to a pump that forces fluid under pressure to the tree and attached nested tubulars. Openings are formed through one or more tubulars of the nested tubulars at a selected location. A specially configured fitting is attached to the tubulars. The fitting seals the openings. The fitting has an expandable seal that is expandable responsive to rotation of a rotating member that rotates upon a saddle, pulling a tapered mandrel against the seal. The saddle surrounds the mandrel and bears against an outer tubular of the nested tubulars. The fitting mandrel has a bore. Hydrocarbons escape from the tubulars via the mandrel bore.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2011Date of Patent: December 22, 2015Assignee: GULFSTREAM SERVICES, INC.Inventors: Michael Mire, Joey Naquin
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Patent number: 9212462Abstract: A method for making a wall in soil. The method may include forming a trench in the soil; filling the trench with a self-hardening material; supplying at least one prefabricated element that has two plates connected together by a connection member; and positioning the prefabricated element in the trench filled with the self-hardening material.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2011Date of Patent: December 15, 2015Assignee: SOLETANCHE FREYSSINETInventors: Serge Borel, Jean Pierre Hamelin, Joël Cano, Fabrice Mathieu
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Patent number: 9212103Abstract: A pyrotechnic pressure accumulator includes an elongated body extending from a first end of a pyrotechnic section to a discharge end of a hydraulic section. A propellant charge located in a gas chamber of the pyrotechnic section, a piston movably disposed the hydraulic section, and a fluid disposed in a hydraulic chamber between the piston and the discharge end, wherein the fluid is exhausted under pressure through a discharge port in response to ignition of the propellant charge.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2013Date of Patent: December 15, 2015Assignee: Bastion Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Charles Don Coppedge, Dewey James Louvier, Anna Azzolari Ronalds, Hildebrand A. Rumann
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Patent number: 9206575Abstract: An oil containment system aboard a vessel which includes a pneumatic system to provide power to a winch and reel assembly containing boom whereby the pneumatic supply is capable of simultaneously powering the winch-reel assembly for boom deployment through inflatable gas fed to a pneumatic motor while also inflating the boom. The system would be utilized to confine a discharge of a floating material such as hydrocarbons floating on the surface from a vessel or structure.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2010Date of Patent: December 8, 2015Inventors: Michael T. D. Miller, Dorin Boldor, Jeffrey D. Ortego
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Patent number: 9200727Abstract: A ship for laying flexible undersea lines at sea, the ship having a deck including a cavity receiving said turntable and a motor-driven device for rotating the turntable and fastened to the carrier structure of the hull of the ship, also known as the “hull girder”. The top face of the circular turntable does not project significantly above the plane of the deck that is juxtaposed therewith. The turntable presents attachment elements for attaching a modular storage and handling device for storing and handling flexible lines by winding and unwinding the flexible lines.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2011Date of Patent: December 1, 2015Assignee: SAIPEM S.A.Inventors: François-Régis Pionetti, Xavier Rocher
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Patent number: 9188987Abstract: The present invention relates to a machine arranged for sawing micro trenches and placing ducts/communication cables in micro trenches, said machine comprising a saw blade arranged for sawing a micro trench in an area; said machine further comprises a stabilizing device arranged for stabilizing the walls of said micro trench when placing ducts/communication cables into said micro trench, said stabilizing device being positioned immediately behind said saw blade in said micro trench, and said stabilizing device comprising guiding means for guiding at least one duct/communication cable when placed into said micro trench.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2011Date of Patent: November 17, 2015Assignee: DellCron ABInventors: Conny Gustavsson, Hasse Hultman
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Patent number: 9182054Abstract: An apparatus for feeding an elongate article (6) from a floating vessel and suspending a first portion (6a) of the elongate article in a body of water below the vessel, comprises a cylindrical body (10) rotatably supported on the vessel and driving means (85, 86) for controlling the rotation of the cylindrical body. The cylindrical body (10) further comprises a spooling-on region (P) and a spooling-off region (U) for the elongate article, and a cylindrical contacting surface (18) for interaction with at least a portion of the elongate article (6); the contacting surface (18) being configured so as to support the first portion (6a).Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2011Date of Patent: November 10, 2015Assignee: Kongsberg Oil & Gas Technologies ASInventors: Robert Haugen, Johan Peter Schwartz, Stener Døhlen, Gunnar Bolkesjø Herø
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Patent number: 9175488Abstract: An open chamber of predetermined size and shape is positioned within a pool bed so as to contain telescopic modules which occupy the chamber area. Each of the telescopic modules is independently extended and retracted in length by increase or decrease of the volume of water contained within a bellows, establishing in selected telescopic modules a specific reef size, shape, and orientation. When kinetic-energy within the water passes over the predetermined shape, size, and orientation of the reef, a wave is generated having specific features resulting from the properties of the specific reef configuration.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2010Date of Patent: November 3, 2015Inventor: Phillip James Fricano