Patents by Inventor John Robert Willingham
John Robert Willingham has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 8196659Abstract: An aqueous, viscoelastic fluid gelled with a viscosifier, e.g. a viscoelastic surfactant, is stabilized and improved with an effective amount of a particulate additive such as alkaline earth metal oxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, transition metal oxides, transition metal hydroxides, post-transition metal oxides, and post-transition metal hydroxides. These fluids are more stable and have a reduced or no tendency to precipitate, particularly at elevated temperatures, and may also help control fluid loss. These particulate additives have unique particle charges that use chemisorption, “crosslinking” and/or other chemistries to associate and stabilize the VES fluids, and also help trap or fixate formation fines when placed in a gravel pack or a proppant pack in a fracture. Some of these effects may be more pronounced the smaller the size of the particulate additive.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2010Date of Patent: June 12, 2012Assignee: Baker Hughes IncorporatedInventors: Tianping Huang, James B. Crews, John Robert Willingham
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Patent number: 8105492Abstract: Nanoparticle-treated particle packs, such as sand beds, may effectively filter and purify liquids such as waste water. Proppant beds treated with nanoparticles may fixate or reduce fines migration therethrough. When tiny contaminant particles or fines in these fluids flow through the nanoparticle-treated bed or pack, the nanoparticles will capture and hold the tiny contaminant or fines particles within the pack due to the nanoparticles' surface forces, including, but not necessarily limited to van der Waals and electrostatic forces. Nanoparticle-treated beds or packs may be recharged by contacting the bed with an inorganic acid (but not hydrofluoric acid) or an organic acid, and optionally followed by subsequent treatment with hydrofluoric acid. This treating substantially removes the nanoparticles and the fine particulates that have been removed from a fluid (e.g. wastewater being treated, produced fluids in a formation, etc.). The particle pack may then be re-treated or recharged with nanoparticles.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2008Date of Patent: January 31, 2012Assignee: Baker Hughes IncorporatedInventors: Tianping Huang, James B. Crews, John Robert Willingham
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Patent number: 8056630Abstract: Viscoelastic surfactant (VES) based fluid systems are effective to pre-saturate high permeability subterranean formations prior to a treatment operation that would undesirably suffer from high fluid leakoff. The fluid systems may include brine, a viscosity enhancer, as well as the VES, and a high temperature stabilizer. The stabilizer may be an alkaline earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, alkali metal oxide, alkali metal hydroxide, Al2O3, and mixtures thereof. The viscosity enhancer may include pyroelectric particles, piezoelectric particles, and mixtures thereof. The fluid system is easy to pump into the formation, and after initial pumping, the fluid system will soak into and occupy or “pre-saturate” the pores of the formation prior to pumping of a second treating fluid for fracturing, gravel packing, frac-packing, and the like. The methods are practiced in the absence of acids typically used in acidizing operations, such as hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2009Date of Patent: November 15, 2011Assignee: Baker Hughes IncorporatedInventors: Tianping Huang, James B. Crews, John Robert Willingham
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Publication number: 20100263866Abstract: An aqueous, viscoelastic fluid gelled with a viscosifier, e.g. a viscoelastic surfactant, is stabilized and improved with an effective amount of a particulate additive such as alkaline earth metal oxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, transition metal oxides, transition metal hydroxides, post-transition metal oxides, and post-transition metal hydroxides. These fluids are more stable and have a reduced or no tendency to precipitate, particularly at elevated temperatures, and may also help control fluid loss. These particulate additives have unique particle charges that use chemisorption, “crosslinking” and/or other chemistries to associate and stabilize the VES fluids, and also help trap or fixate formation fines when placed in a gravel pack or a proppant pack in a fracture. Some of these effects may be more pronounced the smaller the size of the particulate additive.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 23, 2010Publication date: October 21, 2010Applicant: BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATEDInventors: Tianping Huang, James B. Crews, John Robert Willingham
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Patent number: 7703531Abstract: An aqueous, viscoelastic fluid gelled with a viscoelastic surfactant (VES) is stabilized with an effective amount of an alkaline earth metal oxide alkaline earth metal hydroxide, alkali metal oxides, alkali metal hydroxides transition metal oxides, transition metal hydroxides, post-transition metal oxides, and post-transition metal hydroxides. These fluids are more stable and have a reduced or no tendency to precipitate, particularly at elevated temperatures, and may also help control fluid loss. When the particle size of the magnesium oxide or other particulate agent is a nanometer scale, for instance having a mean particle size of 100 nm or less, that scale may provide particle charges that use chemisorption, “crosslinking” and/or other chemistries to associate and stabilize the VES fluids, and also help trap or fixate formation fines when deposited into a proppant pack in a fracture.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2008Date of Patent: April 27, 2010Assignee: Baker Hughes IncorporatedInventors: Tianping Huang, James B. Crews, John Robert Willingham
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Publication number: 20090272534Abstract: Viscoelastic surfactant (VES) based fluid systems are effective to pre-saturate high permeability subterranean formations prior to a treatment operation that would undesirably suffer from high fluid leakoff. The fluid systems may include brine, a viscosity enhancer, as well as the VES, and a high temperature stabilizer. The stabilizer may be an alkaline earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, alkali metal oxide, alkali metal hydroxide, Al2O3, and mixtures thereof. The viscosity enhancer may include pyroelectric particles, piezoelectric particles, and mixtures thereof. The fluid system is easy to pump into the formation, and after initial pumping, the fluid system will soak into and occupy or “pre-saturate” the pores of the formation prior to pumping of a second treating fluid for fracturing, gravel packing, frac-packing, and the like. The methods are practiced in the absence of acids typically used in acidizing operations, such as hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2009Publication date: November 5, 2009Applicant: Baker Hughes IncorporatedInventors: Tianping Huang, James B. Crews, John Robert Willingham
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Publication number: 20090266765Abstract: Nanoparticle-treated particle packs, such as sand beds, may effectively filter and purify liquids such as waste water. Proppant beds treated with nanoparticles may fixate or reduce fines migration therethrough. When tiny contaminant particles or fines in these fluids flow through the nanoparticle-treated bed or pack, the nanoparticles will capture and hold the tiny contaminant or fines particles within the pack due to the nanoparticles' surface forces, including, but not necessarily limited to van der Waals and electrostatic forces. Nanoparticle-treated beds or packs may be recharged by contacting the bed with an inorganic acid (but not hydrofluoric acid) or an organic acid, and optionally followed by subsequent treatment with hydrofluoric acid. This treating substantially removes the nanoparticles and the fine particulates that have been removed from a fluid (e.g. wastewater being treated, produced fluids in a formation, etc.). The particle pack may then be re-treated or recharged with nanoparticles.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 21, 2008Publication date: October 29, 2009Applicant: BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATEDInventors: Tianping Huang, James B. Crews, John Robert Willingham
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Publication number: 20090065209Abstract: An aqueous, viscoelastic fluid gelled with a viscoelastic surfactant (VES) is stabilized and improved with an effective amount of an alkaline earth metal oxide alkaline earth metal hydroxide, alkali metal oxides, alkali metal hydroxides transition metal oxides, transition metal hydroxides, post-transition metal oxides, and post-transition metal hydroxides. These fluids are more stable and have a reduced or no tendency to precipitate, particularly at elevated temperatures, and may also help control fluid loss. When the particle size of the magnesium oxide or other particulate agent is a nanometer scale, for instance having a mean particle size of 100 nm or less, that scale may provide unique particle charges that use chemisorption, “crosslinking” and/or other chemistries to associate and stabilize the VES fluids, and also help trap or fixate formation fines when deposited into a proppant pack in a fracture.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2008Publication date: March 12, 2009Applicant: BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATEDInventors: Tianping Huang, James B. Crews, John Robert Willingham
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Publication number: 20080271888Abstract: Viscoelastic surfactant (VES) based fluid systems are effective to pre-saturate high permeability subterranean formations prior to a treatment operation that would undesirably suffer from high fluid leakoff. The fluid systems may include brine, a viscosity enhancer, as well as the VES, and a high temperature stabilizer. The stabilizer may be an alkaline earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, alkali metal oxide, alkali metal hydroxide, Al2O3, and mixtures thereof. The viscosity enhancer may include pyroelectric particles, piezoelectric particles, and mixtures thereof. The fluid system is easy to pump into the formation, and after initial pumping, the fluid system will soak into and occupy or “pre-saturate” the pores of the formation prior to pumping of a second treating fluid for fracturing, gravel packing, frac-packing, matrix acidizing, and the like.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 7, 2008Publication date: November 6, 2008Applicant: BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATEDInventors: Tianping HUANG, James B. CREWS, John Robert WILLINGHAM
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System stabilizers and performance enhancers for aqueous fluids gelled with viscoelastic surfactants
Patent number: 7343972Abstract: An aqueous, viscoelastic fluid gelled with a viscoelastic surfactant (VES) is stabilized and improved with an effective amount of an alkali earth metal oxide and/or alkali earth metal hydroxide. These fluids are more stable and have reduced or no tendency to precipitate, particularly at elevated temperatures. The additives may also increase viscosity to the point where less VES is required to maintain a given viscosity. These stabilized, enhanced, aqueous viscoelastic fluids may be used as treatment fluids for subterranean hydrocarbon formations, such as in hydraulic fracturing.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2005Date of Patent: March 18, 2008Assignee: Baker Hughes IncorporatedInventors: John Robert Willingham, Allen D. Gabrysch, Patrick A. Kelly, James B. Crews, James H. Treadway