Patents by Inventor Michael Alvin Curole

Michael Alvin Curole 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).

  • Patent number: 8794320
    Abstract: A system comprising a well drilled into an underground formation comprising hydrocarbons; a production facility at a topside of the well; and a water production facility connected to the production facility; wherein the water production facility produces water by removing some multivalent ions, then removing some monovalent ions, and then adding back some multivalent ions, and then injects the water into the well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Subhash Chandra Bose Ayirala, Robert Wing-yu Chin, Michael Alvin Curole, Eugene Bruce Greene
  • Patent number: 8789594
    Abstract: A system comprising a well drilled into an underground formation; a production facility at the topside of the well; and a water production facility connected to the production facility; wherein the water production facility produces water by removing some ions and adding an agent which increases the viscosity of the water and/or increases a hydrocarbon recovery from the formation, and injects water into the well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Michael Alvin Curole, Eugene Bruce Greene
  • Patent number: 8678080
    Abstract: A system comprising a well drilled into an underground formation comprising hydrocarbons; a water supply; a steam production facility, the steam production facility comprising a filter to remove at least 80% of a quantity of divalent cations in the water supply; an exchange resin to remove at least 80% of a quantity of divalent cations in a filtered water stream that has already passed through the filter; a steam injection facility connected to the well and the steam production facility, adapted to inject the steam into the well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Michael Alvin Curole, Eugene Bruce Greene
  • Publication number: 20130255955
    Abstract: A system comprising a well drilled into an underground formation comprising hydrocarbons; a water supply; a steam production facility, the steam production facility comprising a filter to remove at least 80% of a quantity of divalent cations in the water supply; an exchange resin to remove at least 80% of a quantity of divalent cations in a filtered water stream that has already passed through the filter; a steam injection facility connected to the well and the steam production facility, adapted to inject the steam into the well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Inventors: Michael Alvin CUROLE, Eugene Bruce GREENE
  • Patent number: 8469092
    Abstract: A system comprising a well drilled into an underground formation comprising hydrocarbons; a water supply; a steam production facility, the steam production facility comprising a filter to remove at least 80% of a quantity of divalent cations in the water supply; an exchange resin to remove at least 80% of a quantity of divalent cations in a filtered water stream that has already passed through the filter; a steam injection facility connected to the well and the steam production facility, adapted to inject the steam into the well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Michael Alvin Curole, Eugene Bruce Greene
  • Publication number: 20120037363
    Abstract: A system for producing oil and/or gas from an underground formation including a well above the formation; a mechanism to inject an enhanced oil recovery formulation into the formation, the enhanced oil recovery formulation including dimethyl ether; and a mechanism to produce oil and/or gas from the formation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2008
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Applicant: Shell Oil Company
    Inventor: Michael Alvin Curole
  • Patent number: 8002878
    Abstract: A method and cyclonic separator are disclosed for degassing a fluid mixture comprising a carrier liquid and one or more gaseous and/or vaporizable components, wherein: —the fluid mixture is accelerated in a throat section (6) of a vortex tube (1) such that the static pressure of the fluid mixture is decreased and vaporizable components evaporate into a gaseous phase; —the accelerated fluid mixture is induced to swirl within the vortex tube such that the fluid mixture is separated by centrifugal forces into a degassed liquid fraction and a gas enriched fraction; —the degassed liquid fraction is induced to flow into a liquid outlet conduit (4) which is located at or near the outer circumference of the vortex tube (1); and—the gas enriched fraction is induced to flow into a gas outlet conduit (3) which is located at or near a central axis of the vortex tube (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Marco Betting, Gerhardus Willem Colenbrander, Michael Alvin Curole, Theodorus Cornelis Klaver, Eric Johannes Puik
  • Publication number: 20110005749
    Abstract: A system comprising a well drilled into an underground formation comprising hydrocarbons; a water supply; a steam production facility, the steam production facility comprising a filter to remove at least 80% of a quantity of divalent cations in the water supply; an exchange resin to remove at least 80% of a quantity of divalent cations in a filtered water stream that has already passed through the filter; a steam injection facility connected to the well and the steam production facility, adapted to inject the steam into the well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2008
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: SHELL INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH MAATSCHAPPIJ B.V.
    Inventors: Michael Alvin Curole, Eugene Bruce Greene
  • Publication number: 20100243246
    Abstract: There is disclosed a system comprising a well drilled into an underground formation comprising hydrocarbons; a production facility at a topside of the well; a water production facility connected to the production facility; wherein the water production facility produces water by removing some multivalent ions, then removing some monovalent ions, and then adding back some multivalent ions, and then injects the water into the well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Inventors: Subhash Chandra Bose AYIRALA, Robert Wing-yu CHIN, Michael Alvin CUROLE, Eugene Bruce GREENE
  • Publication number: 20090308609
    Abstract: There is disclosed a system comprising a well drilled into an underground formation; a production facility at a topside of the well; a water production facility connected to the production facility; wherein the water production facility produces water by removing some ions and adding an agent which increases the viscosity of the water and/or increases a hydrocarbon recovery from the formation, and injects the water into the well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Inventors: Michael Alvin Curole, Eugene Bruce Greene
  • Publication number: 20080289502
    Abstract: A method and cyclonic separator are disclosed for degassing a fluid mixture comprising a carrier liquid and one or more gaseous and/or vaporizable components, wherein: —the fluid mixture is accelerated in a throat section (6) of a vortex tube (1) such that the static pressure of the fluid mixture is decreased and vaporizable components evaporate into a gaseous phase; —the accelerated fluid mixture is induced to swirl within the vortex tube such that the fluid mixture is separated by centrifugal forces into a degassed liquid fraction and a gas enriched fraction; —the degassed liquid fraction is induced to flow into a liquid outlet conduit (4) which is located at or near the outer circumference of the vortex tube (1); and—the gas enriched fraction is induced to flow into a gas outlet conduit (3) which is located at or near a central axis of the vortex tube (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2005
    Publication date: November 27, 2008
    Applicant: SHELL INTERNATIONALE RESEARCH MAATSCHAPPIJ B.V.
    Inventors: Marco Betting, Gerhardus Willem Colenbrander, Michael Alvin Curole, Theodorus Cornelis Klaver, Eric Johannes Puik