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).
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Patent number: 8794320Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 16, 2009Date of Patent: August 5, 2014Assignee: Shell Oil CompanyInventors: Subhash Chandra Bose Ayirala, Robert Wing-yu Chin, Michael Alvin Curole, Eugene Bruce Greene
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Patent number: 8789594Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 22, 2007Date of Patent: July 29, 2014Assignee: Shell Oil CompanyInventors: Michael Alvin Curole, Eugene Bruce Greene
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Patent number: 8678080Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 23, 2013Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Shell Oil CompanyInventors: Michael Alvin Curole, Eugene Bruce Greene
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Publication number: 20130255955Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: May 23, 2013Publication date: October 3, 2013Inventors: Michael Alvin CUROLE, Eugene Bruce GREENE
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Patent number: 8469092Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: July 17, 2008Date of Patent: June 25, 2013Assignee: Shell Oil CompanyInventors: Michael Alvin Curole, Eugene Bruce Greene
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Publication number: 20120037363Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: May 8, 2008Publication date: February 16, 2012Applicant: Shell Oil CompanyInventor: Michael Alvin Curole
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Patent number: 8002878Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 29, 2005Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignee: Shell Oil CompanyInventors: Marco Betting, Gerhardus Willem Colenbrander, Michael Alvin Curole, Theodorus Cornelis Klaver, Eric Johannes Puik
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Publication number: 20110005749Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2008Publication date: January 13, 2011Applicant: SHELL INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH MAATSCHAPPIJ B.V.Inventors: Michael Alvin Curole, Eugene Bruce Greene
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Publication number: 20100243246Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: April 16, 2009Publication date: September 30, 2010Inventors: Subhash Chandra Bose AYIRALA, Robert Wing-yu CHIN, Michael Alvin CUROLE, Eugene Bruce GREENE
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Publication number: 20090308609Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 22, 2007Publication date: December 17, 2009Inventors: Michael Alvin Curole, Eugene Bruce Greene
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Publication number: 20080289502Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2005Publication date: November 27, 2008Applicant: SHELL INTERNATIONALE RESEARCH MAATSCHAPPIJ B.V.Inventors: Marco Betting, Gerhardus Willem Colenbrander, Michael Alvin Curole, Theodorus Cornelis Klaver, Eric Johannes Puik