Patents by Inventor Neal Gregory Skinner

Neal Gregory Skinner 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).

  • Publication number: 20180320509
    Abstract: Electromagnetic field monitoring methods and systems for obtaining data corresponding to subsurface rock formations. An electromagnetic field monitoring system includes an electromagnetic transmitter located downhole in a well bore and configured to radiate electromagnetic radiation into a subsurface formation; a fiber optic cable coupled with a fiber optic interrogator, the at least one fiber optic cable and the interrogator located at the surface; and an array of electromagnetic sensors integrally formed in the fiber optic cable and configured to detect the electromagnetic radiation radiated through the subsurface formation. A method of detecting electromagnetic radiation at the surface of an oil well includes transmitting, from an electromagnetic transmitter, electromagnetic radiation into a subsurface formation; and sensing, from the subsurface formation, electromagnetic radiation at the surface of the oil well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Applicant: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventors: Neal Gregory SKINNER, Etienne SAMSON, Tasneem MANDVIWALA
  • Patent number: 10113378
    Abstract: A pressure management device of a drilling system is disclosed. The device includes a housing, a primary bearing package coupled to the housing such that the primary bearing package is not removable from the housing. The primary bearing package is further configured to rotate with respect to the housing. The device also includes a sealing package configured to automatically seal between a drill pipe and the primary bearing package in response to an insertion of the drill pipe through the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Neal Gregory Skinner
  • Publication number: 20180252097
    Abstract: An example system for detecting mud pump stroke information comprises a distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) data collection system coupled to a downhole drilling system, a stroke detector coupled to a mud pump of the downhole drilling system configured to detect strokes in the mud pump and to generate mud pump stroke information based on the detected strokes, and a fiber disturber coupled to the stroke detector and to optical fiber of the DAS data collection system configured to disturb the optical fiber based on mud pump stroke information generated by the stroke detector. The system further comprises a computing system comprising a processor, memory, and a pulse detection module operable to transmit optical signals into the optical fiber of the DAS data collection system, receive DAS data signals in response to the transmitted optical signals, and detect mud pump stroke information in the received DAS data signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Publication date: September 6, 2018
    Inventors: Neal Gregory Skinner, Andreas Ellmauthaler, Leonardo de Oliveira Nunes, Christoper Lee Stokely, David Andrew Barfoot
  • Patent number: 10036242
    Abstract: Fluid densities can be monitored in real-time in a wellbore, such as during downhole stimulation operations, using an acoustic pressure-sensing system. The measured acoustic signal can be used to determine pressure fluctuations of a fluid in non-laminar flow. An estimated density of the fluid can be calculated based on the pressure fluctuations of the fluid and a known flow rate of the fluid. The flow rate of the fluid can be known, such as when being held constant by surface equipment or when measured at the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Lee Stokely, Neal Gregory Skinner
  • Publication number: 20180202281
    Abstract: A drilling system includes a string of drill pipe extending into a wellbore from a drilling platform. A Y-block junction is coupled to the string of drill pipe at the drilling platform and provides a pressure housing that defines a first conduit and a second conduit that converges with the first conduit. The pressure housing further defines an outlet configured to be coupled to the string of drill pipe extending into the wellbore. A lubricator is operatively coupled to the Y-block junction at the second conduit, and a cable having one or more optical fibers embedded therein is conveyed into the wellbore within the string of drill pipe via the lubricator and the Y-block junction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2015
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Applicant: Halliburton Energy Services Inc.
    Inventors: Michel Joseph LEBLANC, Neal Gregory SKINNER, James Randolph LOVORN
  • Publication number: 20180119530
    Abstract: In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, systems and methods for triggering detonation of a perforating gun via optical signals are provided. An improved laser firing head may be used with an optical cable (e.g., fiber optic cable) run through the wellbore to trigger detonation of a perforating gun in response to an optical signal. The laser firing head may be activated, and the perforating gun fired, upon the application of an optical signal output from the surface and transmitted through the optical cable. The disclosed system using the laser firing head with the optical cable may be impervious to electrical interference, since the laser firing head may only fire the perforating gun when a properly modulated laser or light source is directed down the optical cable for a specific period of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Inventors: Neal Gregory Skinner, Etienne Samson
  • Publication number: 20180087372
    Abstract: A system includes a controlled acoustic source. The system also includes distributed acoustic sensors along a conduit. The distributed acoustic sensors obtain acoustic signal measurements as a function of position along the conduit in response to at least one acoustic signal provided by the controlled acoustic source. The system also includes a processing unit that generates an acoustic activity plot or report based on the acoustic signal measurements. The acoustic activity plot or report is used to identify at least one acoustic impedance boundary anomaly as a function of position along the conduit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: Christopher Lee Stokely, John L. Maida, Neal Gregory Skinner, Andreas Ellamauthaler
  • Patent number: 9915145
    Abstract: A downhole system usable with a well string is provided that can include a first resonator positioned on the well string. The system can also include a second resonator positioned to couple with the first resonator by an evanescent field. The second resonator can include a load. Further, the system can include a metamaterial positioned between the first resonator and the second resonator for amplifying or extending a range of the evanescent field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventors: Neal Gregory Skinner, Etienne Samson
  • Publication number: 20180045640
    Abstract: Disclosed are optical computing devices that employ birefringent optical elements configured for use in optical computing devices. One optical computing device includes a polarizer configured to generate at least x polarized light and y polarized light, a birefringent integrated computational element configured to optically interact with a substance and the polarizer, thereby generating optically interacted light, and at least one detector arranged to receive the optically interacted light and generate an output signal corresponding to a characteristic of the substance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Inventors: Neal Gregory SKINNER, David L. PERKINS
  • Patent number: 9816374
    Abstract: An example telemetry signal detection apparatus may include a optical splitter, a light source optically coupled to the optical splitter, and a light detector optically coupled to the optical splitter. The apparatus further may include a reference loop optically coupled to the optical splitter and a sensor loop optically coupled to the reference loop and the optical splitter. The reference loop may be contained within a reference loop enclosure. The sensor loop and reference loop may comprise a zero-area Sagnac loop with folded optical fiber or dual fiber cable configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Zbigniew Stanislaw Sobolewski, Douglas Mark Knight, John Laureto Maida, Neal Gregory Skinner
  • Patent number: 9797825
    Abstract: Disclosed are optical computing devices that employ birefringent optical elements configured for use in optical computing devices. One optical computing device includes a polarizer configured to generate at least x polarized light and y polarized light, a birefringent integrated computational element configured to optically interact with a substance and the polarizer, thereby generating optically interacted light, and at least one detector arranged to receive the optically interacted light and generate an output signal corresponding to a characteristic of the substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Neal Gregory Skinner, David L. Perkins
  • Patent number: 9766371
    Abstract: A distributed optical fiber sensing system is provided. The system can include an interrogator, a transmission optical fiber, a sensing optical fiber, and a reflector. Each of the transmission optical fiber and the sensing optical fiber includes at least one circulator. The reflector is optically coupled to the transmission optical fiber for sensing separate regions along the sensing optical fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventors: David Andrew Barfoot, Michel Joseph LeBlanc, Neal Gregory Skinner
  • Patent number: 9719846
    Abstract: An example system for detecting mud pulses may include a distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) data collection system coupled to a downhole drilling system, and an information handling system communicably coupled to the DAS data collection system. The information handling system may include a processor and memory coupled to the processor. The memory may contain a set of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive quadrature DAS data signals from the DAS data collection system, determine a first template signal associated with mud pulses, transform the determined first template signal into analytic representation form, perform a matched filter operation using the quadrature DAS data signals and the transformed first template signal, and analyze an output signal of the matched filter operation to detect mud pulses in the downhole drilling system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Andreas Ellmauthaler, Leonardo de Oliveira Nunes, Neal Gregory Skinner, Christopher Lee Stokely, David Andrew Barfoot
  • Publication number: 20170176243
    Abstract: An example system for detecting mud pulses may include a distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) data collection system coupled to a downhole drilling system, and an information handling system communicably coupled to the DAS data collection system. The information handling system may include a processor and memory coupled to the processor. The memory may contain a set of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive quadrature DAS data signals from the DAS data collection system, determine a first template signal associated with mud pulses, transform the determined first template signal into analytic representation form, perform a matched filter operation using the quadrature DAS data signals and the transformed first template signal, and analyze an output signal of the matched filter operation to detect mud pulses in the downhole drilling system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Inventors: Andreas Ellmauthaler, Leonardo de Oliveira Nunes, Neal Gregory Skinner, Christopher Lee Stokely, David Andrew Barfoot
  • Publication number: 20170167250
    Abstract: A downhole system usable with a well string is provided that can include a first resonator positioned on the well string. The system can also include a second resonator positioned to couple with the first resonator by an evanescent field. The second resonator can include a load. Further, the system can include a metamaterial positioned between the first resonator and the second resonator for amplifying or extending a range of the evanescent field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Neal Gregory Skinner, Etienne Samson
  • Patent number: 9581489
    Abstract: A method and system for distributed acoustic sensing using multimode optical fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Neal Gregory Skinner
  • Publication number: 20160333688
    Abstract: An acoustic well telemetry system has an acoustic telemetry transducer affixed to an in-well type component and a damper between the transducer and the in-well type component. The damper damps transmission from the in-well type component to the transducer of a specified frequency range. A method includes damping a specified frequency range from transmission from an in-well type component to an acoustic telemetry transducer in a well, and receiving another frequency range outside of the specified frequency range with the transducer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Publication date: November 17, 2016
    Inventors: Donald KYLE, Michael Linley FRIPP, Neal Gregory SKINNER
  • Publication number: 20160259083
    Abstract: A distributed optical fiber sensing system is provided. The system can include an interrogator, a transmission optical fiber, a sensing optical fiber, and a reflector. Each of the transmission optical fiber and the sensing optical fiber includes at least one circulator. The reflector is optically coupled to the transmission optical fiber for sensing separate regions along the sensing optical fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2013
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Inventors: David Andrew Barfoot, Michel Joseph LeBlanc, Neal Gregory Skinner
  • Patent number: 9422801
    Abstract: An opto-acoustic subsystem is provided. The subsystem includes an optical transmitter and an actuator device. The optical transmitter can be positioned at a surface of a wellbore. The actuator device can be positioned in the wellbore and can respond to a modulated electrical signal generated from a modulated optical signal received from the optical transmitter by outputting a modulated acoustical signal into an environment of the wellbore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventor: Neal Gregory Skinner
  • Publication number: 20160146724
    Abstract: Technologies are described for providing optical analysis systems using an integrated computational element that has a surface patterned to selectively reflect or transmit different wavelengths by differing amounts across a spectrum of wavelengths. In one aspect, a measurement tool contains an optical element including a layer of material patterned so that the optical element selectively transmits or reflects, during operation of the measurement tool, light in at least a portion of a wavelength range by differing amounts, the differing amounts being related to a property of a sample. The wavelength range can include wavelengths in a range from about 0.2 ?m to about 100 ?m. Additionally, the sample can include wellbore fluids and the property of the sample is a property of the wellbore fluids.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2013
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Applicant: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Li Gao, Michael T. Pelletier, David L. Perkins, Neal Gregory Skinner