Patents by Inventor Richard James Koch

Richard James Koch 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: 7540838
    Abstract: A system for controlling viscosity of drilling fluid, the system, in certain aspects, including a container of the material, a viscosity sensor in the container for producing viscosity signals, a centrifuge for removing solids from the material, drive apparatuses for driving a rotatable bowl and a rotatable conveyor of the centrifuge, pump apparatus for pumping material, drive apparatus for the pump apparatus, and a control system for controlling the centrifuge and the pump apparatus in response to viscosity signals so that selected solids from material processed by the centrifuge are removed to control viscosity of drilling fluid material in the container; and in certain aspects, a similar system for controlling density of a drilling fluid material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Varco I/P, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric L. Scott, Lyndon Ray Stone, Richard James Koch
  • Patent number: 7540837
    Abstract: A system for controlling a centrifuge processing drilling fluid, the system, in certain aspects, including a container of the material, a sensor in the container for producing signals indicative of a fluid density parameter, a centrifuge for removing solids from the material, drive apparatuses for driving a rotatable bowl and a rotatable conveyor of the centrifuge, pump apparatus for pumping material, drive apparatus for the pump apparatus, and a control system for receiving the signals and controlling the centrifuge in response to the density parameter of the drilling fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Varco I/P, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Scott, Lyndon Ray Stone, Richard James Koch
  • Patent number: 7018326
    Abstract: A centrifuge for separating feed material into component parts, in one aspect primarily solid and primarily liquid parts, the centrifuge, in certain aspects, including a conveyor rotatably mounted in a rotatable housing, the conveyor having an interior and at least one impeller, the rotatable housing having a separating region with a pool area and a beach area with feed material passable through the interior of the conveyor, the feed material directed radially by the impeller(s) and spread by the impeller(s), in certain aspects along the conveyor or part thereof, onto part of the pool area, and/or in certain aspects onto the beach area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Varco I/P, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard James Koch, Kenneth Wayne Seyffert, John Patrick Wright, Subrata Mitra, Hubert Frank Baker
  • Patent number: 6790169
    Abstract: Centrifuges and conveyor apparatuses for centrifuges, the conveyor apparatus, in one aspect, having a plurality of spaced-apart flight members spaced apart along the length of the conveyor apparatus, a plurality of support members extending between, and connected to the spaced-apart flight members, the support members spaced-apart around the plurality of spaced-apart flight members, a nose member with a target end within the plurality of support members, and a feed tube for feeding fluid having a fluid exit end within the conveyor, fluid exiting the fluid exit end flowable to the target end of the nose member; a centrifuge with such a conveyor apparatus; in one aspect the conveyor apparatus also having at least one wear protector on at least one flight member of the spaced-apart flight members and/or the conveyor apparatus having fluid accelerating apparatus and at least one wear protector positioned adjacent the accelerating apparatus to protect a flight or a support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Varco I/P, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard James Koch, Kenneth Wayne Seyffert, John Patrick Wright, Subrata Mitra
  • Patent number: 6780147
    Abstract: A conveyor for a centrifuge, the conveyor in certain aspects having a length and including a plurality of spaced-apart flight members spaced apart along the length of the conveyor, a plurality of support members extending between, and connected to the spaced-apart flight members, the support members spaced-apart around the plurality of spaced-apart flight members, the spaced-apart flight members and plurality of support members defining a plurality of open areas through which fluid to be treated by the centrifuge is flowable from within the conveyor, and at least one accelerating impeller within and connected to the conveyor for accelerating the fluid; and/or a flow enhancer for accelerating fluid, e.g., but not limited to, in a low-flow mode and/or a chamber encompassing an internal centrifuge feed tube so fluid to be treated is fed only at a beach area of a centrifuge bowl; a centrifuge with such a conveyor; and methods for using such a conveyor and such a centrifuge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Varco I/P, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard James Koch, Kenneth Wayne Seyffert, John Patrick Wright, Subrata Mitra
  • Publication number: 20030228966
    Abstract: A centrifuge for separating feed material into component parts, in one aspect primarily solid and primarily liquid parts, the centrifuge, in certain aspects, including a conveyor rotatably mounted in a rotatable housing, the conveyor having an interior and at least one impeller, the rotatable housing having a separating region with a pool area and a beach area with feed material passable through the interior of the conveyor, the feed material directed radially by the impeller(s) and spread by the impeller(s), in certain aspects along the conveyor or part thereof, onto part of the pool area, and/or in certain aspects onto the beach area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2003
    Publication date: December 11, 2003
    Inventors: Richard James Koch, Kenneth Wayne Seyffert, John Patrick Wright, Subrata Mitra, Hubert Frank Baker
  • Patent number: 6605029
    Abstract: A conveyor for a centrifuge and a centrifuge with such a conveyor, the conveyor having a plurality of spaced-apart flight members spaced apart along its length, a plurality of support members extending between, and connected to the flight members, the support members spaced-apart around the flight members, the members and support members defining a plurality of open areas through which fluid to be treated by the centrifuge is flowable from within the conveyor out into the bowl. In one aspect, a fluid velocity decreasing chamber is provided between an exit tube end and impeller apparatus for radially accelerating the fluid with the conveyor. In certain aspects the open “caged” conveyor structures diffuses fluid flow from the conveyor so that a dispersed unfocused flow of fluid exits the conveyor into the bowl, and, in one particular aspect with feed from within the conveyor to space adjacent a beach area of the bowl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2003
    Assignee: Tuboscope I/P, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard James Koch, Kenneth W. Seyffert, John Patrick Wright, Subrata Mitra
  • Publication number: 20030096691
    Abstract: Centrifuges and conveyor apparatuses for centrifuges, the conveyor apparatus, in one aspect, having a plurality of spaced-apart flight members spaced apart along the length of the conveyor apparatus, a plurality of support members extending between, and connected to the spaced-apart flight members, the support members spaced-apart around the plurality of spaced-apart flight members, a nose member with a target end within the plurality of support members, and a feed tube for feeding fluid having a fluid exit end within the conveyor, fluid exiting the fluid exit end flowable to the target end of the nose member; a centrifuge with such a conveyor apparatus; in one aspect the conveyor apparatus also having at least one wear protector on at least one flight member of the spaced-apart flight members and/or the conveyor apparatus having fluid accelerating apparatus and at least one wear protector positioned adjacent the accelerating apparatus to protect a flight or a support member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Publication date: May 22, 2003
    Inventors: Richard James Koch, Kenneth Wayne Seyffert, John Patrick Wright, Subrata Mitra
  • Publication number: 20020132718
    Abstract: A conveyor for a centrifuge, the conveyor in certain aspects having a length and including a plurality of spaced-apart flight members spaced apart along the length of the conveyor, a plurality of support members extending between, and connected to the spaced-apart flight members, the support members spaced-apart around the plurality of spaced-apart flight members, the spaced-apart flight members and plurality of support members defining a plurality of open areas through which fluid to be treated by the centrifuge is flowable from within the conveyor, and at least one accelerating impeller within and connected to the conveyor for accelerating the fluid; and/or a flow enhancer for accelerating fluid, e.g., but not limited to, in a low-flow mode and/or a chamber encompassing an internal centrifuge feed tube so fluid to be treated is fed only at a beach area of a centrifuge bowl; a centrifuge with such a conveyor; and methods for using such a conveyor and such a centrifuge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2002
    Publication date: September 19, 2002
    Inventors: Richard James Koch, Kenneth Wayne Seyffert, John Patrick Wright, Subrata Mitra
  • Patent number: D524825
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Inventors: Richard James Koch, Hubert Frank Baker