Patents by Inventor William Mark Richards

William Mark Richards 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: 20160208579
    Abstract: A method of actuating a downhole component comprises positioning a magnetic positioning tool adjacent an actuable component within a wellbore, where the magnetic positioning tool comprises a plurality of magnets arranged in a first position, transitioning the plurality of magnets from the first position to a second position, detecting the plurality of magnets using a sensor associated with the actuable component, generating a signal indicative of the plurality of magnets being in the second position, and actuating the actuable component within the wellbore in response to the signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventors: Christopher R Delzell, William Mark Richards
  • Publication number: 20160208580
    Abstract: An actuation device comprises a housing, and a plurality of permanent magnets disposed about the housing. The plurality of permanent magnets is configured to selectively transition between a first position and a second position. The plurality of permanent magnets is configured to provide a stronger magnetic field strength outside the housing than inside the housing in the first position, and wherein the plurality of permanent magnets is configured to provide a stronger magnetic field strength inside the housing than outside the housing in the second.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventors: Christopher R Delzell, William Mark Richards
  • Publication number: 20160186525
    Abstract: A telescoping joint is provided with one or more control lines and is usable for landing a subsea tubing hanger. The telescoping joint can include an inner mandrel, an outer mandrel, a seal between the inner mandrel and the outer mandrel, and a coiling chamber. The outer mandrel is controllably releasable from the inner mandrel by a release mechanism. The seal is sealably engaged with the outer mandrel for continuously sealing an inner area defined by the inner mandrel from a wellbore environment exterior to the telescoping joint as the outer mandrel axially moves relative to the inner mandrel. A control line is coiled in the coiling chamber and the coiling chamber is axially positioned between the release mechanism and the seal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2013
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventor: William Mark Richards
  • Patent number: 9371703
    Abstract: A telescoping joint is provided with one or more control lines and is usable for landing a subsea tubing hanger. The telescoping joint can include an outer mandrel, an inner mandrel, and a control line. The inner mandrel can be releasably coupled to the outer mandrel when run in a wellbore of a subterranean formation. At least part of the inner mandrel can be in an area defined by the outer mandrel and can seal an inner area defined by the inner mandrel from an environment exterior to the outer mandrel. The control line can be exterior to an outer surface of the outer mandrel and coiled around at least part of the inner mandrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Owen Roane, William Mark Richards
  • Publication number: 20160168923
    Abstract: Systems including wellbore tubing having an anchor assembly, an upper control line connector coupled to the anchor assembly, a first housing, and a first connector. The first connector provides a first angular mating face that faces tangentially with respect to the first housing, an upper control line operatively coupled to the first housing, and first communication media that extend through the first housing to the first angular mating face. A completion assembly within a wellbore has a completion receptacle to receive the anchor assembly, a lower control line connector coupled to the completion receptacle and a second housing and a second connector. The second connector provides a second angular mating face that faces tangentially with respect to the second housing, and a lower control line operatively coupled to the second housing and one or more second communication media that extend through the second housing to the second angular mating face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Applicant: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: William Mark Richards
  • Publication number: 20160153248
    Abstract: A travel joint comprises an outer housing, an inner mandrel slidingly disposed within the outer housing, and a release device positioned between the outer housing and the inner mandrel. The release device is configured to selectively prevent and allow relative axial movement between the outer housing and the inner mandrel in response to a fluid pressure supplied to the release device from a flowbore of the outer housing or a flowbore of the inner mandrel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Publication date: June 2, 2016
    Inventors: William Mark Richards, Timothy Edward Harms
  • Patent number: 9353616
    Abstract: A wellbore sensing system comprises a wellbore tubular string comprising at least one gauge carrier and at least one adjacent component, and at least one gauge disposed in the gauge carrier. The at least one gauge carrier is configured to provide an annular fluid communication between a housing and a mandrel, and the at least one gauge carrier is sealingly engaged with the at least one adjacent component. The at least one adjacent component comprises at least one of a filter element or a production sleeve, and the at least one gauge is configured to sense at least one parameter within a wellbore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: William Mark Richards, Thomas Jules Frosell
  • Publication number: 20160145958
    Abstract: Certain aspects are directed to tools for setting production packers or actuating other downhole tools in response to activation signals received via an electrical control line within the wellbore. In one aspect, a downhole assembly for a wellbore is provided. The downhole assembly can include a reservoir and a pressuring module in fluid communication with the reservoir. The reservoir can contain a control fluid in communication with a fluid control path of a downhole tool. A quantity of the control fluid can be transmitted via the fluid control path for actuation of the downhole tool. The quantity of the control fluid can be controlled using a pressure change in the control fluid. The pressure change in the control fluid can be caused by the pressurizing module in response to an activation signal received by the pressurizing module via an electrical control line coupled to the pressurizing module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2013
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Applicant: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: William Mark Richards, Timothy Rather Tips, James Andrew Flygare
  • Publication number: 20160123093
    Abstract: A travel joint comprises an outer housing, an inner mandrel, a first release device positioned between the outer housing and the inner mandrel, and a second release device positioned between the outer housing and the inner mandrel. The first release device is configured to actuate from the locked position to the unlocked position in response to a fluid pressure supplied to the first release device. The second release device is configured to selectively prevent and allow relative axial movement between the outer housing and the inner mandrel in response to an axial force applied to at least one of the outer housing or the inner mandrel, and the first release device is configured to prevent the application of the axial force to actuate the second release device in the locked position and allow the axial force to actuate the second release device in the unlocked position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Applicant: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventors: William Mark Richards, Timothy Edward Harms
  • Publication number: 20160115759
    Abstract: A well seal tool includes a base tubing and a seal element carried on an exterior of the base tubing. The seal element includes a polymer changeable between a compressed state and a sealing state. The seal element has a first stiffness in response to a first strain rate of the polymer and a second, substantially higher stiffness in response to a second, higher strain rate of the polymer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Inventors: William Mark Richards, Andy Cheng Chang, Charles Timothy Smith
  • Patent number: 9309734
    Abstract: A weight down tool comprises a central mandrel configured to be coupled to a wellbore tubular, an outwardly extending indicator disposed about the central mandrel, and a plurality of radially expandable weight down lugs configured to engage a lower restriction and prevent downwards movement of the central mandrel with respect to the lower restriction when disposed in an expanded position. The indicator is configured to retract inwards in response to moving through an upper restriction in a downwards direction to expand the weight down lugs into the expanded position in response to moving through the lower restriction in an upwards direction. The weight down lugs are configured to retract out of the expanded position in response to moving through the upper restriction in an upwards direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: William Mark Richards, Thomas Jules Frosell
  • Publication number: 20160040516
    Abstract: A housing assembly, comprising: an outer form arranged about a base pipe, the base pipe including at least one flow port; an inner form arranged about the base pipe and nested within the outer form, thereby defining a sealed compartment between the outer and inner forms; and a composite resinous material disposable within the sealed compartment and curable to form a rigid housing arranged at or near the at least one flow port and in fluid communication therewith.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Applicant: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: William Mark Richards
  • Publication number: 20160032694
    Abstract: Techniques for controlling flow of a wellbore fluid include positioning a plurality of inflow control assemblies on a pipe joint in a wellbore, the pipe joint including a proximal end engageable with a first downhole tool and a distal end engageable with a second downhole tool; receiving a flow of a wellbore fluid from a subterranean zone to an inlet of at least one inflow control device (ICD), the at least one ICD mounted in each of the plurality of inflow control assemblies, the flow at a velocity that is less than the transport velocity of fines in the wellbore fluid; and transmitting the flow of the wellbore fluid to the pipe joint from the ICDs to an interior of the pipe joint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Publication date: February 4, 2016
    Inventors: Brandon Thomas Least, Jean Marc Lopez, William Mark Richards
  • Publication number: 20160010421
    Abstract: Certain aspects are directed to a testable isolation packer that sets and provides the ability to test upper and lower packer elements. In one aspect, the testable isolation packer includes at least two packer elements, a packer element setting system, a bypass system, and a testing subassembly. The testing subassembly generally includes a moveable element with an outer port and a sealing element, an inner mandrel with an inner port, and a shear mechanism to cause travel of the moveable element close the bypass system and to open the testing subassembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: William David Henderson, Timothy Edward Harms, William Mark Richards
  • Publication number: 20150376956
    Abstract: An example connector includes a housing having a conduit chamber defined therein between a body and a shroud, a matable connector at least partially disposed within the housing and providing a mating face that faces tangentially with respect to the housing so as to mate tangentially with an opposing matable connector, and a splitter block coupled to the housing and conveying one or more communication media into the conduit chamber to communicate with the matable connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Applicant: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: William Mark Richards
  • Publication number: 20150330157
    Abstract: A telescoping joint is provided with one or more control lines and is usable for landing a subsea tubing hanger. The telescoping joint can include an outer mandrel, an inner mandrel, and a control line. The inner mandrel can be releasably coupled to the outer mandrel when run in a wellbore of a subterranean formation. At least part of the inner mandrel can be in an area defined by the outer mandrel and can seal an inner area defined by the inner mandrel from an environment exterior to the outer mandrel. The control line can be exterior to an outer surface of the outer mandrel and coiled around at least part of the inner mandrel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2013
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Inventors: Thomas Owen Roane, William Mark Richards
  • Patent number: 9181779
    Abstract: Disclosed is a reverse-out valve that minimizes swabbing of subterranean formations. One reverse-out valve includes a first mandrel, a second mandrel movable with respect to the first mandrel, a collet arranged about the first mandrel and having a cover portion and a plurality of fingers that extend axially from the cover portion, wherein each finger provides a collet protrusion defined thereon, a plurality of dogs movably arranged within a corresponding plurality of windows defined in the first mandrel, and a reverse activated plug device movable between an open position, where the plurality of dogs are disposed within a groove defined in the second mandrel and a reverse-circulation fluid is able to bypass the reverse activated plug device, and a closed position, where the plurality of dogs are moved out of the groove and the reverse-circulation fluid is prevented from bypassing the reverse activated plug device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: William Mark Richards
  • Publication number: 20150252638
    Abstract: A well treatment for treating a well includes discrete stop loss elements to seal a fluid loss opening of a well. The discrete stop loss elements include polymer resistive to deformation with an initial stiffness in response to an initial strain rate of the polymer to produce a specified initial pressure signal and deformable with a subsequent, lower stiffness in response to a subsequent, lower strain rate of the polymer to produce a subsequent, different specified pressure signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Inventors: William Mark Richards, Andy Cheng Chang
  • Patent number: 9115565
    Abstract: Disclosed are circulating sleeves that can be opened and closed and permanently closed. A disclosed completion system includes a completion string having a circulating sleeve movably arranged therein, the circulating sleeve having a locking profile defined on an outer radial surface thereof and a shifting profile defined on an inner radial surface thereof, a service tool configured to be arranged at least partially within the completion string and including a shifting tool having one or more shifting keys configured to mate with the shifting profile, wherein, when the shifting keys locate and mate with the shifting profile, an axial load applied on the service tool axially moves the circulating sleeve, and a release shoulder assembly arranged within the completion string and comprising a release shoulder that defines a channel configured to receive a locking mechanism occluded within the channel until the release shoulder is moved axially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: William Mark Richards, Christopher Robert Delzell
  • Patent number: 9103207
    Abstract: A completion system includes an outer completion string having at least one sand screen arranged thereabout, one or more control lines extending externally along the outer completion string, a service tool arranged within the outer completion string and having an inner tubing that defines a valve conduit, and a valve arranged within the service tool. The control lines have one or more gauges operatively coupled thereto and arranged adjacent the at least one sand screen. The one or more gauges are configured for real-time monitoring and reporting of well environment parameters. The valve is movable between a first position and a second position. In the first position, fracturing fluid is allowed to circulate through the at least one sand screen and the valve and into the valve conduit. In the second position, the valve prevents the fracturing fluid from entering the valve conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: William Mark Richards