Specific Pattern Of Plural Wells Patents (Class 166/245)
  • Patent number: 11933147
    Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus for generating hydroelectric power from subsurface wells penetrating or terminating in fluid-bearing, subterranean zones or intervals containing gas, oil, water, or any combination of these fluids. The system involves methods and apparatus summarized in a five-step process that includes: Phase 1—Fluid Production, Phase 2—Fluid Gathering and Combination, Phase 3—Hydropower Electricity Generation, Phase 4—Fluid Processing, and Phase 5—Fluid Pumping, Distribution, and Injection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Inventor: David Holland
  • Patent number: 11773706
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for electromagnetic heating of a hydrocarbon formation. The method involves providing a producer well, which defines a longitudinal axis, between at least a first and second transmission line conductor. At a reference location along the length of the longitudinal axis, the first and second transmission line conductors are laterally spaced from the producer well by a first and second reference distance, respectively. At a second location, the first and second transmission line conductors are laterally spaced from the producer well by a third and fourth distance, respectively. At least one of the third and fourth distances are greater than the first and second reference distances, respectively. Excitation of the transmission line conductors generates an electromagnetic field having a reference shape and a reference position at the reference location and at least one of a more elongated shape and a different position at the second location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Acceleware Ltd.
    Inventors: Michal M. Okoniewski, Damir Pasalic, Pedro Vaca
  • Patent number: 11697990
    Abstract: Provided here are methods and system to detect an untethered device in a wellhead. The untethered device includes a housing, a transducer, and one or more sensors configured to measure data along the subterranean well. The transducer emits acoustic signals that are received by microphones on the surface of the wellhead. Based on these acoustic signals, the location of the untethered device is determined and appropriate valves may be opened or closed by an operator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Huseyin Rahmi Seren, Max Deffenbaugh
  • Patent number: 11474272
    Abstract: A method includes collecting seismic survey data and processing the seismic survey data to identify subterranean conduit coordinates. The method also includes performing a conduit plugging operations using the identified subterranean conduit coordinates. A related system includes at least one seismic source and at least one seismic receiver to collect seismic survey data in response to at least one shot fired by the at least one seismic source. The system also includes a processing unit in communication with the at least one seismic receiver. The processing unit analyzes the collected seismic survey data to identify subterranean conduit coordinates for use with conduit plugging operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventors: Joe Eli Hess, Andrew John Cuthbert, Arash Haghshenas, Ronald Wayne Courville
  • Patent number: 11428441
    Abstract: A geothermal heat mining system can operate within a single primary borehole in a geothermal reservoir. A primary fluid loop can include a cold working fluid line leading into the primary borehole and a hot working fluid line coming out of the primary borehole. A secondary fluid loop can be located down the primary borehole, where the secondary fluid loop is in thermal contact with the geothermal reservoir and is entirely subsurface. A downhole heat mining device can control a rate of heat transfer from the secondary fluid loop to the primary fluid loop by selectively controlling fluid flow through the primary fluid loop, the secondary fluid loop, or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Strabo Engineering, LLC
    Inventor: Benjamin Holtzman
  • Patent number: 11391488
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for heating well fracturing fluid using natural gas supplied to a frac water heater are provided. In some embodiments, portable separators can be tied into an existing, on-site, natural gas source and supply the heating unit's burner system with the producer's own produced natural gas (for example, sweet fuel gas). By using on-site sweet fuel gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or diesel consumption and associated cartage costs can be reduced or eliminated. As such, the apparatuses and methods can also reduce the associated carbon footprint on the environment. In some embodiments, the apparatuses and methods can comprise a drying element to dry or condition the gas prior to use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: 1026844 B.C. Ltd.
    Inventor: Christopher La Porte
  • Patent number: 11365585
    Abstract: A system and method for reducing lifting cost per gallon of a vertical water well of this disclosure includes: lowering a location device into the open well bore of the vertical water well until the location device reaches a depth in a range of 0 feet to 30 feet above a bottom end of the vertical water well; determining a predetermined location vertically offset 10 feet to 30 feet below, and coaxial to, the bottom end; drilling, from a horizontally offset position, a horizontal water well using a boring/drilling assembly including a signal transmitter; determining, using signals transmitted and received, a location of the boring/drilling assembly relative to the predetermined location; steering the boring/drilling assembly so that the horizontal water well intersects the predetermined intersecting well depth; intersecting the predetermined location with the boring/drilling assembly; and extending the depth of the vertical water well until it reaches the predetermined location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Inventor: Roger Watson
  • Patent number: 11261728
    Abstract: A method that includes receiving, by a processing device communicatively coupled to one or more sensors residing at or near a downhole end of a drill string, location information from the one or more sensors. The location information includes a location of particles adhered to a wall of a downhole section of a first wellbore. The method also includes determining, by the processing device and based on the location information, a trajectory of a second wellbore configured to intersect the first wellbore at the downhole section of the first wellbore. The method also includes transmitting, by the processing device to a receiver communicatively coupled to the processing device, the trajectory of the second wellbore to an operator or a controller to drill the second wellbore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventor: Jassim M. Almulla
  • Patent number: 11255184
    Abstract: Techniques for determining a breakdown pressure of a subterranean formation include identifying in-situ stresses for a portion of a wellbore formed into a subterranean formation; transforming the in-situ stresses (and induced stresses) from a global coordinate system to a wellbore coordinate system of a deviated portion of the wellbore that includes at least one perforation tunnel for a hydraulic fracturing treatment; transforming the in-situ stresses from the wellbore coordinate system to a perforation coordinate system through at least one rotation matrix; determining one or more stresses at a wellbore-perforation interface of the perforation tunnel from the in-situ stresses in the perforation coordinate system; calculating one or more hoop stresses at a perforation tunnel wall of the perforation tunnel from the determined stresses on the wellbore-perforation interface; and determining a breakdown pressure for the subterranean formation based on the calculated one or more hoop stresses and an effect of casi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Inventors: Kaiming Xia, Yufeng Cui
  • Patent number: 11156072
    Abstract: A well configuration for co-injection processes, wherein a horizontal producer well at the bottom of the pay is combined with injection or injection and producer wells that are vertical and above the lower horizontal production well. This well arrangement minimizes “blanket” effects by non-condensable gases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Bo Chen, Qing Chen
  • Patent number: 11008837
    Abstract: A method for modeling gas production in a coalbed methane gas (CBM) reservoir including (a) dividing a reservoir in a CBM development area into three-dimensional grids to form the three-dimensional grids having a plurality of cells; (b) forming at least one drilling hole in the development area and obtaining a sample for each depth in the reservoir; (c) modeling the amounts of ash, water, and gas for the plurality of cells in the three-dimensional grids; (d) modeling a pressure change over time in each of the cells in the grid under a premise in which a production well is formed in the grids; and (e) performing a Langmuir experiment for a core sample obtained from step (b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: KOREA GAS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kihong Kim, Jeong-Min Han, Youngseok So, Il oh Kang, Junwoo Seo
  • Patent number: 10934825
    Abstract: A method for protecting a wellbore includes identifying a parent wellbore and a child wellbore and identifying a parent well stage along the parent wellbore that has the potential to interact with a child well stage along the child wellbore while the child well stage undergoes hydraulic fracturing. The method further includes pumping a treatment fluid downhole to the parent well stage for pressurizing the parent well stage to a pressure that is equal to or greater than the pressure in the child well stage while the child well stage undergoes hydraulic fracturing and maintaining the pressure in the parent well stage that is equal to or greater than the pressure in the child well stage while the child well stage undergoes hydraulic fracturing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, INC.
    Inventors: Jun Su An, Robert Douglas Hillard
  • Patent number: 10851612
    Abstract: A system and method for sealing permeability of a wellbore zone, including deploying a sealing assembly into the wellbore zone. The sealing assembly includes an expandable metal structure and polymer disposed on the expandable metal structure. The metal structure and polymer are expanded against a wall of the wellbore zone to plug the permeability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Alwaleed Abdullah Al-Gouhi, Mohamed Nabil Noui-Mehidi, Qais Mohammad Al Hennawi, Fadhil N. Alsayegh
  • Patent number: 10815761
    Abstract: A process for producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir includes injecting a gas, at a pressure below a minimum miscibility pressure, into the reservoir through an injection well extending into the reservoir to form a gas zone in the reservoir. The gas injection pressure is suitable to provide a differential pressure between a bottom-hole production well pressure at a horizontal multi-lateral production well extending into the reservoir, and the gas injection pressure to facilitate sweeping the hydrocarbons toward the production well prior to gas breakthrough at the production well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Cenovus Energy Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Arthur, Jarrett Dragani, Nadim Kassam, Michael Bumstead
  • Patent number: 10815762
    Abstract: Collection of hydrocarbons in a collection region that is non-contiguous to a production well is described. A path between the production well and a collection well is determined, which is not necessarily the shortest distance path. A fluid communication channel is then provided within a geological formation between the production well and collection well, along the determined path. Fluid communication is provided between the production well and the collection well without intersecting the collection well with the production well, and without otherwise drilling a hole to connect the production well and collection well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary D. Althoff
  • Patent number: 10808529
    Abstract: A method for surface logging a well uses a plurality of polymeric taggants distinguishable from each other. The method includes selecting the polymeric taggants that have ceiling temperatures that do not interfere with pyrograms from source rock decomposition and adding each of the plurality of polymeric taggants to a circulating drilling fluid in a sequence while drilling the well. A sample of drill cuttings carried by the circulating drilling fluid is then taken. The method also includes measuring, using pyrolysis-gas chromatographymass spectrometry, concentrations of individual polymeric taggants attached to the drill cuttings in the sample and analyzing, using pyrolysis-gas chromatographymass spectrometry, properties of the drill cuttings. A depth associated with the sample is identified based, at least in part, on the measured concentrations of individual polymeric taggants and on the sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Hooisweng Ow, Jason R. Cox, Martin E. Poitzsch, Daniel T. Georgi, Alberto F. Marsala
  • Patent number: 10774625
    Abstract: A main bore is drilled with an inclined section extending toward a hydrocarbon bearing earth formation. First and second laterals are drilled from the inclined section downward into the formation at a steeper angles than the inclined section. The first lateral is opened to the formation at a depth greater than a depth of an opening of the second lateral. After completion, well fluid flows through the openings in the first and second laterals into the inclined section of the main bore. In response to an increasing water content in the well fluid flowing up the main bore, the flow of well fluid from the first lateral is restricted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Mohamed Nabil Noui-Mehidi, Fakuen Frank Chang
  • Patent number: 10718193
    Abstract: Methods and systems produce petroleum products from a formation by a steam assisted process followed by an in situ combustion process. The steam assisted process utilizes an injector and first producer to form a steam chamber within the formation as the products are recovered. The in situ combustion then starts by injecting an oxidant into the formation and ignition of residual products. A combustion front advances toward a second producer that may be offset in a lateral direction from the first producer. Heat and pressure from the in situ combustion sweeps the products ahead of the combustion front to the second producer for recovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: ConocoPhillips Company
    Inventors: Daniel Ray Sultenfuss, Wayne Reid Dreher, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10678967
    Abstract: A plurality of development scenarios is determined. At least a first well is drilled at a first location and trajectory that are common to the plurality of development scenarios. A result of the at least one first well is assessed. A first subset of development scenarios is selected from the plurality of development scenarios based at least on the result of the first well. A first sequence of subsequent wells, including at least one well, are drilled at a first sequence of subsequent locations and trajectories that are common to the first subset of development scenarios.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation, GAZPROMNEFT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CENTRE LLC
    Inventors: Vladimir M. Babin, David Echeverria Ciaurri, Bruno Da Costa Flach, Arseniy Gruzdev, Miguel Paredes Quinones, Alexander Pozdneev, Artyom Semenikhin, Oleg S. Ushmaev, Andrey M. Vashevnik
  • Patent number: 10655441
    Abstract: Methods and systems for stimulating light tight shale oil formations to recover hydrocarbons from the formations. One embodiment includes positioning a downhole burner in a first well, supplying a fuel, oxidizer, and water to the burner to form steam, injecting the steam and surplus oxygen into the shale reservoir to form a heated zone within the shale reservoir, wherein the surplus oxygen reacts with hydrocarbons in the reservoir to generate heat; wherein the heat from the reactions with the hydrocarbons and the steam increases permeability in a kerogen-rich portion of the shale reservoir, and producing hydrocarbons from the shale reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: World Energy Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Myron I. Kuhlman
  • Patent number: 10590764
    Abstract: A method for the determination of the oil content for solids recovered from a wellbore is provided. The method comprises providing the solids recovered from the wellbore and measuring the thermal conductivity of the solids recovered from the wellbore using a thermal conductivity probe. The method further comprises using the thermal conductivity measurement to determine the oil content in the solids recovered from the wellbore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiangnan Ye, Dale E. Jamison, Cato Russell McDaniel, Katerina V. Newman
  • Patent number: 10519362
    Abstract: A method for residual oil recovery from oil reservoirs, and diagnostic tests for determining its efficiency using a single well are described. The method includes injecting oil into a well in a reservoir that has been previously waterflooded or an oil reservoir or zone of an oil reservoir which contains immobile oil at the time of discovery, and extracting the oil by waterflooding the charged zones by placing the injection well in production. The target zone from which oil is recovered may be increased by following injection of oil with injection of water to push an oil bank which grows in volume as a function of distance of propagation, because of the effect of waterflooding on residual oil. The well may then be placed in production and the oil bank volume will continue to increase in volume as it returns to the well, again because of the waterflooding effect. The oil bank is then produced at the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: University of Wyoming
    Inventors: Norman R. Morrow, Sheena Xina Xie, Nina Loahardjo
  • Patent number: 10436000
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a particularly effective well configuration that can be used for SAGD and other steam based oil recovery methods. Fishbone multilateral wells are combined with SAGD, effectively expanding steam coverage. Preferably, an array of overlapping fishbone wells cover the pay, reducing water use and allowing more complete production of the pay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignees: ConocoPhillips Resources Corp., ConocoPhillips Surmont Partnership, Total E&P Canada Ltd.
    Inventors: John L. Stalder, Son V. Pham
  • Patent number: 10436006
    Abstract: A method of increasing a stimulated reservoir volume in a hydrocarbon-bearing formation in fluid communication with a wellbore, the method including drilling a plurality of lateral extensions at varying depths in the formation extending from a vertical wellbore using underbalanced coiled tubing drilling; and injecting an exothermic reaction component into the plurality of lateral extensions to create a plurality of fractures extending outwardly from and between the plurality of lateral extensions to create a multilateral fracture network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventor: Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Al-Mulhem
  • Patent number: 10408962
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods of characterizing kerogen and its hydrocarbon generation potential using NMR as the primary analytical tool, and using such data to derive the kinetics of hydrocarbon generation and alteration, thus predicting the hydrocarbon potential of source rock in geological setting, which can then be used in petroleum exploration and production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: ConocoPhillips Company
    Inventor: Yishu Song
  • Patent number: 10409923
    Abstract: A method of modeling an oilfield network can include identifying a well and a tying point, identifying locations of the well and tying point, identifying elevations of the well and tying point, creating a model pipeline along a path between the well and the tying point, such as a straight line path between the well and the tying point, defining a length of the path, calculating an elevation difference between the well and the tying point, determining whether an obstacle exists in the path, and defining a length of the pipeline. A method can include creating a second path that circumvents the obstacle and adjusting a length of a pipeline accordingly. A method can include implementing one or more nudging algorithms and incrementally adjusting the length of a pipeline. A method can include defining one or more limits for adjusting a length of a pipeline model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Landmark Graphics Corporation
    Inventors: Olivier R. Germain, Mark Lochmann
  • Patent number: 10400551
    Abstract: A device includes an image data receiving processor, a well site data receiving processor, a zonal statistics processor and a vent flare calculator. The image data receiving processor receives image data of a geographic region around and including a well site. The well site data receiving processor receives well site location data of a location of the well site and generates well pad location data of a location of a well pad including the well site. The zonal statistics processor generates pixel data from the well pad location. The vent flare calculator calculates a volume of flared gas and based on the pixel data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: OmniEarth, Inc.
    Inventors: David Murr, Shadrian Strong, Kristin Lavigne, Lars Dyrud, Jonathan Fentzke
  • Patent number: 10385258
    Abstract: The disclosure provides fracturing methods having advantage over current fracturing methods. The disclosed fracturing methods can change the fracture gradient of the downhole subterranean formation. For example, one or more of the fracture gradients of the low and high stress zones of the downhole subterranean formation can be changed. Furthermore, in relation to current practices, the methods can decrease the extent and/or degree of fracturing within low stress downhole formations and increase the degree of fracturing within high stress formations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignees: Highlands Natural Resources, PLC, Diversion Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Paul E. Mendell, Stephen Miller
  • Patent number: 10385681
    Abstract: Device, system, and method embodiments provide fluid front monitoring via permanent, casing-mounted electromagnetic (EM) transducers. One or more casing strings have one or more transmit antennas that each encircle a casing string and one or more receive antennas that similarly encircle the casing string, with at least one receive antenna oriented differently from at least one transmit antenna to provide sensitivity to at least one cross-component signal. A processor unit derives an estimated distance to a fluid front, and may further determine a direction and orientation of the fluid front for display to a user. Signals from an array of transmit and receive antennas may be combined, optionally with signals from other boreholes, to locate and track multiple points on the fluid front. In response to the determined location and progress of the front, the processor unit may further provide control settings to adjust injection and/or production rates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Roland E. Chemali, Dagang Wu, Burkay Donderici, Michael S. Bittar, Luis E. San Martin
  • Patent number: 10385257
    Abstract: The disclosure provides fracturing methods having advantage over current fracturing methods. The disclosed fracturing methods can change the fracture gradient of the downhole subterranean formation. For example, one or more of the fracture gradients of the low and high stress zones of the downhole subterranean formation can be changed. Furthermore, in relation to current practices, the methods can decrease the extent and/or degree of fracturing within low stress downhole formations and increase the degree of fracturing within high stress formations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignees: Highands Natural Resources, PLC, Diversion Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Paul E. Mendell, Stephen Miller
  • Patent number: 10287864
    Abstract: Producing hydrocarbons by steam assisted gravity drainage, more particularly utilizing conventional horizontal wellpair configuration of SAGD in conjunction of infill production wells the production wells comprising two or more fishbone lateral wells to inject steam initially and then switch to NCG-steam coinjection after establishing thermal communication between the thermal chamber and infill well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Bo Chen, Qing Chen, Thomas J. Wheeler
  • Patent number: 10267131
    Abstract: An apparatus and methods for forming a transverse fracture in a subterranean formation surrounding a wellbore including measuring a property along the length of the formation surrounding the wellbore, forming a stress profile of the formation, identifying a region of the formation to remove using the stress profile, removing the region with a device in the wellbore, and introducing a fluid into the wellbore, wherein a transverse fracture is more likely to form than if the region was not removed. Some embodiments benefit from computing the energy required to initiate and propagate a fracture from the region, optimizing the fluid introduction to minimize the energy required, and optimizing the geometry of the region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brice Lecampion, Romain Charles Andre Prioul
  • Patent number: 10156131
    Abstract: This invention relates to downhole resource extraction technology and may be used to recover crude oil, gas, asphalt, coal, radioactive and rare metals, nonferrous and precious metals, and underground sulfur. This method of downhole resource extraction includes: penetrating a productive formation with conventional wells; generating thermal energy directly within said formation on a capillary microlevel by running an electric current through a natural or artificially created conductive part of the formation to establish a high-temperature channel in said formation; and setting and maintaining a controllable design temperature within specified sections of the formation. The design temperature will be set based on the type of resource to be recovered and is intended to keep specified parameters of the target resource in a flowing state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: Galex Energy Corp.
    Inventors: Anatolii Bazhal, Alexander Barak
  • Patent number: 10145226
    Abstract: A system and method of production of hydrocarbons, such as heavy oil or bitumen, by injection of steam, solvent and NCG is provided, which combines the benefits of SAGD, VAPEX, and the use of an additional producer, with specific timing specifications for the initiation of solvent injection prior to inter-chamber fluid communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: MEG ENERGY CORP.
    Inventors: Chi-Tak Yee, Subramanyam Bharatha, William J. McCaffrey
  • Patent number: 10145227
    Abstract: An embodiment in accordance with the present invention includes a method for estimating the permeability of fractured rock formations from the analysis of a slow fluid pressure wave, which is generated by pressurization of a borehole. Wave propagation in the rock is recorded with TFI™. Poroelastic theory is used to estimate the permeability from the measured wave speed. The present invention offers the opportunity of measuring the reservoir-scale permeability of fractured rock, because the method relies on imaging a wave, which propagates through a large rock volume, on the order of kilometers in size. Traditional methods yield permeability for much smaller rock volumes: well logging tools only measure permeability in the vicinity of a borehole. Pressure transient testing accesses larger rock volumes; however, these volumes are much smaller than for the proposed method, particularly in low-permeability rock formations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: The Johns Hopkins University
    Inventors: Markus Hilpert, Peter Anderson Geiser, Bruce D. Marsh
  • Patent number: 10077643
    Abstract: Long lateral wellbores are prepared for the production of hydrocarbons by preparing only a portion of the wellbore for production at a time, starting at a remote end of the long lateral wellbore. The prepared production section is produced until production becomes uneconomic before a further production section is prepared and produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Inventor: Lloyd Murray Dallas
  • Patent number: 10060240
    Abstract: This disclosure includes systems and methods for extracting hydrocarbons from a geologic structure. Some systems use or include a well-bore that extends at least partially through the geologic structure, a first electrode disposed within the wellbore, an ionically conductive medium in fluid communication with the first electrode, a second electrode in electrical communication with the first electrode, and a power source configured to establish an electrical current between the first and second electrodes to cause an electrochemical reaction. Some systems are configured to facilitate extraction of hydrocarbons from a geologic structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS ON BEHALF OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Cody Friesen, Jason Rugolo
  • Patent number: 10060238
    Abstract: A method for combining integrated drilling and slotting with oscillating thermal injection to enhance coalbed gas extraction, applicable to managing gas extraction from microporous, low-permeability, high-adsorption coal seam areas. A number of slots are formed within a thermal injection/extraction borehole by means of integrated drilling and slotting technology; a steam generator, is then used to three high-pressure, cyclically temperature-changing steam into said borehole; the steam passing through a spinning, oscillating-pulse jet nozzle forms an oscillating superheated steam, heating the coal body. The present method overcomes the limitations of simple permeability-increasing techniques, the slotting by means of hydraulic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: CHINA UNIVERSITY OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Baiquan Lin, Chang Guo, Quanle Zou, Ting Liu, Chuanjie Zhu, Jia Kong, Fazhi Yan, Hao Yao, Yidu Hong
  • Patent number: 10047596
    Abstract: A system includes a downhole separator, a first pump, a second pump, a surface separator, a first tube, and a second tube. The downhole separator is disposed within a first wellbore of a well-pad and configured to generate hydrocarbon stream and water stream from a first production fluid received from first production zone. First pump is disposed within first wellbore and second pump is disposed within a second wellbore of the well-pad. The surface separator is coupled to first and second pumps and configured to receive hydrocarbon stream from downhole separator, using first pump and a second production fluid from second production zone, using second pump and generate oil and water rich stream. First tube is coupled to downhole separator and configured to dispose water stream in a first disposal zone. Second tube is coupled to surface separator and configured to dispose water rich stream in a second disposal zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mahendra Ladharam Joshi, Xuele Qi, Raymond Patrick Murphy, Shyam Sivaramakrishnan
  • Patent number: 10041342
    Abstract: A method for treating a subterranean formation comprising measuring mechanical properties of a formation comprising Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and in-situ stress; determining formation fracture height based on the mechanical properties; estimating number and location of hydraulic fractures based on the determining; identifying hydraulic fracturing treatment stages based on the estimating; and performing hydraulic fracturing treatments in the stages. A method for treating a subterranean formation comprising measuring mechanical properties of a formation comprising Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and in-situ stress; determining a target zone based on the mechanical properties; estimating number and location of hydraulic fractures based on the determining; identifying hydraulic fracturing treatment stages based on the estimating; and performing hydraulic fracturing treatments in the stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Hongren Gu
  • Patent number: 10030497
    Abstract: A method for optimizing well spacing for a multi-well pad which includes a first group of wells and a second group of wells is provided. The method includes the steps of: creating a fracture in a stage in a first well in the first group of wells; isolating a next stage in said first well in the first group of wells from said stage; creating a fracture in said next stage in the first well in the first group after the step of isolating; measuring a pressure by using a pressure gauge in direct fluid communication with said next stage in the first well in the first group of wells; creating a fracture in one or more stages in a well in the second group of wells in a manner such that the fracture in the well in the second group of wells induces the pressure measured in the first well to change; and recording the pressure change in the next stage of the first well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: STATOIL GULF SERVICES LLC
    Inventors: Matthew A. Dawson, Günther Kampfer
  • Patent number: 10000998
    Abstract: A method of establishing fluid communication between a first point and a second point within a subterranean reservoir includes injecting a first penetrating liquid at a first injection pressure and at a first injection temperature into the subterranean reservoir at the first point, and establishing fluid communication through a heavy-oil containing region by allowing the first penetrating liquid to penetrate into and completely through the heavy-oil containing region between the first point and the second point. The first penetrating liquid temperature of the first penetrating liquid remains at or below the first injection temperature within the subterranean reservoir, and the first penetrating liquid is configured to dilute heavy oil, and comprises a first penetrating liquid polar compound that is at least partially miscible with water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Tapantosh Chakrabarty, George R. Scott
  • Patent number: 9951595
    Abstract: A method of initiating or accelerating the establishment of fluid communication between injection and production wells located in a formation, including injecting sufficient solvent into the wellbores of the wells such that the solvent occupies more than the horizontal sections of the wells; pressurizing the solvent column in the injection wellbore and optionally also the solvent column in the production wellbore by injecting gas such that the pressures at the toe and heel of the horizontal section of the injection well and optionally the production well are greater than a fracture pressure of the formation; maintaining the pressure in the injection wellbore and optionally also the production wellbore; depressurizing the injection wellbore and optionally the production wellbore, either simultaneously or consecutively in the case where both wellbores have been pressurized; and repeating the pressurization and depressurization steps for at least one more cycle to generate pressure swings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: STATOIL CANADA LIMITED
    Inventors: Olajide Ganiyu Akinlade, John Hiram Palmer, Fred Uwaifo
  • Patent number: 9920599
    Abstract: A safe and effective method for remediation and removal of trapped oil, since oil spills trapped under ice present a significant environmental problem. Injector wells are placed around a periphery of trapped oil to inject fluids beneath the ice. A producer well is placed within the periphery and the hydrostatic pressure from the injector wells urges the oil toward and up through the producer well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Inventor: Mohamed Hashem
  • Patent number: 9885230
    Abstract: A well pad having a plurality of wells is described. The well pad has two parallel rows or linear arrays of well pairs, mirrored to each other in both a W-E direction and a S-N direction orthogonal to the W-E direction. Each row of well pairs comprises an inner row of injection wells and an outer row of production wells. A plurality of wellhead connection modules and a piping module are deployed between the two rows of well pairs. Each wellhead connection module is connected to one, two three or four well pairs. The piping module connects the wellhead connection modules to a central processing facility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Integrated Thermal Solutions Ltd.
    Inventor: Ashley Leroux
  • Patent number: 9869168
    Abstract: A method for thermal-displacement-type strengthened extraction in a drill hole, suitable for efficient gas extraction in a coal mine, the method comprising the following steps: arranging an extraction drill hole and a thermal displacement drill hole at intervals in a coal seam; continuously heating coal in the drill hole to form a stable temperature field by using a heat pipe; and significantly reducing gas adsorption potential by utilizing a heat effect, prompting gas desorption, and strengthening gas extraction. The method enlarges a range of effective pressure relief influence of a single hole, increases an extraction efficiency of gas in a coal seam by more than 40%, is safe, reliable and low-cost, and is easy to operate, saving both time and labor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: CHINA UNIVERSITY OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Baiquan Lin, Yidou Hong, Chuanjie Zhu, Hao Yao
  • Patent number: 9865022
    Abstract: Provided is a method for selecting one of a plurality of convergence paths that may be drilled by a bottom hole assembly (BHA) comprising identifying, by a computer system, a plurality of geometric convergence paths, wherein each of the geometric convergence paths provides a convergence solution from a defined bottom hole assembly (BHA) location to a target drilling path of a well plan. An offset distance is calculated for drilling by the BHA each of the geometric convergence paths connecting the BHA location to the target drilling path. A drill path curvature associated with drilling each of the geometric convergence paths by the BHA is determined by the computer system. A time required for drilling each of the geometric convergence paths by the BHA is determined by the computer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Motive Drilling Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd Benson, John Burkhart, Teddy Chen
  • Patent number: 9857500
    Abstract: Methods for constraining basin models to forecast the presence and maturity of hydrocarbon in a basin. The method involves determining a Curie depth at a location at the basin, constraining basin models to match the Curie depth at the location and determining the presence of hydrocarbon in the basin based on the basin models constrained by Curie depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: SHELL OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Edward Karl Biegert, Saad Jamil Saleh, Theodericus Johannes Henricus Smit
  • Patent number: 9845668
    Abstract: Methods and systems relate to recovering hydrocarbons with an injection well placed at a bottom of a reservoir some horizontal distance from a producer, such that the injection well and producer may both be in a common horizontal plane. For some embodiments, the process includes co-injection of steam with a non-condensable gas, such as methane, ethane, propane, carbon dioxide, combustion products and combinations thereof. The non-condensable gas provides additional solution gas drive while the location of the injection well beside, instead of above, the producer increases production time before a steam chamber reaches a top of the reservoir, increasing thermal and recovery efficiency of the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: ConocoPhillips Company
    Inventors: Kate M. Ryan, Thomas J. Wheeler, John L. Stalder
  • Patent number: 9784082
    Abstract: Methods and systems relate to recovering hydrocarbons from within formations in which hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs are separated from one another by a fluid flow obstructing natural stratum. Relative to the reservoirs, the stratum inhibits or blocks vertical fluid flow within the formation. Lateral bores divert from lengths of injector and producer wells along where extending in a horizontal direction. These bores pass upward through the formation to intersect the stratum and provide an array of fluid flow paths through the stratum. In a side direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction of the wells, the lateral bores from the injector well pass through the stratum inside of where the lateral bores from the producer well pass through stratum. Fluid communication established by the bores limits counter-current flow through the bores in processes that rely on techniques such as gravity drainage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: ConocoPhillips Company
    Inventors: Maylin A. Carrizales, Wendell P. Menard