Abstract: The present invention is an improvement on the method of recovering viscous petroleum from a petroleum-containing formation by providing a steam injection well from the earth's surface through the formation, extending at least one lateral hole from the vicinity of the steam injection well through at least a portion of the formation, forming a flow path in the hole isolated from the formation for flow of fluid through the formation, circulating a hot fluid through the flow path to reduce the viscosity of the viscous petroleum in the formation adjacent the outside of the flow path to form a communication path for flow of petroleum in the formation outside of the flow path, and injecting a driving fluid into the formation through the steam injection well and the communication path to promote flow of petroleum in the formation to production wells penetrating the petroleum-containing formation for recovery from the formation.

Abstract: An optical well logging cable and method of fabrication is provided which utilizes the combination of optical fiber means having a proof test stress value of at least about 150,000 pounds per square inch with a surrounding and protecting arrangement of helically wound strength elements in a construction that minimizes the inelastic part of the cable elongation by minimizing the deformability of the structure within the arrangement of strength elements. This arrangement of strength elements includes two torque balancing layers wound in opposite helical directions. It is a feature of this invention that the construction has such a low permanent radial contraction under repeated loading to about 90% of the design breaking strength of the cable that its permanent elongation is no greater than about 0.4% and preferably 0.25% or less.

Abstract: The Removable Bottom Founded Structure (RBFS) is an offshore platform for petroleum drilling and producing operations intended for deployment in waters with severe weather and iceberg conditions. It is a two-part structure comprising (1) a platform which is made up of a deck structure, multiple columns and braces; and (2) a reinforced concrete subbase that rests on the sea floor and upon which the platform is founded. The structure is normally held down by gravity for standard platform operations, but during the deballasting procedure due to an iceberg emergency a hold-down system is employed to keep the platform on the subbase until full deballasting is achieved. The system that is used to hold the platform down onto the subbase is located where the platform meets the subbase. It operates on the principle of hydrostatics. On the underside of the columns there are multiple chambers which may be evacuated by pumping and which are vented to the outside atmosphere.

Abstract: The Removable Bottom Founded Structure (RBFS) is an offshore platform for petroleum drilling and producing operations intended for deployment in waters with severe weather and iceberg conditions. The structure is normally held down by gravity, but during the deballasting procedure a hold-down system is employed to keep the platform on the subbase until site evacuation. The system that is used to hold the platform down onto the subbase is located where the platform meets the subbase. It operates on the principle of hydrostatics. On the top surface of the subbase there are circularly arranged elastomeric bearing pads that define chambers which may be evacuated by pumping and which are vented to the outside atmosphere. Pressure by the platform on the bearing pads creates a fluid-tight seal so that no seawater will enter the evacuated chambers.

Abstract: The Removable Bottom Founded Structure (RBFS) is an offshore platform for petroleum drilling and producing operations intended for deployment in waters with severe weather and iceberg conditions. The structure is normally held down by gravity, but during the deballasting procedure a hold-down system is employed to keep the platform on the subbase until site evacuation. The system that is used to hold the platform down onto the subbase is located where the platform meets the subbase. It operates on the principle of hydrostatics. On the underside of the columns there are multiple chambers which may be evacuated by pumping and which are vented to the outside atmosphere. Flexible seals that define these chambers are positively engaged by this evacuation to create a fluid-tight seal so that no seawater will enter the evacuated chambers. The reduction of the buoyancy forces in the chambers will hold the platform onto the subbase until such time as the platform is totally deballasted.

Abstract: The Removable Bottom Founded Structure (RBFS) is an offshore platform for petroleum drilling and producing operations which is deployed in waters with severe weather and iceberg conditions. The structure is normally held down by gravity, but during the deballasting procedure a hold-down system is employed to keep the platform on the subbase until site evacuation. The system that is used to hold the platform down onto the subbase is located where the platform meets the subbase. It operates on the principle of hydrostatics. On the underside of the columns, there are multiple chambers which may be evacuated by pumping and which are vented to the outside atmosphere. Flexible seals that define these chambers are positively engaged by water to create a fluid-tight seal so that no seawater will enter the evacuated chambers. The reduction of the buoyancy forces will hold the platform onto the subbase until such time as the platform is totally deballasted.

Abstract: The Removable Bottom Founded Structure (RBFS) is an offshore platform for petroleum drilling and producing operations intended for depolyment in waters with severe weather and iceberg conditions. The structure is normally held down by gravity, but during the deballasting procedure a hold-down system is employed to keep the platform on the subbase until site evacuation. The system that is used to hold the platform down onto the subbase is located where the platform meets the subbase. It operates on the principle of hydrostatics. On the underside of the columns there are multiple chambers which may be evacuated by pumping and which are vented to the outside atmosphere. Flexible seals that define these chambers are positively engaged by this evacuation to create a fluid-tight seal so that no seawater will enter the evacuated chambers. The reduction of the buoyancy forces will hold the platform onto the subbase until such time as the platform is totally deballasted.

Abstract: The Removable Bottom Founded Structure (RBFS) is an offshore platform for petroleum drilling and producing operations intended for deployment in waters with severe weather and iceberg conditions. The structure is normally held down by gravity, but during the deballasting procedure a hold-down system is employed to keep the platform on the subbase until site evacuation. The system that is used to hold the platform down onto the subbase is located where the platform meets the subbase. It operates on the principle of hydrostatics. On the underside of the columns there are multiple chambers which may be evacuated by pumping and which are vented to the outside atmosphere. Inflatable seals that define these chambers are positively engaged by this evacuation to create a fluid-tight seal so that no seawater will enter the evacuated chambers. The reduction of the buoyancy forces will hold the platform onto the subbase until such time as the platform is totally deballasted.

Abstract: The Removable Bottom Founded Structure (RBFS) is an offshore platform for petroleum drilling and producing operations intended for deployment in waters with severe weather and iceberg conditions. The structure is normally held down by gravity, but during the deballasting procedure a hold-down system is employed to keep the platform on the subbase until site evacuation. The system that is used to hold the platform down onto the subbase is located where the platform meets the subbase. It operates on the principle of hydrostatics. On the underside of the columns there are elastomeric seals that define chambers between the column and the subbase which may be evacuated by pumping. Pressure by the platform weight forces the elastomeric seals down onto the subbase to create a fluid-tight seal so that no seawater will enter the evacuated chambers. The reduction of the buoyancy forces will hold the platform onto the subbase until such time as the platform is totally deballasted.

Abstract: An optical-electrical geophone which generates a binary signal is described. The geophone utilizes an optical fiber for the return transmission of a light source in the geophone. The geophone contains a light chopping means which oscillates in response to vibrations imparted into a geologic formation. As the chopping means such as a baffle or a tubular member vibrates, it chops the light signal and creates an on/off light pattern, i.e., binary signal. The light passing through a slit in the baffle or tubular member is returned to the seismic vehicle through an optical fiber for further processing. The optical-electrical geophone creates a binary signal directly without the use of clipping electronics and magnets or coils used in conventional geophones.

Abstract: A portable instrument for testing at the wellhead continuously, or a stationary instrument for use at a production battery, the outflow of crude hydrocarbons from the well or wells. The invention utilizes a simple relationship of density and thermal coefficients of expansion of the oil and the water, together with improved instrumentation to measure mass flow rate of the crude mixture, to produce accurate continuous readings of oil and water contents in the crude. The invention depends upon state of the art technology both as to the crude handling and the electronics portions of its apparatus.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electric valve device used in remotely operable applications. It comprises a valve body with a centrally placed slidable valve core. The core has an aperture for fluid passage and may be held in position by an electromagnet in the valve body. Windings are placed in one end of the valve body so that they encircle the slidable core and a spring is placed in the other end. To move the core, a DC current source is connected to the windings so that when they are energized a force is generated to move the core in a specific direction. The core is then held in this position by the contact between the electromagnet in the valve body and the valve core until the current in the magnetic windings is switched off, then the spring return to the core to its original, closed position.

Abstract: The response characteristics of a combination of hole-centered electric logging tools in a variety of borehole conditions can be obtained by means of impedance values as entries of a matrix resulting from measurements over a series of depth increments, utilizing an array of M electrode assemblies of equal incremental spacing positioned on a rigid mandrel. While the array moves continuously along the borehole, currents are emitted independently and sequentially from first one and then the other of current electrodes located at the shallow and deep ends of the array, allowing the impedance matrix to be formed by the principle of linear superposition in terms of voltage and voltage difference measurements between adjacent electrodes.

Abstract: The response characteristics of a combination of hole-centered electric logging tools in a variety of borehole conditions can be obtained by means of impedance values as entries of a matrix resulting from measurements over a series of depth increments, utilizing an array of 2M-1 electrode assemblies of equal incremental spacing positioned on a rigid mandrel. While the array moves continuously along the borehole, current is continuously emitted from the centrally located current electrode allowing the impedance matrix to be formed by the principle of linear superposition in terms of voltage and voltage difference measurements between adjacent electrodes.

Abstract: The present invention is used to separate gas from liquid while being placed downhole in a hydrocarbon producing well. It essentially comprises a means to divert hydrocarbon production fluid from within a tubing string into the annulus of the well. This diversion turbulently mixes the fluid and releases free gas from the liquid. Thereafter, the liquid migrates downward while the free gas migrates upward to a gas collection apparatus. The liquid is reuptaken at an intake spot below the point at which it was diverted. It travels upward through a concentric chamber and subsequently reenters the tubing string at a point above that which it was diverted.

Abstract: The response characteristics of a combination of hole-centered electric logging tools in a variety of borehole conditions can be obtained by means of impedance values as entries of a matrix resulting from measurements over a series of depth increments, utilizing an array of M electrode assemblies of equal incremental spacing positioned on a rigid mandrel. While the array is substantially stationary within the borehole, currents from each electrode are emitted independently, one at a time, allowing the impedance matrix to be formed by the principle of linear superposition in terms of voltage and voltage difference measurements between adjacent electrodes.

Abstract: The response characteristics of a combination of hole-centered electric logging tools in a variety of borehole conditions can be obtained by means of impedance values as entries of a matrix resulting from measurements over a series of depth increments, utilizing an array of 2M-1 electrode assemblies of equal incremental spacing positioned on a rigid mandrel. While the array moves continuously along the borehole, current is continuously emitted from the centrally located current electrode allowing the impedance matrix to be formed by the principle of linear superposition in terms of voltage and voltage difference measurements between adjacent electrodes.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating, displaying and transmitting next-in-time from a first recording truck to a second recording truck to thereby provide coordination of operations between trucks.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for locating the position of a marine streamer using two boats and a series of transponders in the streamer. A first pulse is electrically triggered and then generated by the transponders and by a transceiver mounted in the seismic vessel that tows the streamer. These first pulses are detected at a slave ship and the respective distances to the acoustic sources are calculated. The actual locations of the streamer transponders are calculated by trilateration when a second pulse from transponders 2-5 is detected at the slave ship. This second pulse is an acoustically triggered product of an electrically triggered initial pulse generated by a first transponder. This acoustically triggered pulse is used to determine the distance from the seismic ship to the transponder nearest the seismic ship and then to successively further transponders down the streamer length. Thereafter the positions of the transponders may be calculated.

Abstract: Pressurized liquid filled tubular tendons provide a means for detecting leaks therein. Filling the tendon with a liquid having a specific gravity less than that of sea water provides increased buoyancy and reduces the weight supported by the buoyant structure. The use of a corrosion inhibiting liquid reduces the corrosion of the interior tendon wall.