Abstract: In the representative embodiment of the new and improved apparatus disclosed herein for positioning acoustic well-logging tools, outwardly-bowed elongated spring members of a wear-resistant metal are cooperatively spaced around the body of an acoustic-logging tool and arranged as required for maintaining the tool substantially centered within a well bore. To at least minimize or significantly attenuate the acoustic noise inherently generated by the rubbing of the outward faces of the spring members along the well bore walls which noise may otherwise unduly interfere with the reception of the acoustic logging signals, the inward faces of at least the mid portions of the several spring members are respectively covered with a composite material including an elastomer containing a substantial number of small embedded particles or interspersed balls of a sound-absorbing material such as lead.

Abstract: In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a pressure controlled reversing valve includes a housing having a flow passage and ports to communicate the passage with the well annulus outside the housing, valve means for normally closing said ports, valve operator means movable upwardly and downwardly in said housing in response to changes in the pressure of fluids in said annulus, lost-motion coupling means for enabling movement of said operator means independently of said valve means so long as said pressure does not exceed a first predetermined value, and means for converting said lost-motion coupling to a driving connection in response to a second pressure in excess of said first pressure to cause said operator to shift said valve means from closed to open position.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed herein for placing a guide line or cable on an underwater well installation connection point in a case where there is already in place a connection line between the surface and the water bottom. By means of a self-carrying electric cable, a vehicle is lowered along the connection line, the vehicle being equipped with a drum on which is wound the guide line having a connector fixed to one end and held vertically on the vehicle. Near the underwater connection point, the vehicle is made to rotate around the connection cable in order to bring the connector into alignment with the connection point. The connector then is engaged with the connection point by allowing the vehicle to further descend, after which the vehicle is raised along the connection line by pulling on the self-carrying electric cable, causing the guide line to unwind from the drum, thereby bringing an end of the line to the surface.

Abstract: In a multi-device data transmission system with source and acceptor devices linked by a data highway and handshake lines, provision is made for automatically adjusting the delay of the handshake cycle to suit the highway length and other determinative factors. This is achieved in that the acceptors do not accept data until told so to do via one handshake line, whereas the source is only allowed to issue this command when it has been told via another handshake line that all acceptors have seen the data. The system determines its own delay in this way and automatically adapts the delay to whatever length of highway is employed, whether a fraction of a meter in a circuit board or several tens of meters in inter-rack wiring.

Abstract: An assembly adapted to be anchored at a subsurface location within a tubular well conduit to function as a self-closing safety valve. The assembly includes a flapper valve closure element pivotably mounted in a tubular valve housing and controlled by a pressure sensitive control mechanism. An anchoring means having radially expansible anchoring and sealing members is employed to secure the valve in place and to form a seal which forces fluid in the conduit to flow through a flow passage in the valve housing. The expansible anchoring and sealing means may be retracted to permit retrieval of the entire assembly. The control mechanism includes a pressure charged bellows chamber which moves in response to a drop in the pressure within the well conduit to cause the flapper to close the flow passage.An incompressible fluid contained within the bellows of the control mechanism cooperates with a double acting valve to prevent over extension or over compression of the bellows by extremes in pressure differential.

Abstract: In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a subsurface safety valve assembly that automatically closes in response to a drop in flowing pressure at the valve to a value that is below a set dome pressure, is provided with a flow restriction upstream of the valve that is sized to enable rapid closing of the safety valve in the event of disruption of surface flow lines or the like.

Abstract: A bipolar reference voltage source comprises first and second ratio-matched transistors having respective collector load resistors and arranged to pass slightly different currents. The emitter of the first transistor is connected to two emitter resistors in series, while the emitter of the second is connected to the junction between the emitter resistors. The bases of the transistors are commoned, while their collectors are respectively connected to the two inputs of a differential amplifier. A switching arrangement has a first state in which the output of the differential amplifier is connected to the bases of the transistors, and the end of the two emitter resistors remote from the transistors is grounded, thereby producing a first reference voltage of one polarity at the output of the differential amplifier.

Abstract: A control valve apparatus adapted to be positioned within a subsea blowout preventer stack for controlling the flow of fluid from an offshore well includes a control unit releasably latched to a valve body having tandem, normally closed valve assemblies, the upper valve assembly including a flapper valve element and the lower valve assembly including a ball valve element. The control unit has hydraulically operable mechanisms adapted to open the valve elements in response to pressurization of control lines extending upwardly to the surface, and to assist in closure of the ball valve element to effect cutting of wireline or cable extending into the well in case of emergency.

Abstract: In the representative embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein, this new and improved perforating apparatus includes a unique elongated carrier strip of a ductile steel carrying encapsulated shaped explosive charges having their forward ends fitted and snugly secured against the concave rear face of the strip by means of externally-threaded axial projections respectively threaded into tapped charge-mounting holes closely spaced along the carrier. The forward face of the carrier strip and the rear portions of the capsules are complementally shaped for accommodation within a given size of well bore piping thereby allowing the largest-possible mass of explosive to be disposed in each capsule.

Abstract: Apparatus for repairing insulation of an insulated conductor comprising a split yoke; an elongate, substantially cylindrical cavity formed in the mating surfaces of the yoke; an elongate, split, substantially cylindrical conductor mold or insert removably positioned in the cavity; an injection molding unit communicating with an opening in the conductor insert through an injection bore in the yoke to inject insulator into the conductor mold through such bore; a heating element within the yoke to melt the injected insulator over an area comprising the central area of the conductor mold; and a cooling element within the yoke to cool the ends of the conductor mold while the central area is heated, whereby the heat applied to the insulated conductor within the conductor mold does not extend to insulated conductor outside the yoke. In an optional embodiment, a tensioning device can be used to maintain the insulated conductor under tension during the repair.

Abstract: In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention as disclosed herein, a shock absorber adapted to be incorporated in a drill string includes axially splined housing and mandrel members having a helical coil spring reacting therebetween to absorb longitudinal vibration and shock loads and otherwise attenuate exciting forces generated by the drill bit. The coil spring has a low spring rate and is enclosed between the housing and a hollow flow tube that is slidably sealed with respect to the housing and the mandrel.

Abstract: Disclosed is a pumping system using a pneumatically powered, submerged pump for lifting high viscosity oil from a well. The pump includes a flexible, bag-shaped expansible member or "bladder" mounted within a surrounding housing. Pressurized gas is supplied from the well surface to the bladder through a supply line. An inlet check valve permits oil in the formation to flow into the housing when the bladder is collapsed. When the bladder is expanded or displaced by the gas, the oil in the housing is displaced through an outlet check valve into a flow line which extends to the well surface. A submerged control valve channels gas into the bladder to control the bladder expansion. The control valve also functions to permit the gas in the bladder to flow into a vent tube to control bladder deflation.In a modified form of the invention, oil flowing into the housing expands the bladder and gas supplied to the housing collapses the bladder.

Abstract: Apparatus for presetting an electric pulse counter to a given count without any action on its parallel input terminals and/or its parallel output terminals. The apparatus comprises a pulse generator which is connected, during a preset operation, to the count input of the counter through an electronic gate. The electronic gate is controlled by an auxiliary circuit. In one embodiment, the auxiliary circuit comprises as many voltage comparators as flip-flops in the counter. The voltage comparators enable the electronic gate as long as the states of the flip-flops are different from the desired states. In another embodiment, the auxiliary circuit mainly comprises a divider by N, N being the desired count. In a first step, the divider is reset and the counter is caused to count up to its maximum count and to deliver an overflow pulse when it resets. In a second step starting with the overflow pulse, both counter and divider count up from zero and the electronic gate is closed when the divider reaches the N-count.

Abstract: A control valve apparatus adapted to be stationed in a subsea blowout preventer stack and used in connection with a production or drill stem test of an offshore well from a floating vessel, includes a valve section and a control section that are releasably connected together by a latch mechanism. The valve section has one or more fail-close valves for controlling the opening of the well, and the control section and latch mechanism are hydraulically operable for respectively actuating the valves and disconnecting the control section to enable its retrieval to the vessel leaving the valve section in place.

Abstract: In the several representative embodiments of the new and improved methods disclosed herein, a cable-suspended spinner-type flowmeter is successively lowered and raised at selected speeds in a well bore containing one or more flowing fluids whose velocity or flow rate are to be determined. In one manner of practicing the invention, the flowmeter is passed back and forth through a lower static well bore interval for establishing the response of the tool at zero flow rates. In this way the output measurements obtained from the runs through the higher or dynamic intervals can be uniquely correlated for accurately determining the velocity and flow rate of the well bore fluids in each dynamic interval independently of differences in fluid viscosity.

Abstract: In the representative embodiment of the new and improved apparatus for testing earth formations disclosed herein, fluid-admitting means are sealingly engaged with a potentially-producible formation and a selectively-movable chamber is expanded to draw mudcake and other plugging materials from the isolated face of the formation into the receiving chamber. Thereafter, the chamber is shifted to communicate the screened entry port of the fluid-admitting means with the isolated formation so as to retard or prevent the erosion of loose formation materials as the formation is tested. When the testing is completed, the chamber is cleared and returned to its initial port-closing position and the fluid-admitting means disengaged to ready the apparatus for subsequent operations.

Abstract: In the representative embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein, shaped charges adapted for installation in a typical end-loaded carrier are respectively provided with a domed annular retainer member of a thin, but substantially rigid and stiff, material which is coaxially disposed over the forward end of each charge. A smaller-diameter externally-tapered sleeve of a somewhat yieldable or deformable material is cooperatively arranged for positioning on each domed retainer member once its associated shaped charge is installed in the carrier facing and aligned with a lateral port therein. Then, as a port plug having an internally-tapered recess is installed in the port and telescopically forced over the sleeve, the forward portion of the retainer sleeve will be laterally compressed for securing the shaped charge in position with little or no inward or axial deflection of the domed retainer.

Abstract: In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention as disclosed herein, a wireline pulling and running tool can be preset at the surface by simple adjustment for functioning as either a pulling or a running tool, and for release from an associated hanger mandrel by jarring either upwardly or downwardly. A tubular support that carries pivotally mounted gripping elements which are yieldably urged toward disengaged position, has a control body movably mounted therein. The control body has a plurality of sets of circumferentially spaced recess means than can be selectively aligned with the gripping members to enable release thereof in response to vertical movement of the control body from an initial upper or lower position where the body is releasably fixed to the support by a shear pin.

Abstract: In the representative embodiments of the present invention described herein, a drilling mud is circulated through a drill string at a sufficient rate to effectively operate an impeller-driven electrical generator arranged on a tool coupled in the drill string for supplying power to downhole electrical circuits and one or more downhole condition-measuring devices on the tool. By selectively controlling the flow of drilling mud past the impeller in accordance with the conditions being monitored by the condition-measuring devices, data-encoded acoustic signals are produced in the circulating fluid and transmitted to the surface for detecting and decoding as power is simultaneously supplied to the downhole system by the generator.

Abstract: In an analogue to digital converter the unknown voltage is applied continuously to an integrating circuit during each conversion period. An opposing reference voltage is switched on and off to cause the amplifier output to ramp up and down between two detection levels. One or both of these levels varies as a periodic function of time, e.g. a sawtooth waveform. Clock pulses are counted when the slope of the output ramp is of one sign only and it is shown that the ratio of the unknown voltage to the reference voltage is simply related to the number of clock pulses actually counted when the slope is of said one sign and the total number of clock pulses occurring during the conversion period.