Patents Assigned to Baker Hughes, a GE company, LLC
  • Patent number: 9957793
    Abstract: In one aspect an apparatus for use in a wellbore is disclosed that in one non-limiting embodiment includes a completion assembly that contains a filter section having a tubular with a plurality of through holes filled with a filter material for restricting flow of solid particles through the holes for placement of the filter section across from a zone along the wellbore, a sensor inside the tubular for providing information about a parameter of interest during treatment of and/or production from the zone into the tubular, and a first circuit coupled to the sensor that transmits wireless signals corresponding to measurements made by the sensor to a second circuit that transmits the received signals to the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Jason Allen, Kelly Ireland, Colin Andrew, Philippe Legrand, Tommy Kirkpatrick, Jason Barnard
  • Patent number: 9957786
    Abstract: A method of deploying a multi-zone completion assembly in a wellbore is disclosed. The method includes: placing an outer assembly below a surface location, wherein the outer assembly includes an activation device. The method further includes placing an inner assembly in the outer assembly, the inner assembly including a lower opening tool spaced from an upper opening tool. The method further includes activating the lower opening tool using the activation device The method further includes activating the upper opening tool independent of the lower opening tool using the activation device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Jason A. Allen, Aaron C. Hammer, Robert S. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 9957776
    Abstract: A control system and method of controlling a control system includes a set of pressure-controlled devices having at least a first device and a second device movable between at least first and second positions, and a set of single line switches including at least a first switch and a second switch, each switch configured to move the pressure-controlled devices, respectively, between the first and second positions. The first device alternates between the first position and the second position with every position changing pressure pulse to the first switch, and the second device alternates between the first position and the second position with every two position changing pressure pulses to the first switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventor: Joel D. Shaw
  • Patent number: 9958394
    Abstract: A system and method for estimating a concentration of monoethanolamine (MEA) in a fluid. A substrate for supporting a sample of the fluid during testing includes a carbon nanotube mat layer, a silver nanowire layer disposed on the carbon nanotube mat layer, and a chemical enhancer layer disposed on the silver nanowire layer. A sample of the fluid is placed on the substrate, and the fluid sample is radiated with electromagnetic radiation at a selected energy level. A detector measures a Raman spectrum emitted from the sample in response to the electromagnetic radiation. A processor estimates the concentration of MEA in the sample from the Raman spectrum and adds a corrosion inhibitor to the fluid in an amount based on the estimated concentration of MEA to reduce the concentration of MEA in the fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Sankaran Murugesan, Radhika Suresh, Darryl N. Ventura, Bradley G. Harrell, Valery N. Khabashesku, Qusai A. Darugar
  • Publication number: 20180113966
    Abstract: Examples of techniques for geomechanical risk and hazard assessment and mitigation are disclosed. In one example implementation, a method may include generating, by a processor, a geomechanical model for a location for drilling a borehole; performing a risk assessment to identify at least one risk associated with drilling the borehole; updating, by the processor, the geomechanical model as a pre-drill updated geomechanical model by applying a mitigation solution to mitigate the at least one risk associated with drilling the borehole; generating, by the processor, a drilling plan for drilling the borehole based on the pre-drill geomechanical model; and drilling the borehole based on the drilling plan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2017
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Applicant: Baker Hughes, a GE company, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Reese, Shauna Brown, Malcolm Sim, John David D'Alessandro
  • Patent number: 9951262
    Abstract: A well servicing fluid formulated with ingredients comprising a viscosifying polymer that is a crosslinked copolymer of an ethylenically unsaturated dicarboxylic anhydride and an alkyl vinyl ether, or the di-acid thereof; a pH adjuster capable of maintaining a pH of 5.5 or greater; and a solvent. Methods of treating a well formation with the wellbore servicing fluid and methods of making the wellbore servicing fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: D.V. Satyanarayana Gupta, Kay Elaine Cawiezel, Rupa Venugopal, Tanhee Ary Galindo
  • Patent number: 9951587
    Abstract: A method of hanging a liner in a wellbore is disclosed that in one non-limiting embodiment includes: conveying a liner having a liner hanger and a liner hanger actuator into the wellbore by a service string that includes controller that determines a downhole parameter of interest relating to setting of the liner hanger; determining by the controller the parameter of interest relating to setting of the liner hanger in the wellbore; and sending a wireless liner hanger command signal from the controller in response to the determined parameter of interest to cause the liner hanger actuator to set the liner hanger in the wellbore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Edward T. Wood, Aubrey Clifton Mills
  • Patent number: 9951578
    Abstract: A borehole barrier comprises a scroll where the overlapping parts have a ratchet for radial expansion against a surrounding tubular with the ratchet controlling springing back. The outer surface can have carbide or other hard particles to penetrate the surrounding tubular for fixation. The end of the scroll forms a tapered ball seat. Expansion into place can be with a tool, or by releasing potential energy in the scroll or by using a shape memory alloy that enlarges at above its critical temperature. The scrolls can be removed by milling or allowed to dissolve or disintegrate with exposure to well fluids. The scroll design is quickly deployed and removed and is far more economical than known plugs that have the traditional seal and slip design. The balls can be milled out with their associated scrolls or flowed to the surface with produced fluids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: Baker Hughes, a GE company, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffery D. Kitzman, Steve Rosenblatt
  • Patent number: 9951261
    Abstract: A cement spacer fluid for use in a wellbore includes an aqueous cement spacer carrier fluid and a preformed synthetic polymer swellable in the aqueous cement spacer carrier fluid in an amount effective to displace a drilling fluid during a cementing operation. Preferably, the polymer is particulate, and forms a hydrated pack of particles. A method of cementing a wellbore comprising a drilling fluid includes injecting the cement spacer fluid into the wellbore to displace the drilling fluid; injecting a cement slurry into the wellbore subsequent to injecting the cement spacer fluid; and hardening the cement in the slurry to cement the wellbore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventor: Scott Gregory Nelson
  • Patent number: 9952350
    Abstract: Evaluating a fluid, including transmitting a light beam through the fluid to a detector while oscillating a path length traveled through the fluid by the light beam at a first frequency of oscillation; measuring a time-dependent intensity of incident light at the detector responsive to an interaction of the light beam with the fluid to produce a time-dependent intensity signal; filtering the time-dependent intensity signal to recover a path-dependent signal oscillating at the first frequency and indicative of an absorbance property of the fluid; and estimating a parameter of interest of the fluid using the path-dependent signal. The time-dependent intensity may be indicative of the true absorbance at multiple wavelengths of the fluid or fluids over the maximum path length difference so as to permit quantification of the percentages of each of these fluids. Filtering may include frequency filtering alone or using a phase-sensitive lock-in amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventor: Rocco DiFoggio
  • Patent number: 9952343
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods for investigating a subsurface volume of interest from a borehole. Apparatus comprise an enclosure configured for conveyance along the borehole; an acoustic source in the enclosure configured to generate acoustic signals; a lens assembly disposed in the enclosure and next to the acoustic source, the lens assembly being formed of a plurality of cells, each cell formed as a column oriented transverse to a direction of travel of the acoustical signals. Each cell comprises a plurality of cell segments with each cell segment of the plurality comprising at least one arcuate wall and at least one radial finger, and wherein the cell segments are oriented in alignment with a rhodonea conformal mapping geometry in a plane transverse to the column to cause acoustic waves to travel at a different speed in each of three orthogonal directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventor: Dwight W. Swett
  • Patent number: 9951560
    Abstract: A method for predicting an amount of axial motion of a drill bit having one or more cutters for drilling formation rock includes: receiving lithology data for the formation rock; receiving drilling parameters; calculating confined compressive strength (CCS) of the rock using the received information; calculating an area of cut into the formation rock by each of the one or more cutters; calculating an effective back rake of each of the one or more cutters; calculating a force applied to each of the one or more cutters using the CCS, the area of cut and the effective back rake of the one or more cutters, and by accounting for an orientation of each cutter with respect to a surface of the rock to be cut; and summing the calculated forces applied to each of the one or more cutters to calculate the weight on bit and torque on bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Reed W. Spencer, Jonathan M. Hanson
  • Publication number: 20180106146
    Abstract: In one aspect, an apparatus for use in a drilling assembly is disclosed that in one embodiment includes a flow control device that further includes: a fluid flow path having an inlet and an outlet; an electromagnetic circuit that includes a closing member made from a soft magnetic or magnetic material as a part of the electromagnetic circuit, wherein the closing member moves from a first open position to a second closed position to close the fluid flow path to produce a pressure pulse in a fluid flowing through the fluid flow path when the electromagnetic circuit is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Applicant: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Eckard Scholz, Thomas Kruspe
  • Publication number: 20180106135
    Abstract: A subsea well production system includes a subsea boost pump coupled with a subsea tree conduit having a valve in the subsea tree conduit. A boost pump outlet conduit connects between a discharge of the boost pump and an outlet flow line. A recirculation line extends from the boost pump outlet conduit to the subsea tree conduit. A chemical injection line having a chemical source valve extends from a chemical injection source and is connected to the subsea tree conduit at a point between the valve in the subsea tree conduit and the intake of the boost pump. During production flow boosting, the boost pump pumps well fluid. During chemical injection, the boost pump pumps chemicals into the subsea tree.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Applicant: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventor: Lance PORTMAN
  • Patent number: 9944842
    Abstract: Pumping a pre-flush composition into a subterranean reservoir may contact at least a portion of non-polar material within a reservoir path. The pre-flush composition may have or include a polar fluid and at least one surfactant. The pre-flush composition may in situ form an in situ fluid in the reservoir path. The in situ formed fluid may include a portion of the non-polar material from the reservoir path, a polar phase from the polar fluid, and at least one surfactant. Pre-flushing the reservoir path may allow for greater hydrocarbon recovery when performing a subsequent operation as compared to an otherwise identical operation absent the pre-flushing the reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Baker Hughes, a GE company, LLC
    Inventors: Lirio Quintero, Steven Weghorn
  • Patent number: 9945198
    Abstract: A mill for use in milling a section in a wellbore is disclosed that includes a first concave curved section followed by a substantially flat section and a second concave curved section following the substantially flat section and a number of blades attached to the first concave curved section, substantially flat section and the second concave curved section, wherein each such blade includes a first convex curved portion that corresponds to the first concave curved section and a second convex curved portion that corresponds to the second concave curved section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Calvin J. Stowe, II, Tejas J. Ghegadmal
  • Patent number: 9945213
    Abstract: A screen includes a framework of a first material having one or more openings therethrough defining a fluidic filter, and a substance of a second material positioned within the one or more openings in the framework and configured to be removable from the framework during an electrochemical reaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventor: Omar H. Balcazar
  • Patent number: 9944577
    Abstract: The polymerization of monomers may be at least partially reduced or inhibited by introducing an effective amount of an additive. The additive may be or include at least one hydroquinone, such as but not limited to, 2,6-di-tert-butyl hydroquinone, 2,5 di-tert-butyl hydroquinone, 3,5 di-tert-butyl hydroquinone, 3,5 di-methyl hydroquinone, 3,6 di-tert-butyl hydroquinone, and combinations thereof. The polymerizable monomers may be or include, but are not limited to styrene, butadiene, isoprene, acrylic acid, acrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, and combinations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Baker Hughes, a GE company, LLC
    Inventors: Hua Mo, Roger D. Metzler
  • Patent number: 9944558
    Abstract: A wellbore cement composition includes substantially unhydrated cement powder and additive powder for cement. The additive powder is formulated from ingredients including a liquid additive for cement and solid carrier particles. The liquid additive is absorbed by the solid carrier particles. A wellbore cementing method includes using a dry cement composition, adding water to the dry cement composition, forming a cement slurry, placing the slurry in a wellbore, and setting the placed slurry. The dry cement composition contains substantially unhydrated cement powder and retarder powder for cement. The retarder powder contains a retarder absorbed by solid carrier particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Mark A. Vorderbruggen, Guido G. Narvaez, Diana Cardona, Dong Shen
  • Patent number: RE46793
    Abstract: Methods for preparing a wellbore casing for stimulation operations comprise the steps of cementing a wellbore casing in a wellbore, the wellbore casing having a downhole tool comprising a valve and an apparatus for restricting fluid flow through the valve, such as a ball seat, disposed above the valve. Actuation of the valve opens the valve to establish fluid communication between the wellbore casing and the formation. A plug element is disposed on a seat of the ball seat and a casing pressure test is performed. The plug element then dissolves or disintegrates over time increasing fluid communication between the wellbore casing and the formation, thereby preparing the wellbore casing for stimulation operations without additional wellbore intervention after the casing pressure test. In certain embodiments, during or after dissolution of the plug element, clean-out of the bore of the valve is performed by the plug element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Justin C. Kellner, Paul Madero, Charles C. Johnson