Abstract: A well completion and servicing fluid comprising an aqueous solution of calcium chloride containing a viscosifier and zinc and/or zinc oxide as a weighting agent.

Abstract: Hydroxyacetic acid condensation product is used as a fluid loss material in a well completion or workover process in which a fluid comprising a hydrolyzable aqueous gel is used. The hydroxyacetic acid condensation product degrades at formation conditions to provide hydroxyacetic acid which breaks the aqueous gel, thereby restoring full formation permeability without the need for separate addition of gel breaker.

Abstract: Loss of drilling fluid into a subterranean formation penetrated in the drilling of a well is controlled by addition to the drilling fluid of a lost circulation material comprising petroleum coke.

Abstract: A film supply roll adapter includes a main support through which a rod having a flange on one end for receiving a film roll and another end attached to a cylindrical connector, an open section on the cylindrical connector is adapted to fit on a film roll holder in a laser plotter. The rod is configured within the main support to permit free axial rotation in order to transmit the drag force of the film roll holder directly to the flange with essentially no increase or decrease. The main support is arranged and may be fitted with O-rings to nest within a film roll housing and block all light from being incident on the film.

Abstract: A gas containing water vapor and a minor amount of ethylene and/or propylene is passed through several reactors in series containing a perfluorinated ion-exchange polymer catalyst to convert olefins to alcohols, and alcohol product is recovered from the effluent gases from each reactor.

Abstract: A process for coating a fibrous substrate with a hot melt wax composition is disclosed. The coating compositions comprise a blend of a recrystallized heavy intermediate wax, a polymeric hydrocarbon compound, a tickifier resin and a phenolic anti-oxidant.

Abstract: Fluid flow friction loss of a hydrocarbon liquid is improved by adding a small amount of a copolymer of divinylbenzene and a linear alpha-olefin or a copolymer of vinyl siloxane and a linear alpha-olefin to the liquid hydrocarbon. A preferred catalyst for producing these materials is also described.

Abstract: A system for leak detection in underwater structures wherein each critical leakage test point is maintained dry by an enclosure and a test cable is led down through the series of enclosures in fluid-tight manner to support a test probe within the dry test point volume. The test cable is a coaxial cable of selected characteristic impedance and each probe consists of a spirally wound, open-end dual pair supported on a plastic stub so as to constitute a parallel resonant circuit at a selected frequency. Thereafter, a test pulse is conducted down the coaxial cable and the impedance of any probe will be altered by the presence of water to produce a reflected pulse back up the coaxial cable to be detected and input to gating and counting circuitry to determine signal travel duration and, therefore, distance along the cable, as processing, printing and readout components provide output indications.

Abstract: Ultrasonic energy is applied to a combination of waxy crude oil and solid polymeric wax crystal modifier to effect dissolution of the modifier in the crude oil, thereby reducing the gel strength of the crude oil.

Abstract: A catalyst and method is provided for the production of ultra-high molecular weight polymers characterized as having an inherent viscosity of above 12.0 by contacting ethylenically unsaturated monomers with a dual electron donor catalyst under polymerization conditions.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for monitoring the presence in a liquid of a material which is at lest partially immiscible in the liquid are disclosed. The apparatus includes a container and an overflow outlet for allowing a surface layer of the liquid to flow out of the container. A slick of the material forms in the container on a surface of the liquid. The container includes a settling portion with an adjustably angled baffle and a second, fixed baffle located therein, a concentrating portion for concentrating the slick downstream of the settling portion, and an intermediate constricting portion for gradually constricting the surface of the liquid. An ultraviolet light source and visible light detector are provided for detecting the fluorescent radiation produced by irradiating the surface of the liquid and the material.

Abstract: A motion sensing device which includes a means including a light source for sympathetic movement with the motion, a light responsive fluid contained in a resilient envelope contiguous to the light source to receive light from the source for either absorption or fluorescence illumination, and photo-responsive means contiguous to the resilient envelope to provide electrical output of the light absorption or fluorescence variations which are inversely or directly proportional, respectively, of said motion.

Abstract: Method and apparatus to stabilize a columnar platform for deepwater offshore applications. An added mass stabilizer system is utilized to control first order heave, pitch, roll, surge and sway motions of the floating platform. The stabilizer is suspended beneath the platform by a set of tendons a sufficient distance to (1) enter a quiescent zone beneath the action of waves and currents, (2) provide a sufficiently long movement arm to resist pitch and roll torquing, and (3) incorporate sufficient flexibility into the suspension system to avoid shock loads. The stabilizer is sized to (a) provide sufficient submerged weight to maintain the tendons in constant tension and, (b) create adequate added mass (actual stabilizer weight plus mass of water moved by the stabilizer) to provide the desired control of first order motions. A secondary mooring system such as a spring-buoy mooring or dynamic positioning system can be provided to control drift produced by higher order motions and first order yaw.

Abstract: In a pipeline crossing, a carrier pipeline is annularly surrounded by a casing with the ends of the casing vented to the surface and sealed with the periphery of the pipeline to minimize corrosion of the pipeline wall. Access and pressure relief valves are provided on the casing vents at opposite sides of the crossing. This permits purging of the casing injecting an inert gas under pressure into the casing annulus through the valve equipped vents to provide a protective fluid, and periodically monitoring the gas pressure. The gas is maintained at a low pressure which is substantially less than the pressure of product materials within the pipeline.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for separating oil-water mixtures in which the oil is present as droplets so as to comprise the disperse phase, the mean droplet size being greater than 56.7 micron, using a cyclone separator having a swirl coefficient, S, in the rangeS'.ltoreq.S.ltoreq.S.sup.u2, whereS'=-0.46 .phi.+31 or S'=2, whichever is the greater, and S.sup.u2 =0.26 .phi.+31.6, where .phi. is the mean droplet size in micron.The swirl coefficient is defined as ##EQU1## where d.sub.i is the effective diameter at the inlet to the separator d.sub.2 is the nominal separator diameter at a downstream location, and A.sub.i is the total effective inlet area.

Abstract: A clean pitch suitable for the manufacture of carbon artifacts is obtained by distilling from an aromatic feedstock a distillate material free from mesophase forming resins. The distillate is heated to obtain a heat soaked distillate free from mesophase but containing mesophase forming resins. The heat soaked distillate is further heated with inert gas sparging to convert it to mesophase pitch suitable for manufacturing carbon fibers. The heat soaked distillate also finds use as a binder or impregnation pitch.

Abstract: A seismic layout technique and a processing technique for providing better data acquisition relative to salt domes which utilizes a line of sources in a selected pattern opposite a salt flank from a well bore, and a plurality of spaced receivers are disposed along the well bore for coaction with energy from said plural source location to record an array of multi-fold data. The data is then processed to establish a pseudo-source point along the well bore in relation to each of the receiver points to enable subsequent CDP processing of the data thereby to establish a vertical common reflection point outline of the vertical flank of the salt dome.

Abstract: A method of processing seismic data involves the input of common depth point data for determination of obliquity of downward propagating energy. Data having known surface offset and travel time is then processed with interval velocities along the depth of survey to solve by matrix inversion for the earth elastic parameters at selected depths.

Abstract: A combination bit for both drilling a pilot hole and cutting coke from a coking drum. A manually operable flow divider/diverter valve permits a single workman to quickly and easily change from pilot hold drilling mode to cutting mode without having to change bits.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for generation of elliptically polarized shear waves in an earth medium using two shear wave vibrators engaged to the earth medium in cross-polarized attitude and driven at sweep rates having variable phase displacement.