Patents Assigned to ConocoPhillips
  • Publication number: 20230147327
    Abstract: A method for producing heavy oil, the method including testing a plurality of samples either from a reservoir play or simulating a reservoir play in a temperature and pressure controlled gravity drainage experiment. Test injection fluids are injected into the samples at a reservoir temperature and pressure and Cumulative Oil Production (COP) or Recovery Factor (RF) or similar feature measured over time. An injection profile is obtained by selecting n injection fluids based on a best COP or RF at a given time Tn, wherein n is a number of fluid injection stages and switching to an n+1 injection fluid when a rate of change (ROC) in the COP or RF drops at least 25%-75%, but preferably 40-60% or 50%. The injection profile is then implemented in the reservoir to produce heavy oil. Optimized injection profiles for certain reservoirs are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2022
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Applicant: ConocoPhillips Company
    Inventor: Alex FILSTEIN
  • Publication number: 20230143184
    Abstract: Methods for preventing elemental sulfur deposition from a hydrocarbon fluid is disclosed. A mercaptan is added to a hydrocarbon fluid that has elemental sulfur and reacted with the elemental sulfur to produce a disulfide and hydrogen sulfide. Amines and/or surfactants can assist with the process. Secondary reactions between the disulfide and the elemental sulfur result in a polysulfide and a solvated sulfur-disulfide complex. The disulfide, hydrogen sulfide, polysulfide and solvated sulfur-disulfide complex do not deposit, and can optionally be removed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2023
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Applicant: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: JAY LOCKLEAR, DAVID P. COPE
  • Patent number: 11643593
    Abstract: Method of making and using a proppant from captured carbon in either a carbon mineralization process or in a carbon nanomaterial manufacturing process, followed by treatments to ensure the quality control of the proppants so that they are suitable for use in hydraulic and other reservoir fracturing methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Dallin P. Laycock, Charlotte Plombin, Samuel K. Huisman
  • Publication number: 20230129954
    Abstract: Method of monitoring produced water at each perforation or entry point by real time ion sensor deployed downhole to measure the content of water soluble ions. Methods of determining and differentiating nature of water breakthrough in oil production; such as between cycled injection water through a void space conduit, matrix swept injection water and formation water, especially as relates to offshore oil production. Real time ion sensors are deployed and when compared with known standards are used to monitor and remediate water breakthrough, prevent scale deposition, and the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2022
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Applicant: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Subhadeep CHOWDHURY, Gary W. TARGAC
  • Patent number: 11634626
    Abstract: The disclosure is directed to polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles that can be used to deliver agents deep into hydrocarbon reservoirs. Methods of making and using said polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignees: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
    Inventors: Ying-Ying Lin, Cory Berkland, Jenn-Tai Liang, Ahmad Moradi-Araghi, Terry M. Christian, Riley B. Needham, James H. Hedges, Min Cheng, Faye L. Scully, David R. Zornes
  • Patent number: 11619756
    Abstract: Methods of designing seismic survey and acquisition of seismic data with reduced noise using equally or optimally irregularly spaced sources or receivers are described. Specifically, prime number ratios for the station to line spacing is used to prevent harmonic leakage and other noise contaminations in the acquired seismic data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: ConocoPhillips Company
    Inventors: Peter M. Eick, Joel D. Brewer
  • Publication number: 20230086532
    Abstract: Methods of determining if a test fluid is inert to reservoir oil at RTP, by assaying a composition, density and bubble or dew point of live oil to generate a first dataset, equilibrating a sample of live oil with a test fluid at RTP to generate an oil phase; assaying a composition, density and bubble or dew point of the oil phase to generate a second dataset; comparing the first and second datasets, wherein significant changes in the datasets indicate that the test fluid is not inert to reservoir oil at RTP. By contrast, if there are no significant changes, the test fluid is inert, and would therefore be suitable to collecting core samples at RTP. Various options for inert fluids are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Applicant: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Martin C. KRUEGER, Shaina A. KELLY, Gerald E. MICHAEL, Thiago B. SIMOES CORREA
  • Patent number: 11608718
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of conducting a perf wash cement (“P/W/C”) abandonment job in an offshore oil or gas well annulus (2), in particular the washing or cementing operation using a rotating head (6, 8) with nozzles (7, 9) dispensing wash fluid or cement at pressure. Certain values of parameters of a washing or cementing job have been found surprisingly to affect the quality of the job, or the degree to which they affect the quality of the job has been unexpected. These include including rotation rate of the tool, the direction of translational movement of the tool, and the volume flow rate and pressure per nozzle of cement or wash fluid (and hence nozzle size).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Rick Watts, Stein Haavardstein, Lars Hovda, James C. Stevens, Dan Mueller, Brett Borland, Amal Phadke, Praveen Gonuguntla
  • Publication number: 20230084729
    Abstract: Methods for reducing or reusing emissions and waste from oil and gas processing facilities are described. Specifically, emission and waste streams can be partially oxidized before being treated in a modified syngas fermentation process with parallel bioreactors to produce commodity chemicals of commercial importance while lowering greenhouse gas emissions. At least one bioreactor is online at all times, offline reactors being emptied to collect product and recharged for use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Applicant: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventor: Peter N. SLATER
  • Publication number: 20230078999
    Abstract: Gravity driven reverse circulator tools are provided and methods of using same. One tool has nested pipes that when fully nested close a hole in one of the pipes, but when the drillstring is lifted, the pipes partially separate under the force of gravity to expose the hole. The other embodiment is similar, but the hole is hook shaped (hook on top as in a walking cane) and a protrusion from the other pipe fits in the hole. Thus, both lifting and rotation are needed open the tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Applicant: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Jason BURKE, John G. ELLER, Matthew L. WHITE
  • Patent number: 11604025
    Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for processing liquefied natural gas (LNG). In one implementation, a dry feed gas is received. The dry feed gas is chilled with clean vapor from a heavies removal column to form a chilled feed gas. The chilled feed gas is partially condensed into a vapor phase and a liquid phase. The liquid phase retains freezing components. The freezing components are extracted using a reflux stream in the heavies removal column. The freezing components are removed as a condensate. The vapor phase is compressed into a clean feed gas. The clean feed gas is free of the freezing components for downstream liquefaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: ConocoPhillips Company
    Inventors: Jinghua Chan, Qi Ma, Dale L. Embry, Attilio J. Praderio
  • Patent number: 11585179
    Abstract: The invention relates to the drilling of subsurface oil and gas wells and the installation of subsurface equipment (11). A lifting vessel 7 brings heavy equipment such as Xmas trees or manifolds and wet parks this equipment (11) on the seafloor (5) during good weather when the significant wave height is low. The equipment (11), once it is underwater, has much lower weight and may easily be moved into place onto a wellhead (10) at an appropriate time using lower capacity lifting gear. The timing of this operation is much less sensitive to weather conditions because the equipment does not need to pass through the splash zone (sea surface). This makes for efficient use of expensive drilling rig time, and allows for acceleration of production of first wells on the template as critical heavy lifts could not else be done until rig has left the location. (FIG. 1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Rune Woie, Leif Kvarme
  • Patent number: 11573186
    Abstract: Scavenging chemicals used in mitigation treatments of hydrogen sulfide in hydrocarbon streams often continue to react and form polymers that foul the processing system. Disclosed herein are methods for determining if a scavenging chemical mitigator, or its reaction or degradation product, will polymerized during or after mitigation treatments. This information allows for the optimization of mitigation treatments that pre-emptively control or prevent polymer formation. Such pre-emption measures reduce the cost and time related to remedial actions to treat polymer-fouled equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Jay E. Locklear, Clinton L. Crowe
  • Patent number: 11572514
    Abstract: Methods for preventing elemental sulfur deposition from a hydrocarbon fluid is disclosed. A mercaptan is added to a hydrocarbon fluid that has elemental sulfur and reacted with the elemental sulfur to produce a disulfide and hydrogen sulfide. Amines and/or surfactants can assist with the process. Secondary reactions between the disulfide and the elemental sulfur result in a polysulfide and a solvated sulfur-disulfide complex. The disulfide, hydrogen sulfide, polysulfide and solvated sulfur-disulfide complex do not deposit, and can optionally be removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Jay Locklear, David P. Cope
  • Publication number: 20230020657
    Abstract: Method of carbon sequestration by capturing CO2 emissions and making a proppant from the captured carbon in either a carbon mineralization process or in a carbon nanomaterial manufacturing process, followed by treatments to ensure the quality control of the proppants so that they are suitable for use in hydraulic and other reservoir fracturing methods. Injection of the manufactured proppant in fracking thus sequesters the carbon from the original captured CO2 in the reservoir.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2022
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicant: ConocoPhillips Company
    Inventors: Dallin P. LAYCOCK, Charlotte PLOMBIN, Samuel K. Huisman
  • Patent number: 11549068
    Abstract: Provided are embodiments that include a hydrocarbon fluid processing system including an ultrasonic hydrocarbon degassing unit including a vapor recovery vessel adapted to direct flow of a hydrocarbon fluid mixture along a flowpath extending through an interior of the vapor recovery vessel, and an ultrasonic transducer system disposed inside the vapor recovery vessel and in the flowpath of the hydrocarbon fluid mixture. The hydrocarbon fluid mixture including a hydrocarbon liquid and a gas entrained in the hydrocarbon liquid, the ultrasonic transducer system adapted to transmit ultrasonic signals into the hydrocarbon fluid mixture along the flowpath, and the ultrasonic signals adapted to separate the gas from the hydrocarbon liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventor: Brian Colt Petty
  • Patent number: 11542750
    Abstract: A drill string system includes a drill bit disposed at a distal end of a drill string. A clutch is coupled with the drill bit. A mud motor is coupled to the clutch, and the mud motor is operable to receive a drilling fluid therein and transfer torque to the drill bit through the clutch. The clutch disengages upon application of a torque exceeding a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: ConocoPhillips Company
    Inventor: Hans-Jacob Lund
  • Publication number: 20220412185
    Abstract: A method of plugging a hydrocarbon well includes deploying a downhole tool to remove at least a portion of a casing at a section of well to be plugged. Then a plugging material is put downhole onto a blocking device to fill an area to be plugged. An exothermic fluid is added, wherein activation of the exothermic material liquefies the plugging material. Allowing the plugging material and the exothermic fluid to solidify form a cast-in-place plug that fills the section of well to be plugged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2022
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Applicant: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventor: Randall S. SHAFER
  • Publication number: 20220389798
    Abstract: A method of reducing gas flaring through modelling of reservoir behavior using a method of optimizing oil production from one or more well(s) in a reservoir, the method providing a model of the well, inputting well data for a one or more well(s) into the model, the well data selected from geological layers, reservoir properties, fracturing data, completion data, permeability data, geochemistry, and combinations thereof. Inputting historical production data from one or more well(s) into the model, the historical data selected from PVT data, BHP, oil production rates, gas production rates and water production rates, or combinations thereof. Controlling the model to match one or more parameters selected from production rates, gas to oil ratio (GOR), bottom hole pressure (BHP), cumulative oil production (COP), or a combination thereof in a probabilistic manner to obtain a plurality of historical models.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2022
    Publication date: December 8, 2022
    Applicant: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Yongshe LIU, Brian COFFMAN, Nathan B. MCMAHAN, Alisdair FARTHING
  • Publication number: 20220391998
    Abstract: A method of predicting production characteristics of a hydrocarbon well using time lapse geochemistry fingerprinting and using machine learning to train a reservoir model to accurately predict production characteristics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2022
    Publication date: December 8, 2022
    Applicant: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Yishu Song, Gerald E. Michael