Patents Assigned to OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.
  • Patent number: 10309564
    Abstract: An extendable spool is disclosed. The length of the extendable spool is able to continuously varied. The extendable spool accounts for length variances in flow lines by extending the flow line rather than redirecting the flow. Because the flow direction does not make any turns, erosion is minimized on both the extendable spool and downstream parts. The extendable spool is readily scalable from small diameters to large diameters. Because of this, it requires fewer lines and therefore less setup time to account for length differences between large diameter lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Bob McGuire, Danny L. Artherholt, Mickey Claxton, Blake Mullins, Darin Grassmann
  • Publication number: 20190143380
    Abstract: A flowback tank cleaning system and method is described. A flowback tank includes a self-cleaning system. A flowback tank cleaning method may include moving solid debris collected at a bottom of a collection section of a flowback tank towards a lift auger using a cleaning auger or a conveyer belt extending along a length of the collection section, the bottom of the collection section including an angled trough, funneling solid debris towards the cleaning auger or conveyor belt by placing the cleaning auger or conveyor belt at a base of the angled trough, spraying fluid downward through a series of fluid outlets, removing the sand so moved by the cleaning auger or conveyer belt from the flowback tank using the lift auger, and removing the fluid from the flowback tank using a drain manifold below the cleaning auger or conveyer belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Applicant: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Brodey W. Davis, Jay C. Robinson, Brandon J. Crossley, Corey L. Hobbs, Johnny T. Gaulf, Billy C. Rowell
  • Patent number: 10267115
    Abstract: An isolation tool and related methods for protecting a wellhead to which a casing string is operably coupled. In an exemplary embodiment, the isolation tool includes an anchor assembly adapted to be connected to the wellhead; a mandrel adapted to sealingly engage an interior portion of at least one of the wellhead and the casing string; and a lock assembly including a mandrel head connected to the mandrel and adapted to be displaced, relative to the anchor assembly and the wellhead, to sealingly engage the mandrel with the interior portion; a landing sleeve connected to the mandrel head and adapted to be displaced, relative to the mandrel head, the mandrel, the anchor assembly, and the wellhead, to engage the anchor assembly; and a connector adapted to secure the landing sleeve to the anchor assembly when the mandrel sealingly engages the interior portion and the landing sleeve engages the anchor assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Barton Hickie
  • Publication number: 20180223621
    Abstract: An isolation tool and related methods for protecting a wellhead to which a casing string is operably coupled. In an exemplary embodiment, the isolation tool includes an anchor assembly adapted to be connected to the wellhead; a mandrel adapted to sealingly engage an interior portion of at least one of the wellhead and the casing string; and a lock assembly including a mandrel head connected to the mandrel and adapted to be displaced, relative to the anchor assembly and the wellhead, to sealingly engage the mandrel with the interior portion; a landing sleeve connected to the mandrel head and adapted to be displaced, relative to the mandrel head, the mandrel, the anchor assembly, and the wellhead, to engage the anchor assembly; and a connector adapted to secure the landing sleeve to the anchor assembly when the mandrel sealingly engages the interior portion and the landing sleeve engages the anchor assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2018
    Publication date: August 9, 2018
    Applicant: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Bob McGuire, Charles Beedy, Danny L. Artherholt
  • Patent number: 9879499
    Abstract: An improved ball drop apparatus including an atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber. A ball is first inserted into the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber from a ball feeding apparatus. The ball is then pushed into a pressure equalization section through a first seal pack. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure equalization section is connected to a pressure equalization apparatus and also to the wellbore through a second seal pack. Once the ball is injected into the pressure equalization section, the pressure equalization apparatus applies pressure, thereby causing the pressure of the pressure equalization section to increase until it reaches close to wellbore pressure. Once the pressures of the pressure equalization section and the wellbore are close, the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber and the frac ball are pushed through the second seal pack and into the wellbore, where the frac ball can be pumped downhole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Danny Artherholt, Bob McGuire, Jeremy Gardner, Dennis Artherholt
  • Patent number: 9869151
    Abstract: A controlled aperture ball drop includes a ball cartridge that is mounted to a frac head or a high pressure fluid conduit. The ball cartridge houses a ball rail having a bottom end that forms an aperture with an inner periphery of the ball cartridge through which frac balls of a frac ball stack supported by the ball rail are sequentially dropped from the frac ball stack as a size of the aperture is increased by an aperture controller operatively connected to the ball rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Joel H. Young, Ronald B. Beason, Nicholas J. Cannon, Bob McGuire, Danny Lee Artherholt
  • Patent number: 9739111
    Abstract: A controlled aperture ball drop includes a ball cartridge that is mounted to a frac head or a high pressure fluid conduit. The ball cartridge houses a ball rail having a bottom end that forms an aperture with an inner periphery of the ball cartridge through which frac balls of a frac ball stack supported by the ball rail are sequentially dropped from the frac ball stack as a size of the aperture is increased by an aperture controller operatively connected to the ball rail. A control console displays a user interface that permits an operator to control the controlled aperture ball drop to drop frac balls only when desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Ronald B. Beason, Nicholas J. Cannon
  • Publication number: 20160356112
    Abstract: An improved ball drop apparatus including an atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber. A ball is first inserted into the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber from a ball feeding apparatus. The ball is then pushed into a pressure equalization section through a first seal pack. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure equalization section is connected to a pressure equalization apparatus and also to the wellbore through a second seal pack. Once the ball is injected into the pressure equalization section, the pressure equalization apparatus applies pressure, thereby causing the pressure of the pressure equalization section to increase until it reaches close to wellbore pressure. Once the pressures of the pressure equalization section and the wellbore are close, the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber and the frac ball are pushed through the second seal pack and into the wellbore, where the frac ball can be pumped downhole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2016
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Applicant: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.
    Inventors: DANNY ARTHERHOLT, BOB MCGUIRE, JEREMY GARDNER, DENNIS ARTHERHOLT
  • Patent number: 9447652
    Abstract: An improved ball drop apparatus including an atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber. A ball is first inserted into the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber from a ball feeding apparatus. The ball is then pushed into a pressure equalization section through a first seal pack. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure equalization section is connected to a pressure equalization apparatus and also to the wellbore through a second seal pack. Once the ball is injected into the pressure equalization section, the pressure equalization apparatus applies pressure, thereby causing the pressure of the pressure equalization section to increase until it reaches close to wellbore pressure. Once the pressures of the pressure equalization section and the wellbore are close, the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber and the frac ball are pushed through the second seal pack and into the wellbore, where the frac ball can be pumped downhole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Danny Artherholt, Bob McGuire, Jeremy Gardner, Dennis Artherholt
  • Patent number: 9291024
    Abstract: A ball drop wellhead control apparatus provides a control ball between a frac ball drop or frac ball injector used to drop frac balls into a frac fluid stream being pumped into a subterranean well to ensure that only frac balls intended to be dropped reach the frac fluid stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Danny Lee Artherholt, Bob McGuire
  • Patent number: 9291025
    Abstract: A ball drop wellhead control apparatus provides a ball controller between a frac ball drop or frac ball injector used to drop frac balls into a frac fluid stream being pumped into a subterranean well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Bob McGuire
  • Patent number: 9260933
    Abstract: A modular ball drop made up of two or more identical ball drop modules that are vertically stacked in a desired number. Each ball drop module can drop one or more frac balls into a fluid stream being pumped into a well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Danny Lee Artherholt, Bob McGuire, Mickey Claxton
  • Patent number: 9228417
    Abstract: An injector spool supports a plurality of ball injector assemblies having respective ball cartridges adapted to load one frac ball at a time into a ball chamber of a ball launcher of the respective ball injector assemblies to provide a horizontal frac ball injector adapted to be connected to a frac head by frac iron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Bob McGuire, Danny Lee Artherholt
  • Patent number: 9222329
    Abstract: An injector spool supports a plurality of ball injector assemblies having respective ball cartridges adapted to load one frac ball at a time into a ball chamber of a ball launcher of the respective ball injector assemblies to provide a low profile, high capacity ball injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Bob McGuire, Danny Lee Artherholt
  • Patent number: 9097369
    Abstract: A threaded union for tubulars used for high-pressure fluid applications includes a unitary nut supported by at least two nut retainer segments received under a top wall of the nut in an annular segment retainer groove in one of the tubulars. The nut retainer segments fully support the unitary nut. The nut retainer segments are held in the annular segment retainer groove by securing the nut retainer segments in the segment retainer groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Bob McGuire
  • Patent number: 9010412
    Abstract: A ball drop wellhead control apparatus provides a ball controller between a frac ball drop or frac ball injector used to drop frac balls into a frac fluid stream being pumped into a subterranean well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Bob McGuire
  • Patent number: 9010413
    Abstract: A ball drop wellhead control apparatus provides a control ball between one of a frac ball drop and a frac ball injector used to drop frac balls into a frac fluid stream being pumped into a subterranean well to ensure that only frac balls intended to be dropped reach the frac fluid stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Danny Lee Artherholt, Bob McGuire
  • Publication number: 20150021024
    Abstract: An improved ball drop apparatus including an atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber. A ball is first inserted into the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber from a ball feeding apparatus. The ball is then pushed into a pressure equalization section through a first seal pack. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure equalization section is connected to a pressure equalization apparatus and also to the wellbore through a second seal pack. Once the ball is injected into the pressure equalization section, the pressure equalization apparatus applies pressure, thereby causing the pressure of the pressure equalization section to increase until it reaches close to wellbore pressure. Once the pressures of the pressure equalization section and the wellbore are close, the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber and the frac ball are pushed through the second seal pack and into the wellbore, where the frac ball can be pumped downhole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Applicant: OIL STATES ENERGY SERVICES, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Danny Artherholt, Bob McGuire, Jeremy Gardner, Dennis Artherholt
  • Patent number: 8931551
    Abstract: A multipart frac head with removable components permits the frac head to be refurbished in the field. A bottom leg and inlet ports of the multipart frac head can be replaced. The bottom leg is provisioned with a flange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Bob McGuire
  • Patent number: 8869882
    Abstract: An injector spool supports a plurality of ball injector assemblies having respective ball cartridges adapted to load one frac ball at a time into a ball chamber of a ball launcher of the respective ball injector assemblies to provide a low profile, high capacity ball injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Oil States Energy Services, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Bob McGuire, Danny Lee Artherholt