Patents Assigned to Sunstone Corporation
  • Patent number: 8028750
    Abstract: Force balancing adjusts hydraulic fluid pressure in an upper piston area of a Rotating Pressure Control Device (RPCD) that has an inner housing rotatably engaged within an outer housing by an upper bearing and a lower bearing. The hydraulic fluid pressure is adjusted to balance net force in a upper piston area and a lower piston area. The fluid pressure adjustment creates a force differential that balances the total load transmitted through the upper bearing and the lower bearing and thereby extends the life of the sealing element and bearings. Additionally, a wear indicator signals the end of the useful life of the drill pipe sealing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Sunstone Corporation
    Inventors: William James Hughes, Murl Ray Richardson, Thomas L. Pettigrew, Kurt D. Vandervort, Kenneth D. Young
  • Patent number: 7981379
    Abstract: The invention uses a feed of atmospheric air and mixes the air with hydrogen. The hydrogen and air mixture is fed into a catalytic reactor where a deoxygenation reaction occurs. The deoxygenation reaction uses a platinum catalyst to produce water from oxygen and hydrogen. The nitrogen passes through the catalytic reactor without reacting with the hydrogen, the oxygen, or the water. The water is separated from the nitrogen in a dryer. The nitrogen may then be used in drilling and production operations. The water is fed into an electrolyzer where an electrolysis reaction occurs. The electrolyzer passes an electrical current through the water to produce gaseous oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen is recycled back to the catalytic reactor and the oxygen may be vented or sold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Sunstone Corporation
    Inventors: William James Hughes, Mark Dunbar
  • Publication number: 20100200213
    Abstract: Force balancing adjusts hydraulic fluid pressure in an upper piston area of a Rotating Pressure Control Device (RPCD) that has an inner housing rotatably engaged within an outer housing by an upper bearing and a lower bearing. The hydraulic fluid pressure is adjusted to balance net force in a upper piston area and a lower piston area. The fluid pressure adjustment creates a force differential that balances the total load transmitted through the upper bearing and the lower bearing and thereby extends the life of the sealing element and bearings. Additionally, a wear indicator signals the end of the useful life of the drill pipe sealing element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Applicant: SUNSTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: William James Hughes, Murl Ray Richardson, Thomas L. Pettigrew, Kurt D. Vandervort, Kenneth D. Young
  • Patent number: 7537062
    Abstract: An improved flapper valve is disclosed comprising a housing, a flapper pivotally engaged to the housing, and an actuator slidingly engaged in the housing and adapted to make initial contact with the flapper at a seat end. The seat end is an area surrounding a point on a flapper bottom surface that is furthest from the location of pivotal engagement of the flapper and the housing but not in contact with the housing. The flapper closes at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the housing. The actuator is hollow and the interior of the actuator forms a through bore. In the closed position the flapper prevents fluid from the passing through the bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: Sunstone Corporation
    Inventors: William James Hughes, Richard W. Adams
  • Patent number: 7468173
    Abstract: The invention uses a feed of atmospheric air and mixes the air with hydrogen. The hydrogen and air mixture is fed into a catalytic reactor where a deoxygenation reaction occurs. The deoxygenation reaction uses a platinum catalyst to produce water from oxygen and hydrogen. The nitrogen passes through the catalytic reactor without reacting with the hydrogen, the oxygen, or the water. The water is separated from the nitrogen in a dryer. The nitrogen may then be used in drilling and production operations. The water is fed into an electrolyzer where an electrolysis reaction occurs. The electrolyzer passes an electrical current through the water to produce gaseous oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen is recycled back to the catalytic reactor and the oxygen may be vented or sold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: Sunstone Corporation
    Inventors: William James Hughes, Mark Dunbar
  • Patent number: 7380590
    Abstract: A Rotating Pressure Control Head (RPCH) with a rapid engagement mechanism is disclosed. The RPCH comprises an upper body and a lower body. The rapid engagement mechanism allows the upper body to be quickly disengaged from the lower body and replaced with a new upper body. The upper body comprises a sealing element and an inner housing that rotates with respect to an outer housing. The sealing element contains a plurality of internal cavities. The plurality of cavities control the constriction of the sealing element around the drill pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Sunstone Corporation
    Inventors: William James Hughes, Murl Ray Richardson
  • Patent number: 7226090
    Abstract: A rod and tubing connection for coupling two or more joints of tubing sections comprises a plug and a socket. The plug has a plurality of splines and the socket has a plurality of receptacles adapted to receive the plurality of splines. The plurality of splines comprises a center spline and a plurality of outer splines configured to allow intermeshing with receptacle splines in a plurality of orientations. A coupling collar is used to secure the tubing joint. The plug is connected to the socket in a four-step process of: positioning the plug and socket in close proximity, aligning the spline and the receptacle, plugging the spline into the receptacle, and then securing the plug and socket together with the coupling collar. The tubing joint may also have a conduit containing a wire for transmitting power and data between the adjoined sections of tubing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Sunstone Corporation
    Inventor: William James Hughes
  • Patent number: 7137945
    Abstract: A method of disposal of biowaste material which comprises drilling a first section of an injection well from the ground into a porous layer, drilling a second section of the injection well from a lower terminus of the first section of the injection well into the porous layer while drilling the same using underbalanced drilling techniques, drilling a first section of a production well from the ground to and into the porous layer, drilling a second section of the production well from the lower end of the first section thereof into the porous layer using underbalanced drilling conditions, making a geological measurement of the pore throat size and/or fracture aperture in the porous layer and treating the biowaste material introduced into the second section of the injection well by comminuting the same in a device such as a shear pump to an average particle size of approximately one-tenth to one-half, preferably one-seventh, of the average pore throat size in the porous layer, the measurement of the pore throat s
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: Sunstone Corporation
    Inventor: W. James Hughes
  • Patent number: 6899188
    Abstract: A concentric casing actuated jet pump is disclosed that induces artificial lift to remove the drilling and production fluid from a well bore during drilling operations by means of a single or multiple hydraulic jet pumps attached to a concentric string of casing. The invention includes a drill string that passes through the jet pump assembly so that the power fluid is separated from the drilling fluid until it enters the jet pump. The jet pump assembly is joined to a concentric casing string. The jet pump also contains a bladder element that inflates or expands to redirect the flow of the drilling and production fluid from the inner annulus into the jet pump assembly. Vertical displacement of the inner casing string by a casing jack causes the bladder to redirect the flow of drilling fluid form the inner annulus into the jet pump assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Sunstone Corporation
    Inventors: William James Hughes, Jimmie Josh Renfro
  • Patent number: 6877571
    Abstract: A Down Hole Drilling Assembly (DHDA) that induces artificial lift to remove the drilling fluid from a well bore using a jet pump attached to a casing string. The DHDA includes a drill string that passes through the jet pump assembly. The power fluid is separated from the drilling fluid until after it has passed through the nozzle of the jet pump. The jet pump assembly is joined to a concentric casing string. The jet pump also contains a bladder element that expands to redirect the flow of the drilling fluid from the inner annulus into the jet pump assembly. The jet pump assembly lifts the drilling fluid, lowering the fluid level within a well bore to a point where the hydrostatic pressure near the bottom of the well is lower than the pore pressure of the formation being drilled thereby creating under balanced conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Sunstone Corporation
    Inventors: William James Hughes, Jimmie Josh Renfro
  • Patent number: 6769498
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for under balanced drilling comprising a production casing extending vertically from the ground to the area where the drilling is taking place, a concentric casing mounted within the production casing and forming therewith an outer annulus, a concentric casing connecting at its lower end with an upper end of an injection tool, the injection tool having a lower end connecting with a packer assembly which includes a packer and slips, and a drill string having a drill bit at the lower end thereof extending downwardly through the concentric casing, the injection tool, and packer assembly to the area where the drilling is taking place, the injection tool having a generally cylindrical body and a plurality of spaced spiral flutes extending outwardly from the cylindrical body to the inner wall of the production casing and forming therebetween spiral openings through which fluid may be forced downwardly through the outer annulus and against the packer, each flute having an upwardly directed spi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Sunstone Corporation
    Inventor: W. James Hughes
  • Patent number: 6666274
    Abstract: The invention comprises a section of improved tubing with coupled end connectors and an insert containing at least one electrical wire. The insert has an outside diameter that is approximately equal to the inside diameter of the improved tubing. The insert also has projections at each end such that when two inserts are placed end to end, the projections will mate up. The insert has at least one groove cut into its side and running the length of the insert. The groove is for the placement of a wire for transmission of power to the well bore or for the placement of a wire for transmission of data from the well bore. When a plurality of the inventions are placed end to end, the insert projections line up the electrical connectors and correct mating of the insert projections will result in correct mating of the electrical connectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Sunstone Corporation
    Inventor: William James Hughes