Patents Assigned to TOTAL S.A.
  • Patent number: 12044609
    Abstract: Investigating the permeability and porosity of geological samples is a routine element of geological studies, and is of particular interest in the oil and gas industry. Core-flood experiments are commonly performed on rock samples to measure transport characteristics in the laboratory. This disclosure reports the design and implementation of a high resolution distributed pressure measurement system for core-flood experiments. A series of microfabricated pressure sensors can be embedded in bolts that are housed within the pressurized polymer sheath that encases a rock core. A feedthrough technology has been developed to provide lead transfer between the sensors and system electronics across a 230-bar pressure difference. The system has been successfully benchtop tested with fluids such as synthetic oil and/or gas. Pressure measurements were recorded over a dynamic range of 20 bar with a resolution as small as 0.3 mbar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignees: The Regents of The University of Michigan, TOTAL S.E.
    Inventors: Yogesh B. Gianchandani, Tao Li, Partha Dutta, Alexander Benken, John-Richard Ordonez-Varela
  • Publication number: 20220326136
    Abstract: Investigating the permeability and porosity of geological samples is a routine element of geological studies, and is of particular interest in the oil and gas industry. Core-flood experiments are commonly performed on rock samples to measure transport characteristics in the laboratory. This disclosure reports the design and implementation of a high resolution distributed pressure measurement system for core-flood experiments. A series of microfabricated pressure sensors can be embedded in bolts that are housed within the pressurized polymer sheath that encases a rock core. A feedthrough technology has been developed to provide lead transfer between the sensors and system electronics across a 230-bar pressure difference. The system has been successfully benchtop tested with fluids such as synthetic oil and/or gas. Pressure measurements were recorded over a dynamic range of 20 bar with a resolution as small as 0.3 mbar.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2020
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Applicants: TOTAL S.E., THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: Yogesh B. GIANCHANDANI, Tao LI, Partha DUTTA, Alexander BENKEN, John-Richard ORDONEZ-VARELA
  • Patent number: 11313987
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and associated computer program and apparatus for characterising changes within a subsurface volume between a first time and a second time. The method comprises obtaining first seismic data corresponding to the first time and processing this data to obtain a seismic image of the subsurface volume. This processing is reversed for relevant portions of the seismic image to obtain relevant portions of first seismic data. Changes within the subsurface volume between the first time and the second time are characterised by estimating the changes between second seismic data corresponding to the second time and the relevant portions of first seismic data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Total S.A.
    Inventors: Jonathan Anthony Edgar, Thomas David Blanchard, Constantin Vili Gerea
  • Patent number: 11215667
    Abstract: An interval observer based on an equivalent circuit-thermal model for lithium-ion batteries is presented. State of charge-temperature-dependent parameters are considered as unknown but bounded uncertainties in a single cell model. A parallel and a series arrangement of five cells are used for observer design, where cell heterogeneity is accounted for through the uncertainty bounding functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignees: TOTAL S.A., University of California—Berkeley, Université Libre de Bruxelles
    Inventors: Dong Zhang, Preet Gill, Scott Moura, Luis Couto, Sebastien Benjamin, Wente Zeng
  • Publication number: 20210405121
    Abstract: An interval observer based on an equivalent circuit-thermal model for lithium-ion batteries is presented. State of charge-temperature-dependent parameters are considered as unknown but bounded uncertainties in a single cell model. A parallel and a series arrangement of five cells are used for observer design, where cell heterogeneity is accounted for through the uncertainty bounding functions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2020
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Applicants: TOTAL S.A., University of California - Berkeley, Université Libre de Bruxelles
    Inventors: Dong ZHANG, Preet GILL, Scott MOURA, Luis COUTO, Sebastien BENJAMIN, Wente ZENG
  • Patent number: 10763381
    Abstract: Disclosed is an opto-electronic device including a semiconducting substrate, a layered interface including at least one layer, the layered interface having a first surface in contact with a surface of the semiconducting substrate and the layered interface being adapted for passivating the surface of the semiconducting substrate, the layered interface having a second surface and the layered interface being adapted for electrically insulating the first surface from the second surface, and a textured surface structure including a plurality of nanowires and a transparent dielectric coating, the textured surface structure being in contact with the second surface of the layered interface, the plurality of nanowires protruding from the second surface and the plurality of nanowires being embedded between the second surface and the transparent dielectric coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignees: TOTAL S.A., ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE, CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE
    Inventors: Pere Roca I Cabarrocas, Wanghua Chen, Martin Foldyna, Gilles Poulain
  • Patent number: 10705237
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for characterizing the evolution of a subsurface volume over time. The method comprises providing a first and second surveys of the reservoir with a first and second sets of seismic traces, performing an inversion to obtain estimates of changes having occurred between said first time and said second time in terms of at least one model parameter; wherein the subsurface volume is divided into regions according to a high order discrete classification attributed in accordance with the region's geologic characteristics, and said inversion is constrained per region of subsurface volume. The regions of subsurface volume may be geological layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Total S.A.
    Inventors: Pierre Daniel Thore, Jonathan Anthony Edgar
  • Patent number: 10692301
    Abstract: The invention notably relates to a method for performing a 3D structural restoration of a geological setting with a computer system, including unfolding one or more geological surfaces of the geological setting. The unfolding comprises for each respective geological surface providing a 3D triangulated surface representing the respective geological surface, and determining a conformal flattening that transforms the 3D triangulated surface into a 2D triangulated surface. The conformal flattening is an iso-topographic mapping which substantially preserves angles. This provides an improved solution of 3D structural restoration of a geological setting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: TOTAL S.A.
    Inventors: Frank Despinois, Stefano Frambati, Marjolaine Lahmi
  • Patent number: 10677848
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for battery modelling. The method includes acquiring battery information from a sensor attached to a battery, the battery information including at least a terminal voltage and a load current; classifying, the battery information as effective data or ineffective data based on a phase of a battery cycle during which the battery information is acquired; identifying one or more parameters of the circuit model associated with the battery based on the effective data; and generating an estimation of a state of the battery using the circuit model having the one or more parameters identified using the effective data. Further, a circuit model is identified using effective data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignees: TOTAL S.A., NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Mo-Yuen Chow, Cong Sheng Huang, Carlos Carrejo
  • Patent number: 10637245
    Abstract: A method and system for sizing energy storage device capacity. The method includes generating a load profile of at least an entity based on at least information acquired by a user interface, generating an ensemble of net load profiles based on at least the load profile and based on at least one energy source profile, determining values of cumulative distribution functions associated with a plurality of energy storage device capacities as a function of at least the ensemble of net load profiles, generating a graphical representation of a combination of the composite cumulative distribution functions and a cluster of equal probability line, rendering the graphical representation, and sizing a capacity of the energy storage device based on the rendered graphical representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignees: TOTAL S.A., NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Xiangqi Zhu, Wente Zeng, Jiahong Yan, Ning Lu
  • Patent number: 10626514
    Abstract: An electrochemical cell includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, an electrolyte disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and an ion-conducting composite membrane disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The composite membrane includes a porous substrate having pores and a porosity from about 5 vol % to about 80 vol %, and a selective ion-conductive filler disposed at least partially within the pores. The filler includes an intercalation material. Methods of making the ion-conducting composite membrane and using an electrochemical cell having the ion-conducting composite membrane are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignees: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Total Energies Nouvelles Activites USA, Total S.A.
    Inventors: Daniel A. Dalla Corte, Brice H. V. Chung, Dheevesh V. Arulmani, Donald R. Sadoway
  • Publication number: 20190339415
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of determining front propagation within a subsurface volume such as a reservoir. The subsurface volume includes a plurality of cells and at least one geological fault. The method includes performing a fast marching algorithm so as to determine the front propagation in terms of the time of arrival of the front at a particular cell from one or more neighboring cells which make up the neighborhood of the particular cell. For each faulted cell that is adjacent a geological fault, the neighborhood of the faulted cell is defined as including only its geometric neighbors, where the geometric neighbors are those cells that are in contact with the faulted cell in a geometric sense, regardless of stratification.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Applicant: Total S.A.
    Inventors: Stéphane VIGNAU, Florent LALLIER, Michael MONTOUCHET
  • Patent number: 10422926
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of determining front propagation within a subsurface volume such as a reservoir. The subsurface comprises a plurality of cells and at least one geological fault (210). The method comprises performing a fast marching algorithm so as to determine said front propagation in terms of the time of arrival of the front at a particular cell from one or more neighboring cells which make up the neighborhood of said particular cell. For each faulted cell (C) that is adjacent a geological fault, the neighborhood of the faulted cell is defined as comprising only its geometric neighbors (NS, NG cells and NG cells) where the geometric neighbors are those cells that are in contact with the faulted cell in a geometric sense, regardless of stratification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Total S.A.
    Inventors: Stéphane Vignau, Florent Lallier, Michael Montouchet
  • Patent number: 10393900
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for characterizing the evolution of a reservoir by determining a seismic wavelet which links observed seismic data to a sequence of reflectivities. The method comprises obtaining seismic data (200) representing seismic changes which have occurred between a first time and a second time, said seismic data comprising a plurality of seismic traces; and performing an optimization operation simultaneously (230) on the seismic traces so as to optimize for said seismic wavelet. The optimization operation may be performed without using known reflectivity data as an input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Total S.A.
    Inventors: Thomas David Blanchard, Pierre Daniel Thore, Christian Hubans
  • Patent number: 10396404
    Abstract: An electrochemical cell includes a negative electrode having a first liquid phase having a first active metal, a positive electrode having a second liquid phase having a second active metal, and a liquid electrolyte having a salt of the first active metal and a salt of the second active metal. The electrochemical cell also includes a bipolar faradaic membrane, disposed between the negative electrode and the positive electrode, having a first surface facing the negative electrode and a second surface facing the positive electrode. The bipolar faradaic membrane is configured to allow cations of the first active metal to pass through and to impede cations of the second active metal from transferring from the positive electrode to the negative electrode and is at least partially formed from a material having an electronic conductivity sufficient to drive faradaic reactions at the second surface with the cations of the positive electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignees: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Total S.A., Total Energies Nouvelles Activites USA
    Inventors: Huayi Yin, Fei Chen, Brice Hoani Valentin Chung, Takanari Ouchi, Donald Robert Sadoway
  • Patent number: 10393561
    Abstract: An improved solution for estimating the flow rate of a fluid in a line of a hydrocarbon production installation, during production. Systems and methods for producing hydrocarbons on a line of a hydrocarbon production installation can include at least two devices adapted each for providing an estimate of the flow rate of a fluid in the line based on respective data. The devices include at least one metric counter, and the data relative to the provision of an estimate of the flow rate by the metric counter include a measurement done by at least one sensor of the metric counter on the fluid. Further, data can be determined relative to the provision of an estimate of the flow rate by the devices, and a DVR process involving the determined data, the reconciliation being conditioned by at least a substantial equality between the estimates of the flow rate of the fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Total S.A.
    Inventors: Cécile Coudroy, Jean Paul Couput, Renaud Caulier, Vincent Arendo
  • Patent number: 10386539
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of modelling a subsurface volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Total S.A.
    Inventors: Pierre Bergey, Pui Wa Li
  • Patent number: 10378323
    Abstract: A water injection flow control device includes a stack of discs or cone-like plates that form spiral-shaped flow conduits. The spiral-shaped flow conduits form at least one revolution about a central point or axis and depart or approach the central point or axis for each revolution. At least some of the spiral-shaped flow conduits have sections in series with alternating cross sectional area for flow and at least some have sections with a serpentine-type shape for flow along the spiral-shaped flow conduits. The spiral-shaped flow conduits have an inlet coupled to an inner or outer end of the spiral shaped flow conduits, an outlet coupled to the other end of the spiral-shaped conduits, and a control member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignees: Typhonix AS, Total S.A.
    Inventors: Stéphane Jouenne, Trygve Husveg
  • Patent number: 10379244
    Abstract: Abstract Disclosed is a method for characterizing the evolution of a subsurface volume over time. The method comprises providing first and second surveys of the subsurface volume. Each survey comprises seismic data acquired by transmitting seismic signals into the subsurface volume and subsequently detecting some or all of the seismic signals after reflection within the subsurface. The first seismic data of the first survey corresponds to a first time and the second seismic data of the second survey corresponds to a second time. At least some of the first seismic data and the second seismic data is obtained with a non-zero offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: Total S.A.
    Inventors: Thomas David Blanchard, Jonathan Anthony Edgar
  • Patent number: 10371858
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of modelling a subsurface volume. History data for one or more parameters over a first period of time is obtained. The first period of time comprises a plurality of schedule periods, each schedule period having associated with it a sampled value of the considered parameter at the corresponding time. A merge error value is attributed to plural pairs of consecutive schedule periods, the merge error value representing a magnitude of the error in a merged value of each parameter over the duration corresponding to a pair of schedule periods being considered, relative to the sampled values for said pair of schedule periods being considered. The pair of schedule periods which have the smallest error value attributed thereto is merged, and the merged schedule period has attributed to it, the corresponding merged value of the corresponding parameter. The error value calculation and merger steps are repeated so as to reduce the total number of schedule periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Total S.A.
    Inventor: Pierre Bergey