Abstract: In wellbore construction it has become environmentally and economically practical to treat flow back and produced water at the well site. Typically the flow back and produced water is initially contained in an open air pond. The water is then run to a treatment system to remove particulates and then deposited in a second clean pond. The water in the second clean pond may be allowed to sit in the pond for weeks before it is pumped out to be taken and disposed of or most likely to be used as a water source in the construction of a different well. Unfortunately even though the water may have initially been treated with the biocide due to the open environment to water is usually re-contaminated with both nutrients and both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The anaerobic bacteria usually include sulfur reducing bacteria which in turn produces hydrogen sulfide dissolved in the water.

Abstract: A method of utilizing fiber-optic cables either previously installed in adjacent wells or currently installed as part of the drilling or milling process to sense vibrations or acoustic signatures within an adjacent or the currently drilled wellbore. The vibrations or acoustic signatures may then be used to determine the location, including the depth, of a tool run into the well on coil tubing. In addition to determining the location of any tools run into the well on coil tubing, a determination of the operating condition of the tools may also be made based upon the vibrations or acoustic signatures of the tools received via the fiber-optic cables.

Abstract: In certain instances high levels of boron is present in produced or flowback water after it has been treated. The boron or borates tend to cause the guar to cross-link and become viscous too early which may cause undue wear or other problems with the surface equipment. It has been found that in the presence of low pH the viscosifier typically does not cross-link in the presence of a borate allowing the finished water to be used to hydrate the fluid. The fluid including the now hydrated linear gel is then subject to a chelating process so that the boron may be sequestered. Once the originally present borate is sequestered a slowly soluble borate is added to cause the linear gel to cross-link at the desired point in time.

Abstract: Compositions, apparatuses and methods for isolating target zones for hydraulic fracturing, in particular, the use of smart fluids (i.e., magnetorheological fluids) to isolate target zones for fracturing by inducing an electromagnetic field to increase the viscosity of the fluids to form packers or plugs in the annulus of the wellbore and to isolate the target zone are disclosed.

Abstract: A sand slurry composition and a method for making sand slurries are disclosed. The sand slurry composition is comprised of sand, an aqueous liquid and a chemical compound that renders the surface sand of hydrophobic. The method is comprised of rendering sand surface hydrophobic during or before making the slurry. This method and composition can find many applications in different industries, especially in various oil field applications.

Abstract: Methods and compositions are provided that may comprise cement, a stabilizing additive, latex, and water. An embodiment of the present invention includes a method of cementing in a subterranean formation. The method may include introducing a cement composition into the subterranean formation, wherein the cement composition comprises cement, a stabilizing additive, latex, and water. Another embodiment of the present invention include a cement composition. The cement composition may comprise cement, a stabilizing additive, latex, and water.

Abstract: One or more burst disks, for isolating downhole communication between a tubular and a hydrocarbon-bearing formation, are fit with a shaped explosive charge. Detonation of the shaped charge is initiated by the rupture of the burst disk. In a system for stimulating the formation, one or more sets of two or more shaped charge, enhanced burst disks are located at a location along the tubular corresponding to a selected interval for stimulation. The enhanced burst disks can be fit with a chamber of known pressure for establishing a known and significant pressure differential across the burst disk for enabling substantially simultaneous rupture at the selected interval.

Abstract: In certain instances high shear rates, such as when a fracturing fluid is pumped downhole, tend to degrade the viscosity of low polymer guars in low salinity environments. In the past in order to improve guar efficacy a delayed cross-linker such as ulexite or colemanite, both boron ores, was added. Recently it is been found that by adding a weak base, the overall viscosity of the guar was enhanced. The fracturing fluid typically includes a base fluid, in this case low salinity water, a gelling agent, a delayed crosslinker, a weak base, and other additives useful for treating a well such as friction reducers, buffering agents, clay control agents, biocides, scale inhibitors, chelating agents, gel-breakers, oxygen scavengers, antifoamers, crosslinkers, wax inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, de-emulsifiers, foaming agents, or tracers.

Abstract: Tubing encapsulated cable consists of one or more electrical conductors and possibly one or more fiber optic cables sheathed in a corrosion resistant metallic alloy. However, pumping during the installation of tubing encapsulated cable is required to overcome the capstan effect of the tubing encapsulate cable inside the coil tubing as the tubing encapsulated cable travels through the coiled up wraps of coil tubing. In an embodiment of the invention the tubing encapsulated cable consists of one or more electrical conductors and possibly one or more fiber optic cables sheathed in a fiber reinforced composite sheath. Because there is little drag between the fiber encapsulated cable and the coil tubing, conventional pumping operations used to install braided wireline into coil tubing may not be required when installing fiber encapsulated cable into coil tubing.

Abstract: Tubing encapsulated cable is generally difficult to place in the interior of coil tubing. In various embodiments of the present invention tubing encapsulated cable is placed in the interior of coil tubing by attaching the tubing encapsulated cable to a tractor and allowing the tractor to pull the tubing encapsulated cable into the coil tubing. The tractor drive system may be a fluid drive system where an electric or other motor supplies power to a propeller or jet pump. The tractor drive system could also be a friction drive were electric or other motor supplies power to a drive wheel or treads. The tractor drive system could also be a push me pull me system where electric or other motor locks a portion of the tractor in place while moving the other portion forwards.

Abstract: Tubing encapsulated cable is generally difficult to place in the interior of coil tubing while the coil tubing is wound onto a reel on the surface. In various embodiments of the present invention tubing encapsulated cable is placed in the interior of coil tubing by first installing a semi-rigid cable into the coil tubing semi-rigid cable is initially installed by pumping the cable into the coil tubing. The leading end of the cable is then attached to a winch while the trailing end of the cable is attached to tubing encapsulated cable. The winch applies tension to the cable in turn pulling on the tubing encapsulated cable to move the tubing encapsulated cable into the coil tubing. Additionally fluid is pumped through the tubing encapsulated cable in the direction that the tubing encapsulated cable is being installed to assist in overcoming the capstan effect that acts on both the cable and the tubing encapsulated cable.

Abstract: Tubing encapsulated cable is generally difficult to place in the interior of the coil tubing. It has been found that in certain circumstances the process of placing the tubing encapsulated cable in the interior coil tubing is simplified by manufacturing the coil tubing with the tubing encapsulated cable already in place in the interior of the coil tubing. In the instance when a tubular is formed by curving the edges of the a flat plate into the tubular shape, along the flat plate's long axis, the tubing encapsulated cable is unspooled to the interior of the coil tubing prior to the edges of the flat plate being welded together to form the coil tubing. Or when the coil tubing is formed by spiral wrapping the flat plate, at an angle to the flat plate's long axis, into a tubular shape, again the tubing encapsulated cable is unspooled to the interior of the tubular shape prior to the edges of the flat plate being welded together to form the coil tubing.

Abstract: Tubing encapsulated cable consists of one or more electrical conductors and possibly one or more fiber optic cables sheathed in a corrosion resistant metallic alloy. However, pumping during the installation of tubing encapsulated cable is required to overcome the capstan effect of the tubing encapsulated cable inside the coil tubing as the tubing encapsulated cable travels through the coiled up wraps of coil tubing. One way to overcome the capstan effect is to reduce the contact between the coil tubing and the tubing encapsulated cable by installing standoffs along the length of the tubing encapsulated cable. Other additional friction between inner surface of the coil tubing and the tubing encapsulated cable that occurs during the installation of the tubing encapsulated cable and the inner surface of the coil tubing may be reduced by adding standoffs along the length of the coil tubing.

Abstract: A method of stimulating a subterranean formation using a tubular member with one or more burst disks therein.

Abstract: An aqueous slurry composition for use in industries such as petroleum and pipeline industries that includes: a particulate, an aqueous carrier fluid, a chemical compound that renders the particulate surface hydrophobic, and a small amount of an oil. The slurry is produced by rendering the surface of the particulate hydrophobic during or before the making of the slurry. The addition of the oil greatly enhances the aggregation potential of the hydrophobically modified particulates once placed in the well bore.

Abstract: An aqueous slurry composition for use in industries such as petroleum and pipeline industries that includes: a particulate, an aqueous carrier fluid, a chemical compound that renders the particulate surface hydrophobic, and a small amount of an oil. The slurry is produced by rendering the surface of the particulate hydrophobic during or before the making of the slurry. The addition of the oil greatly enhances the aggregation potential of the hydrophobically modified particulates once placed in the well bore.

Abstract: A compact gas turbine motor and a speed reduction transmission capable of providing the speed and torque required for drilling with center discharge bits. The transmission includes two sun gears of different pitch diameters, keyed to the turbine shaft. Upper planet gears, whose carrier is fixed in place, drive an outer ring gear, which engages lower planet gears having a different pitch diameter. The lower planet gears engage the lower sun gear. Due to the different pitch diameters of the sun gears and planet gears, the gear carrier for the lower planet gears rotates in the same direction as the turbine shaft, but at a much slower rate. Exhaust gas from the turbine can be directed through one or more flow restriction elements to increase gas density in the turbine, further reducing turbine speed. The flow restriction element can comprise a venturi, to provide a vacuum assist to remove cuttings.

Abstract: A compact gas turbine motor and a speed reduction transmission capable of providing the speed and torque required for drilling with center discharge bits. The transmission includes two sun gears of different pitch diameters, keyed to the turbine shaft. Upper planet gears, whose carrier is fixed in place, drive an outer ring gear, which engages lower planet gears having a different pitch diameter. The lower planet gears engage the lower sun gear. Due to the different pitch diameters of the sun gears and planet gears, the gear carrier for the lower planet gears rotates in the same direction as the turbine shaft, but at a much slower rate. Exhaust gas from the turbine can be directed through one or more flow restriction elements to increase gas density in the turbine, further reducing turbine speed. The flow restriction element can comprise a venturi, to provide a vacuum assist to remove cuttings.

Abstract: A method and system for cementing a tubular and mud motor in a wellbore utilizing burst disks above the mud motor. The burst disks rupture to permit the cement to flow through the burst disks and bypass the mud motor. All of the burst disks reliably rupture at a predetermined and known threshold pressure so as to permit cement to be pumped at a desired rate through all of the ruptured burst disks. Each burst disk is provided with a cover for maintaining a chamber of a known pressure between the cap and the burst disk. All of the burst disks predictably and reliably rupture at the rated pressure.

Abstract: A compact gas turbine motor and a speed reduction transmission capable of providing the speed and torque required for drilling with center discharge bits. The transmission includes two sun gears of different pitch diameters, keyed to the turbine shaft. Upper planet gears, whose carrier is fixed in place, drive an outer ring gear, which engages lower planet gears having a different pitch diameter. The lower planet gears engage the lower sun gear. Due to the different pitch diameters of the sun gears and planet gears, the gear carrier for the lower planet gears rotates in the same direction as the turbine shaft, but at a much slower rate. Exhaust gas from the turbine can be directed through one or more flow restriction elements to increase gas density in the turbine, further reducing turbine speed. The flow restriction element can comprise a venturi, to provide a vacuum assist to remove cuttings.