Patents Assigned to Wavefront Reservoir Technologies Ltd.
  • Patent number: 9194211
    Abstract: The pulse-tool is used when injecting liquid into a borehole in the ground. When a pulse-valve of the tool opens, liquid passes through from an accumulator to the ground formation, whereby the accumulator pressure falls and the formation pressure rises. When the pulse-valve closes, the accumulator pressure rises and the formation pressure falls. The pulse-valve is driven to open when the pressure differential (PDAF) reaches a high-threshold, at which the PDAF overcomes a biasing force acting to hold the pulse-valve closed. The biasing force is provided by a pair of magnets, in attraction mode. When the PDAF reaches its high-threshold, and the magnets separate, the magnetic attraction force decreases rapidly. This characteristic helps the pulse-valve to open very rapidly, e.g explosively, creating an energetic penetrative shock-wave out into the formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: WAVEFRONT RESERVOIR TECHNOLOGIES LTD.
    Inventor: Lance Leo Lefebvre
  • Patent number: 8596300
    Abstract: For pulsed injection of liquids into the ground, the tool has a rotating cylinder, having through-slots. The tool has an insert, which is pressed against the rotating cylinder. As the cylinder rotates, the slots in the rotor cover/uncover the slots in the insert, creating the required pulses. By suitably shaping the slots, the pulses can have a fast rise-time from closed to open. The insert is shaped to minimize flow interference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Wavefront Reservoir Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Benjamin Eric Graham, Andre Michael Masse, Brett Charles Davidson
  • Patent number: 8567505
    Abstract: When injecting liquids into the ground, imposing pulses on the injected liquid is effective to increase penetration and saturation of the ground. Imposing suckback onto the pulses is effective to make the liquid in the ground behave as a coherent unitary body, surging out and back each pulse, and to super-saturate the ground. The tool includes a suckback-chamber, which is timed to open to the ground formation just as the pulse-valve closes. A biasser (e.g a spring) drives the chamber open and sucks in some of the liquid from the ground. The chamber is then emptied, back to the ground, by the rising pressure as the pulsing tool is recharged. The suckback-chamber can be added to any type of pulsing tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Wavefront Reservoir Technologies Ltd.
    Inventor: Brett Charles Davidson
  • Patent number: 8544552
    Abstract: For injecting e.g. water into ground formation around a borehole, and for superimposing pulses onto the outflow of the injected water, it is important that the pulses have a rapid rise-time. A piston is connected to a pulse-valve of the tool. A bias spring urges the piston towards its closed position. The piston is urged towards the open position by a differential PDAF between the supplied accumulator-pressure and the in-ground formation-pressure. When the pulse-valve is open, the PDAF is falling, until the force of the spring closes the pulse-valve. Then the PDAF rises, but now the PDAF acts over only a small area of the piston. When the PDAF is high enough to ease the pulse-valve open, suddenly the whole area of the piston is exposed to the PDAF, whereby the pulse-valve opens violently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Wavefront Reservoir Technologies Ltd.
    Inventor: Brett Charles Davidson
  • Patent number: 8316944
    Abstract: Applying pulses to liquid being injected into wells makes the ground/liquid formation more homogenous, and more penetrative. A system for automatically creating the pulses is described, in which a piston is acted upon by the pressure differential (PDAF) between the supplied accumulator pressure and the formation pressure. The changing levels of the PDAF as the pulse-valve opens (and the PDAF falls) and as the pulse-valve closes (and the PDAF rises) are harnessed to actuate an inhibitor that restrain movement of the valve-piston, and delays opening and/or closing of the pulse-valve. The pulse-valve is engineered to open explosively, and thus create penetrative porosity-waves in the formation. The system includes a pressurized-gas accumulator, and injection-check-valve which can maintain pulsing even when the ground is not saturated, and the static injector, which allows non-pulsed injection only when the ground is non-saturated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Wavefront Reservoir Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Ronald E. Pringle, Mahendra Samaroo, Brett Charles Davidson, John Michael Warren, Jason C. Mailand
  • Patent number: 8166992
    Abstract: For use when injecting remediation liquid via an injection-well into contaminated groundwater, in the ground. The injection equipment includes a pulse-generator, which has an upstream chamber and a downstream chamber, linked by a pulse-conduit and a bypass conduit. The pulse-conduit includes a pulse-port, which opens and closes cyclically. The pulse-port is formed by the interaction of two apertures, one in the motorised rotor, the other in the stator. The rotor and stator may be formed as two facing plates held slightly apart, or as two cylinders one inside the other. The pulse-generator is located at the ground surface and can be adjusted as to pulse frequency, pulse amplitude, pulse rise-time, and as the the differential pressure between the upstream-chamber and the downstream chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Wavefront Reservoir Technologies Ltd.
    Inventor: Mahendra Samaroo
  • Publication number: 20110048724
    Abstract: Applying pulses to liquid being injected into wells makes the ground/liquid formation more homogenous, and more penetrative. A system for automatically creating the pulses is described, in which a piston is acted upon by the pressure differential (PDAF) between the supplied accumulator pressure and the formation pressure. The changing levels of the PDAF as the pulse-valve opens (and the PDAF falls) and as the pulse-valve closes (and the PDAF rises) are harnessed to actuate an inhibitor that restrain movement of the valve-piston, and delays opening and/or closing of the pulse-valve. The pulse-valve is engineered to open explosively, and thus create penetrative porosity-waves in the formation. The system includes a pressurized-gas accumulator, and injection-check-valve which can maintain pulsing even when the ground is not saturated, and the static injector, which allows non-pulsed injection only when the ground is non-saturated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: WAVEFRONT RESERVOIR TECHNOLOGIES LTD.
    Inventors: Ronald E. Pringle, Mahenrda Samaroo, Brett Charles Davidson, John Michael Warren, Jason C. Mailand
  • Publication number: 20110036581
    Abstract: For injecting e.g. water into ground formation around a borehole, and for superimposing pulses onto the outflow of the injected water, it is important that the pulses have a rapid rise-time. A piston is connected to a pulse-valve of the tool. A bias spring urges the piston towards its closed position. The piston is urged towards the open position by a differential PDAF between the supplied accumulator-pressure and the in-ground formation-pressure. When the pulse-valve is open, the PDAF is falling, until the force of the spring closes the pulse-valve. Then the PDAF rises, but now the PDAF acts over only a small area of the piston. When the PDAF is high enough to ease the pulse-valve open, suddenly the whole area of the piston is exposed to the PDAF, whereby the pulse-valve opens violently.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: Wavefront Reservoir Technologies Ltd.
    Inventor: Brett Charles Davidson
  • Publication number: 20100269914
    Abstract: For pulsed injection of liquids into the ground, the tool has a rotating cylinder, having through-slots. The tool has an insert, which is pressed against the rotating cylinder. As the cylinder rotates, the slots in the rotor cover/uncover the slots in the insert, creating the required pulses. By suitably shaping the slots, the pulses can have a fast rise-time from closed to open. The insert is shaped to minimize flow interference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Publication date: October 28, 2010
    Applicant: Wavefront Reservoir Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Benjamin Eric Graham, Andre Michael Masse, Brett Charles Davidson