Patents Examined by Brad Harcourt
  • Patent number: 11473416
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for gas and solids separation from down-hole fluids is disclosed, including particular structural means for forcing the de-gassing of the gaseous liquid, including means for changing the velocity of the gaseous liquid (speed changes on each exit from the tubes owing to the volume difference between the tubes and the chamber), means for changing the direction of the gaseous liquid (owing to the flow changing direction from exiting one set of tubes to travel to the opening to enter the next set of tubes), and means for changing the pressure of the gaseous liquid (owing perhaps in part to evolution of gas upon entering increased volume).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Modicum, LLC
    Inventor: Gary V. Marshall
  • Patent number: 11466550
    Abstract: An electric driven hydraulic fracking system is disclosed. A pump configuration that includes the single VFD, the single shaft electric motor, and the single hydraulic pump that is mounted on the single pump trailer. A power distribution trailer distributes the electric power generated by the power generation system at the power generation voltage level to the single VFD and converts the electric power at a power generation voltage level to a VFD voltage level and controls the operation of the single shaft electric motor and the single hydraulic pump. The power distribution trailer converts the electric power generated by the power generation system at the power generation level to an auxiliary voltage level that is less than the power generation voltage level. The power distribution trailer distributes the electric power at the auxiliary voltage level to the single VFD that controls an operation of the of the auxiliary systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: National Service Alliance—Houston LLC
    Inventors: John Fischer, John J. Crosetto, David Kubricht, Richard Cheatham, Jeffrey Pollack, Chad Lawman, David Todd, Tyler Nolen
  • Patent number: 11466524
    Abstract: A closed-loop hydraulic drilling system generates choke characteristic curves or data that more accurately reflects the relationship between the commanded choke valve position and the resulting pressure drop across the choke valve for a given flow rate and fluid density. The choke characteristic curves may be generated through a calibration procedure and then used during normal operations to more accurately monitor return flow and manage wellbore pressure. The specific gravity of an injected calibration fluid and pressure drop across the choke valve may be determined and correlated to the current choke valve position to reflect the choke characteristic curve in situ, thereby providing for more precise control of wellbore pressure and enabling condition monitoring of the choke valve. In addition, an improved closed-loop hydraulic drilling system does not require a flow meter, enabling the adoption of MPD systems in low-specification and economically constrained applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: GRANT PRIDECO, INC.
    Inventors: Austin Johnson, Kareem Amer, Justin Fraczek
  • Patent number: 11459866
    Abstract: A system for stimulating a well extending through a subterranean earthen formation includes a surface pump configured to pressurize a well stimulation fluid to a current surface pressure measurable by a surface sensor package, a well stimulation line extending between the surface pump and a wellhead positioned at an upper end of the well, wherein the well stimulation line is configured to flow the well stimulation fluid into the well, and a monitoring system in signal communication with the surface sensor package and including a screen-out predictor module stored in a memory of the monitoring system, wherein the screen-out predictor module is configured to predict a future surface pressure of the well stimulation fluid based on the current surface pressure measured by the surface sensor package, and wherein the monitoring system is configured to provide an indication of the predicted future surface pressure of the well stimulation fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: BP CORPORATION NORTH AMERICA INC.
    Inventors: Sarita Salunke, Ivan Gil, Laryssa Petry Ligocki, Bryan Dotson
  • Patent number: 11459836
    Abstract: A drilling rig system may include a drilling rig including a plurality of surface rig equipment thereon and a plurality of orientation sensors disposed on the plurality of surface rig equipment. The plurality of orientation sensors may be configured to provide relational positioning of the plurality of surface rig equipment on the drilling rig.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Alejandro Camacho Cardenas, Vishwanathan Parmeshwar, Manat Singh
  • Patent number: 11459879
    Abstract: Methods and systems for performing borehole operations are described. The methods include generating an information signal in a borehole using a pulse generation member, wherein the information signal comprises a pressure variation within a borehole fluid, detecting, in the borehole, a first signal that correlates to the information signal at a first time, detecting, in the borehole, a second signal that correlates to the information signal at a second time, and performing a borehole operation using the first signal and the second signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES OILFIELD OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: John Macpherson
  • Patent number: 11454095
    Abstract: Apparatus, method(s), and system(s) according to which electric power is generated in one or more coils by rotating a magnetic field generated by one or more permanent magnets. The one or more coils are connected to a collar. The collar is positioned downhole in an oil and gas wellbore. The one or more permanent magnets are connected to a rotor positioned within an internal passageway of the collar. A fluid is communicated along the internal passageway of the collar. The rotor, and thus the magnetic field generated by the one or more permanent magnets, are rotated using the fluid communicated along the internal passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Inventor: Bosko Gajic
  • Patent number: 11448062
    Abstract: Well installations and methods for constructing wireless ready well installations. The installations comprise downhole metallic structure (2) and downhole repeater apparatus (5) for receiving signals and in response transmitting signals onwards. The repeater apparatus (5) are arranged for at least one of receiving the signals by picking up at least one of electrical and acoustic signals from the downhole metallic structure and transmitting the signals onwards by applying at least one of electrical and acoustic signals to the downhole metallic structure. Various arrangement and methods are described to allow provision of well installations ready for wireless communications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: METROL TECHNOLOGY LTD.
    Inventors: Steve Martin Hudson, Leslie David Jarvis
  • Patent number: 11434745
    Abstract: A well bore completion tool includes an accelerometer having an accelerometer output representative of acceleration of the well bore completion tool. The well bore completion tool includes a signal conditioning device coupled to the accelerometer output and producing a conditioned accelerometer output. The well bore completion tool includes an uplink coupled to the conditioned accelerometer output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert W. Gissler, Aswin Balasubramanian, Quanling Zheng
  • Patent number: 11434753
    Abstract: An electronics carrier to be disposed in a downhole tool is provided. The electronics carrier includes a chassis, and a receiver processing component disposed on the chassis. The receiver processing component is communicatively coupled to one or more receiver sensors, and the receiver processing component includes a receiver pre-amplifier. A transmitter processing component is disposed on the chassis. The transmitter processing component is communicatively coupled to one or more transmitter sensors. A shield is disposed on the chassis to prevent cross-talk between the transmitter processing component and the receiver processing component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Chase Griffing, Anand Prakash
  • Patent number: 11434742
    Abstract: An apparatus for, and method of identifying a potential problem with, drilling equipment that is used in a drilling operation. The method includes monitoring an actual drilling parameter associated with the drilling operation; comparing the actual drilling parameter to a target drilling parameter to determine a deviation between the actual and target drilling parameters; creating, using the controller and in response to the deviation, instructions for a control system that controls an aspect of the drilling operation; drilling, using the instructions and the controller, the wellbore; monitoring, using the controller, a change in deviation in response to drilling using the instructions; determining that the change in deviation is below a threshold; and determining, based on the change in deviation being below the threshold, that there is a potential problem with the drilling equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: NABORS DRILLING TECHNOLOGIES USA, INC.
    Inventors: Austin Groover, Scott Coffey, Drew Curran, Adam Lacroix
  • Patent number: 11428073
    Abstract: A toe valve for use in a wellbore includes: a tubular mandrel having couplings at longitudinal ends thereof for assembly as part of a casing or liner string; a housing extending along a periphery of the mandrel and mounted thereto; a valve piston disposed in an annulus formed between the housing and the mandrel, movable between an open position and a closed position, disposed between a valve port of the housing and a valve port of the mandrel in the closed position; a fastener releasably connecting the valve piston to the housing in the closed position; an atmospheric chamber forming a portion of the annulus adjacent to the valve piston; and a drive piston disposed in the annulus adjacent to a drive port of the mandrel and operable to release the valve piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: DOWNHOLE PRODUCTS LIMITED
    Inventor: Alexander Craig Mackay
  • Patent number: 11428075
    Abstract: A system includes sensing modules positioned along a length of a drill string. Each sensing module includes a structure arrangement composed of an outer structure body having a cavity and an inner structure body rotatably supported within the cavity. The structure arrangement is coupled to the drill string such that rotation of the drill string produces a relative rotation between the structure bodies. Ball elements are disposed in a gap between the structure bodies and move along a predetermined path defined in the gap in response to relative rotation between the structure bodies. Movable elements are positioned to physically interact with the ball elements as the ball elements move along the predetermined path. Energy harvesters in the sensor modules generate electrical energy from the mechanical energy produced by physical interaction between the ball elements and movable elements. The sensing modules include sensors to measure parameters in the drill string environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignees: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY, Macquarie University
    Inventors: Chinthaka Pasan Gooneratne, Subhas Mukhopadhyay, Bodong Li, Guodong Zhan, Arturo Magana-Mora, Timothy Eric Moellendick
  • Patent number: 11414950
    Abstract: A well annular pressure control device includes a housing having a through bore and at least two iris valves within the housing. The iris valves comprise a plurality of vanes operable between an open position and a closed position to define an opening. At least one actuator is coupled to the plurality of vanes to move the plurality of vanes between the open position and the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Kinetic Pressure Control Ltd.
    Inventors: Bobby Gallagher, Steven Angstmann, Billy Gallagher
  • Patent number: 11414968
    Abstract: A submersible pump system may include a perforated casing lining a wellbore adjacent to a first formation and a second formation. Additionally, a production tubing may be hanging in the wellbore to extend past the first formation and into the second formation to form a fluid conduit from a surface to the second formation. Further, an electrical submersible pump may be coupled to the production tubing and be oriented upside-down to have one or more fluid intakes at an upper end of the electrical submersible pump and one or more fluid outlets at a lower end of the electrical submersible pump. The electrical submersible pump may be positioned downhole in the wellbore between the first formation and the second formation. The upside-down electrical submersible pump may be configured to extract fluid from the first formation and inject the extracted fluid into the second formation with the production tubing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventor: Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Muraikhi
  • Patent number: 11401750
    Abstract: A telemetry pipe system used to transmit a beacon signal through a drill string. The system comprises a plurality of pipe sections joined end-to-end to form the drill string, each pipe section having an inner tube made from a conductive material. The system further comprises a plurality of connectors. Each connector is installed within a pipe joint formed between adjoining pipe sections. The connector comprises an elongate spine and a bristle assembly supported on each end of the spine. The spine and bristle assemblies are each made of a conductive material. The spine extends between adjacent pipe sections within the pipe joint such that each bristle assembly is conductively engaged with adjacent inner tubes. The inner tubes and connectors form a conductive path within the drill string for transmitting the beacon signal through the drill string.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: The Charles Machine Works, Inc.
    Inventor: Floyd R. Gunsaulis
  • Patent number: 11401777
    Abstract: Methods of plugging a hydrocarbon well by a through-tubing technique wherein the tubing is left in place, and only very short (<5 m) sections are cut, milled, perforated, ruptured and expanded, or combinations thereof. A blocking device is sent downhole if needed to block a bottom of the plug section, and resin dropped onto the blocking device to make a first plug, then cement is deployed onto said first plug to form a second plug. Therefore, the final interval is plugged with a two material binary plug. Once completed, and both primary and secondary barriers are in place, the well can be closed and the Christmas tree removed. A rock-to-rock plug can be set by removing or partially removing the tubular and the outer casing, or just inner casing/tubulars can be removed if the exterior cement and casing are of sufficient quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventor: Randall S. Shafer
  • Patent number: 11396807
    Abstract: A downhole system and method of performing an operational action with the downhole system. The downhole system includes a downhole string having a flow channel therethrough, a first turbine generator for generating electrical energy when a flow rate of a fluid through the flow channel is within a first flow rate range, and a second turbine generator for generating electrical energy when a flow rate of the fluid through the flow channel is within a second flow rate range. A first pulser at a downhole location in the downhole string transmits a pressure pulse communicative of data generated downhole using electrical energy generated by one of the first turbine generator and the second turbine generator. A sensor at a surface location receives the pressure pulse, and a control unit performs the operational action based on the data communicated by the pressure pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES OILFIELD OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Bryan Dugas
  • Patent number: 11391103
    Abstract: Disclosed are a monitoring, prevention and management method for preventing a drilling pump from pump suffocation and misoperation, and a pump pressure protection system therefor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Puyang Baifu Reide Petroleum Science and Technology Company Limited
    Inventors: Gang Zhao, Chen Chen, Jianfeng Jin, Zhitao Zhang, Chun Yu, Yulong Xia, Yingdong Zhang
  • Patent number: 11377947
    Abstract: A method of preventing over-pressurization of a downstream piping network, using a safety VFD, includes continuously receiving, from sensors attached to an ESP, values representing input/output operating parameters of the ESP. The ESP is disposed in a wellbore and fluidically coupled to a piping network disposed at a surface of the wellbore. The method also includes comparing one or more values to operating parameter thresholds determined based on at least one of 1) expected ESP parameters during a blocked outlet condition of the piping network or 2) an association of the operating parameter threshold with a fluidic pressure of the piping network that has a potential of reaching an MAOP of the piping network. The method also includes determining that values meet the threshold and changing an input parameter of the ESP to change a fluidic output of the ESP to prevent the over pressurization of the downstream piping network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Pedro Alejandro Mujica, Herman Roberto Cipriano