Patents Examined by Daniel P Stephenson
  • Uphole end for a compression-set straddle packer
    Patent number: 11293255
    Abstract: An uphole end for a compression-set straddle packer has a multicomponent mandrel and a multicomponent sliding sleeve that reciprocates within a limited range on the multicomponent mandrel. A bias element constantly resists relative movement between the multicomponent mandrel and the multicomponent sliding sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: EXACTA-FRAC ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventor: Joze John Hrupp
  • Stop collar assembly
    Patent number: 11286750
    Abstract: A stop collar assembly includes a collar having inner and outer surfaces. The inner surface includes a taper. The outer surface includes a slope such that an outer diameter at a start of the slope is greater than an outer diameter at an end of the slope. The stop collar assembly further includes a slip having a bottom end and a taper adjoining the bottom end. The slip taper is configured to contact the collar taper. When the collar taper is in contact with the slip taper, a distance from a central radial axis of the collar to the start of the slope is less than a distance from the central radial axis to the slip bottom end, and the distance from the central radial axis to the slip bottom end is less than a distance from the central radial axis to the end of the slope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffery Morrison, Jobby T. Jacob
  • Borehole pump and method of using the same
    Patent number: 11289973
    Abstract: A pump system for pumping liquid from a well into a pipe is disclosed. The pump system comprises: a suction cavity in fluid communication with the well via an inlet port controlled by an inlet port valve, a plunger, reciprocally movable within the suction cavity, and a delivery conduit. The delivery conduit is in fluid communication with the pipe via an outlet port, and with the suction cavity via a connection port controlled by a connection port valve. The pump system also comprises a tubular encapsulation, encapsulating the suction cavity, the plunger, the delivery conduit and the valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Comet-ME Ltd.
    Inventors: Noam Dotan, Elad Orian, Ryan Melville Whillier Brand
  • Wellbore gun perforating system and method
    Patent number: 11286758
    Abstract: A wellbore perforating system and method with reliable and safer connections in a perforating gun assembly is disclosed. The system/method includes a gun string assembly (GSA) deployed in a wellbore with multiple perforating guns attached to plural switch subs. The perforating guns are pre-wired with a cable having multi conductors; the multi conductors are connected to electrical ring contacts on either end of the perforating guns. The switch subs are configured with electrical contacts that are attached to the electrical contacts of the perforating guns without the need for manual electrical connections and assembly in the field of operations. The system further includes detonating with a detonator that is positioned upstream of the perforating gun. The detonator is wired to a switch that is positioned downstream of the perforating gun.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: GEODYNAMICS, INC.
    Inventor: John T. Hardesty
  • Sealing assembly
    Patent number: 11280154
    Abstract: A sealing assembly for use downhole may include a plug having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The plug may have an expandable sealing member positioned between the first end and the second end of the plug. The expandable sealing member having a run-in-hole diameter and an expanded diameter that is greater than the run-in-hole diameter. A support device may extending at least partially between a first end of the plug and the expandable sealing member. The support device may include a recess. An elastomeric material may be positioned at least partially within the recess of the support device. A cover may be positioned at least partially over the support device for reducing extrusion of the elastomeric material from within the recess of the support device in the expanded diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Phan, Jack Gamill Clemens
  • Rolling depth of cut controller with clamshell retainer and solid diamond rolling element
    Patent number: 11280136
    Abstract: A rolling depth of cut controller (DOCC) includes a first retainer including a body portion having an arcuate inner surface. The body portion extends partially around a central axis between the inner surface and an outer surface from a mating surface to an engagement surface. Further, the body portion extends axially along the central axis. The rolling DOCC also includes a second retainer secured to the first retainer at the mating surface via at least one fastening feature. Additionally, the rolling DOCC includes a rolling element disposed at least partially within a cavity formed between the first retainer and the second retainer. The rolling element is configured to rotate within the cavity about the central axis, and an exposed portion of the rolling element is configured to provide depth-of-cut control for a drill bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Van Jordan Brackin, Kelley Leigh Plunkett, Curtis Clifford Lanning, John William Varner, Nicholas Grant Allison
  • Perforating gun and system and method for using the same
    Patent number: 11280167
    Abstract: A perforating gun system for use in a well casing disposed within a subterranean well includes a plurality of perforating gun sections each having at least one shaped charge. The plurality of perforating gun sections includes an initial perforating gun section and at least one secondary perforating gun section having an activator and a sensor configured to sense an actuation of another of the plurality of perforating gun sections. The sensor is further configured to cooperate with the activator to actuate the at least one secondary perforating gun section upon sensing the actuation of the another of the plurality of perforating gun sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Expro Americas, LLC
    Inventor: Kerry G. Daly
  • Apparatus, system and process for regulating a control mechanism of a well
    Patent number: 11274520
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus, a system and a process for regulating a wellhead control mechanism. The apparatus is configured to control actuation of a wellhead control mechanism by moving a moveable body of the apparatus between a first position and a second position. When the apparatus is in the first position a valve actuator is actuatable and when the apparatus is in the second position the valve actuator is physically interfered from actuating. When the apparatus is in the second position, the wellhead control mechanism cannot be actuated and is held in either an open, a partially open or a closed position. Other embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a system that directly controls actuation of a wellhead actuation mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Intelligent Wellhead Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley Robert Martin, Murad Mohammad, Sheldon Kryger, Robert Duncan
  • Autonomous tool
    Patent number: 11274546
    Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus for determining the location of a tool traveling down a wellbore by measuring a first borehole magnetic anomaly with respect to time at two known locations on a tool, comparing the time difference between the two measurements, then calculating the velocity of the tool based on the comparison, then further calculating the distance traveled by the tool in the wellbore based on the velocity calculation, then executing a series of commands at a predetermined location in the wellbore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Hunting Titan, Inc.
    Inventors: Gene McBride, Garrett M. Hohmann, David Dobsky, Faraidoon Pundole
  • Accelerometer systems and methods for rotating downhole tools
    Patent number: 11255179
    Abstract: A method may comprise obtaining, during drilling operations within a wellbore, two-dimensional accelerometer data with an accelerometer on a rotating downhole tool, determining a radial offset of the accelerometer based on the two-dimensional accelerometer data, and determining a centripetal acceleration of the accelerometer based on the two-dimensional accelerometer data. A system may comprise one or more x-axis accelerometers disposed on a bottom hole assembly, one or more y-axis accelerometers disposed on the bottom hole assembly, an analog to digital converter, wherein the analog to digital converter converts an analog signal from the one or more x-axis accelerometers and the one or more y-axis accelerometers to a digital signal, and a computing subsystem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Rashobh Rajan Sobhana
  • Unblocking wellbores
    Patent number: 11255160
    Abstract: A first expandable tubular is longitudinally extendable from a housing. The first expandable tubular is expandable to a diameter equal to an internal surface of a wellbore. A first expander is configured to expand the expandable tubular. A second expandable tubular is longitudinally extendable from the housing. The second expandable tubular is configured to expand to a diameter equal to an internal surface of the wellbore. The second expandable tubular is downhole of the first expandable tubular. A second expander is configured to expand the second expandable tubular. The second expander is downhole of the first expander. A sensor is downhole of the second expander. The sensor is configured to detect a presence of a wellbore obstruction proximal to the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Abdulaziz Al-Qasim, Amer Alanazi, Muataz Hamed Al-Subhi
  • System and method for actuating multiple valves
    Patent number: 11255161
    Abstract: A system includes a support structure that is configured to be positioned at a fixed location relative to a component of a mineral extraction system. The system also includes a drive assembly having a drive motor and a valve attachment, and the drive assembly is configured to move about the support structure and to actuate multiple valves of the component of the mineral extraction system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: CAMERON INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Stuart Robinson, Delbert Edwin Vanderford
  • System to control swab off while running a packer device
    Patent number: 11248437
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include a packer. The packer includes a fluid bypass positioned along a longitudinal axis of the packer. The fluid bypass provides a fluid flow path between a downhole location and an uphole location from the packer. Additionally, the packer includes a sealing element positioned around the fluid bypass that is elastically deformable to expand in a direction radially outward from the longitudinal axis when the sealing element experiences axial compression. The sealing element includes at least one elastomeric seal reinforcer molded into the elastomeric seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Decena Ornelaz, Stephen Michael Greci, Xiaoguang Allan Zhong, James Dan Vick, Jr., Peter C. Dagenais, Abdel Hamid R. Abeidoh
  • Electronic submersible pumps for oil and gas applications
    Patent number: 11248454
    Abstract: A method of removing fluid from a well using a downhole pump includes deploying the downhole pump to a vertical position within a production tubing disposed in the well, securing the downhole pump to the production tubing at the vertical position, powering a motor of the downhole pump with an electrical line of the downhole pump that extends from a surface of the well and that terminates at a profile of the downhole pump, and activating the motor to pump fluid out of the well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Suliman M. Azzouni, Najeeb Al-Abdulrahman
  • Setting bridge plug on wireline through core bit
    Patent number: 11236565
    Abstract: A setting tool and bridge plug that are run-in-hole on wireline through a core bit while drill rods are in place can be used to plug a borehole. A setting tool can be sized to have a same or smaller diameter as a drill rod. A bridge plug can have a run-in configuration of a diameter that is smaller than an inner diameter of a core bit. The bridge plug can have a set configuration that can respond to the setting tool pulling uphole. The bridge plug can be positioned below a drill bit of the drill rod in the set configuration, and the diameter of the bridge plug in the set configuration can be greater than the diameter of the drill rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Alexander Petrie, Michael John Houston, Mark Holly, Jack Gammill Clemens, Grant Spark
  • Multi-functional surfactant solution for improving hydrocarbon recovery
    Patent number: 11236265
    Abstract: A fluid injection process includes removing a core sample from a low permeability reservoir. The process also includes performing an imbibition test on a plurality of stage one surfactants, each stage one surfactant mixed with a first treatment fluid and using a portion of the core sample to obtain a wettability index or measurement of capillary pressure. The process includes selecting a stage one surfactant and performing an oil recovery test on a plurality of stage two surfactants, each stage two surfactant mixed with a second treatment fluid. The process includes selecting a stage two surfactant and injecting the selected stage one surfactant into a matrix of the low permeability reservoir. In addition, the method includes injecting the selected stage two surfactant into a fracture network of the low permeability reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: ALCHEMY SCIENCES, INC.
    Inventors: Luchao Jin, James Russum
  • Surface completion system for operations and monitoring
    Patent number: 11230917
    Abstract: A wellhead monitoring system includes a conversion assembly, the conversion assembly including an actuator element for modifying an operating mode of a valve from manual to remote. The system also includes one or more sensors, associated at least one of a fracturing tree or the conversion assembly, the one or more sensors obtaining wellhead operating conditions. The system further includes a control unit, adapted to receive information from the one or more sensors, the control unit presenting the information, on a display, and transmitting the information to a remote system for analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Vault Pressure Control LLC
    Inventors: Zeyad Al-Salmani, Jason Williams, Saurabh Kajaria
  • Split threads for fixing accessories to a body
    Patent number: 11220868
    Abstract: An accessory is coupled to a body using a connection member inserted into a plurality of lateral recesses of a bore. The accessory includes a complementary connection mechanism to the connection member and is tightened in the bore with a torque. An example accessory is a nozzle for use with a drill bit. The nozzle includes threads and the drill bit includes a nozzle bore with lateral recesses. Partial thread segments are inserted into the lateral recesses, and the nozzle is threaded to the partial thread segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Youhe Zhang, Yuri Y. Burhan, Huimin Song
  • Downhole drilling apparatus with rotatable cutting element
    Patent number: 11220865
    Abstract: A downhole drilling apparatus may comprise a rotatable body with fixed cutting elements protruding from an exterior thereof. To form a subterranean borehole, the fixed cutting elements, spaced at a constant radius from a rotational axis of the body, may degrade an earthen formation as the body rotates. The body may also have a rotatable cutting element protruding from its exterior. To remove material from an interior wall of the borehole, the rotatable cutting element may be positioned in a first rotational orientation wherein it extends radially beyond the constant radius of the fixed cutting elements. An amount of material being removed may be altered by rotating the rotatable cutting element into a second rotational orientation wherein it remains radially within the constant radius.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: David R. Hall, Jonathan D. Marshall, Malcolm Roy Taylor
  • 3D printed ball valve
    Patent number: 11203914
    Abstract: A ball valve that includes a ball comprising an integrally formed single-component body that defines an external surface; a fluid passage extending through the body, the fluid passage defining an internal surface; and a plurality of internal chambers formed within the body, each internal chamber of the plurality of internal chambers being spaced from the external surface and being spaced from the internal surface; wherein when the ball is subjected to one or more stresses, a stress concentration is created within a release-by-milling zone of the single-component body, the release-by-milling zone being adjacent to the plurality of internal chambers. The ball is at least partially manufactured using an additive manufacturing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Katherine Ann Davies, Jeremy Wee Kiang Lau