Abstract: Apparatus and method for overhauling a flanged coupling of joined conduit components including a gripping mechanism that straddles the flange-coupling and grips both flange-coupled components. The gripping mechanism is mounted on a lifting frame and bears the loadings upon the gripped tubular components during a moving operation. The apparatus also includes a collar sized to fit over the flange-coupling and located in spaced apart cradles supported on a base frame. The cradles are configured to receive the flange-coupled tubular components and position the collar for closure about the flange-coupling. The collar is provided with fasteners for closure of the collar about the flange-coupling, and a fastening mechanism operating the fasteners to secure the collar when closed about the flange-coupling.
Abstract: According to an embodiment, a drilling fluid comprises: water and a set accelerator, wherein the drilling fluid has a 10 minute gel strength of less than 20 lb*ft/100 sq ft, wherein the drilling fluid has a density in the range of about 9 to about 14 pounds per gallon, wherein the drilling fluid remains pourable for at least 5 days, and wherein when at least one part of the drilling fluid mixes with three parts of a cement composition consisting of water and cement, the drilling fluid cement composition mixture develops a compressive strength of at least 1,200 psi. According to another embodiment, a method of using the drilling fluid comprises the steps of: introducing the drilling fluid into at least a portion of a subterranean formation, wherein at least a portion of the drilling fluid is capable of mixing with a cement composition.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 1, 2011
Date of Patent:
May 5, 2015
Assignee:
Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
Inventors:
Krishna M. Ravi, Donald L. Whitfill, Rahul Chandrakant Patil, Abhimanyu Deshpande
Abstract: A collapsible marine riser fairing that includes members configured to retract into a storage space and be deployed from the storage space when needed. The collapsible fairing is semi-permanently attached to the riser.
Abstract: A diversion assembly to protect a leg of an maritime structure from floating debris includes at least one upper inclined surface and at least one flotation element to buoy the diversion assembly around the leg of the maritime structure, wherein the at least one inclined surface is configured to divert floating debris away from the leg of the maritime structure. A method to protect an offshore platform from damage due to floating debris includes attaching a diversion assembly about the periphery of at least one leg of the offshore platform and diverting the floating debris away from the at least one leg of the offshore platform with at least one inclined surface.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 11, 2010
Date of Patent:
April 21, 2015
Assignee:
American Global Maritime, Inc.
Inventors:
Thomas A. Burns, Michael J. Blythe, Alberto C. Morandi
Abstract: A subirrigation system 10 includes a water-impervious member 16, and keeps water content in soil of a cultivated land 200 in a proper state for growing a plant. The water-impervious member 16 is formed into an upper opening vessel shape, and has a water reserving function. Water is fed to an inner portion of the water-impervious member 16 from a water tank 12 via a feed water pipe 14, whereby a soil portion 26 in a gravitational water state is formed. A water level 28 of the gravitational water within the water-impervious member 16 is properly controlled to a desired water level by a water level controller 18 provided in the feed water pipe 14. The gravitational water within the water-impervious member 16 controlled to the desired water level is appropriately sucked up to the soil in an upper layer in accordance with a capillary phenomenon. Accordingly, a soil portion 30 in a capillary water state having proper water content is formed in the cultivated land 200.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 25, 2008
Date of Patent:
April 21, 2015
Assignees:
Kubota-C.I. Co., Ltd., Paddy Research Co., Ltd.
Abstract: Soil remediation systems containing at least one heating device configured to heat contaminated soil for remediation and at least one storage tank configured to contain an ionic liquid are described. The soil contaminated by a volatile compound is heated by the heating device to vaporize the volatile compound, which is trapped by the ionic liquid.
Abstract: An apparatus for moving an elongate component within or through one of a plurality of sidewalls of a pit, including a gripping arrangement for releasably gripping the elongate component, a lever arm comprising a handle at a first end and the gripping arrangement at the second end, and a frame to which the lever arm is attached, wherein during use the frame is positioned substantially above the pit, and the gripping arrangement hangs downwardly from the frame into the pit.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 24, 2009
Date of Patent:
March 31, 2015
Assignee:
British Telecommunications Public Limited Company
Inventors:
Mark Edward Scopes, Christopher Nigel Munnings
Abstract: A method includes introducing a treatment fluid into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation, the treatment fluid including a polymer gel having a water-soluble polymer, a proppant, and a polymer gel-preserving amount of chlorine dioxide, the placing step includes applying the treatment fluid at a sufficient pressure and at a sufficient rate to fracture the subterranean formation.
Abstract: A system and method of operating a sonar system is provided. The sonar system comprises a towed body, such as a depressor body, with a towed line array attached thereto configured to be towed behind a host vessel. A line feed mechanism is operative to recover and/or deploy the towed line array from the vessel while the towed line array remains attached to the towed body.
Abstract: A constant-resistance large-deformation anchor rod includes a rod body (6), a tray (3), a nut (2), and a constant-resistance device (4). The constant-resistance device (4) is formed into a cylindrical structure, and the inner surface of the constant-resistance device (4) and the outer surface of the rod body (6) are both formed with thread structures. The constant-resistance device (4) is sleeved at the tail of the rod body (6), and the tray (3) and the nut (2) are sequentially sleeved at the tail of the constant-resistance device (4). The nut (2) is in threaded connection with the constant-resistance device (4). The constant-resistance large-deformation anchor rod in the invention can be automatically stretched when the tunnel surrounding rock deforms largely, and keep the constant working resistance.
Abstract: An apparatus for connecting a hub of a first pipe to a hub of a second pipe in a subsea environment includes a frame suitable for receiving the hub of the second pipe, a post extending outwardly of the frame, a landing structure slidably positioned on the post, and an actuator for moving the landing structure along the post such that the hub of the first pipe is juxtaposed against the hub of the second pipe. The landing structure includes a receptacle formed thereon. This receptacle is suitable for receiving a slotted portion of an arm extending from a trunnion extending around the first pipe such that the first pipe can pivot from a generally vertical orientation to a generally horizontal orientation. A clamp can extend against the hubs of the first and second pipes so as to join the pipes together.
Abstract: Access and connection for a buried pipeline, wherein a hole is dug to a buried pipeline, a riser pipe is disposed within the hole, and one or more powered tools are lowered into the hole and activated such that work is performed on the pipeline without the need for anyone to be lowered into the hole. Because no one needs to be physically present down in the hole at the pipeline, the hole, and thus the surface disturbance can be much smaller than conventional pipeline work methods.
Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for sequestering carbon dioxide underground by mineralizing the carbon dioxide with coinjected fluids and minerals remaining from the extraction shale oil. In one embodiment, the oil shale of an illite-rich oil shale is heated to pyrolyze the shale underground, and carbon dioxide is provided to the remaining depleted oil shale while at an elevated temperature. Conditions are sufficient to mineralize the carbon dioxide.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 30, 2009
Date of Patent:
December 2, 2014
Assignees:
American Shale Oil, LLC, Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of servicing a wellbore comprising the steps of preparing a dry cement blend comprising a base cement and a crystalline component wherein the dry cement blend is based on an initial dry cement blend formulation, obtaining a diffraction pattern of a sample of the dry cement blend, generating a model diffraction pattern, refining the model diffraction pattern using a structural refinement method, determining the type and amount crystalline components present in the dry cement blend, generating a final dry cement blend formulation, and comparing the initial dry cement blend formulation to the final dry cement blend formulation.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 26, 2011
Date of Patent:
November 18, 2014
Assignee:
Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
Inventors:
Benjamin John Iverson, Ray Loghry, Christopher Lane Edwards
Abstract: In casting concrete retaining wall blocks, a plurality of mold inserts form a passage between top and bottom surfaces of the block, a recess in the block top between the passage and the back of the block and a recess in the bottom of the block between the passage and the back of the block. The recesses and the passage are formed by a plurality of mold inserts. When the blocks are used in a retaining wall, geogrid fabric passes from the rear of the wall through one of the recesses in a block, through the passage in the block and through the other recess in the block into backfill for stabilizing the wall. The recesses and passage are designed so that any concrete flashing formed between abutting mold inserts is not contacted by the geogrid fabric.
Abstract: A drill for excavating a bore in the earth includes a steerable boring tool configured to excavate a bore and sensors coupled to the boring tool. The sensors are spaced apart from one another at multiple azimuthal locations around the steerable boring tool and the sensors are configured to detect a mineral property in the earth adjacent the steerable boring tool.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 28, 2012
Date of Patent:
October 14, 2014
Assignee:
Elwha LLC
Inventors:
Michael H. Baym, Terry Briggs, Clark J. Gilbert, W. Daniel Hillis, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Conor L. Myhrvold, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Tony S. Pan, Clarence T. Tegreene, Charles Whitmer, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., Victoria Y. H. Wood
Abstract: A mechanism configured for mechanical self-deployment in a well. The mechanism may be primarily an open or closed-cell polymer foam positioned downhole in a pre-compressed state. Subsequently, the mechanism may be released from a housing for self-deployment and engagement with a wall of the well. Such a mechanism may serve the conventional purpose of a downhole packer or other similar restriction devices. Additionally, due to the self-deploying nature of the device, multiple such devices may be linked in series based upon user-determined criteria at the time of application. Thus, a reduction in the number of trips in the well may generally be realized.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 26, 2010
Date of Patent:
October 14, 2014
Assignee:
Schlumberger Technology Corporation
Inventors:
Zafer Erkol, Zheng Rong Xu, Ian Crossland
Abstract: A document analysis, commenting, and reporting system provides tools that automate quality assurance analysis tailored to specific document types. As one example, the system may implement state machines that evaluate document structure instances to determine whether the document structure instances conform to pre-defined syntaxes. The state machines may include error states and final states, and messages may be associated with the error states for display when a state machine reaches the error state.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 29, 2010
Date of Patent:
September 23, 2014
Assignee:
Accenture Global Services Limited
Inventors:
Kunal Verma, Alex Kass, Reymonrod G. Vasquez
Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosed technology provide a system and method for automatically filling paper form with electronic data. The system receives from a user a scanned image of a paper form that includes a plurality of fields. The system then retrieves a schema map that maps the plurality of fields in the paper form to a plurality of fields in an electronic data record associated with the user. Next, the system retrieves data values of the fields in the electronic data record based on the schema map. The system also synthesizes the retrieved data values and the scanned image to create an image of the paper form in which the fields are filled with the retrieved data values.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 3, 2011
Date of Patent:
September 9, 2014
Assignees:
Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated, Xerox Corporation
Inventors:
James M. A. Begole, Maurice K. Chu, Kurt E. Partridge, Robert T. Krivacic, Mary C. McCorkindale