Patents Examined by Jennifer H Gay
  • Method and system for locating self-setting dissolvable plugs within a wellbore
    Patent number: 11377950
    Abstract: Method and system for deploying a frac package in a wellbore includes providing a location module for the frac package that can determine a position of the frac package in the wellbore. The location module operates to receive beacon signals from beacons located on the wellbore string and to calculate a velocity of the frac package based on the beacon signals. The location module further operates to calculate a location of the frac package based a time since a latest beacon signal and the velocity of the frac package. In some implementations, the beacons includes at least one beacon that transmits or emits a signal and at least one beacon that does not transmit or emit a signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Linley Fripp, Andrew Penno
  • Setting tools and assemblies for setting a downhole isolation device such as a frac plug
    Patent number: 11371305
    Abstract: A setting tool for setting frac plugs and the like can include a mandrel having a chamber for housing expandable gas and a gas port in fluid communication with the chamber; a firing head secured to the mandrel for igniting a power charge to generate pressurized gas within the chamber; a barrel piston housing the mandrel and connected to a sleeve for setting the frac plug; and an expansion region defined between the mandrel and the barrel piston and receiving the pressurized gas which exerts force to cause a stroke of the barrel piston over the mandrel as the expansion region expands axially. The setting tool can include various features, such as certain gas bleed systems, an enhanced shear screw assembly, a bleed port and plug assembly, a scribe line, a particular gas port configuration, a liquid escape conduit, no-shoulder barrel configuration, and/or a low-force design for frac plugs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Repeat Precision, LLC
    Inventors: Clint Mickey, Kenneth J. Kendrick
  • Applied cooling for electronics of downhole tool
    Patent number: 11371338
    Abstract: Systems and methods for cooling an electronics compartment of a downhole tool include a tool assembly. The tool assembly is an elongated member formed of axially aligned tool units. The tool units include a turbine and the electronics compartment. The electronics compartment has an interior cavity containing electronics components. The tool units further include a compressor powered by the turbine. The compressor is operable to compress a coolant fluid. The compressor has a central heat exchanger operable to cool a non-electrically conductive fluid with the coolant fluid. An impeller is rotated by the turbine. The impeller is operable to circulate the non-electrically conductive fluid past the electronics components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventor: Alexey Alexeyenko
  • Formation tester tool having an extendable probe and a sealing pad with a movable shield
    Patent number: 11359489
    Abstract: A formation tester tool includes an extendable probe having an extendable member configured to extend from a retracted position to an extended position such that an end of the extendable probe is in fluid communication with a wall of a borehole during an operation to capture a fluid from a formation. The formation tester tool also includes a sealing pad positioned circumferentially around the extendable probe, wherein a face of the sealing pad is configured to sealingly engage the wall of the borehole while the extendable member is in the extended position. The formation tester tool also includes a shield to cover the sealing pad in a covered position between the sealing pad and the wall of the borehole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Jerry Wade House, Jr., Yu-Hsing Charles Kuo
  • Perforating device for horizontal wells
    Patent number: 11359466
    Abstract: A perforating device includes a release sub, a rotating segment, a first centralizer, a braking segment, a casing collar locator, a traction mechanism, a second centralizer, a flex joint, a power supply segment, a shock absorber, a perforator, and a tail segment, which are in threaded connection sequentially to each other. The first joint assembly includes a first joint, a guide key, a connecting sleeve including a locking groove, a second joint, and an outer pipe; the first joint of the first joint assembly is in threaded connection to the cable bridle, and the second joint is in threaded connection to the outer pipe. The connecting sleeve is disposed inside the outer pipe and is connected to the first joint through the guide key. The second joint assembly includes a plurality of locking claws, a third joint, and a head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignees: SINOPEC OILFIELD SERVICE CORPORATION, SINOPEC OILFIELD SERVICE JIANGHAN CORPORATION, LOGGING COMPANY, SINOPEC OILFIELD SERVICE JIANGHAN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Guosheng Yang, Yong Liao, Zhihua Zhang, Liang Ye, Jiang Zhu, Haitao Rao, Jinguo Pan, Siping Chen, Yuanhui Shi, Yijiang Feng, Peiwen Gu, Chao Lu, Zhongxin Fan, Zhi Li, Chaohui Zhang
  • Ground drilling device for cable-guided drilling, method for cable-guided ground drilling , and use during cable-guided drilling
    Patent number: 11359443
    Abstract: A ground drilling device for cable-guided drilling comprising a drive for connecting and/or moving rod sections of a drill string along a drill string axis, wherein a cable reserve for receiving a cable with a length of at least two rod sections is provided and a contact device for electrical contacting of one end of the cable of the cable reserve is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: TRACTO-TECHNIK GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Volker Boike, Stefan Hermes, Dieter Wurm
  • Pressure measurement supercharging mitigation
    Patent number: 11359480
    Abstract: To reduce effects of artificial alteration of measured formation pressure downhole, an iterative procedure for accurately measuring formation pressure in drawdown/buildup operations is presently disclosed. During buildup/drawdown operations, pressure measurements are taken by pressure sensors in concentric volumes sealed to the formation. After each buildup operation, pressure in the outer concentric volume is lowered using a pressure sensor therein to a progressively lower pressure until a pattern for the pressure trend stabilizes asymptotically. The true formation pressure is taken after a final buildup operation once pressure measurements stabilize.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Michael Jones, Anthony Herman Van Zuilekom, Mehdi Alipour Kallehbasti
  • Enhanced hydrocarbon recovery with electric current
    Patent number: 11352867
    Abstract: A method includes alternating between (a) applying an electric current to a subterranean formation and (b) flowing an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) treatment fluid into a wellbore formed in the subterranean formation. The method includes flowing an aqueous salt solution into the wellbore to mobilize hydrocarbons within the subterranean formation after alternating between (a) and (b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Abdulaziz S. Al-Qasim, Subhash Ayirala, Ali Yousef
  • Perforating apparatus
    Patent number: 11352861
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises perforating guns, bypass, and isolator mechanism. The first gun fires upon receipt of a first pressure signal delivered from a first axial side of the first gun. The second perforating gun is mounted on a second axial side of the first perforating gun, and fires upon receipt of a second pressure signal delivered from the first axial side of the first perforating gun. The bypass extends from the first axial side of the first gun to the second gun for communicating the second pressure signal to the second gun. The isolator mechanism is configurable between a first configuration in which the bypass is isolated from receiving a pressure signal to the second perforating gun, and a second configuration in which the bypass is permitted to receive a pressure signal. The isolator mechanism is reconfigurable from the first to the second configuration after the first gun has fired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Weatherford U.K. Limited
    Inventors: Neil Anderson, Michael Ronson
  • Plasma optimization with formational and fluid information
    Patent number: 11346217
    Abstract: A method for drilling may comprise disposing a bottom hole assembly into a first wellbore. The bottom hole assembly may include a pulse power drilling assembly having one or more electrodes disposed on a drill bit and a pulse-generating circuit. The method may further include activating the one or more electrodes by applying an amperage, a voltage, and a cycle rate to the one or more electrodes to form an arc and a spark, adjusting the arc and the spark based at least in part on a hydrodynamic energy balance and a thermal energy balance, identifying one or more chemical reaction products created from an interaction of the arc and the spark with a formation, and adjusting the amperage, the voltage, and the cycle rate based on the chemical reaction products and storing the adjusted amperage, voltage, and cycle rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Mathew Dennis Rowe
  • Unibody gun housing, tool string incorporating same, and method of assembly
    Patent number: 11339632
    Abstract: A perforating gun housing includes a housing wall extending between a first housing portion defining a chamber, and a second housing portion defining a bore. The housing wall includes a first outer surface, a second outer surface, and a face extending substantially perpendicularly to the second outer surface between the first outer surface and the second outer surface. A perforating gun tool string comprises a first gun housing coupled to a second gun housing, wherein each gun housing includes a housing wall having a first threaded portion and a second threaded portion for attachment to an adjacent gun housing. A method for assembling a wellbore tool string includes providing a first gun housing and a second gun housing, inserting the second end of the first gun housing into the first end of the second gun housing, and rotating the first gun housing relative to the second gun housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: DynaEnergetics Europe GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Eitschberger, Arash Shahinpour, Gernot Uwe Burmeister, Thilo Scharf
  • Multiple shunt pressure assembly for gravel packing
    Patent number: 11333007
    Abstract: A lower completion assembly made up of an upper sand screen assembly and a lower sand screen assembly. Each sand screen assembly includes a shunt system. Each shunt system includes a transport tube and a packing tube extending from a junction block. Each packing tube includes a plurality of nozzles spaced apart from the junction block and from each other. The shunt system of the upper sand screen assembly has a higher pressure rating than the shunt system of the lower sand screen assembly. The wall thickness of the transport tubes of the upper sand screen assembly shunt system is greater than the wall thickness of the transport tubes of the lower sand screen assembly shunt system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Maxime Philippe Coffin, Thomas Jules Frosell
  • System and method for fluid separation
    Patent number: 11333017
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a separating a fluid having multiple phases during formation testing. For example, certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate to receiving contaminated formation fluid on a first flow line and separating a contamination (e.g., mud filtrate) from the formation fluid by diverting the relatively heavier and/or denser fluid (e.g., the mud filtrate) downward through a second flow line and diverting the relatively lighter and/or less dense fluid upward through a third flow line. In some embodiments, the third flow line is generally oriented upwards at a height that may facilitate the separation of the heavier fluid from the relatively lighter fluid based on gravity and/or pumps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas Pfeiffer, Ashers Partouche, Kai Hsu, Simon Edmundson
  • Universal bottomhole assembly node (UBHAN) providing communications to and from rotary steerable systems (RSS) and real time azimuthal resistivity imaging for geosteering and pressure while drilling (FWD) for well control
    Patent number: 11326437
    Abstract: The systems and methods provide a universal bottom hole assembly node module. The universal bottom hole assembly node module comprises an azimuthal resistivity module, an azimuthal gamma module, a pressure while drilling module, or any combination thereof. The universal bottom hole assembly node module includes a communication system configured to provide two way communication between a rotary steerable system and a measurement while drilling system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Well Resolutions Technology
    Inventors: Borislav J. Tchakarov, Tsili Wang
  • Fluid operated drilling device and a method for drilling a hole using a fluid operated drilling device
    Patent number: 11306538
    Abstract: A fluid operated drilling device for drilling a hole said device having a hammer, a rotation device and a drill rod. The hammer includes a tubular main body, a back head, a cylindrical piston housing, a reciprocating piston, a space, a valve unit and a fluid pressure supply unit. A hollow portion of the piston is open to lead pressurized operating fluid directly to the hollow portion from the fluid pressure supply passage. The hammer includes an axial exhaust passage formed between the main body and the piston housing. The valve unit includes a valve exhaust passage and the piston has a lower part and an upper part detachably connected to each other. The invention also relates to a method for drilling a hole using the fluid operated drilling device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: PIRKAN LAATUPALVELU OY
    Inventor: Juhani Välisalo
  • Plug for a coiled tubing string
    Patent number: 11299957
    Abstract: A combination of a coiled tubing string, a tubing plug, and a setting tool is provided. The tubing plug has an inner mandrel with a movable, first stop toward a first end and a fixed second stop at a second end. As the first stop moves toward the second stop first and second seal ramps cause first and second elastomeric seals to seal against an inner surface of the coiled tubing string, and anchor ramps cause expandable anchors to expand and engage the inner surface of the coiled tubing string.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: AVALON RESEARCH LTD.
    Inventors: Trevor Rosten, Douglas Rosten, Derek Kitchen
  • Combined wireline and wireless apparatus and related methods
    Patent number: 11293281
    Abstract: Combined wireline and wireless apparatus and related methods are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes a tool string including a tool bus and a first acoustic repeater coupled to the tool string. The first acoustic repeater is to communicate with a second acoustic repeater to exchange data. The second acoustic repeater is communicatively coupled to a first tool. The first tool is not communicatively coupled to the tool bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Palma Giordano, Stephane Vannuffelen, Arnaud Croux
  • Method and system for monitoring post-stimulation operations through acoustic wireless sensor network
    Patent number: 11293280
    Abstract: A method and system are described for monitoring post-stimulation operations using a plurality of communication nodes disposed along tubular members in a wellbore. The method includes constructing a communication network and installing the communication nodes along the tubular members. The communication nodes are used to monitor for the presence and/or quantity of solids and/or fluids associated with post-stimulation operations in the tubular members by analyzing how the contents of the tubular members acoustically affect the signals transmitted between the communication nodes. Hydrocarbon operations may be modified based on the analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Xiaohua Yi, David A. Howell
  • Well in a geological structure
    Patent number: 11286746
    Abstract: A well (10) in a geological structure, the well (10) comprising a first casing string (12a) with a second casing string (12b) partially inside, and a third casing string (13c) partially inside the second casing string (12b). A first inter-casing annulus (14a) is defined between the first (12a) and second casing strings (12b), and a second inter-casing annulus (14b) is defined between the second (12b) and third casing strings (12c). A primary fluid flow control device (16a), such as a wirelessly controllable valve, on the second casing provides (12b) fluid communication between the first inter-casing annulus (14a) and the second inter-casing annulus (14b); and a secondary fluid flow control device (16b), such as a second wirelessly controllable valve, on the third casing string (12c) provides fluid communication between the second inter-casing annulus (14b) and a bore of the third casing (14c).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: METROL TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Shaun Compton Ross, Leslie David Jarvis
  • Slickline selective perforation system
    Patent number: 11286756
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for transmitting information to and from a downhole tool for detonation at a specified location. Perforating systems and methods may use a digital slickline unit and a telemetry module to autonomously operate within a wellbore. A well system may comprise: a downhole perforating system comprising: at least one perforating gun; a setting tool; and a control unit coupled to the at least one perforating gun and the setting tool in a tool string for conveyance downhole, wherein the control unit comprises a battery pack, electronics, at least one sensor, wherein the electronics are operable to send one or more actuation signals to the at least one perforating gun and the setting tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward Harrigan, Francis Michael Heaney, Wei Sun