Patents Examined by John Fitzgerald
  • Patent number: 11473959
    Abstract: To provide a flood detection technique with which a breakdown is less likely to occur over a long period, maintenance costs are low, and the occurrence of an abnormal water level is less likely to be erroneously determined. An inundation detection device detects a received signal strength that is the strength of a received response signal received from an RF sensor installed at a flood detection location, detects a dispersion within a specific time, detects a normal reception rate, and outputs a flood detection signal in a case where the dispersion is greater than or equal to a specific threshold and the normal reception rate is less than or equal to a specific threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: KOYO MUSEN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Satoshi So
  • Patent number: 11466567
    Abstract: A formation tester consists of an upper assembly, an impeller unit, a straddle packer unit, and an inverted reservoir description tool string. The upper assembly seals off the wireline cable at the rig and connects the wireline cable to the formation tester. The impeller unit includes an upper turbine which converts hydraulic power from circulation of drilling mud into mechanical power. The mechanical power is used to drive a lower impeller which is capable of pumping formation fluids at high flow rates. The straddle packer unit isolates a portion of the formation tester which is open to the borehole to allow entry and exit of formation fluids through the formation tester. The inverted reservoir description tool string contains a combination of formation description modules which are inverted from traditional reservoir description tool modules to allow fluid flow paths to bypass electrical components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward Harrigan, Matthew L. Lee, Ameet B. Agnihotri, Charles Wilton Seckar, Christopher Michael Jones, Nestor Javier Rodriguez, Darren George Gascooke
  • Patent number: 11467136
    Abstract: A septum contains at least one internal chamber along the central axis of the septum. The chamber provides relief space into which the sealing sections of the septum can deform as a needle passes through the septum. Incorporation of the chamber reduces surface area contact and friction between the septum and needle, which results in reduced septum tearing and reduced production of particulate matter from abrasion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Chromatography Research Supplies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher A. Carlisle, Mohamed M. Marei, David L. Jones, Edward J. Heiny, David S. Hubbard
  • Patent number: 11466566
    Abstract: Systems and methods for this disclosure describe systems and methods that are directed to monitoring active clay in water-based drilling fluid may be provided. A method for monitoring active clay concentration while drilling may be provided. The method may include providing a sample of water-based drilling fluid. The method may further include adding methylene blue to the sample in a methylene blue titration. The method may further include performing an impedance measurement on the sample during the methylene blue titration. The method may further include determining an endpoint of the methylene blue titration using a phase angle measurement from the impedance measurement. The method may further include correlating the endpoint to the active clay concentration of the sample. The method may further include determining a treatment for the water-based drilling fluid based on the active clay concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiangnan Ye, Dale E. Jamison
  • Patent number: 11460336
    Abstract: A method of providing electrical energy to a dewar containing a cryogenic liquid including introducing an insulated heat pipe, with a distal end and a proximal end, into a cryogenic dewar comprising an exterior surface. And providing a Seebeck module, with a cold junction and a hot junction. The distal end is in thermodynamic contact with a cryogenic fluid and the proximal is thermodynamically connected to the cold junction. The hot junction is thermodynamically connected to the exterior surface of the dewar, thereby producing an electrical flow in the Seebeck module. A level probe may be calibrated by taking a first capacitance reading with the dewar full, and a second capacitance reading when the cryogenic liquid level is within a calibration gap. The level probe is calibrated by utilizing the first capacitance reading and the second capacitance reading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignees: L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude, Alizent USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Alain Lecours, Celine Tranquillin, Felix H. Tang
  • Patent number: 11458533
    Abstract: A measuring device includes a furnace, a draining vessel, a loader and a computing system for physical properties. The draining vessel with molten metal fluid is in the furnace. The loader accumulates the molten metal fluid from the draining vessel. The computing system includes a recording unit, transform unit, computing unit and processor. The recording unit records the vessel information. By the assumed physical parameters and the vessel information, the transform unit transforms a weight of the molten metal fluid in the loader into a first length criterion, and the computing unit simulates the flowing of the molten metal fluid to have a second length criterion. The processor minimizes the difference of the first and the second length criterion by changing the assumed physical parameters. The physical properties of the molten metal fluid are determined when the difference is minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: National Central University
    Inventors: Chih-Ang Chung, Ya-Huan Lee, Tsung-Han Chuang, Tsung-Hsuan Chiang, Chih-Shan Yen, Jeng-Rong Ho, Jason Shian-Ching Jang
  • Patent number: 11460455
    Abstract: Method for determining the influence of least a first and a second experimental parameter on a liquid chromatography protocol for purifying one or more target molecules from a sample, comprising the steps: —performing chromatography purifications of the sample at a plurality of different experimental conditions where at least the first and the second experimental parameter each are varied over a predetermined range, each purification being registered as a chromatogram by monitoring an output parameter indicative of the purification result during the purification; and—displaying in a graphical user interface at least a subset of the registered chromatograms as chromatogram-miniatures in an evaluation diagram wherein the position of each displayed chromatogram-miniature is determined by the experimental parameters for the corresponding purification, thereby allowing a user to visually determine trends and the influence of the experimental parameters on the liquid chromatography protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Cytiva Sweden AB
    Inventors: Lena Nyholm, Johan Arthursson, Eva Olsson, Ulrika Ohman
  • Patent number: 11454077
    Abstract: A core flooding system includes a core holder that encloses a core sample of a subterranean formation. The core holder includes a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet; at least one sensor coupled to the core holder or positioned in the inner volume of the core holder; an acoustic vibrating assembly coupled to the core holder; and a control system communicably coupled to the at least one sensor and the acoustic vibrating assembly. The control system performs operations including operating the acoustic vibrating assembly to transmit at an acoustic wave energy or a vibration energy to the core holder; during the transmission of the at least one of the acoustic wave energy or the vibration energy to the core holder; measuring at least one parameter of the core sample; and based on the at least one measured parameter, determining at least one property of the core sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Abdulaziz Al-Qasim, Taha Okasha
  • Patent number: 11454530
    Abstract: A device (102, 300) for measuring and quantifying an emulsion and its contents mass when immersed in a fluid comprising two immiscible liquids is provided. The device (102, 300) includes at least one pressure sensor (302A-I) configured to measure hydrostatic pressure measurement data and a device processor (104) configured to, (i) convert the hydrostatic pressure measurement data into respective mass measurement data using a mass calculation formula, (ii) detect a condition of the fluid as emulsion, if the hydrostatic pressure measurement data is lesser than the hydrostatic pressure measurement data of a first liquid and greater than the hydrostatic pressure measurement data of a second liquid in the fluid, (iii) calculate the first and second liquid mass in the emulsion condition of the first and second liquid, and (iv) calculate a total mass of the first liquid and the second liquid in the chamber (310).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Inventor: Muhammed Abdullah
  • Patent number: 11448578
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method of evaluating powder for lamination shaping by stable criteria. In this method, it is evaluated whether powder for lamination shaping can be spread into a uniform powder layer in the lamination shaping, wherein the powder is evaluated using, as a flowability of the powder, an adhesive force of the powder calculated from a failure envelope obtained by a shear test. The shear test is conducted by a powder rheometer, and the adhesive force is obtained from the relationship between a normal stress and a shearing stress at the powder rheometer. If the adhesive force is 0.450 kPa or less, the powder is evaluated to be spread into a uniform powder layer in the lamination shaping. Furthermore, if at least one of that the 50% particle size of the powder obtained by a laser diffraction method is 3 to 250 ?m and that the apparent density of the powder is 3.5 g/cm3 or more is satisfied, the powder is evaluated to be spread into a uniform powder layer in the lamination shaping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignees: FUKUDA METAL FOIL & POWDER CO., LTD., TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH ASSOCIATION FOR FUTURE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
    Inventors: Seiichi Matsumoto, Yuji Sugitani
  • Patent number: 11448635
    Abstract: A method for determining a contact angle of a hydrocarbon on a rock surface, the method including injecting a first brine fluid into a test cell, the first brine fluid having an initial ionic composition, injecting a hydrocarbon fluid into the test cell, contacting the hydrocarbon fluid with the first brine fluid, forming a droplet, measuring the contact angle of the hydrocarbon fluid, at least partially displacing the first brine fluid with an inert gas, measuring a ionic composition of the displaced first brine fluid in an ionic chromatograph, and comparing the measured ionic composition to the initial ionic composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Salah Hamad Al-Saleh, Ahmed Gmira, Ali Abdullah Al-Yousef
  • Patent number: 11441986
    Abstract: The present invention relates to disturbance on hydrate reservoirs with different buried depths, in particularly to a disturbance and stability analysis method for hydrate reservoirs with different buried depths. Preparing a series of stable hydrate systems parallel to a hydrate phase equilibrium curve, wherein both of the porosities and the hydrate saturations of various hydrate systems are consistent, but the buried depths are different; disturbing the series of hydrate systems prepared in the first step, conducting disturbance under different conditions aiming to the hydrate systems with different buried depths; analyzing the stability of the hydrate reservoirs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology
    Inventors: Li Huang, Nengyou Wu, Xiluo Hao, Gaowei Hu, Qiang Chen
  • Patent number: 11435273
    Abstract: A densitometer in the present disclosure comprises tension measuring devices that send tension measurements to a measurement module enabling the measurement module to estimate fluid density with increased accuracy. The densitometer measures sample fluid density by vibrating the sample fluid and measuring the resonant frequency of the sample fluid, then estimating the sample fluid density based on this resonant frequency. A set of tension measuring devices affixed to a tube of the densitometer measure external forces on the tube due to O-ring seals and other operational conditions. The sample fluid density estimate uses these tension measurements to take into account O-ring friction and other external forces applied to the densitometer to improve the accuracy of the calculated density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Michel Joseph LeBlanc
  • Patent number: 11435332
    Abstract: A method for reducing sensor noise in an automobile vehicle NOx sensor offset diagnostic includes: connecting an exhaust system to an engine of an automobile vehicle; sensing a condition of the exhaust system using at least one NOx sensor; identifying when the at least one NOx sensor is at a low noise condition; and running a diagnostic to identify conditions of the at least one NOx sensor. The method further includes selecting one of the low noise condition as the engine in an after-run condition or as the engine in an engine idle condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: David P. Quigley, Sarah Funk, Kevin J. McKay, Scott R. Zechiel, Ruggiero Chiariello
  • Patent number: 11433388
    Abstract: For simplified dismantling of manual metering devices (1), the manual metering device (1) proposed is one which comprises the component carrier (5). This component carrier (5) can be pushed into its use position in the housing (4) through the insertion opening (10) present in the housing (4). The releasable connection (11), which can be released in particular from the outside, is provided for the releasable fastening of the component carrier (5) in its use position within the housing (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: IKA-Werke GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Philip Döbele
  • Patent number: 11435274
    Abstract: Systems and methods for determining rheology characteristics of a drilling fluid include a drop-in unit sized to fit within a flowline of a drilling fluid circulation system upstream of a mud shaker. The drop-in unit has an entry funnel having an end plate with an opening through the end plate. The entrance of the entry funnel has an outer diameter that is larger than a diameter of the opening through the end plate. An instrumentation tubular is an elongated member with an inner bore that is in fluid communication with the opening through the end plate. The instrumentation tubular includes a downstream sensor and an upstream sensor. The upstream and downstream sensors are operable to sense a parameter of the drilling fluid traveling through the instrumentation tubular for calculating a change of viscosity of the drilling fluid within the flowline between a first time and a second time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Graham Hitchcock, Michael Affleck
  • Patent number: 11435214
    Abstract: The present invention relates a transmission line probe for use in a radar level gauge system configured to determine a filling level (L) and a density of a product contained in a container, wherein the transmission line probe comprises: at least one probe line adapted to guide an electromagnetic transmit signal (ST) towards and at least partly through the product, and to guide an electromagnetic return signal (SR) back from a surface or interface of the product; and a plurality of insulating dielectric beads arranged along the at least one probe line and configured to decrease electromagnetic signal attenuation caused by the product. The present invention also relates to a radar level gauge system comprising such a transmission line probe, and to a corresponding method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: ROSEMOUNT TANK RADAR AB
    Inventor: Olov Edvardsson
  • Patent number: 11428554
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer employing a meta slab includes a piezoelectric body configured to generate elastic waves; a meta slab connected to the piezoelectric body and configured to induce elastic wave mode conversion resonance with respect to the elastic waves incident on the meta slab; and a wedge connected to the meta slab, attached to an external surface of a pipe, and configured to transmit the elastic waves having passed through the meta slab to the pipe. The meta slab includes an anisotropic medium and a thickness of the meta slab satisfies the equation as follows: d=m·nFS·?FS/4, d=m·nSS·?SS/4, nSS/2?nFS/2=odd. Thus, highly-efficient flow velocity measurement is possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignees: SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY R&DB FOUNDATION, CENTER FOR ADVANCED META-MATERIALS
    Inventors: Yoon Young Kim, Min Woo Kweun, Xiong Wei Yang, Chun Guang Piao
  • Patent number: 11428100
    Abstract: A downhole fluid analysis device includes a piezoelectric helm resonator, a spectroscopy sensor positioned symmetrically with respect to the piezoelectric helm resonator in at least one direction, and a circuit comprising a first terminal and a second terminal electrically coupled to a power supply. The piezoelectric helm resonator and the spectroscopy sensor are electrically coupled in parallel between the first and second terminals. The power supply drives the piezoelectric helm resonator with a voltage of a first polarity and the spectroscopy sensor with a voltage of a second polarity. The circuit includes at least one current flow control device in the circuit configured to prevent both the piezoelectric helm resonator and the spectroscopy sensor from being powered simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC
    Inventors: Dwight Swett, Daniel Vaughn Price, Otto Fanini
  • Patent number: 11428097
    Abstract: A system includes an optical fiber integrated into a conveyance subsystem that is positionable downhole in a wellbore. The system also includes a backscattering sensor system positionable to monitor temperature and optical fiber strain along the optical fiber using backscattered light signals received from the optical fiber. Further, the system includes a fiber optic rotary joint positionable to optically couple the optical fiber with the backscattering sensor system to provide an optical path for the backscattered light signals to reach the backscattering sensor system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Joshua Stark, John L. Maida, Jr.