Patents Examined by Kristyn Hall
  • Patent number: 11566470
    Abstract: An apparatus, a method for positioning a rock drilling, and a rock drilling rig is provided. The rock drilling rig includes a mobile drilling platform and a drilling mast connected to the drilling platform. The drilling platform is levelled vertically before initiating drilling. The apparatus determines the needed vertical levelling requirement. The levelling causes displacement of a drilling tool line passing through a drilling tool. The apparatus estimates the displacement and provides aid for the operator to position the drilling platform in order to compensate for the estimated displacement distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Sandvik Mining and Construction Oy
    Inventors: Eemeli Haverinen, Heikki Tapola, Juha Lassila, Mervi Avelin, Tuomo Hirsikangas
  • Patent number: 11560762
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to elevator locking system apparatus and methods, and associated components thereof. In one implementation, a slip-type elevator assembly includes an elevator body including one or more slips configured to grip a tubular, and a first door pivotably coupled to the elevator body. The slip-type elevator assembly includes a second door pivotably coupled to the elevator body, the first door and the second door movable between an open position and a closed position. The slip-type elevator assembly also includes a locking system including a bolt movable between an unlocked position and a locked position. In the unlocked position the bolt is disposed in a first cavity formed in the first door. In the locked position a first portion of the bolt is disposed in the first cavity and a second portion of the bolt is disposed outside of the first cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Forum US, Inc.
    Inventors: Arno Gruess, Frederik Stoldt, Andre Vierke
  • Patent number: 11560787
    Abstract: A stand-alone apparatus for determining the level (X) of liquid (F) in oil boreholes (P) overcomes the need of a pressurized gas source. A loudspeaker-type electroacoustical transducer (11) both emits characteristic acoustical signals through the mouth of the borehole and detects the return of an echo from the surface of the liquid downhole for clocking the time-interval between emission and return to determine the level of the liquid. To overcome the limited power inherent in a loudspeaker-type transducer relative to masking borehole acoustic noise, a method of operation correlates the intensity amplitude of the detected echo with the emitted signal. Another solution comprises repeating emission and detection cycles a number of n times and then adding or integrating the n curves into a resulting curve which is filtered. The detected liquid level may be used for determining the submergence and regulating the speed of a pump in the borehole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Inventors: Mariano Andrés Hunkeler, Pablo Oscar Severini, Leoncio Del Pozo, Juan José Malo
  • Patent number: 11549312
    Abstract: The invention relates to reamers used in downhole oil well drilling operations, particularly in reaming while drilling applications. Presented is a reamer having an interior channel which runs along an elongate axis of the entire body of the reamer, wherein there are openings along both ends of the reamer, exposing the interior channel. Additionally presented in the reamer are a plurality of paths extending parallel to the interior channel along the exterior of the body of the reamer, and running in a helical pattern along the entirety of the exterior of the body of the reamer. Disposed within the helical paths are a plurality of cutting inserts, which cutting inserts are enabled to provides a uniform cutting surface against a well bore, which preferably improves cutting action and reduces strain on the reamer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Inventor: Duane Shotwell
  • Patent number: 11542785
    Abstract: Systems and methods for managing flowback fluids produced during a flowback process in a well are provided. The system includes a well formed in a target zone in a hydrocarbon reservoir, where the well also extends to a disposal zone. The system also includes a check valve or zonal isolation systems. The method includes selecting a disposal zone, directing the formation of a well extending through a target zone and a disposal zone, transporting the flowback fluid from the target zone to the disposal zone during the flowback process, and selectively plugging the well near the disposal zone to prevent migration of the flowback fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Inventors: Osama Abdelhamid, Khaled Faleh
  • Patent number: 11542809
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring strain in a polished rod of a beam pump unit includes a body having an upper wide section, a lower wide section, and a narrow section having a reduced width in comparison to each of the upper and lower wide sections. A bore is formed in the narrow section. The apparatus also includes at least two connectors configured to connect the body to the rod. The bore is positioned between the two connectors in a direction that is parallel to an axis of the rod. The apparatus further includes a strain gauge positioned in the bore, so as to measure strain in the rod between the two points of connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: NOVEN, INC.
    Inventors: Mahmut Sengul, Mario Ruscev
  • Patent number: 11530587
    Abstract: A non-electric explosive device includes a primary body containing cutting material and including a primary charge positioned in the cutting material; an explosive body at a first axial end of the primary body and including explosive material; and a firing head at a second axial end of the primary body, the firing head including a firing pin secured at least partially inside the firing head via securing device, the firing pin comprising an activating end proximate the primary charge and a blunt end protruding from a distal end of the firing head. A force applied to the blunt end of the firing pin causes the firing pin to retract toward the primary charge and break the securing device so that the activating end of the retracting firing pin impacts the primary charge which ignites the explosive material that causes the cutting material in the primary body to travel radially outward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: WRIGHT'S IP HOLDINGS, LLC
    Inventor: David C. Wright
  • Patent number: 11525324
    Abstract: A clamp assembly device for connecting a rotating control device bearing assembly to a main body of a rotating control device. The device includes clamp members configured to retain the bearing assembly in place on the main body, a clamp actuator for driving clamping and unclamping of the clamp members and a lock pin controlled by a lock pin actuator. The lock pin actuator is configured to lock and unlock the clamp assembly device by moving the pin between locked and unlocked positions along an axis substantially parallel with the axis of rotation of the bearing assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Reform Energy Services Corp.
    Inventors: Ronald James Downie, Joel Victor-David Dunbar
  • Patent number: 11512541
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a tool body having a bore that is aligned with a lengthwise axis and a rotating assembly coupled to the tool body. The rotating assembly includes a turbine wheel that is disposed adjacent to an inner surface of the wall and exposed to the bore. The rotating assembly includes an impeller that is disposed adjacent to an outer surface of the wall in a position corresponding to the turbine wheel. Each of the turbine wheel and impeller has a respective axis of rotation that is transverse to the lengthwise axis. The rotating assembly includes a link rod that couples the turbine wheel to the impeller and is used to transfer mechanical energy generated by the turbine wheel to the impeller. The apparatus is operable by fluid flow through a drill string to increase pressure in a wellbore annulus and enhance transportation of formation cuttings up the annulus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Abdulwahab S. Al-Johar, Mohammed Murif Al-Rubaii, Abdullah S. Al-Yami
  • Patent number: 11505997
    Abstract: A horizontal drilling machine with an in-situ detection device, including a support frame, an armored cable, a steel pipe-straightening mechanism, a steel pipe-feeding mechanism, a motor, a power head, a drill pipe, a rotating chuck, a damper, a non-core drilling tool, the in-situ detection device, a fishing device and a thrust cylinder. The steel pipe-straightening mechanism, the steel pipe-feeding mechanism, the rotating chuck and the damper are sequentially fixed on the support frame from left to right. One end of the thrust cylinder is hinged with the support frame, and the other end is connected to the power head. The active drill pipe of the power head is connected to the drill pipe. An end of the armored cable is connected to the fishing device in the drill pipe, and the fishing head of the fishing device is connected to the spearhead of the non-core drilling tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: HUNAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Buyan Wan, Yongping Jin, Fenfei Peng, Jialiang Wang, Huan Liu
  • Patent number: 11499421
    Abstract: A method of mud logging is disclosed which the chemical constituents and concentrations of formation fluid are calculated based on pulse power plasma parameters and the constituent species and concentrations of drilling mud, including reaction products, upon which the pulse power plasma has acted. Based on correlation between pulse power plasma parameters, including drilling parameters, drilling can be optimized for identified formation and formation fluid species. An offset between the chemical makeup of the drilling mud exposed to pules power plasma and the chemical makeup of formation fluid is calculated. Based on the calculated offset, pulse power plasma drilling can be controlled as a function of drilling mud concentration including in other wellbores in the formation or field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Mathew Dennis Rowe
  • Patent number: 11492880
    Abstract: A method for producing fluid from a well includes inserting a pump into a well tubing having at least one gas lift valve disposed at a selected depth. The pump arranged to lift fluid below the pump into the well tubing. A gas pressure in an annular space between the well tubing and a well casing is increased until the gas reaches a flow port in the tubing proximate the pump. The pump is operated by continuing pumping gas so as to lift fluid from a subsurface reservoir to the selected depth of the at least one gas lift valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: HANSEN DOWNHOLE PUMP SOLUTIONS A.S.
    Inventor: Henning Hansen
  • Patent number: 11492862
    Abstract: A downhole autonomous cutting tool and methods are described. The downhole autonomous cutting tool including: a body comprising a hydraulic motor, the body having a generally cylindrical configuration such that the body limits a downhole flow of fluids past the autonomous cutting tool between the autonomous cutting tool and the pipe when the tool is deployed in the pipe; a locking unit attached to the body, the locking unit actuable to engage inner surfaces of the pipe in the wellbore; a sensor module operable to detect interactions between the pipe and walls of the wellbore; an actuation unit attached to the body and rotatable by the hydraulic motor, the actuation unit operable to move a plurality of cutting elements between a running position and a cutting position; and a control unit in electronic communication with the sensor module, the locking unit, and the actuation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Ossama R. Sehsah, Amjad Shaarawi, Chinthaka Pasan Gooneratne
  • Patent number: 11486213
    Abstract: Systems and methods for accessing a wellbore of a subterranean well downhole of abandoned subterranean wellbore equipment include a re-entry guide secured to an uphole end of an overshot. The re-entry guide and overshot together form a re-entry tool. The overshot has an inner diameter gripping assembly sized to grip a tubing stub. The re-entry guide has an outer diameter sized to match a drift inner diameter of a casing of the subterranean well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Benton Kelly, III, Ahmed Al-Ramadhan, Ahmed Al-Mousa
  • Patent number: 11486204
    Abstract: A disconnect sub is connected at one end to a pipe for deployment into a well, where the disconnect sub is then connected to a downhole sealing device such as a plug. The disconnect sub comprises a disconnection point that has a lower tensile break value than the rest of the plug, and has a predetermined tensile break value such that the disconnection point will fail when a threshold value of axial tensile load is applied to the disconnect sub. This offers two methods of disconnection of the pipe from the plug after the plug has set—firstly, rotation of the pipe, or if rotation is not possible, overpull of the pipe in excess of the threshold will cause failure of the disconnection point and separation of the pipe from the plug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Coretrax Technology Limited
    Inventors: Jason Fong, Brian Bargewell
  • Patent number: 11473382
    Abstract: A downhole tool control apparatus includes a control assembly, a stroking assembly, and a pocket sleeve positioned in an outer sub. The control assembly and stroking assembly are independently slidable axially within the outer sub. The control assembly and stroking assembly slide depending on the flow rate of fluid through the downhole tool actuator. The stroking assembly includes a spline barrel having a spline projection positioned within a spline pocket formed in the pocket sleeve. The pocket sleeve and control assembly include one or more ratchet teeth positioned in the pocket sleeve such that as the flow rate is changed between a high and a low flow rate, the spline projection engages the ratchet teeth until an actuated cycle is completed, allowing the downhole tool actuator to move to an actuation position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: TURBO DRILL INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventor: Mark Adam
  • Patent number: 11466517
    Abstract: A downhole drilling system is disclosed. The system may include a drill bit including first and second electrodes electrically coupled to a pulse-generating circuit to receive pulse drilling signals, a reference sensor in proximity to the drill bit, an additional sensor uphole from the reference sensor, and a sensor analysis system communicatively coupled to the reference sensor and to the additional sensor. The sensor analysis system may be configured to obtain measurements representing responses recorded simultaneously by the reference sensor and by the additional sensor during a pulsed drilling operation in a wellbore, generate modified measurements in which effects of variations in the pulse drilling signal on the measurements representing responses recorded by the additional sensor are reduced based on the measurements representing responses recorded by the reference sensor and determine, based on the modified measurements, a characteristic of a formation downhole from the drill bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Burkay Donderici, Reza Khalaj Amineh
  • Patent number: 11466528
    Abstract: Provided herein is an intervention tool and a method for fracturing multiple lateral wellbores in a well system. The intervention tool, in one aspect, includes a radial outer housing, the radial outer housing forming an interior bore configured to flow fluid, and an expansion member coupled proximate an outer surface of the radial outer housing. The intervention tool according to this aspect further includes a sliding sleeve positioned along an interior surface of the radial outer housing and engageable with the expansion member, the sleeve including a collection of slots or catches configured to move the expansion member between a radially retracted position when the sliding sleeve is in a first linear position and a radially expanded position when the sliding sleeve is in a second linear position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Williams Cho, Matthew James Kelsey, Casey James Alvin Brown
  • Patent number: 11459860
    Abstract: A gas lift system may be installed within a well to allow gas lift operations where gas may be injected into the annular area of the well while producing fluids through the interior of the production tubular or upon demand may be reversed so that gas may be injected into the interior of the production tubular while producing fluids to the annular region of the well. In order to allow bidirectional production on demand two types of gas lift mandrels are installed as part of the production tubular. Both types of gas lift mandrels are configured such that gas lift valves are mounted to the exterior of the mandrels. In order to facilitate the desired direction of gas flow through the two types of gas lift mandrels a plug and packer system with or with out one way valves may be utilized to direct and contain the pressurized gas flow within the well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Liberty Lift Solutions, LLC
    Inventors: William Garrett Archa, Corbin Mozisek
  • Patent number: 11459880
    Abstract: The invention discloses a method for evaluating the difference in gas injection effect of gas injection wells in a carbonate reservoir, aiming at solving the problem that the difference in effect characters of gas injection wells cannot be systematically evaluated in the prior art, and realizing the purposes of systematically and completely evaluating the difference in gas injection effect in the carbonate reservoir and finding out the reason of low efficiency. By means of the invention, reasons for low gas injection efficiency corresponding to different geological classifications are obtained, systematic classification and induction are carried out on the difference in gas injection effect, and gas injection effects are effectively evaluated, so that a sufficient gas injection scheme design basis is provided for subsequent development and production increase, and a significant guiding principle is provided for later-stage gas injection and production increase of the carbonate reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: SOUTHWEST PETROLEUM UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Yisheng Hu, Xuan Bai, Ping Guo, Jianfen Du, Zhouhua Wang, Huang Liu