Patents Examined by Steven A Macdonald
  • Patent number: 11965393
    Abstract: A setting tool includes a housing having an initiator compartment to receive an initiator for initiating combustion of a combustible element, a combustion compartment to receive the combustible element, and a switch compartment to at least partially receive a switch circuit for activating the initiator, a piston configured to impart a setting force against the plug in response to combustion of the combustible element, and an interrupt flowpath configured to connect at least one of the combustion compartment and the initiator compartment with the switch compartment whereby combustion products that may be created in the initiator compartment or combustion compartment would be circulated from the at least one of the combustion compartment and the initiator compartment to the switch compartment to disconnect the switch circuit in response to the activation of the initiator charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: G&H Diversified Manufacturing LP
    Inventors: Benjamin Vascal Knight, Charles Levine, Joe Noel Wells, Timmothy Alain Lee, Ryan Ward, William Caruana
  • Patent number: 11959371
    Abstract: An electrically powered hydraulic fracturing system includes pumps for pressurizing fracturing fluid, piping for carrying fracturing fluid, and field connections in obliquely oriented segments of the piping. The connections are between lead lines that couple directly to the pumps and lines carrying fluid to and from the pump; and are assembled and disassembled in the field. Operations personnel can more easily manipulate connections that are obliquely oriented than those that are horizontal or vertical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: US Well Services, LLC
    Inventors: Jared Oehring, Robert Kurtz
  • Patent number: 11952849
    Abstract: A setting tool for use in wells includes a mandrel formed with an interior combustion chamber. The setting tool further includes a barrel piston sized and configured to extend at least partially over an exterior of the mandrel and a shear device coupled to a portion of the mandrel and coupled to the barrel piston when in an in-line configuration. The mandrel includes an upper portion having a lead portion, an engagement portion, and a wrench-application portion. The wrench-application portion has a longitudinal length in the range of 1.5 to 3.0 to receive a wrench and avoid damage to the shear device. Other tools are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: DBK Industries, LLC
    Inventor: Brian Michael Gleason
  • Patent number: 11933123
    Abstract: A wellbore completion assembly for anchoring a progressive cavity pump in a wellbore having a production tubing. The wellbore completion assembly includes a progressive cavity pump, an anchor, and an electrical submersible pump motor. The progressive cavity pump is configured to be disposed in a wellbore. The anchor is coupled to a downhole end of the progressive cavity pump to couple the progressive cavity pump to a production tubing positioned in the wellbore. The anchor has a body, a mechanical lock receiving assembly, and a seal. The body is coupled to the progressive cavity pump. The mechanical lock receiving assembly is positioned on a first external surface of the body to couple the body to the production tubing. The seal is positioned about the body to engage the production tubing. The electrical submersible pump motor is mechanically coupled to the progressive cavity pump by a drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Marcelo Ramos Flores, Alaa Shawly
  • Patent number: 11933125
    Abstract: A plug retrieval tool includes a mandrel lowerable into a wellbore. A retrieval head is coupled to the mandrel for selectively latching onto a plug. A shroud is telescopically coupled to the mandrel about the retrieval head and moveable repeatedly between an extended position below the retrieval head for displacing debris on the plug and a retracted position for moving the retrieval head closer to the plug to latch onto the plug. A resistance mechanism provides a resistance to moving the shroud each time the shroud is moved toward the retracted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Reid Maher, Colby Munro Ross, Jhess Menard
  • Patent number: 11927065
    Abstract: A well tool device for forming a permanent barrier in a well includes a housing and an ignition device. A compartment is provided in the housing. A pyrotechnic mixture or heat generating mixture is provided within the compartment. The ignition device is adapted to heating at least a part of the pyrotechnic mixture or the heat generating mixture to its ignition temperature. If the pyrotechnic mixture is provided, the pyrotechnic mixture includes a first metal and at least a section of the housing is made of the first metal. If the heat generating mixture is provided, at least a section of the housing is made from a material being a constituent of the heat generating mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: INTERWELL P&A AS
    Inventor: Stian Tøndel
  • Patent number: 11921246
    Abstract: Method for characterizing subterranean formation is described. One method involves injecting a fluid into an active well of the subterranean formation at a pressure sufficient to induce one or more hydraulic fractures. Measuring, via a pressure sensor, a poroelastic pressure response caused by inducing of the one or more hydraulic fractures. The pressure sensor is in at least partial hydraulic isolation with the one or more hydraulic fractures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventor: Nicolas Patrick Roussel
  • Patent number: 11920463
    Abstract: A wellbore system includes a first plug and a second plug that latch independently within an elongated housing; at least one plug having an elongated channel with a ball therein for performing operation of a pressure test; and optionally including a ball seat for receiving a dissolving ball for contingency and supplementary casing tests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Citadel Casing Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Todd Stair, Phillip Standifer
  • Patent number: 11920437
    Abstract: A speed-enhancing drilling tool includes an upstream drill string (10), which has a drive motor and a first driving rod coupled therewith, a downstream drilling bit; and a percussive device connected between the upstream drilling string and the downstream drilling bit. The first driving rod extending axially and the drive motor are configured to drive the first driving rod in rotation. The percussive device has a rotary driving part having an upper end engaged with the first driving rod to rotate together therewith; and a rotary working part having an upper end engaged with a lower end of the rotary driving part and a lower end connected with the downstream drilling bit. The rotary working part can be driven by the rotary driving part to rotate about its axis, and axially movable relative thereto; and a percussion generating part arranged around the rotary working part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignees: China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, Sinopec Petroleum Engineering Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Haiping Zhang, Shidong Ding, Mingguang Sun, Jiachang Wang, Yanbin Zang, Xinghua Tao, Lishuang Wang, Xiaodan Liu, Lingchao Xuan, Renlong Zhang
  • Patent number: 11913330
    Abstract: A method for determining change in stress in a reservoir formation includes inducing a pressure pulse in a first well hydraulically connected by a fracture to the reservoir formation. A stress-related attribute of the fracture is determined from reflection events detected in pressure measurement made in the first well as a result of the inducing the pressure pulse. The inducing and determining are repeated to estimate changes in the stress-related attribute with respect to time. A method for determining and localizing type of interaction between a treated well and an observation well by monitoring pressure and fracture changes in the observation well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Seismos, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Moos, Jakub Felkl, Hossein Davari Ardakani, Ibrahim Said Abou-Sayed
  • Patent number: 11913304
    Abstract: A wiper plug to activate an internal sleeve positioned within a landing collar, wherein the landing collar and the internal sleeve are integral components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Vertice Oil Tools, Inc.
    Inventor: Mohamed Ibrahim Saraya
  • Patent number: 11913311
    Abstract: A flow control shuttle to provide the ability to block flow in either direction initially, while allowing a high-pressure differential capacity in one direction and does not produce free floating pieces of the plug in the flow stream after actuation. The mechanism is actuated by a pressure differential opposite the high-pressure direction, in which the actuation pressure can be set independently of the pressure rating of the high-pressure direction. Upon actuation the flow path opens allowing flow in either direction by moving a shuttle plug from a sealed to an unsealed configuration. The direction of high pressure and actuation pressure can be chosen by direction of installation on based what is required for the application. This mechanism can be incorporated into an existing tool or a new tool design, or can be provided as a standalone tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: ADVANCED OIL TOOLS, LLC
    Inventors: Bryan Samuel Fitzhugh, Timothy Wayne Raley, Jonathan Charles Birk
  • Patent number: 11905787
    Abstract: A variable stiffness engineered degradable ball or seal having a degradable phase and a stiffener material. The variable stiffness engineered degradable ball or seal can optionally be in the form of a degradable diverter ball or sealing element which can be made neutrally buoyant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Terves LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Sherman, Nicholas Farkas, Raghu Meesala
  • Patent number: 11898421
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a sand control device for marine hydrate production, which comprises a top motor, a bottom motor, and an inner-layer sand control cylinder, an outer-layer sand control cylinder and an outer-layer sand control screen coaxially arranged from inside to outside, wherein the top motor and bottom motor are configured to control the inner-layer sand control cylinder and the outer-layer sand control cylinder to rotate reversely, and wherein a plurality of sand retaining balls are provided between the inner-layer sand control cylinder and the outer-layer sand control cylinder and between the outer-layer sand control cylinder and the outer-layer sand control screen. According to the present invention, the arrangement of the inner-layer sand control cylinder and the outer-layer sand control cylinder rotating reversely can effectively prevent formation sand from accumulating on the surface of a sand control screen pipe and blocking the sand control screen pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Southwest Petroleum University
    Inventors: Jinze Song, Shuxian Jiang, Hongjun Zhu, Shuai Liu, Yue Gao
  • Patent number: 11898432
    Abstract: A method for drilling a subterranean wellbore includes rotating a drill string in the wellbore to drill. The drill string includes a roll-stabilized housing deployed in a drill collar and survey sensors deployed in the roll-stabilized housing. Sensor measurements are acquired while the drill string is rotating. High bandwidth accelerometer measurements may be obtained by combining triaxial accelerometer measurements and gyroscopic sensor measurements. Survey parameters, including a wellbore azimuth, may be computed from the high bandwidth accelerometer measurements. Triaxial magnetometer measurements may be processed to compute an eddy current induced wellbore azimuth error which may be removed from a previously computed wellbore azimuth to obtain a corrected wellbore azimuth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Andrew Whitmore, Abdiwahid Alasow, Edward Richards, Darren Lee Aklestad
  • Patent number: 11891864
    Abstract: A drilling rig having a lift arm, which may be an auxiliary lift arm provided in addition to a primary lifting cable system of the drilling rig. The lift arm may be configured to hoist and/or manipulate drill collar, drill pipe, or other drilling pipe or conduit. The lift arm may be coupled to a mast of the drilling rig and may have a cantilevered boom extending therefrom. The boom may be configured to pivot between alignment, or near alignment, with well center and a racking board. The lift arm may additionally have a pipe engaging element coupled to the boom. The pipe engaging element may be configured to couple to stands or lengths of drilling pipe. The pipe engaging element may be raised and lowered together with or relative to the boom via a lift line controllable via a hydraulic cylinder, winch, or other suitable mechanism for withdrawing and releasing the line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert Benjamin Donnally, Xi Lin Liu
  • Patent number: 11891868
    Abstract: An assembly and a method of performing an operation in a borehole. The assembly includes a plug, and a retrieving head rigidly coupled to the plug in a locked configuration. The retrieving head includes a lock disposed therein comprising a housing, a mandrel, and a ball seat. The ball seat is secured to the housing at a first seat location when the assembly is in the locked configuration. The assembly is conveyed assembly in the borehole. A ball is dropped through the assembly to seat at the ball seat. A fluid pressure created at the ball moves the ball seat to a second seat location within the housing to place the assembly in an unlocked configuration. The mandrel is shifted to allow the retrieving head to move axially in the unlocked configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES OILFIELD OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Jason Cullum, Andres Sosa
  • Patent number: 11885216
    Abstract: A method for completing a subterranean formation includes conveying a perforator assembly into a borehole drilled in the subterranean formation. The perforator assembly includes at least one shaped charge and at least one tracer package that includes at least one fluid production tracer material and a tracer injector. The method further includes forming at least one tunnel in a production structure by detonating one or more shaped charges and injecting the at least one fluid production tracer material into the formation using the tracer injector after the detonation of the at least one shaped charge. The at least one production tracer material physically associates with at least one resident fluid in the subterranean formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: CORE LABORATORIES LP
    Inventors: Timothy E. Lagrange, David Chastain, Shaun Geerts, Joe McClanahan, Gary Bablitz
  • Patent number: 11879307
    Abstract: An object carrier including a housing having a bore with a diametrically larger portion and a diametrically smaller portion, an object keeper having a first and a second end, the first end being initially disposed in the diametrically smaller portion, an actuator assembly configured to move the first end of the object keeper from the diametrically smaller portion to the diametrically larger portion responsive to selected application of pressure, and an object disposed within the object keeper and secured within the object keeper while the first end of the object keeper is in the diametrically smaller portion, the object being released from the object keeper upon the first end of the object keeper moving to the diametrically larger portion. A method for managing an object-based operation downhole of a restriction including pressuring up on the object carrier, withdrawing the first end from the diametrically smaller portion, and releasing the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES OILFIELD OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: David Alexander, Knut Inge Dahlberg, Eivind Hagen
  • Patent number: 11867025
    Abstract: A flow control apparatus for producing hydrocarbon material from a subterranean formation is disclosed. The apparatus includes a housing that defines a housing passage, and a flow communicator that extends through the housing for effecting fluid communication between the housing passage and the subterranean formation. The apparatus includes a flow controller within the housing for modulating flow communication between the housing passage and the subterranean formation via the flow communicator. The flow controller includes a filter medium-defining counterpart and a shroud-defining counterpart, and the filter medium-defining counterpart has a filter medium. The flow controller is configurable for disposition relative to the flow communicator to open, close, or screen the flow communicator. While the filter medium and the flow communicator are not aligned, the housing and shroud-defining counterpart shields the filter medium from the housing passage and the external environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: NCS MULTISTAGE INC.
    Inventors: Stanley Mberia, Doug Brunskill