Patents Examined by Victor J. Taylor
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Patent number: 6999879Abstract: A method of devising infill strategy in planning a seismic survey, using Monte Carlo methods and value-of-information theory to assess the probable value in well pay-out of a given increase in survey costs to reduce artifact degradation of the quality of the seismic data, where the seismic data will be used to make well-drilling decisions.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2004Date of Patent: February 14, 2006Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyInventor: Richard T. Houck
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Patent number: 6999878Abstract: Process for the location of the position of the interface (5) between two fluids (f1, f2) each contained in a zone (7-1, 7-2) of a reservoir (4) in which: a) a reference transient flow condition that produces a reference pressure difference (?Pref(t)), is initiated in a reservoir (4) that comprises at least one pressure sensor (8) located within one of the zones (Z1), b) later an effective transient flow condition that produces a pressure wave which propagates within the reservoir (4) producing an effective pressure difference (?Pu1?(t)) is initiated, c) the pressure differences (?Pref(t)), (?Pu1(t)) are compared, d) a point in time (?1) that represents the instant when the pressure wave reaches the interface (5) between the two fluids (f1, f2) is determined, the distance (L1) between the interface (5) and the pressure sensor (8) is calculated. The operations b) to d) are repeated in order to monitor movement of the boundary. Application in the petroleum industry.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2002Date of Patent: February 14, 2006Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventor: Yves Manin
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Patent number: 6996470Abstract: Various systems and methods of the present invention provide amorphous computing systems and methods for use thereof. In some cases, the amorphous computing systems include one or more amorphous hardware elements that are programmed under control of a computer processor such as, for example, an AMD™ or INTEL™ based personal computer. Portions of an algorithm can then be computed by the individual amorphous hardware elements that can be, as one example, an FPGA or some subset of hardware gates available on an FPGA. Methods can include a variety of computations including Wave Equations and Kirchhoff algorithms. Thus, in particular cases, the amorphous computing systems and methods for using such are applied to seismic imaging problems, as well as other problems.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2003Date of Patent: February 7, 2006Assignee: MOAC LLCInventor: Bill Kamps
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Patent number: 6993433Abstract: The present invention is a method for determining a parameter of interest of a region of interest of the earth. At least one component of potential fields data is measured at a plurality of locations over a region of interest including a subterranean formation of interest. The potential fields data are selected from magnetic data and gravity data. An initial geophysical model is determined for the region including the subterranean formation of interest. For the model, geophysical tensor data is updated using a forward model at a plurality of locations using a High Order Compact Finite Difference method. A difference between the estimated model value and the measured value of the potential field measurements are determined, and the geophysical model is updated. The model is iteratively updated and compared to the measured data until the differences reach an acceptable level and the parameter of interest has been determined.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2003Date of Patent: January 31, 2006Assignee: ConocoPhillips CompanyInventors: Juan Andres Chavarria, Partha Sarathi Routh, Jerry Lee Kisabeth, Gregory Joseph Jorgensen
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Patent number: 6990410Abstract: Methods, a computer-readable medium, and a system are provided for determining whether a data point indicates a presence of a cloud using visible near-infrared data and short wavelength infrared data. A first comparison of a cirrus-band reflectance of the data point with a threshold cirrus-band reflectance value is made, classifying the data point as a cloud point if the cirrus-band reflectance of the data point exceeds the threshold cirrus-band reflectance value. When the comparing of the cirrus-band reflectance of the data point with the threshold cirrus-band reflectance value does not classify the data point as a cloud point, a further analysis is performed, including performing a second or more comparisons of additional cloud indicators derived from at least one of the visible, near-infrared, and short wavelength infrared data with related empirically-derived, landcover-dependent thresholds for classifying the data point as a cloud point or a non-cloud point.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 2003Date of Patent: January 24, 2006Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Arthur L. Boright, John C. Sluder
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Patent number: 6985814Abstract: A method for surveying a borehole is provided. The method includes providing a tool having a magnetic field measurement device disposed thereon and positioning the tool in a borehole. Magnetic interference vectors are determined at at least two positions in the borehole by comparing the measured magnetic fields at those positions with a known magnetic field of the earth. The magnetic interference vectors indicate a direction to a target subterranean structure. Various embodiments of the invention compare the directions to the target subterranean structure with a historical survey thereof, so as to determine a distance between the borehole and the subterranean structure and an azimuth of the borehole. The surveying methodology of this invention may advantageously improve borehole surveying data obtained, for example, in relief well and/or well twinning drilling applications.Type: GrantFiled: November 11, 2003Date of Patent: January 10, 2006Assignee: PathFinder Energy Services, Inc.Inventor: Graham McElhinney
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Patent number: 6985837Abstract: A system for presenting meteorological information uses a browser interface to access massive amounts of weather-related data in the form of images stored on the server-side of the system. A user having a common browser on a Web client accesses the server-side information to selectively assemble weather-related data on multiple overlays of images and/or graphics into one simultaneous presentation on a Web page. The different overlays are normalized with respect to time and space, and a user can separately generate graphically miniaturized presentations of weather-related data for saving and subsequently recalling each presentation, wherein each presentation is displayed with current relativized data. The user can also select or customize derived variables to be distinctively displayed as part of a presentation.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2002Date of Patent: January 10, 2006Inventors: Dennis A. Moon, Neil R. Lincoln, Rex Filstrup, Rolf D. Miller, Eric Christeson, Ningsheng Huang, Michael T. C. Johnson, Brian Lincoln, John R. Makosky, Brian K. Smith, Elizabeth Wiethoff
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Patent number: 6963802Abstract: The invention relates to a method of coordinating and stabilizing the delivery of wind generated power, such as to a power grid, so as to avoid sudden surges and spikes, despite wind speed fluctuations and oscillations. The method preferably uses a plurality of windmill stations, including a number of immediate use stations, energy storage stations, and hybrid stations, wherein energy can be used directly by the power grid, and stored for later use when demand is high or wind availability is low. The method contemplates forming an energy delivery schedule, to coordinate the use of direct energy and energy from storage, based on daily wind speed forecasts, which help to predict the resulting wind power availability levels for the upcoming day. The schedule preferably sets a reduced number of constant power output periods during the day, during which time energy delivery levels remain substantially constant, despite fluctuations and oscillations in wind speed and wind power availability levels.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2004Date of Patent: November 8, 2005Inventors: Ben M. Enis, Paul Lieberman
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Patent number: 6959245Abstract: Methods of characterizing subsurface conditions in a selected geographic region previously associated as a whole with a specific subsurface material characteristic reference profile such as from a USDA-NRCS soil survey. The method includes deploying a sensing tool at selected positions within the geographic region to determine a depth-referenced subsurface material characteristic such as soil type or strata, comparing the determined subsurface material characteristic to the subsurface material characteristic reference profile associated with the geographic region to determine a correlation between the subsurface material characteristic reference profile and the depth-referenced subsurface material characteristic, and then deciding whether to deploy the tool at another position, and at what optimum position to deploy the tool, by considering the correlation.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2003Date of Patent: October 25, 2005Assignee: Soil and Topography Information, LLCInventors: Daniel James Rooney, Marek Dudka, Mark Andrew Cheyne
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Patent number: 6957147Abstract: A seismic data acquisition unit includes a data acquisition and digital circuit which receives an analog seismic signal and digitizes the signal. The digitized seismic data uses data telemetry and a repeater device to receive the compressed data and transmit the compressed data to a seismic central control unit. The data decompressor takes the data from the data compressor and decompresses the data. The decompressed data is then compared with the original digitized data to determine the amount of noise resulting from the compression process. The compression noise is compared to the ambient noise, and if the compression noise exceeds a predefined criterion, then the compression ratio in the data compressor is adjusted for a lower degree of compression. The process is repeated until the amount of compression noise, relative to ambient noise, is satisfactory.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2002Date of Patent: October 18, 2005Assignee: Sercel, Inc.Inventors: Pierre Baliguet, Loring Chien, Patrick Cook
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Patent number: 6956204Abstract: A method for determining properties of a formation fluid including obtaining data related to an optical density at a methane peak and an optical density at an oil peak for a fluid sample at a plurality of times, calculating an apparent gas-oil-ratio of the sample fluid from the optical density of the fluid sample at the methane peak to the optical density of the fluid sample at the oil peak at each of the plurality of times based on the data, selecting a power function of a sampling parameter for a buildup of the apparent gas-oil-ratio, calculating an exponential constant of the power function based on the data, and determining at least one selected from the group consisting of a contamination free gas-oil-ratio and a percent contamination.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2003Date of Patent: October 18, 2005Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Chengli Dong, Peter S. Hageman, Oliver C. Mullins, Go Fujisawa, Soraya S. Betancourt, Julian Pop, Andrew L. Kurkjian, Toru Terabayashi, Hani M. Elshahawi
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Patent number: 6950748Abstract: Techniques for determining a formation property by simplifying various two-geological-layer or multi-geological-layer models into a multi-electrical-layer model. A volume fraction of a layer in a multi-electrical-layer model is determined for an anisotropic region (sliding window) of the formation. The multi-electrical-layer electrical model includes a relative-lower-resistivity layer and a relative-higher-resistivity layer. A high-resolution resistivity measurement is used in the determination and resistivities for the relative-lower-resistivity layer and for the relative-higher-resistivity layer based on the volume fraction and bulk resistivity measure ments of the anisotropic region are determined. The formation property is based on the volume fraction, the resistivity of the relative-lower-resistivity layer, the resistivity of the relative-higher-resistivity layer, a total porosity of the anisotropic region, and bulk resistivity measurements of the region.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2003Date of Patent: September 27, 2005Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Cheng Bing Liu, Qiming Li, Frank P. Shray, Jacques Tabanou
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Patent number: 6950750Abstract: A method of evaluating the volume ratio of gas to oil (GOR) in the fluids of a well during drilling by direct or indirect measurement of the volumes of gas and oil in the cuttings. The method includes determining the volume of gas (Vg) contained in the drilling fluids by measuring a ratio between a volume of gas produced and a corresponding volume of drilled rock, determining the volume of oil (Vo) by measuring the total organic carbon (TOC) in the drilled rock while taking account of physical characteristics of the drilled rock and of the oil under the surface conditions, and determining said volume ratio (GOR) by calculating the ratio of the previously determined volumes of gas and of oil. The method can be implemented in the field, even on a drilling site, using a Rock-Eval type equipment for example.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 2003Date of Patent: September 27, 2005Assignee: Institut Francais du PetroleInventor: Bernard Carpentier
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Patent number: 6950034Abstract: A method for performing diagnostics on a wired drill pipe telemetry system of a downhole drilling system is provided. The method includes passing a signal through a plurality of drill pipe in the wired drill pipe (WDP) telemetry system, receiving the signal from the WDP telemetry system, measuring parameters of the received signal and comparing characteristics of the received signal parameters against a known reference to identify variations therein whereby a fault in the wired drill pipe telemetry system is identified. The signal, in the form of a waveform or a pulse, is passed through the WDP telemetry system. The impedance and/or time delay of the received signal is measured. By analyzing variations, such as resonance and/or reflections in the signal, the existence and/or location of a fault in the WDP telemetry system may be determined.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2003Date of Patent: September 27, 2005Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Nicolas Pacault, Bruce W. Boyle
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Patent number: 6947675Abstract: A remote maintenance and diagnosis apparatus for making a diagnosis of a remote client appliance comprises a data acquisition unit that acquires data necessary to diagnose the client appliance, a diagnosing unit that make an automatic diagnosis of the client appliance based on the data acquired by the data acquisition unit, and an automatic diagnosis result reporting unit that reports a result of the automatic diagnosis to the client appliance.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2002Date of Patent: September 20, 2005Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Kiyohisa Koyama, Akira Takehisa, Keiichi Suzuki, Youichi Onodera
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Patent number: 6944574Abstract: A data acquisition system includes a product for shipment to an end user, a sensor system removably connected to the product for recording environmental conditions to which the product is exposed, and a computing device, which upon being connected to the product, is operable to retrieve the recorded environmental conditions. The product may be operable to control the operation of the sensor system, or the sensor system may be operable to record environmental conditions independent of the operation of the product.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2003Date of Patent: September 13, 2005Assignee: Xerox CorporationInventors: Ewart O. LeBlanc, Matile D. Malimabe, Jalal Rahimi
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Patent number: 6944546Abstract: Method and apparatus for deriving information regarding a subsurface geophysical formation. Well logging data is acquired for the subsurface geophysical formation. Geometrical parameters for the subsurface geophysical formation are determined by inversion processing of the acquired well logging data in a pattern space while formation conductivities for the subsurface geophysical formation are determined by inversion processing of the acquired well logging data in a measurement space. The processing may be iteratively applied until satisfied formation parameters are achieved.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2003Date of Patent: September 13, 2005Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.Inventors: Jiaqi Xiao, Michael S. Bittar
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Patent number: 6944547Abstract: A system and method for controlling operation of a drilling rig having a control management system, comprises programming the control system with at least one resource module, the at least one resource module having at least one operating model having at least one set of programmed operating rules related to at least one set of operating parameters. In addition, the system and method provide an authenticating hierarchical access to at least one user to the at least one resource module.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2003Date of Patent: September 13, 2005Assignee: Varco I/P, Inc.Inventors: Keith Womer, William I. Koederitz, Mallappa I. Guggari
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Patent number: 6937937Abstract: A weather monitoring and prediction system that uses a fleet of aircraft to obtain data. Each aircraft has a local air data system that facilitates the measurement, recordation, and transmittal of local atmospheric data such as barometric pressure, and the corresponding temporal, positional, and altitudinal data. The data is electronically transmitted from each aircraft to a ground based processing system where it is stored. The data may then be transmitted to subscribing users such as aircraft, other weather data systems or to air traffic control centers in either a compiled form or in a raw form. Another embodiment also provides for measuring barometric pressure as a function of altitude at an in-flight aircraft.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2004Date of Patent: August 30, 2005Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventors: Mark Manfred, Lucius Orville Taylor Jr., Anthony Vernon Brama
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Patent number: 6932167Abstract: A compression scheme for reducing the amount of data that must be transmitted uplink from a formation test while drilling apparatus. Periodic samples are taken within the formation test apparatus and prior to transmitting data uplink, the samples are analyzed to generate curve fit parameters that define a curve that most closely fits the sampled data. A minimal set a data points, time variables, and curve fit parameters are transmitted to the surface where the transmitted data is used to reconstruct the formation pressure test curve. A quality of fit value is also transmitted with the minimal data set as an indication of the quality of the fit between the reconstructed data and the actually sampled data points.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2003Date of Patent: August 23, 2005Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.Inventors: Mark A. Proett, Preston N. Weintraub, Christopher A. Golla, Svetozar D. Simeonov