Abstract: A method, apparatus and program product utilize infeasible regions projected onto sets of substantially parallel feasibility planes extending through a subsurface region to perform anti-collision and other types of hazard avoidance analysis. Hazards, e.g., existing well trajectories, that intersect the feasibility planes, as well as any uncertainties associated therewith, may be represented as infeasible regions in the feasibility planes, such that an analysis of the feasibility of a proposed well trajectory may be determined in a computationally efficient manner through a comparison of the locations, within one or more feasibility planes, of the proposed well trajectory and any infeasible regions defined in such feasibility planes.

Abstract: It is provided a method and an apparatus for continuously thermally treating an oil reservoir, in particular a method and an apparatus for thermally treating an oil reservoir by separately introducing a first and a second composition into an oil well and contacting the first and second compositions in a pay zone of the oil reservoir to initiate a chemical reaction producing heat and gases. With the method and apparatus according to the present invention it becomes possible to simultaneously introduce the compositions into the oil well and to extract the resultant oil or oil containing mixture through the same oil well.

Abstract: A system and methodology facilitates conveyance of a tool, e.g. a downhole completion or completion component, via a tool string. The tool string comprises a contraction joint designed to contract if the tool incurs sufficient axial loading. The contraction joint may comprise an outer housing and a mandrel slidably received in the outer housing. The contraction joint also comprises a resettable locking member which selectively releases the mandrel with respect to the outer housing to contract the contraction joint when under sufficient axial loading.

Abstract: A positioning member (11) for a tubular (10) is formed using a prefabricated fiber-reinforced resin shell (1) positioned upon a surface of the tubular and bonded to provide a protrusion upon the surface of the tubular. In a disclosed method a fiber-reinforced resin shell (1) is secured to an external surface of a tubular (10) thereby enclosing a cavity between the shell (1) and the surface of the tubular (10); a bonding agent is introduced through inlet ports (5) in a surface of the fiber-reinforced resin shell (1) to fill a cavity between the shell (1) and the surface of the tubular (10), and the bonding agent is cured.

Abstract: During the process of drilling for hydrocarbons, there is often the need to set a cementitious material plug in an open hole to allow the process of sidetracking and drilling of a new well bore. The present invention provides an apparatus and method for setting a cementitious material plug in an irregularly shaped and/or over gauge well bore without contamination of the cementitious material by extruding a membrane filled with cementitious material from a membrane delivery device.

Abstract: A hydrocarbon resource recovery apparatus for a subterranean formation having a wellbore extending therein includes a radio frequency (RF) power source, a dielectric fluid source, and an RF antenna within the wellbore. An RF transmission line extends within the wellbore between the RF power source and the RF antenna and is coupled to the dielectric fluid source to be cooled and/or pressure balanced by a flow of dielectric fluid therefrom. A hydrocarbon resource recovery pump is within the wellbore and is also coupled to the dielectric fluid source to be powered by the flow of dielectric fluid therefrom.

Abstract: A pipe conveyed extendable well logging assembly includes a deployment system for extending and retracting a well logging tool relative to the pipe while downhole. The logging tool may be releasably latched to the pipe, and may include position sensors for position feedback and depth correction.

Abstract: A boring tool moves having a pitch orientation, a yaw orientation and a roll orientation and is steerable underground using the roll orientation. A maximum drill string curvature is established for steering. The boring tool is advanced over a path segment. An averaged roll characteristic is determined for movement of the boring tool along the path segment. A path segment pitch orientation is established based on at least one measured pitch orientation along the path segment. Using the maximum drill string curvature in combination with the averaged roll characteristic and the path segment pitch orientation, the yaw orientation is determined. The averaged roll characteristic is determined based on a series of incremental roll measurements that are spaced across the path segment. A set of coupled ordinary differential equations is used to characterize movement of the boring tool.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for centering and engaging a casing against a wellbore. The apparatus comprises a valve body locatable in-line with the casing the valve body having an outer casing extending between first and second ends and a central passage therethrough, and at least one radially movable body extending therethrough. Each radially movable body has an aperture therethrough so as to permit an exterior of the valve body and the central passage to be in fluidic communication with each other. The apparatus further comprises a cylinder and a piston therein operable connected to the radially movable body in selective fluidic communication with the central passage. The method comprises locating the valve body in line with a wellbore casing, pressurizing the casing with a pressurizing fluid and transmitting the pressurizing fluid the cylinder so as to displace a piston located therein and extend the radially movable body.

Abstract: A method of making a composite downhole article is disclosed. The method include forming at least one removable core member comprising a first metallic material that is removable in a wellbore fluid at a first removal rate; and disposing at least one outer member on the core member, the outer member comprising a second material that is removable in the wellbore fluid at a second removal rate, wherein the removable core member has a composition gradient or a density gradient, or a combination thereof, and wherein the first removal rate is substantially greater than the second removal rate. A method of using a composite downhole article is also disclosed. The method includes forming a composite downhole article as described above; using the article to perform a first wellbore operation; exposing the article to the wellbore fluid; and selectively removing the second removable member.

Abstract: An apparatus for manipulating objects include a plurality of actuators distributed on a rig. The actuators cooperate to orient and move the well equipment. Each actuator may include at least one non-rigid tension member configured to engage the well equipment, and at least one sensor generating a signal representative of at least one parameter of: (i) a length of at least one of the at least one non-rigid tension members, (ii) a tension along at least one of the at least one non-rigid tension members, (iii) a position of at least one of the at least one non-rigid tension members; and (iv) an orientation of at least one of the at least one non-rigid tension members. The actuators may also each include a drum guiding each of the at least one non-rigid tension members and a motor rotating each drum. The apparatus further includes a controller in communication with the actuators, the controller being programmed to move the object based on the at least one sensor signals.

Abstract: To address concerns of kobe plug cap portions being inadvertently removed, for example, by abutment with strings or tools passing thereby, a shielding structure may be employed to protect the cap against inadvertent removal. The port opening tool useful with the kobe plug is selected to overcome the shielding structure to open the kobe plug. To address concerns of a portion of the kobe plug becoming loose in the tubing string inner bore, a capturing mechanism may be provided that captures the cap portion after it is removed to open the kobe plug and prevented the cap portion from becoming loose in the inner bore of the tubing string.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for manufacturing a downhole tool that reduces failures occurring along a bondline between a cemented matrix coupled around a blank. The cemented matrix material is formed from a tungsten carbide powder, a shoulder powder, and a binder material, wherein at least one of the tungsten carbide powder or the shoulder powder is absent of any free tungsten. The blank, which optionally may be coated, is substantially cylindrically shaped and defines a channel extending from a top portion and through a bottom portion of the blank. The absence of free tungsten from at least one of the tungsten carbide powder or the shoulder powder reduces the reaction with iron from the blank, thereby allowing the control and reduction of intermetallic compounds thickness within the bondline.

Abstract: An apparatus for estimating a property of an earth formation includes a carrier configured to be conveyed through a borehole penetrating the formation and a single probe configured to be extended from the carrier and to seal with a wall of the borehole. The apparatus further includes a fluid analysis sensor disposed at the carrier and configured to sense a property of a formation fluid sample extracted from the formation by the probe. A coring device is disposed at the carrier and configured to extend into the probe, to drill into the wall of the borehole, and to extract a core sample. A core sample analysis sensor is disposed at the carrier and configured to sense a property of the core sample. A processor is configured to receive data from the fluid analysis sensor and the core sample analysis sensor and to estimate the property using the data.

Abstract: A downhole separator for separating solids from downhole well fluids comprises a cyclonic separation assembly. The assembly comprises a housing with at least one inlet port and an intake member disposed within the housing. The intake member includes a feed tube, a guide member disposed about the feed tube, and a vortex tube coaxially disposed within the feed tube. The assembly also comprises a cyclone body coaxially disposed within the housing and extending axially from the feed tube. In addition, the separator comprises an upper solids collection assembly coupled to the housing and configured to receive the separated solids from the cyclone body. Further, the separator comprises a lower solids collection assembly coupled to the housing and configured to receive the separated solids from the first solids collection assembly.

Abstract: Processes and systems for drilling a borehole wherein a gravitational energy term, a torsional energy term, a hydraulic energy term and a hydromechanical specific energy which is the sum thereof may be determined using real-time data and compared against corresponding setpoints. The hydraulic energy term may include a hydraulic energy reduction factor so as to account for the distance between the fluid nozzle of the drill bit and the rock and may include the kinematic viscosity of drilling fluid. One or more drilling parameters, such as weight on bit, revolutions per minute, drilling fluid flow rate, or combinations thereof, may be adjusted based upon such comparison to approximate the least amount of energy required to destroy and remove a given unit volume of rock. The setpoints may be changed manually or automatically at the direction of the user.

Abstract: An apparatus for isolating fluid flow in a bottomhole tool assembly comprises a generally cylindrically shaped flow tube with a side, a top, and a bottom; an upper ball seat connected to the top of the flow tube; a lower ball seat connected to the bottom of the flow tube; a plurality of openings in the side of the flow tube; a tapered inner diameter in the upper ball seat, acting as a ball valve; a tapered inner diameter in the lower ball seat, acting as a ball valve, smaller than the tapered inner diameter in the upper ball seat; an upper sub attached to the bottomhole tool assembly; a lower sub attached to the bottomhole tool assembly; shear pins connecting the upper ball seat to the upper sub; and a limiting pin in the lower sub below the lower ball assembly.

Abstract: Disclosed are flow distribution assemblies for distributing fluid flow through well screens. One flow distribution assembly includes a bulkhead arranged about a base pipe having one or more flow ports and defining flow conduits in fluid communication with the flow ports, a sand screen arranged about the base pipe and extending axially from the bulkhead, a flow annulus defined between the sand screen and the base pipe, and flow tubes fluidly coupled to the flow conduits and extending axially from the bulkhead within the flow annulus, the flow tubes being configured to place an interior of the base pipe in fluid communication with the flow annulus via the flow ports, wherein the flow tubes distribute a fluid through the at least one sand screen at a plurality of axial locations within the flow annulus.

Abstract: A downhole cutting tool includes a tool body and a plurality of cutter knife sets, each of the plurality of cutter knife sets configured to extend outwardly to separately perform a pipe cutting operation. A first cutter knife set has a diameter in an extended position larger than a diameter in an extended position of a second cutter knife set. A method includes running the downhole cutting tool into a wellbore, deploying the first set of expandable cutting arms to an extended position and engaging the extended expandable cutting arms with a first work piece, rotating the downhole cutting tool and cutting the first work piece, deploying the second set of expandable cutting arms during a single trip into the wellbore to an extended position and engaging the extended expandable cutting arms with a second work piece, and rotating the downhole cutting tool and cutting the second work piece.

Abstract: A downhole motor for directional drilling includes a driveshaft assembly including a driveshaft housing and a driveshaft rotatably disposed within the driveshaft housing. In addition, the downhole motor includes a bearing assembly including a bearing housing and a bearing mandrel rotatably disposed within the bearing housing. The bearing mandrel has a first end directly connected to the driveshaft with a universal joint and a second end coupled to a drill bit. Further, the downhole motor includes an adjustment mandrel configured to adjust an acute deflection angle ? between the central axis of the bearing housing and the central axis of the driveshaft housing. The adjustment mandrel has a central axis coaxially aligned with the bearing housing, a first end coupled to the driveshaft housing, and a second end coupled to the bearing housing.